John Buxton
2021-22 Aspen New Presidents Fellow
J.B. Buxton was appointed the fifth president of Durham Technical Community College in July 2020.
Buxton began a career in education as a high school English teacher and coach, and later worked in a variety of state government, nonprofit, consulting and teaching roles.
Buxton served the state of North Carolina as the deputy state superintendent of the Department of Public Instruction, Governor's senior education advisor, and an appointed member of the State Board of Education.
In addition to his roles in state government, Buxton was a White House Fellow working with the Domestic Policy Council under president Clinton; director of policy and research for the Public School Forum; coordinator of special programs for the North Carolina Teaching Fellows Program; and an adjunct assistant teaching professor in the Public Policy Department at UNC-Chapel Hill. Prior to joining Durham Tech, Buxton ran the Education Innovations Group, a consulting practice focused on PreK-12 and postsecondary public education. Buxton worked with foundations, organizations, and state governments focused on improving public K-12 and higher education.
Buxton attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on a Morehead Scholarship, where he graduated with a B.A. in English. He received his MPA from the School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University.
Buxton serves on community and nonprofit boards, including the Durham Chamber, Durham Public Schools Foundation, Friday Institute at NC State, and NCFC Youth, the nation’s largest comprehensive youth soccer club.
Buxton and his wife, Hunter, have three children: Drake and Luke, graduates of UNC-Chapel Hill working respectively with Deloitte Consulting and Bleacher Report, and Sadie, a fashion and textile management major at North Carolina State University.
Buxton began a career in education as a high school English teacher and coach, and later worked in a variety of state government, nonprofit, consulting and teaching roles.
Buxton served the state of North Carolina as the deputy state superintendent of the Department of Public Instruction, Governor's senior education advisor, and an appointed member of the State Board of Education.
In addition to his roles in state government, Buxton was a White House Fellow working with the Domestic Policy Council under president Clinton; director of policy and research for the Public School Forum; coordinator of special programs for the North Carolina Teaching Fellows Program; and an adjunct assistant teaching professor in the Public Policy Department at UNC-Chapel Hill. Prior to joining Durham Tech, Buxton ran the Education Innovations Group, a consulting practice focused on PreK-12 and postsecondary public education. Buxton worked with foundations, organizations, and state governments focused on improving public K-12 and higher education.
Buxton attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on a Morehead Scholarship, where he graduated with a B.A. in English. He received his MPA from the School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University.
Buxton serves on community and nonprofit boards, including the Durham Chamber, Durham Public Schools Foundation, Friday Institute at NC State, and NCFC Youth, the nation’s largest comprehensive youth soccer club.
Buxton and his wife, Hunter, have three children: Drake and Luke, graduates of UNC-Chapel Hill working respectively with Deloitte Consulting and Bleacher Report, and Sadie, a fashion and textile management major at North Carolina State University.