George Hancock
Co-Director, Region 6 Comprehensive Center
Executive Director, SERVE Center @ UNC Greensboro
ghancock@serve.org
George is the Principal Investigator and Co-Director for the RC6, which means he is the primary point of contact for the U.S. Department of Education as he ensures that RC6 partners and subcontractors are in place. On the ground, this looks like guiding the work at a high level for state education agencies from the viewpoint of the practitioner. Much like his RC6 partner, Co-Director Dr. Priscilla Maynor, George’s career in education began as a practitioner – a teacher in Wake County serving many students from low-income households. It is a perspective that stayed with him as his work grew into roles for the N.C. Department of Public Instruction, and most recently as Executive Director of the SERVE Center at UNC Greensboro.
The SERVE Center is no stranger to building teams that navigate barriers to equitable education, including operating the National Center for Homeless Education, the North Carolina Homeless Education Program and the North Carolina Foster Education Program. Pairing this experience at SERVE with the emphasis at the RC6 to walk hand-in-hand with state, regional and district leaders is what George sees as essential for achieving the outcomes every student needs.
“What we’ve learned is that if we do talk with (state partners), and we’re willing to listen to all of the details and the struggles they face, that we can a thought partner and help them piece together some of the strategies they’re going to use to address them,” George said.
“What we’ve learned is that if we do talk with (state partners), and we’re willing to listen to all of the details and the struggles they face, that we can a thought partner and help them piece together some of the strategies they’re going to use to address them.”
One word sums up Mr. George Hancock’s leadership and vision for the Region 6 Comprehensive Center (RC6): opportunity.
He often pivots language from challenges and problems in education to opportunity, and this defines George’s approach to the RC6’s services and the work to improve outcomes for all students across South Carolina, North Carolina, and Georgia.
Priscilla Maynor, Ed.D.
Co-Director
pmaynor@serve.org
For many years, and for almost 20 state education agencies, Dr. Priscilla Maynor has been the one to turn to when addressing particularly complex issues in education: juvenile justice; special educator needs and needs of families with disabilities; district and school transformation; inequitable access to quality educators; and more.
As state and regional education agencies in Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina address common high-leverage challenges identified by the U.S. Department of Education, Priscilla is there for them as primary contact and thought partner.
Priscilla also serves as the lead for the states’ portfolio of RC6 projects and guides state, regional and district leaders who are conducting needs sensing and consultative conversations around the biggest issues in education.
From her days as a practitioner (her first position was as a special education teacher), and as a Native American with a family history in advocating for Native American education in North Carolina, Priscilla never forgets what education policies and best practices look like “on the ground.”
Of her many skills and wealth of experience at state and regional levels, Priscilla is excited about providing RC6 clients with tools to form organizational structures and a common language around education equity. “State education agencies, districts, or schools cannot do it without engaging authentically and in a meaningful way with those communities before they can really understand, truly, the needs and why those inequities exist.”
As educators in the RC6 region work to guide students beyond the pandemic and back into classrooms, they’ll have a dedicated and experienced thought partner who views the work as a vocation as well as a career.
“I’ve walked in those moccasins, right? I am a firm believer in the power of community, and I believe that the solutions to all of these challenges can be solved as long as the community being served is engaged.”
It is no different at the Region 6 Comprehensive Center (RC6) where Priscilla serves as Co-Director.
Wendy McColskey, Ph.D.
Associate Director
wmccolsk@serve.org
Dr. McColskey joined the SERVE Center at UNCG when it first established itself in 1991 after receiving funding from the USED to operate the Regional Educational Laboratory for the Southeast with a mission of supporting educators in six southeastern states with research, evaluation, policy analysis, and professional development. Her almost 30 years of leading Research and Evaluation projects resulted in over 40 SERVE publications and products. Supporting school efforts to improve student engagement and motivation is a particular interest and passion of hers.
As the Associate Director for Evidence-Based Practices (EBPs), Wendy is responsible for providing leadership in supporting clients in selecting, implementing, and evaluating EBPs. Additionally, she is the lead on projects in Georgia, including Training for Georgia School Improvement Coaches, Support the Georgia Dyslexia Pilot Initiative, and Support for Georgia’s Whole Child Initiative.
