Bio

Education: Ed.D. in Educational Leadership and Administration (Fayetteville State University), M.S. in Communications (NC State University), B.A.in Communications (Truman State University)

Primary Contact: Administration for the TRIO Pre-College Programs (TRIO Talent Search Legacy, TRIO Talent Search Encore, TRIO Upward Bound, TRIO East Wake Upward Bound) and 21st Century Community Learning Center

Additional Involvement: Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc., SAEOPP Vice President, Council for Opportunity in Education (COE) Board Member

Maurice Mathis provides oversight for TRIO Upward Bound, TRIO Talent Search, and 21st Century Community Learning Center as the Senior Director for TRIO Pre-College Programs. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Communications from Truman State University, his Master of Science in Organizational Communication from NC State University, and his Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership from Fayetteville State University.

Maurice has served students in Upward Bound and Talent Search for 18 years across three institutions and 21st Century across two institutions. As an educator, Dr. Mathis has provided a variety of workshops for students and professionals at the local, regional, and national levels. He has served as a National Trainer for four TRIO Training Projects (Priority #1, #2, #5, and #6), a SAEOPP Board Member / Committee Chair for the Emerging Leaders Institute, and the NC TRIO President, among others. He currently serves as the Vice President for the Southeastern Association of Educational Opportunity Program Personnel (SAEOPP). Through each appointment, he keeps the students he serves at the forefront and, as a result, has attended Policy Seminar in Washington DC multiple times to fight for increased funding for TRIO programs.

In the 2021 grant competition year, Maurice successfully added a new Talent Search Program (Talent Search Encore) to the department which added an additional 500 students in Wayne County, NC. In 2025, he successfully added the 21st Century Community Learning Center which serves 80 additional students through afterschool tutorial services. Maurice is a successful grant writer, having secured over $9M in private, state, and federal funding.