Craven County Partners In Education Announces Plans for PIE Annual Luncheon

More than 500 educators, business leaders, community members, and elected officials will gather at the Riverfront Convention Center of Craven County on Thursday, May 28, 2026, for the highly anticipated PIE Annual Luncheon. This annual event supports and recognizes the dedicated educators of Craven County School System while raising funds to enhance classroom instruction through teacher grants. Since 2015 PIE has awarded an estimated 3.6 million in grants; raised nearly $550,000 in event sponsorships; and a total of $424,150 in In-Kind gifts.

Suzanne Gifford, Executive Director of Partners In Education, announced that this year’s keynote speaker will be Maurice “Mo” Green, North Carolina State Superintendent of Public Instruction.

Doors will open at 11:30 a.m. for seating, with the program beginning at noon. Tickets are $35 per person, and the event is open to the public. Lunch will be catered by Strange & Sons. Jason Griffin, Craven County Schools Executive Director of Elementary Education and Federal Programs and the 2025 keynote speaker, will emcee the event alongside Don Brinkley, President of the Board of Directors for Partners In Education. Tickets can be purchased from the PIE Ambassadors or online at CravenPartners.com. Organizers encourage early purchases,
as this is expected to be another sold-out event.

Don Brinkley emphasized the importance of the event, stating, “The luncheon is an excellent opportunity for our community to support our public-school educators. The event finances PIE Grants, grants awarded to teachers for creative and innovative projects in Craven County School System classrooms. These grants fund materials for technology, science, music, and art projects, along with supplies and books for our students.” Mr. Brinkley also proudly announced that PIE awarded 60 classroom grants valued at $81,000 and secured more than $153,000 in grant funding to support school initiatives and programs during the 2025-26 school year.

Brandy Popp, Chair of the Fund-Raising Committee, shared her excitement about this year’s PIE Annual Luncheon, stating, “We are honored to welcome Superintendent Green as our keynote speaker and share his vision of Achieving Educational Excellence with our community.”
Superintendent Green is committed to ensuring that every student in North Carolina’s public schools has access to a high-quality education and to creating a brighter future for students, educators, and communities across the state.

With more than 20 years of experience in North Carolina education, Superintendent Green has served as superintendent of Guilford County Schools, the state’s third-largest school district; deputy superintendent of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, the state’s second-largest school district; executive director of the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation that awards grants supporting public education; and as a school board attorney.

A double graduate at Duke University, Superintendent Green earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and economics as well as a law degree. He is married and has two adult children, both of whom graduated from North Carolina public schools.

PIE’s Partners for the Luncheon are B/S/H/ Home Appliances Corporation, Brightspeed, CarolinaEast Health System, Century 21 Zaytoun-Raines, Coastal Carolina Health Care, P.A., Craven County ABC Board, Craven Pamlico Regional Library, Edward Jones Investments Financial Advisors: Michael Bass, Georgiana Bowman, Joanna Carr, Robert Knisley, Taylor Paramore, Dan M. Roberts IV, Bill Slack, Jordan Silver, and Mike Sprague, GCF, Howard Stallings Law Firm, Mitchell Hardware, Moen, Morgan's Tavern & Grill, Neuse River Region Association of REALTORS, Inc., Piedmont Natural Gas, Pierce Group Benefits, Southern Bank, The Harold H. Bate Foundation, The Insurance Center, The New Bern Sun Journal, Toyota of New Bern, Trent Cadillac GMC Buick, Truist, Weyerhaeuser, White & Allen, P.A., and WRNS 95.1 & WERO Bob 93.3. Supporting Partners: Craven Community College, Duke Energy, Marine Federal Credit Union, Navy Federal
Credit Union, and United Bank.

To learn more about PIE grants and programs, how to be a PIE Partner, and to purchase a ticket, contact Suzanne Gifford, Executive Director, Craven County Partners In Education, at 252-259-5610 or visit https://cravenpartners.com/.

Craven County Partners In Education provides grant funding and special programs to classrooms and schools within the Craven County School System. It is a 501(c)3 Non-Profit Corporation, Tax ID #56-1335975, and donations are tax-deductible.

Since 1989, PIE has been changing the lives of students and families in our community by providing our educators with financial resources that enhance and reward innovative approaches to educational excellence.