Michael E. Ward

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Michael E. Ward was Superintendent of Public Instruction for the U.S. state of North Carolina from 1996 to 2004.

Born in Franklin County, North Carolina, Ward attended North Carolina State University. Upon graduation, he was employed as a public school teacher and later a principal before serving as superintendent of public schools in Granville County. After being named North Carolina's 'Superintendent of the Year' in 1994, Ward was elected State Superintendent of Public Instruction in 1996. A Democrat, Ward was elected to a second term in 2000; he chose not to stand for reelection in 2004. In August 2004, Ward stepped down from his position prematurely to join his wife, who had accepted a position as a Methodist bishop in Mississippi; Patricia N. Willoughby was appointed to fill the position for the remainder of Ward's term.