Incredible ECU Women Past Recipients

Alison H. Atkins, professor emeritus at Fort Hays State University, has performed at the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games near Linville, North Carolina, as both accompanist and soloist for more than 40 years.A recipient of the Agnes MacRae Morton Award for her service, she has also performed at highland games and gatherings in Scotland. She was recognized by the state of North Carolina for her contribution to the Scottish Community by receiving the Order of the Long Leaf Pine.She served as the Kansas President and as Regional Governor in the National Association of Teachers of Singing and held leadership roles in the professional music fraternity for women, Sigma Alpha Iota.

Professional artist Irene Bailey has hundreds of portraits hanging in libraries, business centers, and private homes throughout the country.

She has more than 18 works hanging on ECU’s campus alone, including two large murals in Minges Coliseum and portraits of the five deans of the Brody School of Medicine.

Bailey has been featured in many publications and exhibitions including Rebel magazine, North Carolina Literary Review and East Magazine. In 2011, she was an award winner in The Portrait Society of America,s International competition.

Edna Earle Baker began her career in education under John Messick, who later became president of East Carolina College.

She worked in the Pitt County Schools for more than 30 years, establishing the first elementary school libraries, the first special education classes, and the first ESEA Reading for Remediation program. She was also instrumental in facilitating the successful integration of the Pitt County school system in the 1960s.

While in her 80s, she served two terms as mayor of Farmville, North Carolina. She is considered the mother of the Farmville Dogwood Festival, one of the most successful town festivals in the state.

She passed away in December 2007 at the age of 100.

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Judy B. Baker founded the ECU Student Volunteer program in 1990 with zero volunteers and eight community partners. It has since evolved into the Volunteer and Service-Learning Center with almost 10,000 volunteers and 126 community partners.

Last year, students reported volunteer work in three countries, 12 states, and 54 North Carolina counties.

Baker has received numerous community awards for her own volunteer service including the Governor’s Outstanding Service Award, the National Points of Light Award, the Ronald McDonald House Outstanding Service Award (received twice), and the American Red Cross Charter Member Award.

Cassandra D. Bell, WITN TV 7 news anchor, has published four mainstream fiction books. Her first, The Color of Love, was published in 2002. Since then, she has written Mississippi Blues, After the Storm and Changing Lanes.

She is currently at work on her fifth novel. Bell has lobbied Congress as a volunteer member of the National Breast Cancer Coalition, and she has conducted celebrity interviews on behalf of the Children’s Miracle Network.

Sabrina D. Bengel serves the city of New Bern as Mayor Pro Tem and Alderman of the First Ward. She is managing partner of the Birthplace of Pepsi in New Bern and is President and CEO of Riverfront Sports and Entertainment Group.

Bengel is President of New Bern Tours and Convention Services-New Bern,s Trolley Car Tours. She is Chair of the Craven County Tourism Development Authority Board and a member of the Swiss Bear Downtown Development Corporation Board of Directors. She serves on the North Carolina Travel and Tourism Board and is Vice Chairman of the UNC-TV Board of Trustees. Bengel sits on the ECU Board of Visitors and is a past chair of the ECU Alumni Association. She received the ECU Distinguished Service Award in 2012. Bengel views her greatest accomplishment as serving others to make a better city, region, university, and state.

Lisa D. Benton is a Senior Human Resources Business Partner with Wells Fargo. She earned her Senior Professional in Human Resources certification from the Society for Human Resources Management and has received several awards during her over 30 year career in human resources management.

She is a past President of the ECU Alumni Association and Past Chair of the ECU College of Business Advisory Board. She is a member of the ECU Foundation, Inc. Board of Directors and volunteers for many organizations including Habitat for Humanity and the American Heart Association.

Margaret E. Bishop has authored four novels: Murder at Blue Falls, Emeralds in the Snow, Appalachian Paradise, and most recently, Perfect for Framing.

Bishop is the founder, past president, and current treasurer of the High Country Writers, an organization providing encouragement and support for writers.

Rebecca Y. Bloxam, EdD, Lexington City Schools superintendent, served as a teacher, guidance counselor, principal, and assistant superintendent prior to her appointment as superintendent.

Over her 35-year career, she has received numerous awards for service to young people, including the North Carolina media specialists’ State Administrator of the Year.

Dr. Bloxam has a great interest and expertise in curriculum and programs for underserved children. She is an advocate for ECU’s online masters degree programs, encouraging her teachers to take advantage of the opportunities they provide.

Emily S. Boyce is professor emeritus of the ECU Department of Library and Information Studies where she served as department chair for many years. A scholarship in library and information studies is awarded each year to a master’s degree student in her name. She was appointed as chair of the State Library Commission, serving two years, and received the Mary Peacock Douglas Award from the North Carolina Association of School Librarians.

Boyce was inducted into the ECU Educators Hall of Fame and received ECU’s Outstanding Educators Award. After retiring to Asheville, North Carolina, she began a new career as a community volunteer and received the annual Human Rights Award from the Baha’is of Asheville for the promotion and protection of basic human rights.

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Carolyn J. Breedlove is the senior professional associate for external partnerships and advocacy at the National Education Association.

Employed at the NEA since 1983, she was the lead lobbyist and policy analyst on telecommunications and educational technology issues, helping draft key education provisions of the Telecommunications Act of 1996.

She was also one of the negotiators who developed the television rating system.

In 2005, Breedlove received the Susan G. Hadden Pioneer Award from the Alliance for Public Technology for work in telecommunications, recognizing her accomplishments in building strategic coalitions and partnerships that have produced results for students and teachers.

Susan C. Brooks is a retired certified and licensed North Carolina marriage and family therapist. A leader of NCAMFT for 23 years, she led the successful passage of two professional legislative bills that brought licensed marriage and family therapists to parity with other master’s-level mental health professionals.

She served as president of the NCAMFT for two years and chaired the NCMFT Licensure Board for four years.

She has received the ECU Outstanding Alumni Award and NCAMFT’s David and Vera Mace Award. Long active in the Episcopal Church, she has served in many capacities including vestry leadership and the bishop’s committee on ethics. Since retiring, she is a jeweler and gourd artist.

Suzanne J. Brooks, executive vice president of Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company of Central Virginia, was the first female president of the Virginia Beverage Association.

As an executive, she helped grow the central Virginia Pepsi franchise from 3.4 million cases to 9.6 million cases.

She is a member of several LLCs, two of which developed two different golf course communities, and one that is completing a mixed-use project of office condominiums and residential units. Brooks is also a partner in a SCUBA diving shop.

Dr. Sylvia T. Brown, dean of the ECU College of Nursing and a widely-published scholar, considers her greatest accomplishment to be her role in preparing future nurses. She helped to develop the nursing education concentration in the ECU master’s program, an option that prepares future nurse educators. She was instrumental in the development of the ECU doctoral program in nursing.

Dr. Brown has written or co-authored more than 75 peer-reviewed articles and proceedings and 27 funded research grants. She has served as president of the Dream Factory of North Carolina (an organization that grants dreams to chronically and critically ill children) and as a board member of The National Dream Factory.

Dr. Brown also has been president of the Beta Nu Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International, an honor society for nurses.

Judith H. Budacz is retired after a 35-year career in public education.

A third-generation teacher, she taught school for 14 years and served as principal for 21 years. She received ECU’s Outstanding Educator Award in 1997, and was honored as the Wachovia North Carolina Principal of the Year representing Wahl Coates School.

Budacz was also inducted into the ECU Educators Hall of Fame. A member of the North Carolina Charter School Advisory Committee for five years, she has also served her church and volunteered extensively in her community and state.

Lisa R. Callahan, MD, is the director of player care for the NBA’s New York Knicks and WNBA’s New York Liberty professional basketball teams.

She is the cofounder and medical director of the Women’s Sports Medicine Center Hospital for Special Surgery, and associate professor of clinical medicine at Well Medical Center of Cornell University.

She has also served as medical contributor to ABC News, Good Morning America and Lifetime’s Speaking of Women’s Health. Dr. Callahan authored the book, The Fitness Factor, and is a contributing editor to SELF magazine. She sits on the board of directors of the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine.

Shirley A. Carraway, EdD, superintendent of Orange County Schools, was the first African American and the first female high school principal in Pitt County.

She has been a Principal of the Year and was appointed by the state superintendent to serve as the North Carolina representative on a five-state educational advisory board.

Dr. Carraway currently serves on numerous boards that have a direct impact on children, including the Orange Partnership for Young Children and the Community School for People Under Six Advisory Board. She believes in involving the community in educational decision-making processes through special meetings and committee work.

E. Carol Carrere, PhD, is vice president for institutional planning and support, and associate professor of business at Mount Olive College.

Her office provides strategic and operational planning and assessment, institutional research, and information technology support services.

She led the effort to obtain a USDA rural utilities services grant for the college, which is used for distance learning classroom technology and to acquire instructional programming to serve rural medical professionals and residents in eastern North Carolina.

