College of Business - East Carolina University

Stocknotes 

WINTER 2012 CommERCE Club PublICaTIoN 

Eakins Appointed Dean 

Dr. Stanley G. Eakins has been named dean of the 

College of Business, effective January 3, 2012. Eakins 

has served as interim dean since Dec. 2010, replacing 

Dr. Frederick Niswander who now serves as ECU’s vice 

chancellor for administration and finance. 

A professor of finance at ECU, Eakins previously served 

as associate dean of the College for nearly six years 

and is former chair of the Department of Finance. He 

was instrumental in implementing the College’s new 

Leadership & Professional Development Program, 

which teaches students 21st century skills such as 

professionalism, leadership, and communication in 

addition to the nuts and bolts of business. 

Eakins said, “I’m honored to be at the helm of the 

College of Business as we celebrate a significant 

milestone this year: our 75th anniversary. We have a lot 

to be proud of and a lot more to accomplish over the 

coming years.” 

For the fifth straight year, the College of Business 

has earned top marks, ranking among the best 

U.S. business schools according to The Princeton 

Review. The New York-based education services 

company features ECU in its newly released 2012 

edition of “The Best 294 Business Schools.” 

As part of its rating in the new guide, the College 

of Business is outlined in a two-page profile 

highlighting academics, career and placement, 

student life, and admissions information. The 

profile also touts the College’s solid preparation 

in teamwork, communication/interpersonal 

skills, quantitative skills, and computer skills. 

Eakins received his Ph.D. from Arizona State University 

in 1990. He also served as vice president and 

comptroller at the First National Bank of Fairbanks, 

Alaska, and has experience as a commercial and real 

estate loan officer. A founder of Denali Title and 

Escrow Agency, a title insurance company in Fairbanks, 

he ran the operations side of a bank and was the chief 

finance officer for a multi-million dollar construction 

and development company. He has authored several 

textbooks that are sold worldwide. Eakins’ wife, 

Laurie, is an instructor in the College of Business MIS 

department. 

In related news, Dr. Paul Schwager has been appointed 

associate dean for the College of Business, after serving 

as acting associate dean for the last year. Schwager, an 

associate professor in the Department of Management 

Information Systems, previously served as the College’s 

assistant dean for assessment, accreditation, and 

curriculum. He has been at ECU since 2003. 

College of Business Named a Top Business School for 2012 

Direct quotes from business students applaud 

the College’s “strong and challenging faculty 

members,” as well as its “intimate feel” and 

“friendly atmosphere.” In describing the College’s 

distance education, students say that “very 

little of the East Carolina spirit is lost over the 

Internet.” 

Dr. Stanley G. Eakins, dean of the College 

of Business, said, “The College of Business is 

proud once again to rank nationally as a top 

business school. We take pride in our quality, 

value, flexibility, and focus on leadership, and we 

greatly value this distinction as one of the best 

www.business.ecu.edu 

College of Business 

75 YEARS OF EXCELLENCE 

Dean Stan Eakins 

Associate Dean Paul Schwager 

institutions where 

students can earn 

a solid business 

education.” 

The Princeton 

Review compiled 

the information 

based on its 

surveys of 

19,000 students attending the 294 business 

schools in its book, as well as on school-reported 

data. The ranking lists and other data are available 

online at www.PrincetonReview.com. 

1

Online MBA Program Earns Top Marks 

from U.S. News 

Emily Post Institute Director to Speak at ECU 

Peter Post, director of The Emily Post Institute and author 

of five etiquette books, will speak at East Carolina University 

on Wednesday, March 21 as part of the Cunanan Leadership 

Speaker Series hosted by the College of Business. The public is 

invited to attend this free event, which will begin at 3:30 pm in 

Wright Auditorium at ECU. 

One of renowned author Emily Post’s four great-grandchildren, 

Post writes the “Etiquette at Work” column for the Sunday 

edition of the Boston Globe. He is author of the bestselling 

books “Essential Manners For Men” and “Essential Manners 

For Couples,” and he co-authored “The Etiquette Advantage In 

Business,” which is in its second edition and is used in the College 

Peter Post 

of Business’ junior-level leadership course. As the creator and 

primary presenter of Emily Post Business Etiquette programs, 

Post leads business seminars for companies both in the U.S. and abroad. He has more than 25 

years of experience in marketing, communications, design, and education. 

Dr. Stanley Eakins, dean of the College of Business, said, “Business etiquette and other related 

personal skills are vital for professional success, and we are proud to bring one of the nation’s 

foremost experts to Greenville through our speaker series. Peter’s insights will be both enriching 

and enlightening.” 

For more information about the Emily Post Institute, please visit online at www.emilypost.com. 

The Cunanan Leadership Speaker Series is made possible by a gift from alumni Steve and 

Ellen Cunanan of Richboro, Pa. Matching funds are also provided by the Johnson & Johnson 

Foundation. The Series brings distinguished leaders to Greenville, representing for-profit and 

non-profit firms, entrepreneurial activities, government, and public affairs. Topics highlight 

leadership, professional development, ethics, and the role of business in modern society. 

