Tim Carter Biography

Tim was raised in southern Arizona. He graduated from Tombstone High School and attended Glendale Community College prior to receiving a Bachelor of Science Degree from Grand Canyon College and a Master of Arts in Secondary Educational Leadership from Northern Arizona University. Tim completed the requirement for an Arizona Superintendent Certificate at the University of Phoenix.

Tim started teaching and coaching in 1973 at Alchesay High School in the White Mountains. In 1977 he and his wife Linda, moved to southwestern Arizona where he taught and coached at Antelope High School. The Carters moved to Prescott in 1979, where Tim taught American Government and Introduction to Law at Prescott High School, while coaching Track, Cross Country and the Mock Trial Team. Linda taught and coached at Granite Mountain Middle School for many years before becoming a Counselor. Tim joined the administrative ranks at Prescott High School in 1991. He served as Assistant Principal for Student Services prior to being promoted to Principal, the position he held until his retirement in 2003. In retirement, Tim taught American Government and Education courses at Yavapai College and School Law and School Finance for the University of Phoenix and Northern Arizona University. He also worked with the Adult Probation Department of the Superior Court. Certified by the Arizona Supreme Court, Tim has taught Defensive Driving for over four decades. Tim also enjoys teaching Hunter Education as a Certified Instructor for the Arizona Game and Fish Department.

Tim was selected for the North Central Accrediting Association’s Circle of Excellence in 2001, has been recognized with the Robert Taft and Melvin Jones Fellowships, was inducted into the Arizona Track Coaches Hall of Fame, and was selected as the 2003 Arizona School Administrator of the Year. Tim was elected twice by the 4A Conference to serve on the Executive Board of the Arizona Interscholastic Association. He served as the Secretary of the Prescott Sunrise Lions Club and is the former Advancement Chairman of Boy Scouts Troop One. He was elected as the President of the Arizona Association of Counties in 2011. He was honored by the Capitol Times, as the 2010 Educational Leader of the Year for Public Policy and as the outstanding JTED/CTE Policy Maker of the Year in 2013 and 2014. He was honored and humbled in 2017 when inducted into the Grand Canyon University Hall of Fame and to the Northern Arizona University Hall of Fame in 2021.

The Yavapai County Education Service Agency became fully accredited in 2017, becoming the first education service agency in Arizona to attain this milestone. Tim was selected for the AdvancED Circle of Excellence again in 2018. In 2018, Tim was also named the Distinguished Administrator of the Year in the Superintendents Division by the Arizona School Administration. In 2019, Tim was honored and humbled by the Arizona School Board’s Association with the Barbara Robey Lifetime Achievement Award and in 2020 by the Arizona Rural Schools Association, being inducted into their Hall of Fame.

Linda returned to the classroom after her retirement in 2004, teaching Art part time at Washington Traditional School. Tim and Linda enjoy their family. Their daughter, Cierra, holds both a Bachelor’s degree and a Master’s degree from Grand Canyon University teaches at Mingus Springs Charter School. Levi is an Eagle Scout and earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Northern Arizona University. He owns and manages Carter Capital and manages a division of Mission Restoration. Their grandson Skyler, a freshman in high school, is a delight.

Tim is a lifelong conservative Republican and served as a Precinct Committeeman dating back to the 1970’s. He served two terms as the Vice Chairman of the Yavapai County Committee, and was elected to represent Congressional District #3 as a George H.W. Bush Delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1988. Following appointment by Governor Doug Ducey (R) and confirmation from the Arizona Senate, Tim served as a member of the Arizona State Board of Education, where he served as Vice President and President. Tim was reappointed to the Executive Board of the Arizona Interscholastic Association in 2020, representing Cognia (formerly AdvancED). Tim was unanimously appointed as the Yavapai County School Superintendent by the Board of Supervisors effective July 1, 2005. He ran successfully for the position in 2006, 2008, 2012, 2016 and 2020.

Tim clearly enjoys providing educational services, through the Yavapai County Education Service Agency, to the 25 school districts, 24 charters schools and 101 campuses throughout the county. His agency serves schools in all fifteen counties. He strongly believes in local control, meeting high academic standards, and fiscal accountability.