Prior to her association with the Mount Olive College, she was a visiting professor at North Carolina State University.

Kay Chalk was an educator for 20 years and has served as a active community volunteer since 1988. She received the Distinguished Service Award from the ECU Alumni Association and was a founding member and chair of the Women’s Roundtable at ECU.

She currently serves as the chair of the ECU Honor’s College Advancement Council and is a former trustee and chair of the Education Committee for Old Salem Museum and Gardens. She is the past president of the Friends of Brenner Children’s Hospital, the Arts Council of Wilson, the Wilson County American Heart Association and the United Way of Wilson County.

Madge S. Chamness, retired associate professor of clinical laboratory science at ECU, was active in ECU faculty governance and also a member of the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society. She served as president of the North Carolina Society for Medical Technology and received their Outstanding Professional Achievement Award.

Chamness also received the School of Allied Health Sciences Dean’s Award for Outstanding Teaching and the J.J. Kleiner Award for Outstanding Article published in Clinical Laboratory Science.

She was also the recipient of the Robert and Lina Mays University Alumni Association Teaching Excellence Award.

Gloria A. Chance, executive vice president and chief e-commerce officer for Wachovia Bank, is accountable for the integration of Wachovia’s comprehensive suite of online products and services for retail, wealth management, commercial and corporate institutional banking, and employee intranet.

She partners with the various lines of business to meet individual strategies while presenting a cohesive online presence for Wachovia. She introduced the first mobile banking solution, and was featured in the anniversary issue ofEssence magazine, which highlighted 30 Fortune 1000 companies where black women are finding success.

For the last two years she has been a speaker at the European Financial Management and Marketing Association.

Joyce G. Cherry, education consultant, began her career as a business teacher in the public school system. She worked at Mount Olive College as head of business programs before leaving for a position at Lenoir Community College.

Cherry has held many positions at Lenoir including two terms as interim president, head of accounting and business, dean of the commercial division, business manager, vice president of educational programs, and vice president of administrative services. Cherry also served two terms as president of the North Carolina Business Education Association and two terms as president of the Community College Association of Business Chairpersons and Department Heads.

Maggy M. Costandy founded Maggy Costandy Interiors in 1979 and currently serves as the company’s president.

She is a professional member of the American Society of Interior Designers, and in 1999 served as president of the Carolinas chapter of the ASID, for which she was awarded the Carolinas Chapter Award.

Costandy has clients throughout the country, although she concentrates her business in eastern North Carolina. Each summer, she mentors one to three ECU interior design students as a way to repay ECU for all it has given her.

Beverly Cox, director of exhibitions and collections management at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery, has received recognition from the Smithsonian as an “unsung hero.” She has been with the gallery since its opening in 1968.

Originally a member of the history department, she moved to the exhibits side in the early 1970s and is now responsible for the administration of the gallery’s exhibition programs.

Cox has managed the organization of more than 300 exhibitions and is the author of several exhibition catalogues. She also heads the collection management department overseeing the care and housing of 20,000 works of art.

Kay Craven earned her master’s degree in public health from Kay Craven earned her master’s degree in public health from ECU in 2009. She is now the Director of Nutrition Services for ECU Physicians and has dedicated her career to integrating nutrition and medicine in order to improve lives for citizens in eastern North Carolina and beyond. As a nutrition instructor for the Department of Family Medicine at the Brody School of Medicine, Kay educates medical students and health professionals about the importance of nutrition. As a specialist in diabetes and food insecurity, Kay is a strong advocate for patients, many of whom are uninsured and in the greatest need of nutrition services. She spearheaded ECU’s efforts and partnered with Vidant Health and the local food bank to open the Medical Food Pantry. She also coordinates classes for patients in the Building Healthier Families program for patients who struggle with weight management but are unable to access commercial programs due to financial limitations. Kay is a sought-after expert and presenter on diabetes topics. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics selected her as the recipient of its 2019 Excellence in Practice – Community Dietetics Award.

Michele C. Daenzer-Sapp, International Design Center showroom manager for Francesco Molon, opened the first retail showroom in the country for high-end Italian furniture, cabinetry and millwork.

She manages the kitchen division pilot program in Florida for distribution of fully custom cabinetry. She has run her own design consulting firm and has been a designer for Gulf Bay Development’s cabinetry and custom millwork installations in Florida and Vermont.

The recipient of numerous design awards including the Design Excellence Award from the American Society of Interior Designers, she was named as one of the “10 to Watch” in 2000, by Kitchen and Bath Business magazine.

Dr. Claudia Daly is a 1983 graduate of ECU. For nearly a decade, Claudia practiced as an intensive care nurse before deciding to pursue her medical degree at the Brody School of Medicine. After graduating in 2001, she joined the BSOM faculty as a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine. Beyond this, she has served as the Medical Director for MedDirect, ECU’s Minor Emergency Department. Claudia is president of the BSOM alumni association, is active in state and national medical societies, mentors medical students and their projects, and is one of the few BSOM faculty members to sponsor a scholarship for students (in memory of a Brody medical school colleague who died of breast cancer). Outside of medicine, Claudia’s strong work ethic can be seen in her volunteerism with the Greenville Shelter Clinic, the Special Olympics, Joy Soup Kitchen and St. Peter’s Catholic Church and School.

Margaret Dowd Daniel of Lynchburg, Virginia, is a 1970 graduate of ECU’s College of Education. Margaret has been an educator for 39 years. She began her career at Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville as a student teacher before joining the staff at Bon Air Elementary in Richmond, Virginia. She currently has the longest-running tenure as a teacher at James River Day School in Lynchburg, where she has been providing excellent education for 34 years. Her commitment to the school can be seen in many ways, from knowing every student and parent’s name to seeing a need for a new reading program and creating one. When she recognized that teachers needed to learn more about working with students with different learning needs, she provided information and training for those teachers. Margaret has also mentored at least a dozen beginning teachers over the years, generously sharing her experience and knowledge with those around her.

Nancy W. Darden established Ruth Home, a transitional home for women with drug and alcohol abuse problems. The home, which enabled young females to get a fresh start in life after having been hospitalized for treatment of a drug or alcohol problem, taught the life skills that were necessary for these women to reenter the community in a positive way.

Darden then founded Angel Spirit, a nonprofit Christian organization, that supported the children of Ruth Home participants, and helped them succeed in school. She also founded a real estate company and was co-owner of a fashion salon and school.

She passed away in January 2011.
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Deborah W. Davis, chief operating officer at MCV Hospitals, part of the Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center in Richmond, is the former president of Pitt County Memorial Hospital.

Davis spent more than 32 years at PCMH, eastern North Carolina’s largest hospital. Under her guidance, PCMH earned Magnet recognition for nursing excellence from the American Nurses Credentialing Center. The hospital was recognized by Working Mother magazine as one of the top 100 workplaces in the nation for working moms.

Working closely with the CEO of University Health Systems of Eastern Carolina, Davis took PCMH through unprecedented growth in providing health care across the eastern region of the state.

Jane M. Dillard is a professor of music at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. As a performer, she appeared with major symphonies and opera companies in the United States and Europe. She was a winner of the International Singing Competition in Switzerland and lead mezzo with the Nuremburg Opera in Germany.

A recipient of the ECU Outstanding Alumni Award and the UNCC Outstanding Woman Teacher Award, she has served as a national officer in various music associations, including president of the National Association of Teachers of Singing. Performing on the same stage with her daughter, who sang the leading role in a Puccini opera, was one of her greatest joys.

She was also the recipient of the Robert and Lina Mays University Alumni Association Teaching Excellence Award.

Patricia C. Dunn, PhD, served two terms as the mayor of Greenville, North Carolina, the home of ECU. Prior to her election in 2007, she served on the Greenville City Council for six years.

Dunn served as president of Habitat for Humanity of Pitt County, chair of the Pitt County Board of Elections, the Pitt County Council on Aging, and president of the Pitt County League of Women Voters.

She is now retired from ECU as a professor of health education and promotion. Dunn also taught at Peace College, and worked in student personnel at Montreat College and James Madison University. She is a 1958 graduate of East Carolina University with a degree in Health and Physical Education.

Linda R. Edwards, MD, is the Senior Associate Dean, Educational Affairs, at the University of Florida College of Medicine.

She was a member of the first four-year class to graduate from the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University and was the first woman to be appointed chief medical resident at the University of Florida Health Center in Jacksonville.

Selected as the 2005 Internist of the Year by the Florida chapter of the American College of Physicians, Dr. Edwards has spearheaded an adult primary care program for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Laura L. Elliott enrolled at East Carolina University in 1962 as its first African American student. In demonstrating tremendous courage, she became an inspiration to those who followed her. Elliott graduated in 1966 with a BS in business administration with a concentration in accounting. She also earned her teaching certificate, and taught school in both North Carolina and Georgia.