2 


East Carolina University’s MBA program ranks among the top 20 in 

online education, according to U.S. News & World Report’s first-ever 

ranking of graduate-level business distance education programs. The 

rankings are featured exclusively on usnews.com. 

Out of 161 graduate business programs listed, ECU ranks number 17 

for overall student services and technology. ECU also scored points for 

its teaching practices and student engagement (#26) and admissions 

selectivity (#28). 

In a news release, U.S. News stated that the number of students enrolled 

in online degrees is growing rapidly. “Those prospective students—a very 

large proportion of whom are working adults—lack needed information 

to help them determine the relative strengths and weaknesses between 

online degree programs that they are considering attending. U.S. News 

undertook this project in an effort to begin filling this information gap,” 

the release said. 

COllEgE NOTES 

The online program in the College of Business developed from a single 

course offering in 1998 to entire undergraduate and graduate degrees 

in numerous concentrations today. The College enjoys a robust online/ 

distance education presence particularly at the MBA level, with more than 

800 students enrolled. 

“In a world with increasing ‘diploma mills,’ we are proud that the College 

of Business continues to maintain its high quality standards,” Dr. Stanley 

Eakins, dean of the College of Business, said. “We strive to prepare both 

faculty to teach online and students to learn online while using a variety of 

technological and instructive methods to do so. It’s no surprise the College 

of Business is looked upon as a leader in distance education innovation.” 

Mark Your Calendar 

Who: Peter Post, Director of 

The Emily Post Institute 

What: Cunanan leadership 

Speaker Series 

Where: Wright auditorium at ECu 

When: march 21st at 3:30 p.m.


COllEgE NOTES 

College of Business to Establish 

living-learning Community 

Beginning Fall 2012, freshmen business students at ECU will have the option of joining a Living-Learning Community on campus, thanks to a group 

of students who suggested the idea. 

Common on college campuses, Living-Learning Communities give students a unique, inclusive residential learning experience that connects classroom 

learning with residence life. Students enjoy the typical advantages of living on campus in a residence hall with the added benefit of living among other 

students who share their academic goals and interests. 

College of Business officials have already met with ECU’s Associate Vice Chancellor for Campus Living and received tentative approval for space in 

Garrett Hall for fall freshmen. More details will be solidified in the coming months. 

College of Business Cleans greenway 

More than 15 volunteers from the College of Business helped clean up 

the Green Mill Run Greenway on Saturday, Dec. 10, removing tires and 

trash from the 1.5 mile walkway that provides a scenic walkway and bike 

path along the water of the Green Mill Run in Greenville. 

Associate professor Lee Grubb in the Department of Management 

coordinated the cleanup effort. 

“This all came about during a ride on the Greenway with Bill 

McDowell, T.D. Gribble, and Andrew Herdman,” Grubb said. “We all 

enjoy using the Greenway but noticed that it could use a little help. We 

More than 15 College of Business volunteers helped clean the 

Green Mill Run Greenway on Dec. 10. 

were amazed by the number of volunteers who joined us for the big 

cleanup day.” 

The City of Greenville helped the effort by providing an extra worker 

and a dump truck. In addition to faculty and staff, College of Business 

students were also allowed to participate and use the hours toward their 

service learning portfolio requirement. 

Volunteers found many tires along the greenway. 

3

The College of Business sponsored its first-ever team as part of 

Greenville’s 25th annual CROP Hunger Walk this past fall, held on 

Sunday, Oct. 2. More than 85 students, faculty, and staff members from 

the College of Business participated in the event, helping raise more than 

$7,000 in concert with area churches to help hungry people at home and 

around the world. 

MBA students wore special shirts provided by the Graduate Management 

Admission Council that said, “TEAM MBA: The Business of Giving Back.” 

Karen Kus, director of the College of Business Academic Advising Center, 

said, “The CROP Walk is a movement to draw attention to hunger not 

only in the local community but also in the nation. It was so inspiring for 

Tendai Ndabvonga and I to help head up the College of Business CROP 

Walk team and watch the College come together to support this wonderful 

cause and raise awareness.” 

4 


College of Business Raises Funds for CROP Walk 

CROP Walks are community-based events to raise money for local 

hunger-fighting agencies as well as international relief and development 

efforts. Twenty-five percent of the proceeds from the Greenville walk will 

stay local, supporting the Campus Kitchen at ECU and the Food Bank 

of Central and Eastern North Carolina. The remaining 75 percent will 

be donated to the Church World Service organization, which distributes 

money to smaller organizations such as local food banks and soup 

kitchens. 

Alumni Videos Commemorate College’s 75th Anniversary 

Alumni and faculty in the College of Business recently celebrated 

the College’s legacy and how their experiences in the College helped 

shape their lives. Through a series of video vignettes, participants 

discussed their memories in pairs, emphasizing important, life-changing 

connections that were made at ECU. 

The videos can be viewed online at http://www.ecu.edu/cs-admin/ 

mktg/cob_75th.cfm. 

