Careers
Grads to hear from HcDowell
Retired Wachovia Caroiinas Banking Group
CEO J. Walter McDowell will be the speaker at
Forsyth Tech's commencement exercises on
Thursday, May 8. The ceremony will be held at
7 p.m. at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial
Coliseum. It is free and open to the public.
McDowell now serves as chairman of
Business for Educational Success and
Transformation in North
Carolina (BEST NC),
which brings together
67 well-respected busi
ness leaders from across
the state to focus on
moving public educa
tion, including commu
nity colleges, to higher
levels.
He is the former
chairman of the
McDowell
Community education
Collaborative, a joint program of Winston
Salem/Forsyth County Schools, the United
I Way, and 30 not-for-profit organizations that
intervene with 4,000 at-risk students each year.
He is also the former chairman for the Winston
Salem Chamber of Commerce, and former gen
eral chairman for the 1997 United Way
Campaign in Forsyth County.
He is currently a board member of Bassett
Furniture Company, the Research Triangle
Foundation, the Wake Forest Innovation
Quarter, the Winston-Salem Alliance and the
Winston-Salem State University Foundation.
Approximately 1,000 Forsyth Tech students
will earn associate's degrees, certificates and
diplomas that signify completion of their pro
grams of study during the 2014 commencement
exercises.
National honor for WBC
The Women's Business Center of North
Carolina at the NC Institute of Minority
Economic Development (NCIMED) in Durham
has been named the 2014 National Women's
Business Center of Excellence Award by the
U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).
The WBC of NC has also received this distinc
tion for the North
Carolina and the bBA
Southeastern Region,
which is comprised of
Alabama, Florida,
Georgia. Kentucky,
Mississippi, North
Carolina, South
Carolina and
Tennessee.
This award honors
a Women's Business
Center (WBC) for its
Johnson
excellence and innova
tion in assisting women entrepreneurs by pro
viding a wide variety of training and counsel
ing. Among the many characteristics examined
are a center's record of new business creation,
capital infusion, counseling success, job cre
ation and program and training innovation.
Briles Johnson is the director of the WBC of
NC. She is responsible for the continued
growth, education, certification, training and
advocacy of women entrepreneurs across the
state.
During 2014, the WBC of NC helped small
business access over SI.8 million in capital, and
contract awards totaling $4.2 million. They
helped create and retain over 400 jobs and
trained over 4,300 clients.
Praise for WFV Business
Bloomberg Businessweek ranked Wake
Forest University's Undergraduate Business
program first in the nation for academic quality
for the sixth consecutive year and 11th overall.
"The Best Undergraduate Business Schools"
ranking report was released on April 4.
The Wake Forest University School of
Business improved significantly in student sat
isfaction and recruiter sentiment to drive the
I m ^ t ranking up seven
spots from
18th overall in
2013.
"The combi
nation of a rigor
ous education and
hands-on intern- 1
ship experience
prepares students
to succeed in their
new careers." said
Dean of Business
Steve
Reinemund.
Eyaditl
Recruiter satisfaction also helped Wake 1
Forest achieve its high national ranking.
"We have seen significant increases in on
campus recruiting and job postings and are
attracting the very best companies who value
the kind of performance-ready professionals
Wake Forest produces. While many organiza
tions return year after year, we are also seeing
new companies visiting to offer great intern
ships and full-time opportunities," said Mercy
Eyadiel, executive director of employer rela
tions at Wake Forest University.
To calculate the ranking. Bloomberg
BusinessWeek compiles surveys of more than
28,000 senior business majors and 322 corpo
rate recruiters. The full methodology, interac
tive tables, in-depth profiles and complete 2014
ranking of the best undergraduate business
schools, are available online at: www.business
week.com/bschools/undergraduate/.
Brown among
area's top women
SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE
UNCG Chief of Staff Bonita J. Brown has been included in the 2014 class of "Women in
Business" honorees, an accolade presented by the Triad Business Journal to recognize women
ggpr of excellence and influence.
Brown brought significant experience directing
higher education strategy and policy when she
joined UNCG's senior leadership team in 2010. A
Winston-Salem native. Brown serves as the primary
facilitator between the university's executive staff
and the UNCG Board of Trustees, sets and executes
strategic initiatives for the university and fosters
campus/community collaboration.
A sought-after speaker and consultant. Brown is
the author of the chapter "Shelter in the Time of
Storm," from the book "Managing the Unthinkable:
The Role of Management in Challenging Times,"
which details her experience as a higher education
administrator in North Texas during a natural disas
ter and ways the university supported the communi
ty through the aftermath. She also serves as a men
tor, sits on the board of the Greensboro Historical
Museum, and has twice been an invited speaker for
the national Association of Governing Boards of
Universities and Colleges' Workshop for Board
Professionals.
Bonita J. Brown
?
