Going from a community studies major who researched gardening to the president of a non-profit for public schools may not look like an obvious path, but Dr. Zithobile “Zitty” Nxumalo ’11 is not surprised by her career trajectory.
“For me, it’s a brilliant convergence,” says Nxumalo. “There’s this constant conversation about soft skills, the ability to work in teams, the ability to collaborate, and the ability to communicate effectively. Those are skills that I use not only in this position, but in every position, I’ve had leading up to this.”
This year, Nxumalo was made the president of Guilford Education Alliance (GEA). Her new position brings together many of the things she has cared about since childhood: the value of education and the love of community-oriented research that she honed as a student at UNC Greensboro.
Helping Classrooms Flourish
While earning her master of arts in communication studies, Nxumalo became a mentee to the graduate program director, Dr. Marianne LeGreco. “I did a research assistantship, which was doubly amazing,” says Nxumalo. “I was able to do focus groups and one-on-one interviews with those folks working in some of our local gardens.”
That research helped shape Nxumalo’s thesis about social support in community-based food programs. It gave her great insight into how to make community initiatives a success.
Since graduation, Nxumalo took teaching positions throughout North Carolina’s Piedmont-Triad, including Guilford Technical Community College (GTCC) and as a visiting assistant professor for UNCG’s Department of Communication Studies in 2021. She earned her PhD in leadership studies. All these became stepping stones to an offer to lead GEA.
GEA builds supportive networks for K-12 education in Guilford County. Those networks come through four forms of service: engage, advocate, support, and collaborate. They work with schools in the district to identify the things they need most, setting up resources such as the Teacher Supply Warehouse. They coordinate with groups like shift_ed (formerly Say Yes Guilford) and Ready for School, Ready for Life, another organization well represented by UNCG alumni.
Nxumalo says they can address many needs, from those that teachers encounter day to day, or during emergencies. One such instance was in 2018, when an EF2 tornado touched down in East Greensboro, ripping apart homes and tearing through three elementary schools. “GEA was the organization that helped to organize the redirection of some of those students whose schools got destroyed,” says Nxumalo.
The Value of Communication Skills
Her job is not merely about highlighting need. She says they also share success stories to galvanize the community around public education. As part of the “engage” branch of their work, they hold speaker series and host special events such as Principal for a Day on October 2, where people who register will shadow a principal or other staff member for part of the school day.
That positive approach is also something she learned at UNCG. “Communication studies is the study of how humans interact, during both conflict and in joyful times,” she says.
When comparing GEA to her thesis at UNCG, Nxumalo sees lots of similarities. “We’re part of a larger ecosystem, just like a garden. You’ve got different plants, different seasons, the sun. All these different elements must work together to help things grow. That’s our mindset, that we’re a very collaborative organization.”
The Beneficiary Becomes the Benefactor
Nxumalo has long appreciated how connections and relationships can drive a successful career path. Her friendship with LeGreco and other UNCG faculty continued long after she earned her degree. “Marianne has been supportive of every step of my career,” she says. “When I was interviewing at GTCC, she helped me prepare for my mock teaching demonstration.”
She can also relate to what teachers want from GEA because she herself benefitted from the organization. Shortly after being hired by GTCC, she got an invitation to attend GEA’s Education Leadership Academy.
“Having never been in a teaching role before, the academy was optimal for me,” says Nxumalo. “It taught me classroom management techniques, how to build authentic relationships with students, and how to organize a semester. I got to network, and it was just a safe, comfortable place for me to learn.”
She recently gained one more reason to be excited about her work at GEA. She welcomed her daughter into the world last year. It gives her another perspective on sowing seeds for future generations to flourish.
“I was already super excited about education,” she says. “Now that I have a child of my own, it’s that times ten.”
Story by Janet Imrick, University Communications
Photography by Ivan Cutler and courtesy of Zithobile Nxumalo
