Special to IFN

Nichole Tilley, principal of Lake Norman Elementary School, has been promoted to director of employee relations for Iredell-Statesville Schools.

In her new position, Tilley will lead efforts to support, develop, and retain staff by managing employee relations, guiding workplace compliance, and fostering a collaborative district culture. This position was created by repurposing the director of classified personnel position, which was vacant.

Before becoming the principal at Lake Norman Elementary School in 2018, Tilley served as assistant principal at N.B. Mills Elementary School and East Iredell Middle School. She began her career with I-SS in 2007 as a teacher at Statesville and East Iredell middle schools.

She has completed the Distinguished Leadership Practice, participated in the North Carolina Principals and Assistant Principals’ Association (NCPAPA) Practitioners Network, and completed the Future-Ready Leadership Program. She earned a bachelor’s degree in music education from Salem College and a master’s degree in educational leadership from Gardner-Webb University.

Tilley is excited about the opportunity to encourage employees across the district.

“My goal is for each employee to feel valued and equipped to do the important work of educating children,” she said

But the career move is also accompanied by mixed emotions, Tilley said.

“Lake Norman Elementary has been such a special place for me, both as a principal and as a mom with two daughters who have grown up here,” she explained. “This community has truly become family, which makes leaving bittersweet.”