Mr. Ballard was educated and raised in Wilson County. He is a proud graduate of Wilson Beddingfield. He continued his education at Fayetteville State University where he earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration-Management in 1993. In 2012, Mr. Ballard earned his Master’s Degree in School Administration from North Carolina State University. This is Mr. Ballard’s 24th year in education. As an educator, Mr. Ballard has taught and coached in Edgecombe and Wake Counties. During this time, he worked in both middle and high school levels. He gained his first Assistant Principal assignment in 2015 at Rocky Mount High School. Mr. Ballard became an Assistant Principal at Edwards Middle School from 2017-2023. His recent assignment was at Southern Nash Middle School as an Assistant Principal before becoming the Principal at Tar River Academy.

I am delighted to be a member of the Phoenix family. No matter what barriers students encounter throughout life experiences, Education and Character will take them as far as they want to go as well as help them achieve their goals and dreams. I look forward to working with all stakeholders in preparing students at Tar River Academy to become productive citizens in our society.

"Knowledge is power. Information is liberating. Education is the premise of progress, in every society, in every family." Kofi Annan