Elliott has worked for the US Department of Justice as an auditor, the US Department of Health and Human Services as a business statistician, and retired as a senior accountant for the US Department of the Treasury. She has also served in various volunteer capacities throughout her life and career.
She died in 2013.
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Susan W. Engelkemeyer, PhD, dean of the School of Business at Ithaca College, was primarily responsible for the school’s initial accreditation by AACSB International.

The school is constructing a privately-funded new School of Business building with a goal of LEED Platinum certification by the US Green Building Council, a distinction held by only sixteen buildings worldwide.

Engelkemeyer sits on the Board of Overseers for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, and works to affect change in higher education through the American Council on Education.

Janet P. Ennis has worked in a variety of industries including communications, sports, medicine, and art animation and design. Ennis has been a product line coordinator for Hallmark Cards, where she appeared in a 75th anniversary commercial on national television for the Hallmark Hall of Fame.

She also appeared in a Lifetime Television film and has done visual effects for Walt Disney Feature Animation.

Ennis has volunteered extensively with the LPGA Golf Tour, the PGA Tour, and the ATP Tennis Tours, and she is currently employed by the Arizona Diamondbacks of Major League Baseball.

LaRue M. Evans served as chair and fund-raiser of the publications committee for the book The Architectural History of Pitt County, North Carolina.

She acquired a grant from the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources for the Winterville Chamber of Commerce for façade improvement of historic structures and the installation of vintage street lights in Winterville, North Carolina. She was the project director and fund-raiser for the restoration of the A.W. Ange House as a museum and cultural center for the Winterville Historical and Arts Society.

She worked to keep the eastern office of Archives and History in the Robert Lee Humber House. For these efforts, the office created the LaRue Mooring Evans Award for Historic Preservation in her honor.

Building homes for responsible, deserving families, Beth G. Everett has served as Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity of Pitt County since 2010.

She received her MBA from ECU’s College of Business in 1982 and received the Beta Gamma Sigma award. Everett has been involved in many types of businesses including manufacturing, direct marketing, retail sales, financial services, and real estate development.

Janice H. Faulkner has served East Carolina University and the State of North Carolina in a variety of leadership roles. Faulkner has served as state revenue secretary, commissioner of the North Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles, and executive director of the state’s Democratic Party.

In 1996, she became the first female to serve on the Council of State as the North Carolina secretary of state.

She served ECU for 38 years as English professor, vice chancellor for regional development, director of alumni affairs, chair of the board of the ECU Credit Union, director of the Regional Development Institute, chair of the Board of Visitors, and first chair of the Women’s Roundtable.

Pansie Hart Flood, instructional curriculum resource specialist for language arts K-12 and social studies for the Pitt County Schools, has published five children’s books, including the trilogy Sylvia and Miz Lula Maye, Secret Holes, and Sometimey Friend.

Her next two books, It’s Test Day, Tiger Turcotte and Tiger Turcotte Takes on the Know-It-All, are the beginning of a new series. Several other books about Tiger Turcotte have been completed.

Flood is currently working on two other adult novelsŠKnee Deep and Summer Friend.

Barbara B. Forester, president of Forester and Kinney Interiors, established her interior design firm with partner Jill Kinney in 1978.

The firm, which has won the Best in American Living Award from the National Association of Home Builders, specializes in model homes and multifamily design as well as residential design.

Forester is an allied member of the American Association of Interior Design. She also established the first Montessori school in Charlotte, North Carolina, in the 1970s.

Nia Franklin is a Winston-Salem native who earned her undergraduate degree in music composition from ECU and a master’s in music composition from The University of North Carolina School of the Arts. Shortly after, Nia was awarded a Kenan Fellowship at New York’s Lincoln Center Education and made the move to New York City. During Nia’s college freshman year, her father was diagnosed with a rare form of lymphoma, and she became his stem cell donor. This turn of events led Nia to the Miss America Organization. Nia was crowned Miss New York in 2018 and went on to win Miss America in 2019. For the competition, Nia ran on a platform advocating for the arts and sang a selection from the opera “Quando m’en Vo,’” wowing audiences and judges alike. Throughout her year as Miss America, Nia has been promoting her social impact initiative “Advocating for the Arts” through appearances at colleges and universities, performing with orchestras and operas across the country, at arts schools and holding master classes.

Holly M. Garriott, founder and executive director of Emerge Gallery, which became the Pitt Co. Arts Council at Emerge in 2009, is a ceramics artist who was invited to create an ornament for the White House Christmas tree in 2008.

Garriott developed an internship and professional development course for the ECU School of Art and Design.

She is secretary of Uptown Greenville, an organization dedicated to revitalizing downtown and has helped coordinate PirateFest, an arts and music festival that draws more than 20,000 people to Greenville.

Virginia Carlton Gaynor is a super alumnae of ECU, having earned four degrees: a Bachelor’s of Arts in psychology (1981), a Master’s of Arts in psychology (1985), a Certificate of Advanced Study in school psychology (1985) and a Master’s of Arts in education (1989). Virginia begin her career in public education as a school psychologist in 1992 with Pitt County Schools. As a school administrator her career begin in 2014 serving as the Coordinator of the Alpha Center and Special Programs. She was later promoted to Director of the Exceptional Children’s Program for Pitt County Schools which she oversees the daily operations of special education services for students with various disabilities. Over the course of her career, Virginia has used her training and knowledge to plant seeds in her community related to children and families through grassroots and faith-based agencies. She is currently President of the Board of Directors for the Mediation Center of Eastern Carolina.

Robin L. Good is the Director of Business Development at Wehco Media, Inc.

She is a magazine and print media specialist and her passion for travel has allowed her to see the world. She has created two travel web sites that are popular, informative, and profitable.

She currently serves on the Board of Directors of the ECU Alumni Association. She is a 1980 graduate of ECU with a degree in Interior Design.

Beth Grant, one of Hollywood’s most recognizable faces, has starred in more than 70 feature films including Academy Award-nominated Little Miss Sunshine. For her role as pageant official Nancy Jenkins, Grant received the Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Cast in a Feature Film.

opular studio pictures include Rock Star, The Rookie, Matchstick Men, Rain Man, Speed, Child’s Play II, City Slickers, To Wong Foo, and A Time to Kill.

Grant has appeared in more than 30 plays from Los Angeles to New York. She has guest starred in hundreds of hit television series, including Friends, My Name is Earl, The Office, and CSI. She is also a recipient of several other acting awards.

Dr. Mary Helen Hackney, associate professor in the Division of Hematology Oncology in the Department of Internal Medicine at the Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center, specializes in the treatment of all stages of breast cancer.

She received the Women in Science, Dentistry, and Medicine Professional Achievement Award from WISDM in 2009 and has been recognized as one of Richmond Magazine’s Top Doctors in medical oncology and women’s health/breast cancer care for several years.

Dr. Hackney is director of the Rural Cancer Outreach Program sponsored by the cancer center, which provides oncology care in rural Virginia. She also provides support at the Crossover Ministries Clinic, which serves uninsured Richmond residents.

Paula M. Hale is currently vice chair of the national USTA Community Tennis Association Committee and serves on the board of directors of USTA Southern Section, chairing the community development committee.

As president of the North Carolina Tennis Foundation, she launched the first capital campaign in the 40-year history of the organization, raising more than $1.7 million to support the growth and development of tennis in the state.

In 2006, she was awarded the coveted Jacobs Bowl, given to the most outstanding volunteer in the USTA Southern Section, consisting of nine southern states.

Dr. Virginia Hardy earned her master’s degree in counselor education from ECU in 1993. She has served the university in three significant roles: Senior Associate Dean in the Brody School of Medicine, Chief Diversity Officer, and Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs. In her current role as Vice Chancellor, she oversees 32 departments focused on the student experience, including housing, dining, counseling, transit and recreation. Virginia helped bolster ECU’s leadership initiatives by developing the Chancellor’s Leadership Academy (now Leadership Development Academy) and Chancellor’s Student Leadership Academy and regularly teaches and mentors participants. Virginia led the process for the construction of the two student centers, the renovation and construction of residence and dining halls and the expansion of the North Recreation Complex. She has been an effective advocate for diversity, especially with employee recruitment and university and student leadership. She has helped to increase diversity among ECU’s 5,500 employees, enhanced the programs and reputation of the Ledonia Wright Cultural Center and the Jesse Peel LGBTQ Center. Additionally, she helped to establish the Women & Gender Office and restarted the Black Alumni Chapter.

Shelly S. Harkins, MD, is the Chief Medical Officer at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Belleville, Illinois and is the founder and chief physician of the Hospitalist Service at St. Elizabeth’s.

She is a 1999 Brody School of Medicine Graduate and received her Master’s Degree in Healthcare Administration from St. Louis University in 2013 and was named Valedictorian. She served as active duty Air Force faculty in Family Medicine residency at Saint Louis University/Scott Air Force Base.

