Phillip J. Kirk, Jr. is a North Carolina

North Carolina

North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...

 political figure. He is a former chairman of the North Carolina State Board of Education

North Carolina State Board of Education

The North Carolina State Board of Education, established by Article 9 of the North Carolina Constitution, supervises and administers the public school systems of North Carolina...

 (1997–2003) and a former president of the North Carolina Chamber of Commerce

Chamber of commerce

A chamber of commerce is a form of business network, e.g., a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to advocate on behalf of the business community...

 (then known as North Carolina Citizens for Business and Industry, or NCCBI).

Kirk, a native of Rowan County, North Carolina

Rowan County, North Carolina

-Demographics and economics:As of the census of 2010, there were 138,428 people, 53,140 households, and 37,058 families residing in the county. The population density was 270.7 people per square mile . There were 60,211 housing units at an average density of 117.7 per square mile...

 and a graduate of Catawba College

Catawba College

Catawba College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college in Salisbury, North Carolina, USA. Founded in 1851 by the North Carolina Classis of the Reformed Church in Newton, the college adopted its name from its county of origin, Catawba County, before moving to its current home of Salisbury...

, worked as a newspaper reporter and taught English and journalism in public schools before entering politics. In 1970, he became the youngest person ever elected to the North Carolina Senate

North Carolina Senate

The North Carolina Senate is one of the two houses of the North Carolina General Assembly.Its prerogatives and powers are similar to those of the other house, the House of Representatives. Its members do, however, represent districts that are larger than those of their colleagues in the House. The...

 up to that time, representing Rowan County as a Republican. He later served as chief of staff to U.S. Senator Jim Broyhill

Jim Broyhill

James Thomas "Jim" Broyhill is a Republican former U.S. Representative and Senator from the state of North Carolina. He represented much of the Foothills region of the state in the House from 1963 to 1986, and served in the Senate for four months in 1986.He was born in Lenoir, North Carolina, the...

, and to North Carolina Governors Jim Holshouser and James G. Martin

James G. Martin

James Grubbs "Jim" Martin is the 70th Governor of the state of North Carolina. He served from 1985 to 1993. He was the second Republican elected to the office after Reconstruction, and the fifth overall. He is also the only Republican to serve two full terms as governor.-Early Life &...

. He served twice as North Carolina Secretary of Human Resources

North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is a large government agency in the U.S. state of North Carolina, somewhat analogous to the United States Department of Health and Human Services. DHHS has more than 19,000 employees...

. Kirk also served on the North Carolina Board of Community Colleges

North Carolina Community College System

The North Carolina Community College System is a statewide network of fifty-eight public community colleges. Each college has a distinct governance system and policies. In total, the system enrolls over 800,000 students, and is the third largest community college system in the nation...

.

In 2006, upon leaving his position at NCCBI, Kirk became Vice President of External Relations at Catawba College, where he was formerly a member of the Board of Trustees.

In 2007, Kirk was elected chairman of the Public School Forum of North Carolina.