COLLEGE

Recently named as the third president of Sandhills Community College, Alexander “Sandy” Stewart is no stranger to Moore County. A Moore County native, Sandy has served as the assistant commissioner of agricultural services for the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services since 2018, as well as a trustee for Sandhills’ Board of Trustees for seven years. He holds masters and doctoral degrees in crop science from N.C. State University and has done extensive work managing agricultural research facilities and crop research in the private sector.

When he’s not laboring on his family’s working farm in Carthage, Sandy enjoys traveling, backpacking in the mountains, camping with his family, trying out new recipes in the kitchen and playing golf — or as he says, “playing at golf.” He and his wife Carol, who met on a blind date years ago, are the proud parents of three children who are creative and different in their own ways - Martha Grace (18) who will be attending Appalachian State University in the fall, Virgie (15) and Palmer (13), both students at Sandhills Classical Christian School.

Sandy is thankful to have been led by great bosses and mentors in his lifetime, from George Thompson, former superintendent at CCNC, to Steve Troxler, N.C. commissioner of agriculture. “I’ve been fortunate to be able to just observe and learn how they lead and manage. I hope I’ve been able to pick a lot of that up through my career.”

He also has a great appreciation for what Moore County has to offer in terms of diverse natural beauty and amenities, and feels at very much at home across the county, from Robbins and Highfalls in the northern end all eh way down to the Pinehurst, Southern Pines and Aberdeen area. “I have deep roots in Moore County, so naturally there is a sense of place and being at home for me.”

In a special to The Pilot, Sandy’s predecessor, Dr. Dempsey, insisted that a college’s board of trustees “has one task that towers in importance above all others: Hire the right president. In choosing Sandy Stewart, the board has done just that.”

Although he has plenty of accolades under his belt already, Sandy knows that his greatest accomplishment is still in his future. He admits that he has big shoes to fill, and he looks forward to leading Sandhills into its next chapter along the way.