I graduated from McDowell High School in 1978. In 1982, I graduated from UNC Chapel Hill and completed graduate and post-graduate work at Appalachian State University and the University of Tennessee completing studies in Public Management.

Chuck Abernathy | Board of Education

I am pleased to serve on the McDowell County Board of Education representing the Nebo District. I am also most pleased to have raised twin boys that are pursuing their individual careers and to be married to Victoria. I enjoy compiling the history of older homes in Marion and working at the Historic Carson House.

Chcuk Abernathy received his bachelor's degree from UNC Chapel Hill and continued his graduate and post-graduate studies in Public Management at Appalachian State University and the University of Tennessee

For more information about industrial development, please contact:

Chuck Abernathy, Executive Director
McDowell Economic Development Association
Physical Address:
Universal Building
634 College Drive
Marion, NC 28752

Economic Development

I worked in local government management in McDowell County for over thirty years and enjoyed working for the County Commissioners to provide quality services, construct new schools and complete improvements such as extending water and sewer lines, building industrial parks and constructing county facilities such as the jail, the senior center and the Universal Advanced Manufacturing facility.

My time at ASU and UT included teaching undergraduate classes in Public Administration and State and Local Government. I have always enjoyed teaching and have continued to teach part-time over the years at ASU and community colleges including classes in Leadership, Public Budgeting and Management.

Chuck Abernathy serves as executive director of the McDowell Economic Development Association. He previously worked in local government management in McDowell County for over 30 years and taught undergraduate and part-time courses in public administration, state and local government, leadership, and public budgeting and management.

Economic Development | Marion, NC

Chuck currently works as executive director of the McDowell Economic Development Association. He previously worked in local government management in McDowell County and taught undergraduate and part-time courses in public administration, state and local government, leadership, and public budgeting and management.

I am pleased to serve on the McDowell County Board of Education representing the Nebo District. I am also most pleased to have raised twin boys that are pursuing their individual careers and to be married to Victoria.

.Chuck Abernathy currently serves as a member of the McDowell County Board of Education.  

2026 North Carolina General Election

As of January 5, 2026, Chuck Abernathy did not have a website or any information online.

School Facilities & Resources

10) Do you support school choice options (charter, private, homeschool)?
Answer: Support.

2026 McDowell CPR Christian Voter Guide.docx - Google Docs (PDF)

Supports school voucher programs that allow parents to use public funds to enroll their children in schools beyond their local options, including private schools.

- Supports school voucher programs that allow parents to use public funds to enroll their children in schools beyond their local options, including private schools.

Access to Education

9) Should teachers and administrators be held accountable to community standards?
Answer: Yes.

Supports teachers and administrators being "held accountable to community standards."

Teachers

4) Do you support any Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) programs?
Answer: Do not support. DEI received a huge push in the nation and in this community.
DEI conflicts with my views regarding our economic system, our liberty and our core
values.

5) Should all classroom materials and lesson plans be publicly available to parents?
Answer: Yes. I cannot imagine that educational content would not be shared with
parents.

Supports removing from school libraries books that he describes as containing pornographic language or depictions.

Supports removing from school libraries books that discuss sex and sexuality that some parents may deem inappropriate. 

Opposes Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs. 

Supports sharing classroom materials and lesson plans with parents.

Supports "instilling values such as taking pride in our nation's history" as part of the history and civics curriculum. 

8) Do you support the Parents’ Bill of Rights (SB49)?
Answer: Support.

- Supports removing from school libraries books that discuss sex and sexuality that some parents may deem inappropriate. 
- Opposes Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs. 
- Supports sharing classroom materials and lesson plans with parents.
- Supports "instilling values such as taking pride in our nation's history" as part of the history and civics curriculum. 

School Curriculum

6) Should biological males be allowed to compete in girls’ sports or use girls’ locker rooms?
Answer: No. This is wrong for many reasons including fairness to those women that
participate in sporting activities. It is really a simple question. A person is either a
biological male or female. They are different and should be treated as distinct.

Opposes the participation of transgender athletes in school sports. 

- Opposes the participation of transgender athletes in school sports. 

Student Wellbeing

Chuck Abernathy

As of January 5, 2026, Chuck Abernathy’s website did not contain information on this issue.

3) Should sexually explicit books be removed from school libraries and classrooms?
Answer: Yes. Books that have pornographic language or depictions should be removed
from the library. I do not mean restrict access.....they should be removed.

7) Should schools emphasize civics, patriotism, and America’s founding principles?
Answer: Yes. The schools have a role to play in instilling values such as taking pride in
our nation's history. The US was the first nation to come together and form a system of
government that was entered into by it's citizens. The school system should teach
history and civics with accuracy and not mislead regarding mistakes that may have been
made. They should, however, not teach these subjects with a negative bias.

- Supports removing from school libraries books that he describes as containing pornographic language or depictions.
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Chuck Abernathy is from Marion, North Carolina. He has a bachelor 27s degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and completed graduate and post-graduate work at Appalachian State University and the University of Tennessee. He and his wife, Victoria, have twin boys.

Carriage House Door Company Announces ... - asheville.com news

Chuck is the executive director of the McDowell Economic Development Association. He previously worked in local government management in McDowell County for over thirty years. He has also taught part-time at Appalachian State University and community colleges, including classes in leadership, public budgeting, and management. He enjoys compiling the history of older homes in Marion and working at the Historic Carson House.

Chuck is currently a member of the McDowell County Board of Education representing the Nebo District.

Chazzy Bailey

Buket Urgen

- The Board of Education runs the public school system. They create policies that establish standards, accountability and evaluation of essential operations of the school system.
- The Board of Education member hires a superintendent and can remove them when necessary. The superintendent assists the Board of Education in implementing the board’s policies. 
- The Board of Education is charged with deciding the school budget. This means they decide how to allocate money between different services, such as teacher pay, repairing school facilities, or access to technology.
- Board of Education members are elected every four years. 

Member of the board that governs your county's public school system