Meet Wake’s 2022 Principal of the Year. She’s shining a light on Black women in schools.

Annice Williams is the Wake County school system’s 2022-23 Principal of the Year, and Mary Taylor is the Assistant Principal of the Year.

The winners were announced Thursday night at a ceremony in Raleigh at the Angus Barn, one of the event’s sponsors.

Williams has been principal of Bugg Elementary School in Raleigh since 2020. It was the fourth time that Williams was a finalist for the award, including most recently in 2019 and 2021.

During her speech Thursday night, Williams said she’s glad to represent all of her fellow principals, but especially fellow Black women. Williams said she felt empowered to try to win the award to highlight contributions that Black women bring as principals.

“No one can convince me there are not Black women worthy of this role, so I’m standing here for y’all, for y’all,” Williams said to applause from her fellow administrators. “I’m thrilled to have this opportunity.

“Other people might not see you, but I see you going to your school everyday, grinding, maybe having somebody talk about how you changed your hair and somehow connecting that to whether or not you’re qualified. When you take the opportunity to go to Title I schools or other schools that other people may be afraid of, I just want you to know that I see you.”

Williams has been an assistant principal or principal in Wake since 1998. Before joining Bugg, Williams was principal of Poe Elementary School in Raleigh for eight years.

She holds a bachelor’s degree, master’s degree and a doctorate from UNC-Chapel Hill.

Williams will receive a prize package that includes a $1,000 check. She will compete in North Carolina’s Principal of the Year program.

This year’s other Principal of the Year finalists were:

▪ Raleigh Bame of Laurel Park Elementary in Apex

▪ Trent Evans of Reedy Creek Middle in Cary

▪ Winston Pierce of Farmington Woods Elementary in Cary

▪ Ian Solomon of Leesville Road High in Raleigh

Assistant Principal of the Year

This is the second time that Mary Taylor has won Wake’s Assistant Principal of the Year award. She was previously named the district’s 2016-17 winner.

Taylor has been assistant principal of Brooks Elementary School in Raleigh for 16 years. Before that, she was an instructional resource teacher at Brooks for four years and at Briarcliff Elementary in Cary for four years.

She was also a classroom teacher at Brooks for nine years.

“Transparency, authentic collaboration, and celebration are the foundation of our school leadership,” Taylor said in her portfolio submitted by finalists regarding her practice. “By being open and working together to create processes and procedures and to develop solutions, we are able to move our school’s work forward.”

Taylor holds a bachelor’s degree from East Carolina University and a master’s degree from N.C. State University.

Taylor will receive a prize package that includes a $500 check.

The other finalists for Assistant Principal of the Year were:

▪ Lessie Anderson of Willow Spring High in Fuquay-Varina

▪ Terrance Hinnant of Zebulon Middle

▪ Molly Miller of Salem Elementary in Apex

▪ Melissa Oliver of Alston Ridge Elementary in Cary