The former director of an Orange County historical site recently pleaded guilty to embezzlement charges from her time in charge.

Ronda Tucker of Hillsborough pleaded guilty to felony counts of embezzlement in Orange County Superior Court on Tuesday. The charges stem from her spending of funds for the Burwell School on personal services in 2019.

Tucker ultimately accepted a plea deal that included four counts of plain embezzlement instead of charges for embezzlement of more than $100,000. She will serve a minimum of one year in prison, followed by a one-year suspended sentence with five years of probation. During that time, Tucker will aim to pay restitution.

Ronda Tucker, a Hillsborough resident, will face a minimum of one year in prison for her embezzlement of the Burwell School historical site. (Photo via the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.)

The Burwell School, which is the site of a 19th century girls’ school, is owned and operated by the Hillsborough Historic Commission. Located off the corner of West Union and North Churton Streets, the site hired Tucker as a guide in 2016 before promoting her to executive director in January 2019.

Amid discoveries of financial discrepancies in June 2019, which stemmed from Tucker spending more than $175,000 on personal good and services, the school fired Tucker and authorities charged her in October 2019.

Following Tucker’s firing, an internal investigation found the Burwell School failed to complete a full background check on Tucker when hiring her. Tucker previous pleaded guilty to a felony theft charge in 2005 from Orange County, Florida. She completed more than 100 hours of community service and three years of probation as part of the punishment in that case.

When reached on Wednesday, the Hillsborough Historic Commission said the Burwell School planned to not share any comment’s on Tucker’s conviction.

Photo via the Burwell School on Facebook.

Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees. You can support local journalism and our mission to serve the community. Contribute today – every single dollar matters.

 

Related Stories
‹
Former Burwell School Director Charged with Embezzlement
Hillsborough police charged a former executive director for the historic Burwell School site with felony embezzlement on Thursday. This comes after the site was under investigation earlier in October over discrepancies previously found in its financial reports. Ronda Tucker of Hillsborough is accused of spending nearly $175,000 on various personal goods and services since 2016. […]
Gov. Cooper Appoints Orange County Residents to Historic Hillsborough Commission
North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper recently appointed several Orange County residents to serve on various state boards and commissions, including new members of the Historic Hillsborough Commission. The governor shared his appointments on November 3, naming eight individuals to serve on the group that celebrates and promotes the history of the town and Orange County. […]
Labor Day to Affect Local Government Services Around Orange County Community (2025)
Monday marks the observance of Labor Day, which is meant to celebrate the contribution of workers and employees across the United States. With that, the local governments in Orange County will be giving many of their employees the day off, which will affect certain local government services. Ahead of the holiday on Monday, September 1, […]
Orange County Arts Community Set for Uproar Festival Despite Recent Flood Damage
Orange County's Uproar Festival of Public Art returns on Aug. 1 – and it comes as the arts community recovers from catastrophic flooding.
Work on I-40 Widening Project Set to Close Lanes, Exit Ramps Overnight in Hillsborough
The ongoing work to widen I-40 in Orange County is set to disrupt overnight traffic patterns for the rest of the week, according to NCDOT.
'We Need Help': Orange County Flood Victims Beginning to Pick Up the Pieces
Orange County residents whose homes were flooded during Sunday's storm shared their emotions and what help they need in the aftermath.
Celebration of July 4 to Alter Local Government Services in Orange County
The celebration of Independence Day on Friday, July 4 will affect several local government services in and around Orange County. Here’s a look at what will and won’t be happening that week: Town of Chapel Hill All Chapel Hill administrative offices will be closed Friday. Residential trash pickup will not be affected. Commercial trash will […]
Orange Rural Fire Department Responds to Blaze at Hillsborough Storage Facility
The Orange Rural Fire Department responded to a commercial structure fire at the Surety Storage facility in Hillsborough late Tuesday night. Surety Storage is located at 2707 North Carolina Highway 86 South. According to a release from the fire department, the first engine to arrive quickly reported smoke and fire conditions from “several” storage units […]
Hillsborough Man Wins More Than $500,000 From Lottery Ticket
Daniel Allison of Hillsborough won a $512,111 prize off of a $1 lottery ticket last week. Allison bought his ticket for the Cash 5 game online, then matched all five drawn numbers to win the jackpot. The odds of such a win are 1 in 962,598. Allison claimed his prize at the lottery headquarters in […]
Habitat for Humanity Breaks Ground on 75-Unit Townhome Neighborhood in Hillsborough
Habitat for Humanity and local leaders gathered on June 12 to formally begin the work on Auman Village, a townhome community in Hillsborough.
›