Video participants include Dr. James Bearden, director of the BB&T 

Center for Leadership Development and former dean of the College of 

Business; Ken Chalk (BSBA ‘68, MBA ‘71), former chief credit officer 

of BB&T; Neelam Patel (FINA ‘08), area sales manager for Summit 

Hospitality Group, Ltd.; Dr. Jim Westmoreland, associate dean for 

external affairs; Bob Ward (BSBA ‘62), former executive vice president 

and chief financial officer for Unifi, Inc.; Mark Copeland (BSA/MSA 

‘96), partner with Ernst & Young LLP; Marybeth Eason (MKTG ‘00, 

MBA ‘01), product and channel manager for Merchant Services at BB&T; 

COllEgE NOTES 

MBA students from ECU participate in the CROP Hunger Walk. 

Tara Hardison (MBA ’02), vice president / commercial card product 

and sales support manager for BB&T Financial, FSB/ BankCard Services; 

Paal Kaperdal (DSCI ‘88, MBA ‘90), senior vice president, online 

channel for TD Bank Group; Dr. Richard Kerns, former associate dean 

of Computer Services and professor, Dept. of Management Information 

Systems; and Jacob Alphin (FINA ‘09) and J.M. Dickens (MGMT ‘09), 

who serve as owners/agents of Triangle Insurance and Associates. 

Dr. James Bearden, former dean of the College, reflected on what this 

75th anniversary means to him as part of the video. 

“We’ve had a remarkable journey here at this institution, and to be part 

of the College of Business, which has been so central to the university’s 

success, is just a real delight,” said Bearden. “Whenever you have a 

celebration of this magnitude, we want to ask all people to celebrate with 

us. It is not just our success that we are celebrating; it is the success of all 

of those who have come before us and who will come after us.”


College of Business Holds First-Ever ‘Declaration Day’ 

The College of Business welcomed business students on 

Jan. 10 with its inaugural Declaration Day ‒ an event when 

eligible undergraduate students officially declared their specific 

concentration within the College of Business. The event will be 

held in both spring and fall semesters going forward. 

As part of the event, the College honored students with a pinning 

ceremony after breaking them into their various concentrations 

‒ including accounting, finance, management, management 

information systems, marketing, and operations and supply chain 

management. Once in smaller groups, students met with faculty 

members from their new department and learned more about their 

specialty. 

Dr. Stanley G. Eakins, dean of the College of Business, said, 

“When our business students declare a concentration, it is a 

significant event in their progress toward graduation. Declaration 

Day recognizes this milestone and helps integrate students even 

more into the College.” 

FACUlTY NOTES 

Dean Eakins talks with students during Declaration Day. 

Accounting chair Dr. Dan Schisler congratulates a new 

student in his department. Photos courtesy of Cliff Hollis. 

Tuten’s gift Research Makes National News...Again! 

When it comes to gift giving, associate professor 

Tracy Tuten is the expert ‒ and her marketing 

research on everything from gift cards to pet 

presents has made national news over the past 

year. Her latest gifting interview with the 

Associated Press on Nov. 10 has shown up on 

more than 5,000 websites. 

For the most tech-savvy on your gift list, Tuten 

told the AP you might be better served making 

the presentation more traditional. “That’s 

because all the emotions that make gifts an 

important part of relationships happen when you 

hand over the neatly wrapped package and not 

when the person is actually getting the pedicure 

you bought for her with a Groupon,” the AP 

reported. 

Tuten added that while teenagers may be the 

earliest adopters, buying them a gift that can be 

sent straight to their smartphones comes with 

the same pitfalls as any other type of gift. It must 

walk the line between proving you have made an 

effort to understand who they are and what they 

like, and giving them enough choice that they 

don’t feel boxed in. 

She is currently working on new gifting research, 

exploring how recipients interpret gifts that 

are clearly wrong and how those gifts affect 

relationships. 

Tuten is associate professor of marketing at 

East Carolina University. She is an expert 

in social media marketing, web-based survey 

methods, advertising, and branding. Last year 

she penned two landmark books that explore the 

latest Internet innovations and their impact on 

marketing and business. She has also authored 

more than 100 journal articles, book chapters, 

and conference presentations. Originally from 

Washington, N.C., Tuten earned both her MBA 

and BSBA from ECU. She received her Ph.D. 

from Virginia Commonwealth University in 

1996. 

Dr. Tracy Tuten 

5

National Small Business Journal Moves to ECU 

The national Small Business Institute® has appointed 

three College of Business professors to serve as the 

editorial team for the Small Business Institute ® 

Journal (SBIJ), moving the publication’s home to East 

Carolina University. In Oct. 2011, Department of 

Management faculty Dr. Michael Harris, Dr. Shanan 

Gibson, and Dr. William McDowell developed the 

first SBIJ issue under their leadership, featuring 

scholarly research articles and case reports related to 

small business management, entrepreneurship, and 

field-based learning. 

“As one of the official journals of the Small Business 

Institute®, SBIJ is recognized as the applied and 

pedagogical instrument for projecting and supporting 

the goals and objectives of SBI,” Harris, Gibson, and 

McDowell said. “We have strived to continue the 

legacy of providing high quality papers that appeal 

to a diverse and varied readership, and the current 

issue includes an eclectic collection of papers for both 

academics and small business practitioners.” 

