Candidate Biography (submitted by candidate):

Violet Rhinehart is a career educator who has made a place as a leader in education and in civic service.

Violet is a North Carolina native, born in Kinston and reared on a family farm in Deep Run. Her parents professed hard work, family values and faith along with the value of an education.

She attended local public school and was graduated from Atlantic Christian College with a degree in social studies and immediately began educating America-one student at a time.  Her teaching experience is in both private and public schools.

Violet and her husband, Jesse Dayton Rhinehart, a Vietnam Veteran and a retired US Treasury agent have one son, Matthew. He is a graduate of North Carolina State University and the University of Minnesota. He is an aerospace engineer with the Navy.

Her civic and community involvement is in such organizations as the Junior League of Fayetteville and Raleigh, a docent at the North Carolina State Capitol and volunteering for the American Lung Association, Special Olympics, and the Project Lead the Way committee at Southeast Raleigh High School. She has served on the board for Volunteer Families for Children and the Wake County Commission for Women.

She has served on two PTA executive boards and was PTA president at Durant Middle School as well as the chairman of the Millbrook Advisory Council. In addition to teaching, she served as social studies department chair and served on the Wake County textbook selection committee.  She has participated in the Montpelier Foundation Seminar series, North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching and is a 2010 Graduate of the North Carolina Center for Women in Office Institute.

She and her family enjoy entertaining friends and family at the lake house.

When elected to the North Carolina House of Representatives, I will focus on working on the areas that affect us all. Environment, education and economy.

As a teacher of social studies, I know that environment is what locates a population. We must preserve and protect our resources from the mountains to the sea. Efficient energy sources, clean air and drinkable water are vital to our continuing to attract people and business to our state.

Having spent two-thirds of my life in a classroom either as a student or as an educator, I know education affects every aspect of our lives. North Carolina is known throughout the nation and the world for its educational opportunities. I will place an emphasis on needed funding of our educational system and in finding common sense solutions to meet its needs. We must continue to offer the best programs in education, engineering, medical and technical fields to have college and career ready citizens to insure our and our children's future. A strong educational system is the best economic development tool.

Fostering a healthy environment and high educational standards will strengthen our economy. Our state can help stimulate business by approving tax incentives, such as re-enacting credits for investing in business property and small business employee health benefits. Initiatives such as these can make a difference. Community support will help businesses prosper in the communities where their time and their money is a major investment. By working together as citizens, as communities and in public service, we will find ways to rise to the challenges of these times.

I will be an approachable, visible and vocal representative for the district and a leader for North Carolina. I ask for your support and for your vote.