Lynn B. Hoggard, EdD, is the state director of Child Nutrition Services at the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction and a fellow of the American Dietetic Association. Author of Never Diet Again: A Guide to Good Food and Fitness, she has contributed the proceeds from the book to food-related charities throughout the state.

Hoggard was a columnist for the News and Observer and a health reporter for WRAL TV. She was appointed by Lt. Governor Beverly Perdue to serve on the state,s Childhood Obesity Study Committee and works with policy makers to adopt legislation to require healthy changes in school nutrition.

Hoggard has been awarded an ECU College of Human Ecology Outstanding Alumni Award.

Deborah A. Holloman, JD, is an attorney/career law clerk to the Honorable Judge Richard L. Williams of the United States District Court, Eastern District of Virginia, Richmond Division.

She has also worked as an associate for Browder, Russell, Morris, and Butcher and as an attorney for the Reynolds Metal Company law department.

Holloman was involved in the research and development of the World War II documentary about her uncle, Thank You Eddie Hart, which was shown on public television stations across the United States.

Deborah Hooper is the President of the Greensboro Chamber of Commerce and will become the Chief Operating Officer of the Greensboro Partnership January, 2015.

For 25 years, Deborah held increasing responsible roles at WFMY News 2, a CBS affiliate, and was the General Manager for 16 of these years. She led the station to win several awards and recognitions.

She is the Chair of the Cone Health Board of Trustees and serves on the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond’s Community Investment Council and is a 2003 Athena Leadership Award recipient. She is also a licensed CPA.

Phyllis Horns, PhD, RN, FAAN has served as the Vice Chancellor for Health Sciences at East Carolina University since 2009. Previously, she was the dean of the College of Nursing from 1990-2009 and the Interim dean of the Brody School of Medicine from 2006-2008.

She was inducted as a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing in 2001 and was recognized in 2012 as recipient of the Women of Achievement Award by the General Federation of Women’s Clubs in NC, Inc.

In 2011, she was inducted into the College of Nursing Hall of Fame and as one of ECU’s Women of Distinction in 2009.

Brenda P. Hughes is a filmmaker in Wilmington, North Carolina. She began her broadcasting career as one of the first female sports reporters in the Southeast and went on to become an anchor/reporter for the number one television station in Richmond.

She won a regional Emmy for Thank You Eddie Hart, the first documentary she produced.

She serves on the Film Council of North Carolina and the board of directors of the Cucalorus Film Foundation, which has an annual film festival featuring independent filmmakers. Hughes has just finished a documentary and has two in production for North Carolina Public Television.

Malene G. Irons, MD, opened her practice doors in Greenville in 1945 as the first pediatrician and female physician in eastern North Carolina. She never declined to serve any patient, regardless of race, social, or economic status. Dr. Irons raised three sons while in full-time practice and became widely known as an advocate for social justice.

In 1949 she received the ECTC Outstanding Alumni Achievement Award and in 1965 was appointed as the first director of the Developmental Evaluation Clinic. The clinic building on the campus was dedicated in her name in 1974. Greenville presents annually the Best-Irons Humanitarian Award, named in honor of Dr. Irons.
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Renu G. Jain, PhD, lead clinical research scientist at GlaxoSmithKline, has also done postdoctoral research at the UNC Lineberger Cancer Center.

At GSK, she wrote, set up, and oversaw two global pediatric HIV GSK protocols, which tested a new HIV medicine therapy for HIV-1 infected children as young as six months.

The data from these clinical studies has been submitted to the FDA and European regulatory authorities for review, and when approved will provide a new HIV medicine for HIV-infected children.

Dr. Vivian Kirkpatrick James graduated from ECU in 1975 with a bachelor’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology. She later received her master’s in the same area from the University of Tennessee and served as a public school Speech-Language Pathologist for 22 years before completing her Ph.D., at the University of South Carolina. Since then she has functioned as a public school preschool administrator at the local and state level, and has taught at two universities. In 2007, Vivian assumed the role of NC’s Exceptional Children IDEA 619 Preschool Coordinator at the Department of Public Instruction. She directs the work of NC’s public school early childhood professional development system, the Early Learning Network, at the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, manages the state’s IDEA 619 preschool special education grant, and provides technical assistance to 115 public school preschool programs. Currently, she is an advocate for reform in early childhood suspension and expulsion for young children. Vivian embraces the role of mother, grandmother and wife and speaks passionately about balance of professional and personal responsibilities.

Cynthia E. Johnson is the Founding Chair of the School of Human Ecology at Georgia Southern University. Dr. Johnson served as Chair of the Department of Child Development and Family Relations at ECU for sixteen years, leaving to head up the new school at GSU in 2012.

While at ECU, she grew a small department to national prominence of its graduate programs, establishing the nation’s premier program in medical family therapy. She has held numerous positions in professional organizations and has served on many agency and community boards, including President of the North Carolina Family Life Council.

Margie Johnson is president of Shop Talk, a retail and research consulting firm concentrating on the retail, hospitality, health care, and financial industries. As a speaker, trainer, author, and consultant, she equips entrepreneurs with the knowledge and skills that lead them to higher profitability and performance.

Johnson was a partner and general manager of the Galleon Esplanade and secretary and treasurer of Cabana East, a corporation owning several businesses on the North Carolina coast.

Her accolades include the Fred Lazarus National Retail Federation Award; the NC Employer of the Year Award; the Inside Business 2006 Women in Business Achievement Award; and the 1998 Outstanding Women of Hampton Roads Award. She received coverage in The Washington Post, WHRO Public Television, and NBC’s Today.

Elizabeth M. Jones is an author of children’s literature. She has published 10 books and received the Edgar Allan Poe Award in 2000 for her book The Night Flyers and was nominated for an Agatha Award in 2004.

She has taught college English for over 10 years and presently teaches at Johnston County Community College.

She graduated from ECU in 1981 with a degree in Social Work and in 1996 with a master’s degree in English.

Dr. Karla Jones received her B.S. in Exercise & Sports Science, Health & Fitness Specialist and M.A. in Athletics Administration from ECU. She currently serves as a Professor in Sport Management at Johnson C. Smith University, Queens University, Belmont Abbey College, and Grand Canyon University. She is an Instructor in Health Education at Central Piedmont Community College and Gaston College. She has affiliations with advisory boards for Gaston College’s Health & Fitness Program, Winning Edge Leadership Academy, and H.O.Y.A.S. Community Development Corporation. She was part of the inaugural class of ECU’s 40 Under 40 awards in 2015 and created a scholarship for students within ECU’s Kinesiology Department. Her current focus and research efforts are creating experiential learning opportunities for college students in order to prepare them for careers within the sports industry. She is active within her community through the Charlotte Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. In addition, she currently serves on the Board of Directors for the American Heart Association and ECU Alumni Association.

Leora “Sam” Jones is a three-time Olympian and ECU and North Carolina Hall of Famer.

Following two years of basketball at Louisburg Junior College, she played for the Lady Pirates, helping them to AIAW and NCAA national tournament berths. In 1982, Jones was introduced to team handball. She was named the US Team Handball Athlete of the Year three times.

In the 1984 Summer Olympics, Jones was the fifth leading scorer as the US finished fourth in Olympic competition. In 1987, she led the US Women’s Team to a gold medal at the Pan Am Games, and in 1988, Jones was the second leading scorer in the Olympic Games.

Sharon Justice is a ’87 and ’90 College of Business graduate, a teaching instructor at ECU as well as a trainer and mentor. Sharon served as SVP of Human Resources with Wells Fargo Bank before joining the COB faculty in 2011. She developed the curriculum for the college’s junior level leadership course focused on professional development. She brings her experience as an entrepreneur and HR executive to the classroom to help students successfully transition from college into careers. Each semester, students complete practice interviews and participate in networking dinners which are made possible by more than 200 ECU alumni volunteers that are recruited to participate. Sharon has received awards for her work at ECU, such as the 2017 University Impact Award and the 2016 Outstanding Teaching Award nominee for the College of Business. Outside of ECU, Sharon runs Justice Leadership, a successful human resource consulting firm. She was awarded the 2018 outstanding presenter for the NCACPA. She is also a board member for Heart for ENC, an organization that supports faith-based nonprofit leaders.

Alice F. Keene has been active active in the development of recreation for special populations and developed the first year-round programs for exceptional children and adults for the Greenville Recreation and Parks Department.

She was instrumental in starting the Pitt County Community Schools and Recreation Program in Pitt County. She helped establish the Greenville-Pitt County Special Olympics program and is founder of the North Carolina Senior Games. Keene served on the state’s Commission for Volunteerism and Community Service, chairing the commission three times.

She is a recipient of the Governor’s Volunteer Recognition Award, the ECU Distinguished Alumni Award from the Department of RCLS, the Outstanding Alumni Award from the ECU College of Health and Human Performance and the NC Recreation and Park Association Fellow Award, to name a few.

