WINTON – For those not yet having the opportunity to meet and welcome the new Superintendent of Hertford County Public Schools, Thursday is the chance to do so.

A reception in honor of Dr. John A. Fahey is scheduled for 5:15-7:15 p.m. on Nov. 12 at Hertford County High School.

The event, a “floating” affair, is sponsored by the Hertford County Board of Education. It is open to the public.

Dr. Fahey was the unanimous choice of the school board among the 18 candidates interviewed for the job, one that became open after HCPS Superintendent Dr. Michael Basham announced his retirement effective the end of the 2008-09 academic year.

Fahey was named June 29 as the local school district’s new superintendent. He officially began his duties on July 27.

A veteran educator in Virginia, Dr. Fahey, age 59, came to Hertford County from Surry County (Va.) Schools where he served as Assistant Superintendent.

Dr. Fahey, a native of Elizabeth City, launched his educational career in 1975 as a 7th grade teacher at Henley Middle School in Virginia. From there he moved up the ranks, eventually becoming the Director of Instruction for Orange County (Va.) Public Schools followed by two stints as a principal (Nottoway, Va. High School and Robert E. Lee High School in Staunton, Va.).

He has also served as Executive Director of Secondary Education for Newport News, Va. Public Schools.

Additionally, Dr. Fahey has worked in the military, first as a translator and later as Chief of the US Army’s Intelligence Agency’s Information Services Division.

He has also taught at the collegiate level, serving as Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership at James Madison University as well as at Longwood College in Farmville, Va. and as an instructor at his alma mater, the University of Virginia. There he earned his Master of Education (1975) and Doctor of Education (1992).

He and his wife, Virginia E. Fahey, are the parents of three grown children.