Now in his 24th year as a school administrator, Dr. Wheeler is in his 11th year as principal of Atlee High School (AHS). Dr. Wheeler was named principal of AHS by the Hanover County School Board on April 8, 2014 and began his tenure on July 1, 2014.
From 2010 to 2014, he was the principal of Cedar Ridge High School (CRHS) in Hillsborough, North Carolina after serving as an assistant principal of CRHS from 2004 to 2010. Under his leadership from 2010 to 2014, CRHS saw extraordinary success, achieving some of the highest graduation cohort rates and proficiency rates on end-of-course tests in school history. During his tenure, the athletics program also reached unprecedented heights, capturing multiple conference championships, two team state championships, and six individual state championships. CRHS was also named a North Carolina School of Excellence or School of Distinction multiple times during his tenure, all while reducing suspension rates from 2010 to 2014. From 2001 until 2004, Dr. Wheeler served as the assistant principal of Colonial Heights Middle School in Colonial Heights after beginning his career in the York County School Division as a teacher and coach. He completed a site-based administrative internship while working for the Henrico County Public Schools in 2000 as well as a central office internship with the Orange County Schools (NC) in 2008.
Dr. Wheeler has a bachelor’s degree in education from East Carolina University, a master’s degree in educational leadership from the College of William & Mary, and a doctorate from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dr. Wheeler holds certification as division superintendent; assistant superintendent for instruction; and administration and supervision, PreK–12 in the state of Virginia. In 2009, he received the Patrick W. and Janet R. Carlton Award from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for dissertation research.
Dr. Wheeler is active in several professional associations, including the American Educational Research Association, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, the National Association of Secondary School Principals, the School Superintendents Association (ASSA), the Virginia Association of Secondary School Principals, and Phi Delta Kappa.
Dr. Wheeler was named the 2015 Administrator of the Year by the Virginia Association of School Librarians and is an adjunct professor in the College of Education at James Madison University.
Dr. Wheeler resides in Mechanicsville with his wife, Jennifer (4th grade teacher at Cold Harbor Elementary School), and their three sons Michael (7th grade at Chickahominy Middle School), Ryan (6th grade at Chickahominy Middle School), and David (kindergarten at Washington-Henry Elementary School).