Barbara A. Kelly, assistant director of athletics for planning and special projects at the University of Virginia, is one of the driving forces behind the creation and development of a national class women’s athletics program at UVa.

She oversees a number of special assignments, including the athletes’ lettering program, and the annual production of the student athlete handbook. One of her most enduring projects is a written and photographic history of women,s athletics at the university.

Kelly was the pivotal force in leading the Atlantic Coast Conference to offer championships to female student athletes. She was honored by the ACC as the founder and inaugural tournament director during their 25th anniversary tournament.

Mary P. Kirk, EdD, is the president of Montgomery Community College where she has been a leader in the enrollment and endowment growth of the school.

She is a Paul Harris Fellow of the Troy Rotary Club and a Leadership North Carolina board member and program chair. She currently serves on the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission, the Montgomery County Partnership for Children, and the Piedmont Triad Leadership Council…

Jenni Kolczynski is renowned jewelry designer and president of JKL Inc.

She owns and operates Jenni K Jewelry and has been featured on television’s QVC.

In honor of her daughter, she has created an equestrian line of jewelry, Silver and Gold Over Fences, along with a line of infant jewelry, Baby K., While raising her daughter on her own, she has operated a horse farm and volunteered throughout her community.

Deborah G. Lamm, EdD, president of Edgecombe Community College, is the college,s first female president in its 40-year history.

In 2004, when she began her tenure, she was one of nine female presidents in the North Carolina Community College System.

She serves on the NCCCS President’s Executive Committee, and is also involved in the Area L AHEC Regional Advisory Committee; the AHEC-Nash, Edgecombe, Wilson and Halifax Council; and the policy council of the NEWH Consortium. Lamm is a participant in the World View Presidential Leadership Program in Global Education and in Leadership North Carolina.

Lynn L. Lawry, MD, is an international authority on women,s health and public health policy. She is a physician at The Center for Disaster and Humanitarian Assistance Medicine, a director of the Initiative in Global Women’s Health at Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Harvard Medical, and an associate at the Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University.

She meets regularly with the United States State Department, Pentagon, Homeland Security, Senate, Congress, the World Bank, and United Nations representatives to advocate for policy changes based on her work.

Her studies to change US and international humanitarian response, policy, and funding with regard to the care of women have been widely published and featured on national and international media outlets.

Luan E. Lawson is the Assistant Dean of Curriculum, Assessment, and Clinical Affairs at ECU’s Brody School of Medicine.

Once a Brody Scholar, she returned as faculty in Emergency Medicine. During Dr. Lawson’s tenure as Director of Undergraduate Medical Education, she developed and instituted a required Emergency Medicine rotation with a simulation-based curriculum for fourth-year medical students.

She also developed PIRATE MD, a comprehensive, longitudinal course formulated to promote the academic, personal, and professional success of each Brody medical student. PIRATE MD was presented in June at the AAMC Careers in Medicine Professional Development Conference. Dr. Lawson serves on the National Board of Medical Examiners Emergency Medicine Advanced Clinical Exam Task Force.

Jessica R. L. Leif, senior medical physicist at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, is board certified in therapeutic radiologic physics.

In 2004, she received the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center Department of Radiation Physics Leadership Award.

Leif has served on the professional and public relations committee for the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM), and she has also served on AAPM task groups concerning accelerator beam data commissioning equipment and procedures, and robotic radiosurgery.

Nell J. Lewis is an author, humanitarian, and retired educator. Her book, 1 Day and 3 Hours, chronicles her journey of faith in the workplace.

She is the recipient of the Best-Irons Humanitarian Award from the Greenville Human Relations Council for her work with the Domestic Violence Center, Homeless Shelter, and Pitt County senior citizens.

Lewis has led efforts to better connect Greenville’s African American community to ECU. She hosted and produced Diversity Moments with Nell, a campus TV show, and is a guest host of the local show Minority Voices. A motivational speaker, she has presented at many national conferences.

Jennifer S. Licko is a Celtic singer, songwriter, guitarist, keyboard player, and a premier Highland dancer. She has toured throughout the world with her music alongside of award-winning performers Alasdair Fraser, Natalie Haas, Jimmy Carton, Rickey Godfrey, and Brendan Grace.

She is now recording her fifth album while continuing to perform Celtic folk music and dance.

Licko has found time to share her musical experiences with children in schools throughout North Carolina despite living abroad in Ireland, Holland, Scotland, and currently, Brazil. She received a 2004 Cammy nomination for Favorite New Artist of the Year.

Dasha E. Little is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Apogee Solutions, Inc., an economically- disadvantaged woman-owned small business that provides consulting and professional, technical and program management services to United States Government organizations. Founded in 2002, her firm employs over 150 people in fourteen states and the District of Columbia, serving Wounded Warrior communities within the Army and Marine Corps.

In 1993, Little founded Aspen Counseling, a predecessor to her current firm, which provided healthcare services and counseling. Little was the recipient of the Minerva Award for Leading Women Business Owners in Hampton Roads and has received the Women in Business Achievement Award from INSIDE BUSINESS.

Her firm has been recognized as one of the fastest-growing companies in Hampton Roads.

Debra K. London is president and CEO of St. Mary’s Health System-Tennessee Region and Mercy Health Partners-Kentucky Region, two of Catholic Healthcare Partners network of more than 55 hospitals and long-term care facilities in five states.

She is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives, a member of the Healthcare Roundtable, and was appointed chair of the Nashville branch of the Federal Reserve Board.

While serving on a number of volunteer boards, including the American Heart Association, the Boys and Girls Club, and the Safe Kids Coalition, she also adopted her daughter from Russia.

Valeria O. Lovelace, PhD, is president and founder of Media Transformations, an educational research and production company which helps develop projects that provide children with diverse role models.

Her clients have included Nickelodeon, MTV Networks, MSNBC, Sesame Workshop, Disney, and the Kellogg Foundation.

Dr. Lovelace is research development consultant and curriculum creator for the Nickelodeon series Dora, The Explorer; Go, Diego, Go; and also Disney’s Little Einsteins. She has worked to create strong role models who seek knowledge, persist in the face of difficulty, strive for excellence, and contribute to the well-being of their families, friends, and the world community.

Dr. Dee Lowdermilk, PhD retired after serving 34 years as a Clinical Professor in Women’s Health at UNC-Chapel Hill. She is an accomplished author with three of her books being selected as the Book of the Year by the American Journal of Nursing. She was recognized as one of the Great 100 Rn’s in North Carolina in 1991, and as the North Carolina Nurses Association Nurse Educator of the Year in 1999.

She was named a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing in 1998 and was inducted into the ECU College of Nursing in 2011. In 2013, she was honored as as a Paul Harris Fellow with Rotary International for her work on mission trips to Haiti and Honduras.

As a leader in the apparel industry for over 30 years, Carol M. Mabe helped build some of the world’s most recognized brands including Hanes, L’eggs, Victoria’s Secret, Lee, Wrangler, and Russell Athletic before retiring.

Mabe joined the ECU Board of Trustees in July 2007 and serves on the ECU Foundation Board of Directors. She is a magna cum laude graduate of ECU and received the James R. Talton Service Award from ECU in 2011 and was named the Delta Zeta National Sorority’s Woman of the Year in 2011 for her career achievements and legacy as a servant leader.

Willie Marlowe, artist and Professor Emerita at Sage College of Albany, taught in Department of Visual Arts, served a two year term as chair and participated in two of The Sage Colleges’ International Programs, teaching watercolor for “Sage at Oxford” and “Celtic Connections” in Scotland and Ireland.

A painter, Marlowe, sustained a dual career in teaching and as an exhibiting artist. She has had numerous exhibitions, including solo shows in Ireland, Italy and Germany as well as in New York City, Washington, DC, Boston, Sacramento, Charlotte, and Raleigh, and is included in museum, university and private collections in the US and abroad. She has had Artist’s Residencies at The Millay Colony, Austerlitz, NY, The Emily Harvey Foundation, Venice Italy, The Cill Rialaig Project, Ballinskelligs, Ireland and at Milkwood International Residencies, Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic. She has also been a visiting artist for Partners of the Americas, Barbados, W.I., at The Wexford Arts Center, Wexford, Ireland, The University of Georgia’s International Program, Cortona, Italy and at Tula State Lev Tolstoy Pedagogical University, Tula, Russia.

Catherine S. Marx is a studio musician who has performed on two Grammy Award winning albums, including a duet with Alison Krauss and James Taylor.

She has performed with the Nashville Symphony, recorded and toured with Merle Haggard, and toured with Olivia Newton-John. By being able to make a living doing what she loves, she has met and performed with accomplished musicians all over the country.

Marian N. McLawhorn is the North Carolina House Representative from House District 9, recently serving two terms as the Democratic Whip of the House.