6 


FACUlTY NOTES 

The October issue features six articles from professors 

across the country, including one marketing-related 

article by ECU’s own Dr. Tracy Tuten and Dr. Christy 

Ashley titled, “Promotional Strategies for Small 

Businesses: Group Buying Deals.” 

The journal is published electronically twice a year and 

is available to SBI members, small business owners, 

entrepreneurs, government officials, community/ 

economic development officers, policy makers, and 

researchers. It is dedicated to practical research that 

will further small business, entrepreneurship and field 

based learning, and it is included in EBSCO Host, 

Google Scholar, and the Cabell’s Directory. Previously, 

the SBIJ was published at the University of Central 

Arkansas. 

The latest issue can be found online at www.sbij.org. 

McDowell Conducts Free ‘leadership luncheons’ 

in Community 

Assistant Professor William McDowell is giving others the opportunity to 

become business leaders. This past fall, he began assembling some of the 

best business minds in Eastern North Carolina to share their wisdom with 

the public. 

McDowell, who is in ECU’s Department of Management, continues 

to conduct this monthly series of free Leadership Luncheons at First 

Pentecostal Holiness Church - South Annex, located at 190 Plaza Dr. in 

Greenville. The seminars are held the first Thursday of each month. 

“We’re trying to facilitate leadership development opportunities in Pitt 

County,” McDowell said in an interview with Carolina Men Magazine. He 

added, “I saw the need for this when I was teaching my Family Business 

course. ECU endorsed the idea because it was a good outreach program.” 

He says business leadership requires the skills of learning and listening, 

customer service, and “not leaving money on the table.” 

Dr. Michael Harris 

Dr. Shanan Gibson 

Dr. William McDowell 

Some of the business leaders who have spoken at the luncheon include 

Brian Cooke, mayor pro-tempore of Grimesland; Ken Kearney, Materials 

Control Manager for Chatsworth Products, Inc.; Mitch Gay of BB&T; 

ECU’s Human Resources Director John Toller; and Doug Barlowe, owner 

of D&R Logistics. 

Also, several professors from East Carolina University have spoken at the 

luncheon including Dr. Lee Grubb who teaches Organizational Behavior, 

Dr. Andrew Herdman who teaches Negotiations, Dr. Shanan Gibson who 

teaches Entrepreneurship and Human Resources, and Dr. Paul Schwager, 

Associate Dean of the College of Business. 

McDowell invites all business professionals to his luncheons, but asks that 

they let him know ahead of time if they plan to attend. He can be reached 

at 252-864-0146 or mcdowellw@ecu.edu.


2011 

Dianna Carroll (MBA) is a marketing specialist 

for Suddenlink in Greenville. 

Joseph R. Colenda (ACCT) is director of 

finance for RJL Consulting, Inc. 

Jimmy Freudenberg (FNA) is a leadership 

development associate for Advantage Sales & 

Marketing in New Jersey. 

Matt Hale (MSA) is an audit associate for 

KPMG in Pennsylvania. 

Celeste Amstutz Leich (MBA, MKTG ’05) 

is a contract analyst for Sayres and Associates 

Corporation in Washington, D.C. 

Seth Maness (ACCT) 

signed with the St. Louis 

Cardinals. 

Donna Smalls (MBA) 

is a product manager for 

NetApp in Raleigh. 

Joshua Franklin Tripp Seth Maness 

(MBA, HHP ’07) wed 

Ashley Jo Godley (ECU ‘08, ’11) on August 

20th at Faith Assembly of God in Winterville. 

He works for Practicon in Greenville. 

Elizabeth Ann York (MCSM) is currently 

working as a word processor at Ward and Smith 

P.A. in the Raleigh office. 

2010 

Jason Barnes (MSA) is a financial analyst for 

the North Carolina State Ports Authority in 

Wilmington. 

Melissa Dyer (MBA) is an instructor at 

Cleveland Community College. She and 

husband Robin live in Shelby, N.C. 

Brittany Davenport (MKTG) is a video 

coordinator for Connexion Technologies in 

Raleigh. 

Sarah Elizabeth Jones (ACCT) wed Daniel 

Carroll Miller on March 19th at King’s 

Crossroads Free Will Baptist Church in 

Fountain. 

Stephen McFadden (MGMT) and wife Aliana 

McFadden (MKTG) are very involved in the 

family business, Perfect Promotions & More, 

Inc., which is rapidly growing and expanding 

AlUMNI NOTES 

in the Greenville community including Dowdy 

Student Stores at ECU. Stephen serves as 

vice president of the company and Aliana is 

the marketing and operations manager. The 

couple has recently started a new business 

as an offshoot of Perfect Promotions & 

More called ECUstuff.com, where they sell 

ECU merchandise and personalize gear and 

University-approved items for student groups 

and other organizations. 

Rebecca McKenzie (MBA, MKTG ’06) began 

a fulltime career on July 1st with ECU’s Office 

of Undergraduate Admissions as an admissions 

counselor. Primarily, she travels to recruit 

prospective students to become future Pirates. 

