Brandon Sutton, a longtime educator in Western North Carolina, has been named the new superintendent of Swain County Schools, bringing nearly two decades of experience in teaching, school leadership and district administration to the role.
“I am incredibly honored and grateful for the opportunity to serve as Superintendent of Swain County Schools,” said Sutton. “This community helped shape who I am, and the schools of Swain County played an important role in my life. To be able to serve the students, educators, and families of this county is deeply humbling.”
Sutton earned a bachelor’s degree in special education from Western Carolina University in 2007, graduating cum laude. He earned a master’s in education focused on behavior disorders in 2011, followed by a post-master’s certificate in public school leadership in 2013, receiving the Courageous Leadership Award. In 2019, he completed an Ed.D. in educational leadership with a dissertation titled “Breaking the Mold: Addressing the Responsiveness to the Diverse Needs of Students.”
Most currently, Sutton served as the Western Regional Director for the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, a role he assumed in March 2024. He oversaw 10 staff members, coordinated regional events and leads state support efforts for school districts. He also created the Western Principals Community of Practice and organized the RISE West event, which hosted 1,500 participants and 240 presenters.
“Over the coming months, I look forward to listening, learning, and working alongside our teachers, principals, staff, students, families and community,” he said. “Together we will continue building a system of excellence that prepare our students for graduation and life.”
Sutton previously spent five years as director of student services for Swain County Schools, supervising more than 40 educators and support staff, managing budgets, writing grants, and overseeing special education delivery. From 2013 to 2019, he was middle school principal, where he led 450 students and 72 staff members, implementing school improvement initiatives, technology programs, and literacy programs. During that time, he was named Swain County Schools Principal of the Year twice and Western Region Wells Fargo Principal of the Year in 2019.
He began his career as a K-8 exceptional children’s teacher in 2007 and later served as high school assistant principal, developing programs to remediate and enrich student learning. He has presented at professional conferences on topics including differentiated instruction, teacher evaluation, and building school capacity.
Sutton emphasized the importance of community, mentorship and servant leadership in his new role.
“I see the role as opportunity to be a servant leader and develop opportunities to support teachers and carryout student learning,” he said.
Sutton also reflected on the role his upbringing played in shaping his leadership style.
“My Dad served as the custodian and my mom spent a significant amount of time in the cafeteria,” he said. “I bring all that experience and developed perception to the position. As regional director, I visited other schools, superintendents and leaders to learn what is working. It was a way to expand knowledge beyond just what I learned a Swain County Schools.”
Upcoming projects
Among the issues he plans to address are the construction of a new Swain Middle School and ongoing challenges with truancy and teacher recruitment.
The district secured a $52 million state grant in October 2024 for the new school, recently supplemented by $3 million from the FY26 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies Appropriations Act to upgrade its sewer and water infrastructure.
Sutton said he intends to review current plans but will not abandon the project.
“The grant and opportunity are way too valuable for this community,” he said. “The completion of this project will be a group effort between the schools, the county and town. We will have to work in collaboration.”
When addressing truancy and teacher pay, Sutton said, “We need to be building schools and classrooms where students want to be. This is essential as well as partnering with parents and community members to spread information about how important each school day is and deliver on that promise with quality teaching and learning.”
He added that he will advocate for adequate teacher pay at the state level and explore opportunities for stable housing for staff.
Sutton’s family is deeply rooted in the region. His wife, a former Swain County teacher is the current principal at Nantahala School, where their youngest is a freshman. Their oldest daughter is a freshman at East Tennessee State University. In their free time, the family enjoys camping and fishing.