Careers
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Walter Robbs Callahan & Pierce Architects,
PA - the Triad's largest architecture firm - has
adopted a fresh identity that embraces the firm's
nickname, firm culture and comprehensive
design services. Now known as Walter Robbs,
the firm is retaining all current partners, includ
ing vice presidents Rence Callahan and Clark
Pierce.
"We wanted a new identity that is dynamic,
easier to remember and recognizes the growing
number of people on our firm's management
team," Callahan said. "For some time, our man
agement team has
been larger than just
namesakes Larry
Robbs, Clark Pierce
and me. The shorter
Walter Robbs brand is
more representative of
our firm as a whole
and. perhaps even
more important, sets
the stage for the
future."
Walter Robbs'
president Larry Robbs
became the firm's
Curtis
most senior partner wnen tounder Lloyd waiter
retired in 1999. Wesley Curtis and Steve Ulp
have been a part of the firm's management team
since 2007. In conjunction with the firm's
rebranding. Matt Messick and Ken McDaniel
have been named members of the Walter
Robbs' management team. Additional partners
at Walter Robbs are Jane Barea, Jim
Bogenberger, Joe Bircher. Katie Pepper and
Amy West.
"For years, many people simply called us by
the nickname Walter Robbs, which we're
embracing in our firm identity going forward."
Curtis said. "We carefully considered a number
of factors before updating our logo."
The firm's new web site can be viewed at i
walterrobbs.com. Bull & Beard of Winston- :
Salem designed the firm's new web site. Walter
Robbs retained local graphic designer Julie
Helsabeck to create the firm's new logo.
Ntw job for Paex
Dr. Doris Paez started her new job as the
executive director of the Centers for
Exceptional Children on June 1. She had served
as executive director of Forsyth Futures since
2010.
Mari Krane has been named as the interim
Executive Director of Forsyth Futures.
"I'm excited about the opportunity to focus
on my passions for psychology, education and
children." Paez said. "I'm confident that Forsyth
Futures will continue to thrive under Man's
leadership and direction and the strong staff
we've grown."
The mission of The Centers for Exceptional
Children is to provide a world class education
alAherapeutic experience for children with spe
cial needs, from birth to 11 years old. Created in
2010 by the merger of The Special Children's
School and The Children's Center. The Centers
for Exceptional Children, are dedicated to serv
ing children with developmental delays, ortho
pedic disabilities and other health impairments.
Paez will replace Mike Britt, who is retiring.
Holt Brothers hilt
Raleigh-based Holt Brothers Construction
has hired Patrice Gilmore as its new vice presi
dent of Supplier Diversity & Inclusion. In this
role. Gilmore will lead and further promote the
company's established efforts to maximize pro
curement opportunities with corporations and
diverse businesses such as suppliers, contrac
tors and subcontractors.
A respected industry veteran, Gilmore
brings more than 15
years ot experience in
supply chain manage
ment and procurement
in the corporate real
estate field. She was
formerly the senior
supplier diversity man
ager of Atlantic and
California Regions at
Lend Lease Inc., where
she was responsible for
the development and
implementation of a
Gilmore
diversity program aimed at providing assistance
to Small, Minority and Women Business
Enterprises (SMWBE) and growing the use of
SMWBEs in the construction industry.
Gilmore is active in national industry organ- i
izations including the Institute for Supply
Management, the National Association of
Minority Contractors, the American Contract
Compliance Association and numerous regional
organizations.
Born in Lexington, Gilmore graduated from
North Carolina A&T State University, where
she majored in Construction Management She
currently resides in the Raleigh-Durham area.
"Companies today are increasingly commit
ted to spending with minority-and women- j
owned businesses to ensure equal access to eco- ;
nomic opportunity. The addition of Patrice :
punctuates our commitment and makes Holt
Brothers Construction uniquely situated to con- j
tinue our leading minority-owned business
position both in the Triangle and the construe
tton industry as a whole," said Holt Brothers
Construction Terrence Holt, who runs the com- '
pany with his brother, Torry.
Both Holt brothers are former N.C. State
and NFL football players. They founded the j
company in 2007.
New Carver principal picked
CHRONICLE STAFF REPORT
Travis Taylor has been named the
new principal of Carver High School.
He replaces Ronald Travis, who
will be the prin
cipal of Main
Street Academy.
Taylor has
been the princi
pal of Lexington
Senior High
School since
2011. Previously,
he served as
principal of the
Southern School
of Engineering in
Durham from
2007 to 2011 and the principal of East
Lee Middle School in Lee County
from 2005 to 2007.
Taylor also has experience as an
assistant principal and science and
math teacher for Durham Public
Schools.
He was named Lexington City
Schools Principal of the Year in 2013.
He also was named the 2012 Principal
of the Year by the N.C. Association for
Scholastic Activities for increasing
student participation in scholastic
activities and competitions.
Taylor earned a bachelor's degree
in middle grades education from N.C.
Central University and a master's
degree in school administration from
the University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill.
Last month. Superintendent
Beverly Emory said she wanted an
See Principals on A9
Taylor
NABJ to
honor another
local legend
CHRONICLE STAFF REPORT
The Triad Association of Black
Journalists (TABJ) announced last
week that N.C. A&T's Dr. Linda
Florence Callahan will receive the
NABJ Journalism Educator of the
Year Award at the 39th annual NABJ
Convention & Career Fair, which will
be held July 30 - Aug. 3 in Boston.
