This qualitative study examined a culture of teacher leadership that has evolved in North Carolina over the past 20 years, conveying the professional journey of teachers who had moved out of the classroom into other educational leadership roles after attainment of National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) certification. The study utilized a snowball sampling technique and purposively selected participants who met the criteria of teachers who had (a) taught in North Carolina schools, (b) attained NBPTS certification, and (c) moved beyond the classroom into other educational leadership roles, and whose career paths had never been followed. The research was guided by the following research questions: Does the National Board develop teacher leaders? What led the teachers to measure themselves against high national standards and a rigorous assessment process? What relationships or factors created the teachers' desire to move from the classroom to other responsibilities of educational leadership? The stories of individuals unfolded through a semistructured interview protocol that utilized open-ended questions. Several themes emerged during the interview process: leadership, the National Board process, influencers, collaboration, new job opportunities, professional development, state role and accomplishments, networking, and others. The stories that participants shared were coded and analyzed. The common threads of each unique journey were woven together to share a collective story that had not yet been told. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]