Southern Living honors two NC education leaders as 2016 Southerners of the Year

If Southern Living magazine is any guide, education has accounted for North Carolina’s greatest contribution to the region in 2016.

Two education leaders – Justin Perry of Charlotte and Nation Hahn of Raleigh – are the only two from the Tarheel State featured in the magazine’s online list of 50 Southerners of the Year. As part of the magazine’s 50th anniversary, it’s putting out an online list of people who are “moving the South forward.”

Perry, the father of two young children who will attend Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, is co-chair of OneMeck, a group that organized last year to advocate for school diversity and better educational options for children who are currently in low-performing, high-poverty schools.

In January, the Observer featured Perry in its “Seven to Watch” series of people likely to make news in the coming year.

Hahn, who is chief growth officer and a writer for the online EducationNC news report, is recognized for his work with the Jamie Kirk Hahn Foundation, which he created in honor of his late wife. The Raleigh foundation supports emerging leaders who are working on issues of education, poverty and food insecurity.

This story was originally published December 23, 2016 at 5:38 PM with the headline "Southern Living honors two NC education leaders as 2016 Southerners of the Year."