Florence-Darlington Technical College’s class of 2016 will hear from Florence Public School District One Superintendent Randy Bridges at their graduation ceremonies, Thursday, May 12, 2016. Dr. Bridges will be FDTC’s commencement speaker at the Florence Civic Center. Graduation ceremonies begin at 6:30 p.m.
Dr. Randy Bridges became Superintendent of Florence School District One, on January 1, 2015. Dr. Bridges has served as superintendent in Stafford County Public Schools in Virginia; Alamance-Burlington and Orange County School Systems in North Carolina; and Rock Hill School District Three in South Carolina. Dr. Bridges has been a public school educator for over 35 years, holding positions as a classroom teacher/coach, middle and high school principal, and serving for the past 18 years as a superintendent of schools.
Dr. Bridges received his associate in arts degree from Louisburg Junior College, his undergraduate and masters’ degrees from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, and his Doctorate of Education from Fayetteville State University. He has served on several state and national committees and boards, and locally serves on the Board of Directors for the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce, United Way of Florence County, and the Boys and Girls Club. In addition, he is a member of the prestigious Schlechty Center Superintendents’ Leadership Network and the Education, Research, and Development Institute. Among other awards and achievements, Dr. Bridges is a recipient of the Outstanding Alumni Award for the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, he was recognized by the North Carolina School Boards Association and the North Carolina Association of Educators as Superintendent of the Year, and in 2015 he received The Order of the Long Leaf Pine Award, which is the highest civilian recognition presented by the Governor of North Carolina.
Dr. Bridges and his wife, Vernetta, Director of Student Support Services of the Alamance-Burlington School System, are the parents of two children: a daughter, Dr. Randi Bridges-Raynor, who is the Pharmacy Operations Manager for Presbyterian Medical Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, and a son, Garrett Bridges, who is a Family and Community Coordinator for the GEAR UP Program with the Alamance-Burlington School System in Burlington, North Carolina. Dr. Bridges and his wife have a grandson, Bryce Thomas Raynor.
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