Careers Change at NCINED Ali The North Carolina Institute of Minority Economic Development (NC1MED) has announced that co-founder and president Andrea Harris has decided to transition from her current role to Senior Fellow for the organization. The Board of Directors has unanimously selected Farad Ali to serve as NClMED's presi rl??n! ;inH PPO hr?oinnino ww. ....w "-t, Oct. 1. Harris informed the Board late last year of her interest in taking on a new role within the organiza tion, shaping its public policy direction. The move comes after 28 years of outstanding serv ice to NC1MED. 26 of them at the helm. I lnHi>r W'jrne' ship, in the past decade alone, NCIMED has pro vided consulting and technical assistance to near ly 11,000 companies and trained nearly 28,000 business people. Companies receiving NCIMED assistance have been awarded more than $256 million in contracts, completed nearly $197 mil lion in financial transactions and created more than 2.100 jobs. Ali returns to NCIMED after serving for 14 years as the organization's senior vice president and a year as its senior business consultant During that lime, Ali worked with Fortune 1000 companies to develop supplier utilization pro grams, leverage procurement opportunities, and provide organizational infrastructure to reduce costs, maximize technology, and increase spend ing with diverse vendors. He has helped generate over $1 billion of opportunity. Crew joins Reynolds Crew Debra A. Crew has been named president and chief commercial officer of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, effective Oct. 1. Crew is currently the president and general manager of PepsiCo North America Nutrition She joined PepsiCo in 2010 as president of the Western Europe region of PepsiCo Europe. In j 2012. she was named president of PepsiCo [ Americas Beverage. She assumed her current , role earlier in 2014 Prior to joining PepsiCo. Crew was general ! manager of grocery brands and U.S. pet-care ' products tor Mars, Incorporated. Before joining Mars, she held a number of marketing positions at both Nestle S.A. and Kraft Foods, Inc. Crew served in the U.S. Army from 1993 - 1997, rising to the rank of captain and military intelligence officer. Crew serves on the board of directors of Stanley Black & Decker. Inc. Andrew D. Gilchrist, the current president and chief commercial officer of R.J. Reynolds, will become executive vice president of Reynolds American Inc., effective Oct. 1. Gilchrist will help Crew transition into her new role. His ongoing role as a member of RAI's leadership team following this transition period will be announced at a later date. "We are delighted to welcome Debra to our leadership team." said Susan M. Cameron, pres ident and chief executive officer of RA1. "Her experience in growing some of America's best known consumer brands is extraordinary and we believe she can play a key role in our mission to lead the transformation of the tobacco industry I expect Debra s transition to our industry will be smooth and swift. Having Andrew's 17 years ol experience in the tobacco industry to draw upon during her initial months here will be a great asset to her." New degree at NCCU Wilson North Carolina Central University is offering a new degree - a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and Business. Offered jointly by the College of Arts and Sciences and the School of Business, the degree will prepare students for long-term success in new technologies and tools and new means of dispersing and controlling information. NCCU received approval for the degree program from the University of North Carolina General .u.. nuniiiiiMiatiuii in nit tail of 2014. "Students with excel lent training in comput ing-related disciplines are in high demand." said Dr. Carlton Wilson, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. "The program provides technical skills and business knowledge to succeed in the high tech workforce. In addition, this new program will provide a distinctive set of competencies that will enable graduates to gain understanding and experience in the innovation process that transforms ideas into products, including an understanding of business basics, policy and intellectual property. Students will be prepared to enter careers in computing and information technology, generate their own entrepreneurial opportunities, as well as pursue graduate study. The program is slated to begin in Spring 2015. Dr Donna Grant, asso ciate professor of computer information systems in the School of Business, will serve as program coordinator. Ambassadors to make downtown cleaner, friendlier CHRONICLE