Jeremy D. McManes (MGMT) is associate 

manager – shopper insights for Dr. Pepper 

Snapple Group. 

Anna Parisi (FINA) is bankruptcy specialist I 

at Wells Fargo Home Mortgage. She resides in 

Knightdale. 

Cameron Pelletier (MSCM) is a leasing 

consultant at Westover Hills in Cary. 

Tyler D. Richardson (MGMT) is vice 

president at the corporate aircraft brokerage 

firm Corporate Fleet Services, LLC in Charlotte. 

Brady Schwab (MBA) is a business project 

representative for Oticon, Inc. in Somerset, N.J. 

Thomas Andrew Taylor Jr. (MGMT) 

is information management assistant – 

acquisitions for Liberty University ILRC in 

Lynchburg, Va. 

2009 

Nicole Bahn (FINA) is a mortgage quality 

assurance analyst for Wells Fargo Home 

Mortgage in Raleigh. 

Stephen Benson (FINA) is a financial services 

representative for MetLife of the Carolinas in 

Raleigh. 

Mark Dobbs (MGMT) is on the national sales 

support team for Viztek in Garner, N.C. 

Scott Justin Poag (MBA, FINA ’07) wed 

Summery Nicole Savage on May 21 at Sacred 

Heart Catholic Church, Salisbury. He is the 

existing industries coordinator with the Pitt 

County Development Commission. 

Ruby Rodriguez (MBA) is a banking officer at 

BB&T’s Rockville Pike office, Rockville, Md. 

2008 

Roger Black (MBA) is a financial business 

partner with AP Moeller Maersk in Copenhagen, 

Denmark. 

M. Allison Castellana (MKTG) joined 

the advertising and promotions division of 

WBOC-TV, Delmarvas, Del. She was previously 

coordinator of events in Crisfield, Md. 

Angela Ianuzzi (MBA) was recently married 

to Stephen Balog on Nov. 12, 2011 in Auburn, 

Ala. She will begin work on her dissertation 

during the spring 2012. She is also teaching 

management courses at Auburn University 

as well as online classes at Mount Aloysius 

College in Pennsylvania, where she earned her 

undergraduate degree. 

Adam Keen (MBA, MGMT 

’05) is director of development 

for leadership gifts at the 

University of North Carolina 

at Wilmington. His job is to 

raise money for the Cameron 

School of Business, Watson 

Adam Keen School of Education, and the 

College of Health and Human 

Services. He previously served as the assistant 

director for the Seahawk Club at UNC-W. 

Neelam Patel (FINA) is area sales manager for 

Summit Hospitality Group in Raleigh. 

Sarah Polli (MKTG) is account manager – display 

for the Washington Post in Washington, D.C. 

2007 

Amanda Church (MKTG) is a program 

assistant with the city of Charleston’s (S.C.) 

business development office. She had previously 

worked in public relations, marketing, and event 

planning. 

2006 

Sean Dempsey (MBA) is business development 

manager, metering & smart grid for WESCO 

Distribution, Inc. in Raleigh. 

7

William D. Edgar (MBA) joined Southern 

Bank’s commercial business unit in Rocky 

Mount as a vice president and commercial 

banker. 

Candace Moore (MBA, MGMT ’04) was 

promoted to assistant vice president at BB&T in 

Winston-Salem. 

8 

2005 

Lauren Asby (FINA) has been named banking 

officer and branch manager in Southern Bank’s 

Greenville Medical Park Center office. She 

was employed in the banking industry for 

the past five years as a business development 

officer in the Pitt County area. She recently 

completed her first year of the North Carolina 

School of Banking in Chapel Hill. Lauren 

serves as president of the Women’s Greater 

Greenville Kiwanis club and is also a member of 

Greenville’s Junior Women’s Association. 

Kevin Gaffeny (MBA, DSCI ’03) is a senior 

consultant for Fidato Partners, LLC in Wayne, 

Pa. He and wife Erica reside in Malvern, Pa. 

Sandeep Kumar (MBA) is senior manager – 

sales for Marlabs, Inc. in Piscataway, N.J. 

Kevin Monroe (MBA, MGMT ’99) was named 

to the ECU Foundation board of directors. He 

is vice president at CapTrust Advisors and a 

member of the College of Business’ Advisory 

Council. Kevin played baseball and football at 

ECU and is a color analyst for radio broadcasts 

of ECU football games. 

Kevin Parsons (MBA, 

FINA ’02), Avionics 

Technical Team member at 

Cherry Point Marine Corps 

Air Station, was awarded 

Kevin Parsons the 2011 6.0H Logistics 

Industrial Operations Group Employee of the 

Year Award, presented by NAVAIR Assistant 

Commander for Logistics and Industrial 

Operations Rear Admiral C.J. Jaynes. 

Olaf Tobola (MGMT) is currently living and 

working in the south island of New Zealand 

as a quantity surveyor (cost management in 

construction), building a converter station on a 

hydroelectric dam. 