The award recognizes the service,
commitment and academic guidance
of an outstanding journalism teacher,
professor or educator. The honoree
must have
helped to
increase the
number of
black journal
ists in news
rooms.
Triad resi
dent Sandra
Hughes, a
veteran tele
vision broad
caster and
professor,
will also be honored at the
Convention.
Before Callahan embarked on her
more than 30-year career in educa
tion, she was a newspaper and radio
reporter.
As an educator, Callahan has
molded young minds at Johnson C.
Smith University, The Ohio State
University, Alabama A&M University
and Elizabeth City State University.
Since 1996, she has taught a host of
classes, including broadcast produc
tion. print journalism, and public rela
tions at N.C. A&T.
A longtime member of NAB J,
Callahan was the founding president
of affiliate chapters in Charlotte and
Columbus, Ohio. In 1997, she became
the first journalism educator to serve
on the NABJ Board of Directors. That
same year, Callahan founded the
regional workshop at N.C. A&T in
partnership with the North Carolina
Scholastic Media Association
(NCSMA). She leads this initiative
every year. Other programs through
out the country follow the model she
created.
In August 2013, Callahan received
a national award for her efforts at the
101st Annual Association for
Education in Journalism and Mass
Communication (AEJMC)
Conference. She earned the Robert P.
Knight Multicultural Recruitment
Award for encouraging and advising
underrepresented students in journal
ism for more than three decades at
five different universities.
Callahan
Photo by Km Bennett / Wake Forest University
Charles Iacovou's appointment becomes effective July I.
New WFU Business dean nicked
SPECIAL Tib THE CHRONICLE
Charles Iacovou will become the next
Dean of the Wake Forest University
School of Business, effective July 1.
Since joining the School of Business'
leadership team in 2007, Iacovou has
served in a number of senior administra
tive roles, including Director of the Full
time MBA Program, Senior Associate
Dean of Graduate Programs and Senior
Associate Dean of Faculty. For
the past two years, he has
served as the School's Vice
Dean. In this capacity, he has
had oversight responsibility
for undergraduate, graduate
and non-degree programs. He
also has been responsible for
faculty affairs, academic cen
ters and all administrative and
professional staff functions of
the school.
Under lacovou's leader
snip, tne school ot business taculty and
staff formulated a strategic framework
for business education at Wake Forest
between 2012-13, which is currently
being implemented. This followed
Iacovou's successful efforts to co-lead
the integration of the graduate and under
graduate business schools at Wake
Forest.
"1 am honored and enthusiastic to
serve as the next Dean of the School of
Business. Our School is distinguished in
the landscape of higher education
because of our focus on holistic student
development and our deep connection to
the practice of business," said Iacovou.
"It is a privilege to be working with col
leagues who are committed to providing
superior talent and thought leadership to
organizations so that they can make the
world a better place."
Provost Rogan Kersh chaired a
national search for a leader of impeccable
experience and an appreciation for the
X
power of a well-rounded business educa
tion in a collegiate-university setting.
"Throughout our comprehensive
search process, which attracted very
strong interest from across sectors and
indeed across the globe, Charles distin
guished himself as the best choice for
Wake Forest," said Kersh. "Our commit
tee concluded definitively that he is the
leader we need to build upon what facul
ty and staff envisioned as the ideal model
for 21st century business edu
cation."
"As Vice Dean and as
Professor of Management,
Charles has proven himself to
be a dynamic leader," said
President Nathan 0. Hatch. "I
am confident he has both the
vision and the operational
expertise to take Wake Forest
to the next level as a distinctive
and distinguished school of
business."
Before joining Wake Forest
University in 2001, lacovou led an elec
tronic bank, Laiki cBank. in Europe.
Additionally, he has provided strategic
planning, management consulting, and
leadership training services to firms in
the financial services, international trade,
logistics, media and other industries. As
Professor of Management, lacovou has
received numerous teaching and research
awards from students, alumni and facul
ty
lacovou was a faculty member in the
McDonough School of Business at
Georgetown University from 1997 to
1999. He received his Ph.D. in
Management Information Systems from
the University of British Columbia and
his B.S. degree in Business
Administration from the University of
Vermont. He completed his undergradu
ate studies with the support of a scholar
ship administered by the Cyprus
Fulbright Commission.
Hatch
Product of foster care making a difference
BY COURTNEY J. JACKSON
N.C. A&T
Robert E. Thomas is a member of a
minority group ? the small percent
age of adults who grew up in the
United States foster care system and
later graduated from college.
Thomas earned a bachelor's degree
in mechanical engineering in 2001 and
a master's degree in industrial technol
ogy manufacturing in 2004 from North
Carolina A&T State University.
According to statistics, of the
800,000 children and youth who have
experienced foster care system each
year, only 2.7 percent of them,
between the ages of 25 and 34, end up
earning a bachelor's degree.
Thomas, on the other hand, beat
the odds. He worked as a mechanical
engineer at Northrop Grumman
Corporation, a patent examiner at the
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and
as a senior mechanical engineer at
Alion. He is currently a law student at
Detroit's Wayne State University and a
few months away from taking the bar
exam.
But it is his conviction to fight for
the well-being of children in the foster
care system that keeps him going.
See Thomas on A9
Photo courtesy of NC AAT
Robert E. Thomas
t