Phillip Riggs, 2016 Grammy Music Educator of the Year, retired after teaching more than 30 years in North Carolina. Phillip is a recipient of the Outstanding Teacher Award and the Exceptional Contribution in Outreach Award presented by the UNC Board of Governors. Mr. Riggs was the first faculty member inducted into the Reagan High School Hall of Fame, (Fall, 2015).

Phillip currently serves as a conductor with the World Adult Wind Orchestra Project (WAWOP) held in Austria each summer. He is a co-founder and conductor of the NC Youth Wind Ensemble. Mr. Riggs is a Past President of the NC Band Directors Association. He also served as founding chair of the NCMEA New Teacher/Mentor Committee. He has served as the Southern Division Representative on the NAfME Council for Band and the NC chair of the National Band Association. Phillip is active as a clinician and adjudicator throughout the United States, Austria, and China.