Representative McLawhorn has been honored with the Democratic Women of North Carolina “Star” Award. She serves on the Education Committee of the National Conference of State Legislatures and on the Southern Legislative Conference of the Council of State Government Education Committee.

She has been the mayor of Grifton and a town commissioner. In 2004, she was inducted into the ECU Educators Hall of Fame.

Linda McMahon is the co-founder and former chief executive officer of WWE, based in Stamford, Ct. She has been widely recognized as one of the country’s top female executives and is an advocate for small businesses and promotes entrepreneurship, particularly among women.

The Make-A-Wish Foundation has recognized WWE as a top wish granter, and McMahon was appointed to the National Advisory Council in 2005.

She was the Republican nominee to represent the people of Connecticut in the U.S. Senate in 2010 and 2012.

She has been widely recognized for her numerous philanthropic contributions. She received the Humanitarian Award from the Catholic Big Sisters and Big Brothers in New York City and the Spirit of Hope Award from Liberation Programs in Norwalk, CT.

For two of Lyda T. Mihalyi’s eight years on the ECU Board of Trustees, she chaired the athletic committee. For two of her years on the East Carolina Alumni Association Board of Directors, she served as president.

Mihalyi is a recipient of the ECU Alumni Association Distinguished Service Award. She is currently active on the Autism Society of North Carolina Board of Directors as well as being a parent mentor for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Division of TEACCH, a project that helps families whose children have been recently diagnosed with autism.

A former art educator, she owned Artfully Yours, which sold handpainted and personalized gifts for six years, before starting a family.

Wendy A. Miller is the director of human resource services for the Craven County Schools.

Highlights of her career include being named the North Carolina Teacher of the Year, Walmart Teacher of the Year, Southeast Regional Teacher of the Year, and being inducted into the ECU Educators Hall of Fame.

In addition, she contributed to Best Teaching Practices for Reaching All Learners and was featured on the TV special Heroes in the Classroom.

Katie O. Morgan was a member of the East Carolina University Board of Trustees for four years. She helped organize North Carolina for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, serving on the state and national boards, and earned the Outstanding Volunteer of the Year Award. She was a member of the Governor’s Advocacy Council for Persons with Disabilities, the Governor’s Advocacy Council for Child Abuse, and the President’s Committee for Handicapped Persons in Washington, D.C. Morgan also served on the National Special Olympics Committee. She has served two terms on the North Carolina Veterinary Medicine Board and was named to the ECU Educators Hall of Fame. She was awarded the Golden Eagle Award by the Harnett County Betterment Society and she was active in North Carolina Democratic politics, frequently campaigning for her husband, Robert Morgan, when he successfully ran for state senator, NC attorney general, and United States senator. The Democratic Women’s Organization recognized her by sponsoring Katie Morgan Day in Harnett County.

She is a 1946 graduate of ECU.

Catherine T. Morsell is the executive director of the International Textile Market Association, which sponsors the largest textile trade show in the Western Hemisphere and is third in the world for textile trades.

She is responsible for two textile trade shows a year where furniture manufacturers, representatives from Vera Bradley, costume designers from Disney, and even yacht manufacturers come to see textiles, leathers, and trimming for furnishings. Morsell was recruited from Covington Fabrics to lead this nonprofit business association composed of textile members, leather tanneries, and trimming manufacturers.

She received the 2004 Outstanding Alumni Award from the ECU Department of Interior Design and Merchandising.

Angela Moss is Director, Public Investments for the University of North Carolina Management Company in Chapel Hill where she helps to manage a $3.6 billion portfolio.Her clients are UNC-Chapel Hill and most other universities in the UNC system (including a small allocation from ECU). She travels the world, China, Hong Kong, India, Brazil, Peru, London, working on a wide range of investments.

During her seven years at the company, its asset base has grown from $1.5 billion to $3.6 billion. These endowment and foundation pools are used to support professorships, scholarships, and other related causes.

As a member of 100 Women in Hedge Funds, Moss is leading an effort to establish a local chapter. She is the current Chair of the ECU Alumni Association Board and Vice Chair of the ECU Board of Visitors.

Maureen J. O’Boyle began her broadcasting career at the college radio station WZBM. She began her television career writing, producing, and anchoring morning news breaks at the NBC affiliate in Washington, North Carolina.

After two years in Spokane, Washington, she was off to New York to become weekend anchor and reporter for A Current Affair. In three years, she was named anchor when Maury Povich moved to daytime talk.

In 1994, she left for the west coast and became a daytime talk show host and then the main anchor for the entertainment news magazine show Extra. O’Boyle is now back to her roots as an anchor at WBTV in Charlotte, raising her daughter Keegan and enjoying family and friends.

Pulitzer Prize winner Margaret R. O’Connor, director of news design for The New York Times, has spent the last 23 years of her career working as a visual journalist for the Times. She has been a section art director, deputy design director, director of photography, and acting design director/photo director for the International Herald Tribune (a New York Times company).

Her current position combines her skills as a designer, photo editor, teacher, and manager.

She was photography director of the Times on September 11, 2001. She and her staff won two Pulitzer prizes for Breaking News Photography and Feature Photography for their coverage of that day and the months that followed.

In 2002, Michelle Orsi established Three.Sixty Marketing & Communications, a boutique marketing and public relations agency headquartered in Los Angeles, CA that develops and delivers innovative brand marketing strategies and media-based solutions designed to generate awareness for businesses and to improve sales of products and services.

A former Fox Family Worldwide executive with over 20 years of entertainment, consumer products, and marketing experience, Michelle’s clients are leaders in the television, film, home entertainment, children’s media, technology and consumer products industries such as The Jim Henson Company, MarVista Entertainment, Technicolor, Epic Rights, Rainmaker Entertainment, Genius Brands International, IDW Publishing, Mindshapes, Mercury Filmworks, Magic Light Pictures, Saban Brands, Silver Dolphin Books, to name a few.

Dr. Leigh Patterson of Kinston earned her master’s degree in Education from ECU in 2013. She has worked in various roles at the Brody School of Medicine since joining faculty in 2005 including Emergency Medicine Residency Director, Chair of the Brody Executive Curriculum Committee, Course Director for M3 Radiology, and Interim Chair for the Department of Pathology. During her tenure as Residency Director, the program enjoyed a strong reputation for excellence in recruiting and training for EM residents. Leigh currently serves as Associate Dean for Faculty Development for the Brody School of Medicine and as Interim Chair for the Department of Emergency Medicine. Beyond ECU, Leigh served locally on the Vidant Medical Center Graduate Medical Education (GME) Committee, the GME Educational Subcommittee, and nationally on the Council of Emergency Medicine Residency Directors Remediation Taskforce. She was recently named a 2018-2019 Hedwig van Ameringen Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine fellow, a year-long, part-time fellowship that recognizes executive leadership in academic medicine.

Wendy L. Perry is now an outdoor living consultant, designing outdoor kitchens and living spaces for her company Living-Inside Out.

But most of all, she is an entrepreneur, having founded several successful businesses. She has owned a gift basket shop, a bridal shop, and a catering company that grew to include wedding and event planning.

In 1998, she began a personal chef business, Angel In Your Kitchen, and then, with a partner from Texas, created Personal Chef Network, an international professional organization that teaches how to start a personal chef business and provides multiple means of ongoing support to participants. She then began Wendy’s HOME EConomics Cooking School prior to her most current venture.

Dr. Maria A. Pharr received her master’s degree in science education and doctorate in education from ECU in 2000 and 2014, respectively. Maria has nearly 20 years of experience in community colleges. Her career began as a biology instructor at Lenoir Community College and has expanded to include leadership roles at Craven Community College in New Bern, Pitt Community College in Greenville, and the NC Community College System Office in Raleigh. She is currently the president of South Piedmont Community College where she advocates on a local, regional, state, and national level for policy and funding priorities that support the vital mission of community colleges in North Carolina. Since becoming president in 2017, Maria has significantly increased private donations and grants to the college that aid students through scholarships and enhance education and training programs through facility and equipment modernization. Her efforts have focused on developing collaborative partnerships across business, educational, and governmental sectors to create programs that enhance the educational, workforce, and economic development opportunities for the citizens of North Carolina.

Jeanne Piland, mezzo-soprano, began her operatic career at the New York City Opera before moving to Germany in 1977 to sing at the opera in Duesseldorf. There she received the rare title of Kammersaengerin for extraordinary achievement.

Her international success with Mozart and Strauss roles brought her to most of the major opera houses in Europe including London, Milan, Paris, Vienna, Munich, and Hamburg, as well as those in the United States. In the last years she has enjoyed a tremendous career as an interpreter of the French and Wagner heroines, and has sung the world premiere of two operas that were composed especially for her.

She is currently a professor at the conservatory in Duesseldorf.

Jean H. Preston was a North Carolina state senator.

