About NSPRA
The Superintendents to Watch award recognizes school district leaders who have fewer than five years of experience as a superintendent and who demonstrate dynamic, fast-paced leadership with strong communication at its core.
Dr. Steve M. Lassiter, Jr., leads Pitt County Schools with a communication-centered leadership style grounded in transparency, equity and community connection. Since becoming superintendent in 2024, he has focused on strengthening organizational structures, elevating staff voice, and ensuring that families, educators, and community partners are informed, engaged, and valued across North Carolina’s 13th-largest school district.
“Dr. Lassiter is a visionary, and a student-centered leader whose integrity, innovation and commitment to equity have transformed the communities he serves." — Carol Rankin, Administrative Assistant to the Board
Building a Shared Direction Through Communication
Since his appointment as Superintendent of Pitt County Schools, Dr. Lassiter has strengthened district-wide communication by leading with openness, accessibility and authenticity. His approach reflects a genuine commitment to transparent dialogue with all audiences, including traditional media outlets, families, staff, and community members, and has significantly enhanced how PCS is perceived across the region and state.
One of Dr. Lassiter’s first acts as superintendent was to open lines of communication with local television, newspaper and radio outlets through introductory media sessions. These were not perfunctory interviews; they were thoughtful conversations where he outlined his goals, priorities and leadership vision. Reporters were encouraged to raise difficult questions, and Dr. Lassiter consistently responded with honesty and substance rather than rehearsed soundbites. His willingness to engage in meaningful discussion, even on sensitive topics, has advanced the public’s understanding of the district’s mission and reaffirmed Pitt County Schools’ commitment to transparency and accountability.
Within his first weeks as superintendent, Lassiter introduced The Road Ahead, a districtwide roadmap designed to align goals, messaging and community engagement around five guiding pillars that “speak, lead, learn, inspire, and empower.” The plan established a clear framework for how the district communicates internally and externally while setting expectations for transparency and collaboration.
Key elements of this approach include:
The foundation laid during The Road Ahead’s first year informed the second year’s major initiative, developing a new, comprehensive strategic plan. This process began with 24 focus groups representing all stakeholder groups: certified and classified staff, district leaders, students, parents, community partners, faith-based organizations and afterschool programs. Facilitated by an external agency to ensure objectivity and inclusivity, these sessions were followed by districtwide surveys to capture additional input from students, families and community members.
Making Two-Way Communication a District Standard
Dr. Lassiter has built systems that ensure communication flows in both directions. He led six districtwide listening sessions across attendance zones, supported by surveys before and after each session, so staff, students and families could share feedback that directly informed district decisions.
To further strengthen communication capacity, he has:
“His commitment to clear and consistent communication, as well as his willingness to listen and respond to feedback, reflects a genuine dedication to transparency and continuous improvement.” — Joshua Breazeale, Parents for Public Schools of Pitt County
A Visible, Relationship-Driven Leader
Dr. Lassiter models communication through his daily presence. He welcomes media on school visits, attends community events, meets regularly with staff and families and prioritizes relationship-building as a leadership practice. He also emphasizes staff well-being by setting clear boundaries for after-hours communication and encouraging leaders to respect work-life balance.
Through his example, Dr. Lassiter has redefined communication not as a department function but as a shared responsibility across the district. His hands-on involvement, strategic vision, and authentic leadership continue to foster a culture of openness, collaboration, and trust, ensuring that Pitt County Schools communicates with purpose and heart at every level.
Dr. Lassiter has been recognized as the 2015 Wells Fargo North Carolina Principal of the Year, a National Distinguished Principal, a member of the East Carolina University College of Education Hall of Fame, an East Carolina University 40 Under 40 Leadership Award recipient, a Hodnett Doctoral Fellow for North Carolina public school administrators, a North Carolina Principal Fellow in Pitt County Schools, a Wachovia Teacher of the Year finalist, and a recipient of East Carolina University’s Latham Award for Excellence in Teaching.
B.A. - Mississippi State University; MPA - University of Georgia
I believe school PR/communications is what I was born to do! One of the biggest decisions a parent can make is where to send their child to school, and it’s an honor to share with our parents the engaging work that their children are doing under the guidance of world-class teachers and leaders. On any given day, in any given school, there are many stories to be told and I take that charge seriously. As school communicators played a key role in COVID-19 communications, storytelling was more important than ever – not only did I share information with parents about our protocols, but I also made over 80 visits to schools last year and told a variety of stories about how students were thriving with both in-person and distance learning options. I also worked with principals to determine best mitigation practices and helped make those pervasive, because positive action must be the foundation of what we are ultimately communicating. School public relations is incredibly complex and I love that each day brings a new challenge.
My greatest school PR success was completing 11 nationally-innovative school communication audits using a process of research, planning, implementation, and evaluation. I am now in phase two of this project and am attending school council meetings to garner feedback from parents about school-level communication and how I can better support the work of their schools. One of the most significant findings is that as students take more ownership of their learning, they also take more ownership in parent communication. Therefore, next steps are to better prepare parents for this transition and to also determine best practices from exemplar teachers and coaches at the secondary level so we can strike the right balance with parents feeling informed and fostering student independence.
My greatest school PR challenge is overcoming rigidity. Like many PR professionals, I am detail-oriented and a self-described perfectionist. It’s a blessing and a curse to see when something is one pixel off, but the greatest challenge I have faced in my 13 years in this field is to learn to be more flexible. I might have an aversion to Comic Sans or Curlz, but it’s not the end of the world if those are a font favorite elsewhere. What’s more important is the bigger picture – staff and parents feeling well-informed and students growing and learning in positive school cultures. Instead of telling someone their website isn’t formatted properly, I now make a 2-3 minute screencast if I think there’s a quick tutorial I can offer to provide ongoing professional learning. By being much more flexible, I have deepened relationships and become better at supporting the most important job that occurs in our school system: teaching.
My favorite part of my job is the relationships. I often say that there is no substitute for showing up, and that’s why I make so many school visits each year. From getting to hold a gorgeous monarch butterfly to watching a vibrant student musical to seeing 3-D printing in action from engineering students, I have witnessed countless unique opportunities, and these experiences are just a small piece of what our students get to take part in each and every day. If I didn’t take the time to form relationships, I wouldn’t know that what students value is knowing that the photos I take may show up in their yearbooks. I wouldn’t know the myriad of annual activities that teachers do across our schools because I wouldn’t have witnessed them firsthand. I wouldn’t know about the families of our principals or what they believe makes their school unique. All of that is invaluable because at the end of the day and at the end of this career, relationships are what will remain – both professionally and personally.
The communication tool I use the most is Canva! I would be a brand ambassador if they asked! I am not very mathematically-minded and it can be challenging for someone with an eye for good design – but not an eye for rulers and gridlines – to be a graphic designer. However, Canva has made it possible and I am able to create aesthetically-pleasing graphics with short turn-around times. I have trained communication ambassadors at our schools how to use it as well. Right after Canva, the tool I most use is iMovie. I am completely self-taught in videography and using iMovie and Canva together has made me someone who can add “videographer” to their list of expertise.