AlUMNI NOTES 

Justin Wagaman (MIS) is an analytic and IT 

consultant for Davies Consulting, Inc. in Chevy 

Chase, Md. 

2004 

Wendy Cox (MBA, DSCI ’02) is administrative 

support specialist for the N.C. Sea Grant. 

She previously worked at NCSU College of 

Management in the master of accounting 

program. 

Michael Fesko (MBA, FINA & ACCT ’03) 

is manager of PMO services at First Republic 

Bank in San Francisco. 

Paul Russell (MBA, MIS ’02) 

and wife Kimberly (ECU ’07, 

’08) welcomed their first child, 

Nicholas Stephen Russell, on 

July 27, 2011. Paul serves as 

assistant director for graduate 

programs for the ECU College Nicholas Stephen 

of Business. 

Russell 

Becca Fleenor Smith (MBA, Hosp. MGMT 

’03) and husband, Jonathan Blake Smith 

(MBA), work in their family-owned and 

operated firm, Robert G. Smith, CPA, in Cary, 

which was named Employer of the Year 2010- 

2011 by the Cary Chamber of Commerce. 

Becca also serves on the Cary Chamber of 

Commerce Board of Directors. The couple has 

two sons. 

Steven Troutman (MBA, DSCI ’00) completed 

his graduate certificate in Applied Statistics 

from Penn State University with a 3.92 GPA. 

He is a risk consultant for Wells Fargo in 

Charlotte. 

2003 

Kimberly Suzanne Barbour (MBA, ACCT 

’01), a senior financial examiner with the N.C. 

Department of Insurance, earned the certified 

public accountant designation. 

Michael Griffin (FINA) received an MBA 

from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke 

University. He and wife Mercer Hamblen 

Griffin (ECU ’03) had their first child, Stirling 

Elizabeth. 

Paul Kaplar (MGMT), county 

agent for N.C. Farm Bureau 

Mutual Insurance Co., is one of 

the Top 10 Rookie Agents for 

2010 based on his outstanding 

sales and service record. He 

Paul Kaplar 

also qualified for the 2011 

NAIFA Quality Award – Multiline Sales, which 

recognizes growth in life insurance and multiline 

production and is a very selective award presented 

to a limited number of qualifying agents. Paul 

also serves on the board of directors for the 

Fuquay-Varina Chamber of Commerce and is 

president of the Rotary Club of Fuquay-Varina. 

Travis Russell (MGMT) has worked with 

Cummins Mercruiser for five years as a 

contractor and was offered the customer support 

management position in June. He is now the 

customer support manager for the Eastern 

United States and Canada. He and wife Erika 

(ECU ’05) reside in Mount Pleasant, S.C. 

2002 

Kristy Conway (MBA, Criminal Justice ’98) is 

a partner in ENC Property Management LLP. 

She worked in real estate part-time since 2006. 

Cliff Godwin (MBA, DSCI ’00) is the hitting 

coach at the University of Mississippi. He was 

previously hitting coach and baseball recruiting 

coordinator at the University of Central Florida. 

He was the Pirates’ catcher from 1997 – 2001 

and went with ECU to the NCAA Regionals as 

a No. 1 seed in 1999, 2000, and 2001. 

Carmin Pollard Ipock (BSA/MSA) is manager 

of financial accounting for Hatteras Yachts in 

New Bern. She and husband Joseph welcomed 

their first child, Kolby Franklin Ipock, on June 

4, 2011 at Pitt County Memorial Hospital. He 

weighed 6 lbs., 15.4 oz. and was 20.7” long. 

Kirti Loper (MBA, FINA ’01) and husband 

Steve (ECU ’01) started CoUnt On MEE, 

a support group that offers free haircuts for 

military spouses. Steve’s sister Meegan, a 

hairstylist in Fayetteville, near Fort Bragg, 

committed to donating free haircuts to military 

spouses for a year. After creating a Facebook page 

and blog to spread the word, other hairstylists at 

Fort Benning, Ga., Fort Hood, Texas, and Fort 

Sill, Okla., have joined the cause. The group is on 

track to provide 1,000 haircuts in its first year.


You can track developments at their website, 

www.countonmee.com. 

Frederick Moreno (MKTG) wed Jennie Leigh 

Doss on May 21st in Roanoke, Va. Michael 

J. Sandlin (FINA ’02) was a groomsman in 

the wedding. Fred serves as an assistant district 

attorney for Durham County. 

2001 

Kelly Elaine Hardy (MBA) and Jason 

Matthew Deans (DSCI ’99 and EXSS ’01) 

wed on April 30th at the Immanuel Baptist 

Church, Greenville. She works for Aetna, and 

he works for Baseball Concessions. 

Tommy Price (MBA, FINA ’00) is a city 

executive and senior vice president with BB&T 

in Greenville. He was previously the business 

services officer for the Greenville market. He 

and wife Amanda (ECU ’00 and ’05) live in 

Winterville with sons Zachary and Evan. 

Stuart Will (MIS) is a branch manager for 

Automotive Finance Corporation in Austin, 

Tex. He and wife Cara are hoping to relocate 

to Georgia. 