Prior to serving in the Senate, she was elected to serve seven terms in the North Carolina House of Representatives. She was chosen Legislator of the Year by Gifted and Talented, Vocational Education, North Carolina Covenant for Children, and North Carolina Community College Faculty.

Before her retirement as an educator, she was a program administrator for children with special needs, school principal, and listed in Personalities of the South and Special Educators of America.

* Deceased

For the past seven seasons, Emily Procter has helped make CSI: Miami a top ten staple for CBS with in her role as Detective Calleigh Duquesne.

Audiences also know Procter as attorney Ainsley Hayes whom she portrayed on the Emmy and Golden Globe-winning The West Wing for two seasons.

After graduation from ECU, she moved to Los Angeles and earned roles in Leaving Las Vegas and Jerry Maguire. She landed her first starring role in the critically acclaimed HBO telefilm Breast Men opposite Chris Cooper and David Schwimmer, with whom she later worked on Friends. She has since starred opposite Martin Lawrence in Fox’s blockbuster sequel to the comedy Big Momma’s House.

Dr. Dorothy G. Pruitt, retired principal and educational consultant, was the first woman elected to the Granville County Board of Education, serving as vice-chair and chair. She was principal of the C.G. Credle Elementary School when it was recognized as a National School of Excellence. She accepted a model school award from President George H.W. Bush.

Other honors include a two-time winner of the Granville County Wachovia Principal of the Year, the National Association of Elementary School Principals Award for Excellence, the Governor’s Award for Outstanding Volunteer Service, and the Granville County Chamber of Commerce Distinguished Award for Education/Community Service. She received the 2014 Harris Family Educational Award for outstanding generosity and dedication to Granville County Schools and the Granville Educational Foundation.

Jane S. Ranum, JD, served as a prosecutor in the Hennepin County, Minnesota Attorney’s office before being elected as a judge in 2008. She served five terms in the Minnesota Senate, where she was chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee and chief senate author of the Crime Net legislation, a national model for integration of criminal justice information.

Chosen as one of the five top senators by the St. Paul Legal Ledger, she also received Parent Magazine’s Family Advocate Award, the Minnesota Legal Services Coalition Pro Bono Award and the Public Citizen of the Year Award from the National Association of Social Workers, Minnesota Chapter. She received a BS in Education from ECU in 1969

Nina B. Repeta played Joey’s (Katie Holmes) sister, Bessie Potter, on the WB hit series Dawson’s Creek. She appeared in George Lucas’s Radioland Murders, and costarred opposite Daniel Roebuck and Randy Travis on Andy Griffith’s television series, Matlock.

She was also featured in The Angel Doll and The Divine Secrets of the Yaya Sisterhood. Repeta is a multitalented actress, singer, songwriter, and musician. She was crowned queen of the North Carolina Azalea Festival in 2000.

Lucy E. Roberts retired in 2011 after 15 years as the chief consultant for the Primary Section of the Division of Elementary Education with the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.

She was chosen Onslow County Outstanding Woman of the Year, is a four-time winner of the Outstanding Principal of the Year, was recognized with ECU’s Outstanding Alumni of the Year Award, and was a finalist for the Terry Sanford Educator of the Year.

Under Sandy Rowe’s leadership as editor, Portland’s The Oregonian has garnered five Pulitzer Prizes. She is a member of the Medill School of Journalism Board of Visitors at Northwestern University and served as the president of the American Society of Newspaper Editors.

Earlier in her career she was executive editor and vice president of The Virginian-Pilot and The Ledger-Star, Norfolk and Virginia Beach. She has been inducted into the Virginia Journalism Hall of Fame.

As corporate vice president and chief administrative officer for Equifax Inc., Coretha M. Rushing is responsible for providing strategic and operational leadership for human resources, corporate communication, special events, and physical security. Prior to Equifax, Rushing was the owner and senior consultant for Cameron Wesley, LLC, and a senior vice president for the Coca-Cola Company.

Rushing has had extensive experience in human resources with several other companies, and she recently served on the board of directors of the Cornell University Center for the Advancement of Human Resource Studies.

Brenda M. Ryals, PhD, is a professor in the Department of Communication Science and Disorders at James Madison University where she conducts research that focuses on auditory plasticity and the neural and functional consequences of hair cell regeneration. Since 1984, her research has been funded by the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders of the NIH and the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Dr. Ryals has published more than 100 scientific articles and abstracts, written eight book chapters, and has given more than 75 presentations worldwide. She is past president of the American Auditory Society and is currently editor-in-chief for the journal Ear and Hearing.

Roytesa R. Savage is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Assistant Dean for Student Affairs at ECU’s Brody School of Medicine. Since joining the Brody faculty in 2002, she has been recognized multiple times as a Pearls lecturer to the Brody graduating classes and has received the Faculty of the Year Award. Dr. Savage co-founded Teenage Moms Achieving Success, a local teen mother support group which teaches parenting and other skills necessary for teen mothers to raise healthy babies and graduate from high school. She also co-founded the BB&T Medical Student Leadership Fellowship at Brody.

She has served as advisor to numerous medical students and pediatric residents. Dr. Savage is a member of the Society of Adolescent Medicine, serving as treasurer of the North Carolina/Virginia chapter from 2010 to 2012.

Lynn M. Schubert is president of the Surety and Fidelity Association of America, a trade association of insurance companies that write fidelity and surety insurance. The SFAA serves as a statistical organization for the states and represents its member companies in matters of common interest before government agencies. She was the first woman and youngest chair of the Fidelity and Surety Law Committee of the Tort and Insurance practice Section of the American Bar Association.

Schubert was the founding executive director of the International Surety Association. She has presented educational programs on the industry for numerous organizations, including the International Chamber of Commerce. Recognitions include the Women Builders Council Champion Award and the Private Sector Leadership Award of the Jamaica Business Resource Center in 2008. Both were for leadership in assisting women and minority contractors to come bondable businesses.

Mary C. Schulken is executive director of communication, public affairs and marketing at East Carolina University. She was previously associate editor of The Charlotte Observer and before that, the editorial page editor of The Daily Reflector in Greenville, North Carolina. She was chosen Writer of the Year by Cox Newspapers.

She has led decades of stewardship for debate in her community and state advocating open government, equal access to opportunity regardless of geography, race, income, or gender, and for policies that assist citizens who are often overlooked. She was the chair of the North Carolina Editorial Writers Conference and has appeared on public television’s North Carolina This Week.

Ruth G. Shaw, PhD, retired from her position as president and CEO of Duke Power Company in 2006. During her tenure as president, she led the Duke Power team to achieve high levels of customer satisfaction, employee satisfaction, and financial results. Shaw joined Duke Power in 1992, leaving the presidency of Central Piedmont Community College in Charlotte.

She also served as president of El Centro College in Dallas, Texas. She continues to make contributions to higher education and economic development in the Carolinas. Shaw has received numerous leadership awards including the Outstanding Alumni Award from ECU. She is currently semi-retired, serving as an executive advisor to Duke Energy.

Lindsay C. Shepherd, a dancer for Holland America Cruise Lines, choreographed a piece entitled Onomatopoeia, which won the National Gala at the American College Dance Festival. She also received the award for Best Student Choreographer 2004 from the American College Dance Festival Association/Dance Magazine, the highest honor possible for university student choreography. Her piece was chosen to be in the Best of Dance Chicago-New Dances in 2005.

She is currently a member of Especially Tap Chicago, a professional dance company. A tireless volunteer, Shepherd walked 20 miles to raise money at the Out of the Darkness Overnight Walk for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

Betty S. Speir, a founding member of the East Carolina University Women’s Roundtable, has served on the ECU Board of Trustees, the ECU Board of Visitors, the North Carolina State Board of Education, the North Carolina Museum of History Board, the North Carolina Crime Commission, and the National Democratic Party Executive Committee.

She has chaired the Women’s Forum of North Carolina, the North Carolina Democratic Party, the Board of the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching, and Communities in Schools of Pitt County.

Speir founded the Pitt County Educational Foundation and was the first woman chair of the Pitt County Democratic Party. Betty serves on the ECU Honors College Advancement County and the ECU College of Education Advisory Board. She is an ECU Distinguished Service Award recipient.

Mary Rose Stocks, retired educator with the Pitt County Schools, was named to the ECU Educators Hall of Fame by the Pitt County Association of Educators in recognition of 50 years of service to the children of Pitt County.

In 2004, she was awarded the John G. Clark Jr. Memorial Award by Sheppard Memorial Library for outstanding efforts to promote and encourage reading, including recruiting community volunteers to tutor children in reading at three Pitt County schools. Stocks received the Pitt County Schools ABCD Award (Above and Beyond the Call of Duty) in 1994 and 2005. She has been active in several education associations and education honor societies.