si M l REPORT See Clean on A8 Ambassador Kendrick Woods works along Irade Street last week. The newly-launched Clean Team Ambassador Service is promising a cleaner, safer and friendlier downtown. The Clean Team is an initiative of the Downtown Winston-Salem Business Improvement District (DWSB1D), which was created by the Mayor and City Council. The goals of the DWSB1D are to promote a cleaner and safer downtown environment; develop stronger marketing and promotional items; assist and promote accelerated development; and enhance the downtown physical appear ance. The City of Winston-Salem has contract ed with the Downtown Winston-Salem Partnership (DWSP) to provide the programs and services that will meet these goals. The DWSP, in turn, has contracted with The Budd Group, a local integrated facilities services company, to provide Clean Team services seven days a week, primarily between 6:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. "We are happy to have the Clean Team Ambassador program underway," said Mayor Allen Joines. "We have had tremendous growth in pedestrian traffic and this program will be a big part of our continued success." These services will not replace already existing services provided by the City of Winston-Salem but will work to enhance the appearance of the downtown community by focusing on the cleaning of sidewalks and tree wells, removal of large visible debris, graffiti Jessup named regional GSA leader 113 A PTKMo Southeast Regional Administrator by GSA Deputy Administrator Denise Roth (left) for mally installs Torre Jessup, who is joined by his family. CHWiONK 11 STAFF HBPORI Charlotte native Torre Jessup was recently installed as regional admin istrator of the U.S General Services Administration's Southeast Sunbelt Region. He is based in Atlanta. Jessup was appointed to the position by President Obama and officially joined the GSA in August. As Regional Administrator. Jessup over sees the delivery of real estate, technology and pro curement solutions to gov ernment and the American people in eight states - Alabama, Florida. Georgia. Kentucky. Mississippi, North Carolina.- South Carolina and Tennessee. Jessup's portfo lio encompasses responsi bility for 1.000 federal employees, 44 million square feet of owned and leased real estate, a $10 bil lion procurement operation, and a 40.000 vehicle fleet. Jessup's Presidential "Appointment was preceded by nearly 20 years of public service in his native North Carolina, where he repre sented the Office of former U.S. Mel Watt as district director and in various liai son roles. During his tenure there. Jessup set policy objectives, oversaw district level strategy and opera tions, and managed out reach and constituent affairs. Jessup has served appointments on the North Carolina Human Relations Commission and the Charlotte Metropolitan Transit Finance Working Group. He is a graduate of Morehouse College, where he received a BA degree in sociology with a concentra tion in criminal justice. For those who Serve(d) Photo by Kevin Walker Reserved parking spaces for expectant moms and parents with kids are common, spaces for military veterans aren't. Many Harris Teeter stores are showing deference to the men and women who served the country hy designating convenient parking spaces for them. Here is one of the spaces at the Harris Teeter store on Cloverdale Avenue. Founders tell students about origins of NeoBlack Society CHRONICLE STAFF REPORT Submitted Photo Bria Hall (center) with Dr. Ada Fisher (right) and Kathryn Jordan Pierce. NC Republican National Committeewoman Dr. Ada Fisher returned to the University of North Carolina at Greensboro Sept. 17 to tell students why she and others helped to shape the school's NeoBlack Society. Bria Hall, the current president of the Society, invited Fisher, who invited Kathryn Jordan Pierce, one of her Class of 1970 class mates, to join her. A crowd of more than 150 students lis tened to the women as they discussed the climate of the university during the late 1960s and why black students felt the need to be organized. They said the idea for the NeoBlack Society - or New Black Society - started in 1967 in response to the disparate treat ment minorities felt they faced. The stu dents also wanted to introduce cultur il rolin/'inort tr\ tViii II1 IVIV TUIIVV IU IIIV campus; promote academic success; remove discrimination; and build bridges with the community. Betty Cheek, who would go on to serve in the NC Division of Cultural Affairs, was the Society's first chairperson. Members took on duties on and off campus. Pierce and Marie Darr and oth See NeoBlack on A11