2000 

Matthew Hege (MBA) is vice president for 

Broadway Multimedia, Inc. in Coral Gable, 

Florida. Broadway Channel has recently 

launched a consumer website, which provides 

instant access to Broadway headlines, ticketing, 

show merchandise, and Broadway show reviews. 

The website (www.broadwaychannel.com) also 

includes theatrical content, such as theatrical 

trailers, star interviews, opening night coverage, 

and Tony Awards coverage. Matt and wife 

Melissa reside in Miami. 

Rick Schott (DSCI) is currently working for 

Higherlogic.com as the product architect. He 

and wife Stacey Tribble-Schott (ECU ’99, ’05, 

’06) reside in Lewisville, N.C. 

Ryan Blair Swanson (MBA, MKTG ’99) 

works with one of the top 10 of all Domino’s 

Pizza franchisees worldwide, located in 

Charlotte, N.C., with locations as far north as 

New York. He leads the marketing advisory 

AlUMNI NOTES 

for the franchise in addition to traveling 

throughout the U.S. to speak/teach on 

successful marketing practices. His most recent 

presentation was in Las Vegas during the 

company’s Worldwide Rally, where there are 

5,000+ attendees. Ryan and wife, Gina West 

Swanson (ECU ’99) ,reside in Charlotte. 

1999 

Charlie Adcock (MBA, MKTG ’94) 

is assistant vice president and business 

development officer at Fidelity Bank, Fuquay- 

Varina. He is a town commissioner and chair 

of the Fuquay-Varina Economic Development 

Committee. 

Allison Martin (MGMT) is director, 

fulfillment projects and IT systems for Random 

House, Inc. in Westminster, Md. 

Erica Sampson Setzer (ACCT) is chief finance 

officer for Public Schools of Robeson County. 

She and husband, Robert Michael Setzer (ECU 

’00), reside in Lumberton. 

1997 

Natalie Jackson (ACCT) was named the N.C. 

Best Female Muzzleloader at the Dixie Deer 

Classic in Raleigh with a deer that weighed 190 

pounds and had 13 antlers. 

Kirk Lao (ACCT & FINA) is managing 

consultant for IBM. He and wife, Beth Ann 

Lao, reside in Garner. 

1996 

Mark Copeland (BSA/ 

MSA) has been named 

to the ECU Foundation’s 

board of directors. He is 

the managing partner of 

the Ernst & Young office 

in Charlotte and was 

recently recognized as 

Mark Copeland 

with his wife Tracy 

(ACCT’95) and two 

children. 

one of the “Top 40 under 40” in the Charlotte 

business community. He has also served on the 

College of Business Advisory Council and the 

ECU Board of Visitors. 

1995 

Angela Hilgers Toler (FINA) works for Parish 

Capital Advisors in Chapel Hill. She and 

husband, Johnathan Toler, reside in Cary. 

1994 

Emile Artus (MBA) became director of taxes 

at AVX, a national multinational manufacturer 

of electronic components, as of April 2011. 

He and wife Shelly are preparing to move the 

Greenville, S.C. area. 

Charles Hudson (MKTG) joined The 

Laurinburg Exchange as an ad sales 

representative. 

D. Paul Powers (MBA, FINA ’92), senior 

vice president and manager of the Commercial 

Business Unit for Pitt County, was selected as 

Commercial Banker of the Year at Southern 

Bank’s annual Best Bankers event. 

1993 

Lee W. Tillman (MBA, FINA ’88) is director 

of finance for the City of Havelock. She and 

husband Jack “Jay” Tillman Jr. live in Oriental, 

N.C. 

1992 

Harry Smith (MGMT) and his wife Tammy 

(ECU ’92) were recognized for pledging $1 

million toward the Step Up To the Highest 

Level Campaign, designated to raise funds for 

the construction of a basketball practice facility 

at ECU. Harry is the chairman of the board 

and chief executive officer of Flanders, Corp., 

one of the largest manufacturers of air filters 

and related products in the U.S. (located in 

Washington, N.C.). 

9

10 



1988 

Richard Klein (MKTG) is involved in a new 

venture after working for 15 years with CBS 

Sports. He and a business partner recently 

started Rockbridge Sports, Media, and 

Entertainment LLC, which offers property 

representation expertise and consulting 

services to industries of sports, media, and 

entertainment. He, wife Noelle (ECU ’09), and 

their children live in Charlottesville, Va. 

Walter Reid Perkins III (MKTG) wed Mary 

Elizabeth Anderson on May 19th at the First 

United Methodist Church, Wilson. He is CEO 

of The Hammock Source in Greenville. 

Sonny Swanner (FINA) is vice president and 

city executive for the Washington branch of 

Select Bank & Trust Co. 

Thomas J. Taricani (MBA) is a trustee of the 

Scholarship Fund with the Pennsylvania Institute 

of Certified Public Accountants. He is a partner 

specializing in taxation, valuation, and litigation 

with Boyer & Ritter CPAs in State College, Pa. 