Brown is a double graduate of Wake Forest
University, earning a bachelor's degree in 1994 and graduating from Wake Forest Law in
1997. She was also selected to attend the Harvard Institute for Educational Management
through the Harvard University Graduate School of Education.
i ?
Show & Tell
Submitted Photo*
Professionals from a vari
ety of fields and from
across the Triad gave
Carter G. Woodson students
insight into their jobs dur
ing the school's most recent
Career Fair. Above, noted
sports trainer Kenneth
Bates, owner of LAA.B.
Work, speaks to students
about improving their phys
ical health through daily
workouts. In the other
photo, Jeff Alspaugh and
Jay Andrews of Mosquito
Authority give students a
hands-on demo on how they
kill pesky insects.
\
Campaign touts state's retail industry
CHRONICLE STAFF REPORT
The North Carolina Retail Merchants Association (NCRMA) has teamed with the
National Retail Federation (NRF) for "This is Retail," a new initiative to broaden and
enhance perceptions of the retail industry in the state.
Launched in 2012, the campaign proposes to boost the profile of retail and highlight
the lifelong, diverse career opportunities that exist in retail. Additionally, the campaign
promotes the impact of retail in local communities and demonstrates the critical role
reiau piays in
driving inno
vation.
" T h e } e
are many
misconcep
tions about
the retail
industry,"
N C R M A
President and
General
Counsel
Andy Ellen
said. "Many
only see retail as seasonal employment; however, it is much, much more. We want to
show the true face of retail and how it drives the economy and supports our communi
ties in the North Carolina."
Four videos touting the campaign were unveiled last week during NCRMA's annual
meeting at the Charlotte Marriott City Center. The videos include personal stories from
retailers around the state, including Belk, Food Lion and Family Dollar, as well as inde
pendent retailers like the Winston-Salem based Monkee's franchise, third generation
family-owned Ashworth's Clothing in Fuquay-Varina, and the privately-held regional
Kimbrell's Furniture chain. Aspiring retailers from Wake Forest University's Center for
Retail Innovation are also highlighted.
Nationally, retail supports 42 million American jobs. In North Carolina, the industry
employs over 800,000 in direct retail employment and generates 17 percent of the labor
See Retail on A7
I* ? (J' J
THIS IS
RETAIL?
?*??*?* COOMv^fW?. MHQm-KX.
Cope land
Belles
to hear
from
bank exec
CHRONICLE STAFF REPORT
Margot James Copeland,
executive VP and director of
Philanthropy and Civic
Engagement at KeyBank, will
give the commencement
address at Bennett College on
Sunday. May 4. The ceremony.
wnicn is
free and r
? open to
the public,
will be
held at 9
a.m. on
the cam- |
pus quad- I
r a n g 1 e . I
More than I
100 stu
dents will
Jones
graduate.
Copeland is also the nation
al president of The Links, Inc.
and serves as a member of the
Executive Leadership Council.
At KeyBank - one of the
nation's largest bank-based
multiline financial services
companies - Copeland is also
chair and CEO of the KeyBank
Foundation, guiding the com
pany's strategic philanthropic
investment, financial education
and workforce development
programs that encourage peo
ple and communities to achieve
economic self-sufficiency.
Formerly, Copeland served as
chief diversity officer at
KeyBank. Under her leader
ship. the company was consis
tently ranked as a Top 50 or
"Most Noteworthy Company
for Diversity" by Diversitylnc.
Recognizing that business
and community prosperity go
hand in hand, Copeland leads
Key's commitment to trans
forming and sustaining com
munities.
Bennett will hold its annual
Baccalaureate service on
Saturday, May 3 at 7 p.m. in the
Annie Merner Pfeiffer Chapel.
The Baccalaureate service is a
religious convocation that pre
cedes the Commencement
Convocation. It too is free and
open the public. Dr. Clifford A.
Jones Sr., senior pastor of
Friendship Missionary Baptist
Church in Charlotte, will be the
guest speaker.
Dr. Jones has organized and
led numerous medical and reli
gious mission teams of preach
ers, doctors, nurses, techni
cians and teachers to provide
needed healthcare, medical
supplies and educational train
ing in Jamaica, Africa and
Guyana, South America for
children and families strug
gling in poverty. He has been a
strong supporter of senior citi
zen programs. Under his lead
ership, Friendship provided the
first satellite center for the
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Senior
Centers, offering exercise and
other classes for older citizens
living in the area.
He is married to the former
Carolyn Brenda Reynolds, a
1964 graduate of Bennett
College. Dr. and Mrs. Jones
are the proud parents of Mrs. E.
Renee Darity, Rev. Michelle A.
Jones, Pastor C. Anthony Jones
Jr. (pastor of Winston-Salem's
United Cornerstone Missionary
Baptist Church) and Alexa
Mariah Fortune-Jones.
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