Cato College’s Misty Hathcock honored for teacher preparation efforts

Misty Hathcock is the 2023 recipient of the Outstanding Contributions to Teacher Preparation Award from the North Carolina Association of Colleges for Teacher Education. Hathcock ’85, ’91 M.Ed., ’92 M.A., ’96, ’04 Ed.D. is director of alumni engagement and the N.C. New Teacher Support Program in the Cato College of Education.

During her University tenure, Hathcock has mentored 320 elementary education student teachers and has personally supervised and nominated multiple NCACTE Student Teacher of the Year award recipients.

“While she may be best known for her impact on teacher candidates at UNC Charlotte, her expertise and experience as a coach and mentor situate her as a leader in North Carolina. When I think of the success N.C. New Teacher Support has been in the Charlotte region, I think of Dr. Hathcock. She is an educational force,” said Diana Lys, assistant dean for educator preparation and accreditation at UNC Chapel Hill and NCACTE board president.

Hathcock is a recipient of the Bonnie Cone Lifetime Achievement Award and Distinguished Alumnus Award from the UNC Charlotte Alumni Association, Southeast Counselor of the Year by Kappa Delta Pi Honor Society and the Public Service Award from the Southwest Education Alliance.

She started her career at UNC Charlotte in 1998 as the first full-time Teaching Fellows director and Hathcock’s impact extends throughout the state, where she has provided support to hundreds of teachers across multiple school districts.

“North Carolina needs more comprehensively prepared, caring and committed teachers than ever before. We can only have amazing teachers when we have committed, caring and innovative teacher educators like Dr. Hathcock who instruct, coach, mentor and collaborate with teachers at all stages of their careers’” Lys said. “This work is critical to the future well-being of North Carolina, its children, schools and economy, and Dr. Hathcock has been at the forefront.”