Dr. Ashanti N. Holley is the Superintendent of Schools for the Burlington County Institute of Technology (BCIT) and Burlington County Special Services School District (BCSSSD). A proud resident of Burlington County, she was born, raised, and educated in Willingboro, New Jersey. After graduating from Willingboro High School, she attended Winston-Salem State University in North Carolina, where she earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Special Education. While at Winston-Salem, she was a member of the distinguished WSSU Marching Rams band, organized voter registration drives, volunteered as a Big Sister at the YMCA, and served as a Resident Assistant.
She began her career as a special education teacher in Willingboro Township, later serving as Vice Principal at New Brunswick High School and Principal at Perth Amboy High School. At New Brunswick, she secured a $400,000 U.S. Small Learning Communities grant, partnered with Johnson & Johnson to launch Bridge to Employment, and created Small Learning Communities. At Perth Amboy, she established the Freshman Academy, introduced a 1:1 Chromebook initiative, expanded AP courses, implemented AVID, launched a partnership with NJIT for freshman scholars, and created Career and Technical Education Academies. She also worked closely with the New Jersey School Development Authority on the design and construction of New Brunswick High School (2010) and Perth Amboy High School (2023), projects totaling more than $400 million.
Dr. Holley’s academic journey reflects her commitment to lifelong learning. She holds a Master’s in Educational Leadership and a Master’s in Counseling from Wilmington University, and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Rowan University. Her dissertation examined support for Alternative Route teachers in New Jersey. She completed Human Resources certification at Rutgers University and earned Civil and Divorce Mediation Certification through the New Jersey Association of Professional Mediators in 2022. She holds multiple state certifications, including Teacher of the Handicapped, Guidance Counselor, Supervisor, Principal, and School Administrator, and is currently working toward licensure as a Licensed Professional Counselor. She has also taught as an adjunct professor at Concordia and Argosy Universities.
As Superintendent, Dr. Holley has advanced district-wide initiatives in equity, diversity, inclusion, curriculum innovation, and workforce readiness. Under her leadership, BCIT earned the New Jersey Department of Education’s Lighthouse Award for equity and diversity. She also led the district’s acceptance into the League of Innovative Schools, a prestigious national network of forward-thinking districts recognized for advancing equity and professional development. Her influence was further recognized when she was inducted into the New Jersey Council of Education, the state’s oldest education organization.
She also serves as an Education Lead Facilitator for Google Education, ensuring her districts remain at the forefront of educational technology integration and innovation.
Dr. Holley’s civic and community engagement is equally notable. She is a Board Member of the Burlington County Chamber of Commerce and an Honorary Commander at Fort Dix McGuire, strengthening partnerships that connect education, business, and the military. She co-founded Students With Ambitious Goals (SWAG), a nonprofit that offers teens cultural, social, and educational opportunities, including annual HBCU tours. Her philanthropic work includes organizing toy drives serving over 350 children annually, sponsoring holiday turkey giveaways for hundreds of families, funding free back-to-school haircuts, and volunteering with organizations such as the Burlington County Animal Shelter and PEARLS.
Her accomplishments have earned recognition from Winston-Salem State University, which awarded her the Alumni Achiever Award and named her to the Top Forty Under 40. She was also honored as one of Burlington County’s Outstanding Women of the Year in 2023.
She is an active member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, the New Jersey Principals and Supervisors Association (NJPSA), the New Jersey Association of School Administrators (NJASA), the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD), and the American Association of School Personnel Administrators (AASPA). She also serves on the Burlington County Women’s Advisory Council.
Throughout her career, Dr. Holley has been recognized as a transformative leader who inspires students to pursue excellence, advocates for equity, and drives systemic innovation in education. Her work reflects her core belief that the well-being and success of children must always remain the priority. She is also a proud product of the outstanding education she received in Burlington County and is deeply committed to ensuring today’s students have the same opportunities. Dr. Holley wants every student to see firsthand what a Burlington County education can make possible and to believe in their own ability to achieve at the highest levels.