Shelby S. Strother received the Distinguished Service Award and the Outstanding Music Alumni Award from ECU. She has served as president of the East Carolina Alumni Association Board of Directors, president of Chowan Hospital Volunteers, and has sat on the Medical Foundation Board of ECU’s Brody School of Medicine.

Strother was a member of the State Board for Hospital Volunteers and is a former president of both the Music Alumni Society and the Friends of Joyner Library. She retired after teaching 32 years of music education. From teaching a deaf student to play the guitar and sing, to performing an entire concert at the North Carolina School for the Deaf in sign language, she has successfully taught young people of all ability levels.

Kathy A. Taft was an educator, policy maker, and community volunteer. She served on the Women’s Roundtable board of directors, the Arts Council board of directors, the Boys and Girls Club board, the Communities in Schools board, the Medical Care Commission, the Governor’s School board, the Public School Forum board, the PTA Council, and Exceptional Children’s Council. In 1990, Taft was elected to the Pitt County Board of Education, serving as vice chair. In 1995, she was appointed to the State Board of Education and reappointed in 2003. She was inducted into the ECU Educators Hall of Fame in 2003. She passed away in 2010.

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M. Louise Thomas was the first female officer among Associated Merchandising Corporations’ affiliate stores. As senior vice president of Thalhimers, she pioneered merchandise development and continuous importing from war-impoverished countries, seeing cottage industries grow into major manufacturers and exporters.

Thomas made an exploratory trip to Japan, Taiwan, Korea, and Hong Kong with five other executives from AMC stores in 1976, and annually made buying trips to Europe, even attending couture shows in Paris. An expert on Asian markets, she accompanied buyers to import fairs in Hong Kong every January until her retirement.

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Rosalynn “Rosie” Thompson is the ECU associate director of athletics/senior woman administrator. As the leading scorer and rebounder for both women and men in the history of ECU basketball, she is also the only female to have her jersey retired.

Thompson was inducted into the ECU Athletics Hall of Fame and was chosen as the Most Dedicated ECU Athlete for 1979-80. She played professional basketball for the Women’s Basketball League and was the head women’s basketball coach at ECU from 1992 to 1995.

Kenya T. Tillery was a songwriter and producer. She was named one of Filmmaker magazine’s “25 New Faces of Independent Film” and was featured by ASCAP’s Playback magazine with the title “Composer with Class.” Her music extended from classical composition study to creative endeavors in the world of film and television music to the craft of songwriting.

Tillery’s film and television credentials include collaboration with such directors as Regge Life (A Different World, The Cosby Show) and B. Mark Seabrooks (The Steve Harvey Show). Her original theme songs can be heard weekdays on Lifetime Television. She wrote and produced songs for her band, the Mojo Affair, and was nominated for the 2007 Los Angeles Music Awards for “Best Pop Song” for her tune, “The Man.” She passed away in 2008.

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Emilie M. Tilley is a hearing officer with Virginia Beach City Public Schools. Being in the forefront of girls’ athletics in the city of Virginia Beach, she was an outstanding field hockey coach and the principal of Frank W. Cox High School.

Tilley serves on the Virginia Beach City Public Schools’ Education Foundation Board and the ECU College of Health and Human Performance Advancement Council. Two scholarships have been established in her name to honor her commitment to teaching young people as her life’s work.

Linda Lynn Tripp founded Carolina Court Reporters Inc., a private court reporting agency headquartered in Greenville, North Carolina, in 1992. The firm has affiliates throughout North Carolina, eastern South Carolina, and Virginia. In 2004, as an expansion of Carolina Court Reporters, she created Carolina Specialized Imaging Inc., a specialized media production company.

Prior to 1992, she was CEO of Americom Production Group Inc., where she became co-producer of the TV show On the Rebound. Tripp was the 2005 Greenville-Pitt County Citizen of the Year and has received the East Carolina Alumni Association Distinguished Service Award. She is currently the president of Carolina Court Reporters Inc.

Tracy L. Tuten, professor of Marketing at East Carolina, is nationally and internationally known in academic and professional circles for her work in social media. She is a two-time Fulbright Scholar, at Korea University in 2001, and at the Argentine University School of Business in 2007 where she was a Fulbright Senior Specialist.

Tuten has authored five books, including the first textbook on social media marketing. Her most recent book, ADVERTISERS AT WORK, shares insights from eighteen advertising greats. She is a frequent speaker in the United States and around the globe. Tuten was the winner of the 2010 O’Hara Leadership Award in Interactive and Direct Marketing Education, was a 2010 ad: tech Media Marketing Master, and in 2013 was ranked on Social Media Marketing magazine’s list of Top Marketing Professors and Top Marketing Authors on Twitter.

Marianna M. Walker, Dean of the Honors College at ECU since July of this year, served as Chair of the ECU Faculty for three consecutive years, including chairing the Faculty Senate. In her role as Faculty chair, Dr. Walker oversaw the review, revision, and reorganization of the entire Faculty Manual.

She continues to served as the Bremer Distinguished Scholar in Language and Literacy Disorders, a distinguished professorship since 2008. Her psycholinguistic and neurolinguistic research is interdisciplinary and involved collaboration and application to medicine, psychology, education, nursing, and clinical laboratory science. Her clinical models have been applied both regionally and nationally in the assessment and intervention of children and adults with language learning and literacy disorders. Dr. Walker served as Chair of the NC Board of Examiners for Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists from 2008-2010.

Beth B. Ward is a retired school principal and current lecturer in the ECU College of Education. Her years of experience teaching both children and adults, administration, and working with budgets, all laid the foundation for her role as the first female chair of the Pitt County Board of Commissioners.

She has also served on the Pitt Community College and Pitt County Memorial Hospital Boards of Trustees, and on the East Carolina Alumni Association Board of Directors. Most recently, she was appointed by the North Carolina Legislative Senate President Pro Tem to the Fiscal Modernization Commission which reviews resources for North Carolina counties and the state. She has received the ECU Alumni Association Distinguished Service Award.

Margaret C. Ward serves on the East Carolina University Board of Trustees, chairing the athletic committee, and is a member of the executive and finance and facilities committees. She is also a member of the ECU Foundation Board.

Ward is a past president of the East Carolina Alumni Association Board of Directors and is a member of the ECU Educators Hall of Fame. She is a member of the North Carolina Film Council, a past member of the Greensboro Symphony board and past chair of the Board of Visitors at Elon University. She has received the East Carolina Alumni Association Distinguished Service Award.

Edith D. Warren served as a representative in the North Carolina General Assembly for 12 years. She was the first woman to be a full-time principal with Pitt County Schools and the first woman elected to the Pitt County Board of Commissioners.

She was a leader in helping obtain funding for the East Carolina Heart Institute and in the efforts to establish the ECU School of Dental Medicine. Warren played a major role in the passage of an education bond referendum for university and community college construction.

She was awarded the Pitt County Principal of the Year, the Farmville Citizen of the Year, the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, and the Pitt County Principals Association Special Service Award.

Rhonda J. Warren is executive vice president of Swaim Inc., a high-end furniture manufacturer of upholstery and occasional goods, located in High Point, North Carolina. Upon graduation from ECU, she joined the company which was founded by her grandfather in 1953. Since then she has gained experience in every aspect of the business.

She now directs the marketing of new designs as well as Swaim’s extensive array of fine fabrics and wood finishes, sometimes traveling the globe to identify new design opportunities. Warren is a member of the International Furnishing Design Association.

Linda L. Willis, MD, a Rocky Mount radiologist, is a founder of Camp Rainbow, a camp for kids with cancer and blood disorders. More than 20 years ago, as a physician’s assistant at PCMH and the Brody School of Medicine in hematology and oncology, she saw the need for recreational activities for patients and their families. A skating party and pool party evolved into a one-day camp experience, which then became a week long.

Though she is not volunteering with the camp now, she supports it generously. While attending ECU’s Brody School of Medicine, she also founded an indigent clinic. Her new venture is the establishment of an ECU endowment for children who have survived cancer to attend college.

Annette B. Wysocki is a professor specializing in wound care in the Schools of Medicine and Nursing at the University of Mississippi.

An ECU Outstanding Alumni Award recipient and a Harvard Macy Scholar, she has also served as scientific director at the National Institute of Health. Wysocki is a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing and a leader in the Girl Scouts, USA. Along with envisioning and implementing new educational programs, she has mentored hundreds of future scientists and professionals in the medical field.

Sandra Kay Yow, former women’s basketball coach at North Carolina State University, was one of the most admired and respected coaches nationally and internationally. Averaging 20 wins per year over 31 years, she guided her teams to 19 of 25 NCAA Tournaments and the Final Four in 1998.

Yow was named National Coach of the Year eight times and was an inductee of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. She also represented her country in the Olympics, coaching two USA Basketball teams to gold medals. In conjunction with the Jimmy V Foundation she started the Jimmy V Classic, the first of its kind to donate money to cancer research in the game of women’s basketball. She passed away on January 24, 2009.

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