1987 

J. Robert Buie Jr. (FINA) was certified as a 

private investment manager. He is a financial 

advisor with the Brown & Buie Wealth 

Management Group of Wells Fargo Advisors in 

Greenville. 

Timothy S. Maples (ACCT) is executive vice 

president of First Bank. He and his family live 

in Southern Pines. 

1986 

Bill McBride (MKTG), of San Francisco, 

is chief operating officer and president of 

Club One, a chain of 14 fitness centers in 

Northern California and five others in Southern 

California, themed for kids. Club One also 

manages more than 60 corporate fitness centers, 

community centers, multitenant business parks 

and municipalities serving more than 140,000 

members nationwide. He and wife Adrienne 

Francis McBride have three children. 

Martha West (DSCI) graduated in Dec. 2011 

with a master’s degree of arts – theology from 

St. Catherin University in St. Paul, Minn. 

AlUMNI NOTES 

1985 

Randy Cole (FINA) is vice president, client 

services for NeoSystems Corporation in Tysons 

Corner, Va. 

Joan Gillette Gray (MGMT) is human 

resources business partner for New Hanover 

Regional Medical Center in Wilmington, 

NC. She and husband Bob (ECU ’84) live in 

Wilmington. 

Greg Powell (FINA) joined Wells Fargo 

Advisors, LLC in April 2011 working in their 

Private Client Group in Morehead City, N.C. 

1984 

Dr. Susan West Engelkemeyer (MBA) is 

president of Nichols College in Dudley, Mass. 

She was previously dean of the Charlton College 

of Business at the University of Massachusetts 

at Dartmouth. 

1983 

Lisa D. Benton (MKTG) was elected secretary 

of the ECU Foundation. She is senior vice 

president of human resources for Wells Fargo. 

Lisa has served as the vice chairwoman of the 

ECU Foundation board, chairwoman of the 

College of Business Advisory council, and 

chairwoman of the ECU Alumni board of 

directors. She has also served on the ECU Board 

of Visitors and was recognized as an Incredible 

ECU Woman in 2007. 

Glenda Bradley (FINA) is the director of 

finance for Orange County. She was previously 

the director of finance for Northampton 

County in Virginia. 

Kathy Burns (ACCT) was the recent winner 

of the Entrepreneur Woman in Business Award 

from the Triangle Business Journal. The Women 

in Business awards program recognizes triangle 

women who have proven to be dynamic and 

outstanding leaders with established track 

records of significant accomplishments in 

business and/or community service. Kathy is a 

partner in Hall & Burns Wealth Management 

and Burns & Bynum, CPA. She and husband, 

Davidson Burns (MKTG ’82) reside in Apex. 

Joseph W. Clark (MGMT), financial 

operations manager of the City of Durham’s 

Finance Department, is serving a one-year term 

as president of the Carolina’s Association of 

Governmental Purchasing. 

Joseph Mauthe (ACCT), a tax partner with 

Deloitte Tax, LLP based in Los Angeles, was 

named regional marketplace leader for the West 

Region. A CPA, he has been with the firm for 

24 years and partner since 1997. 

John Timmons “Tim” Robinson (ACCT) is 

tax director for Hughes Pittman & Gupton LLC 

in Raleigh. 

Tom Robinson (MGMT) of Salisbury, was 

recently named to the board of directors for the 

ECU Medical and Health Sciences Foundation. 

He is the vice president of merchandising for 

Food Lion, LLC. 

1982 

Christopher M. Daly (MKTG) is senior vice 

president of Wachovia Bank in Greenville. 

William Russell Overman (ACCT) is Carteret 

County manager. He was previously county 

manager for Martin County. He and wife Lynn 

reside in Morehead City. 

Wanda Stephens (MBA) 

owns an insurance agency, 

Health Insurance Solutions 

of NC, that represents top 

rated insurance companies 

in North Carolina. She 

specializes in helping families 

Wanda Stephens 

and individuals secure quality 

affordable health insurance and Medicare policies. 

Visit her company online at www.hisonc.com. 

1981 

Roger L. “Vern” Davenport (MBA, MKTG 

’80) was named to the ECU Board of Visitors. 

He has three decades of experience in health care 

IT businesses. He provides strategy consulting for 

Quintiles, the biopharmaceutical services company. 

William Riley Gray (FINA), former chief 

financial officer and vice president for fiscal 

services for Carteret General Hospital, Morehead 

City, was honored by his co-workers with a robot 

named “Riley” that connects stroke victims with 

stroke specialists worldwide.

Randy Langley (MKTG) is sales producer with 

Mayo Simmons & Harris Insurance Co., Rocky 

Mount. He and wife Denise have two children. 

Fred Miller (ACCT) and wife Virginia received 

the Wake Soil and Water Conservation District 

Pioneers Award for leadership and innovation in 

developing Wake County’s first USDA-certified 

organic farm. 

Carolyn Swain Simmons, CPA (ACCT) is 

deputy director for administration and finance at 

Partnership for the Sounds. She and husband, Dallas 

McCoy Simmons Sr., reside in Columbia, N.C. 

1980 

Paul Dwyer (MGMT), of Pembroke, Mass., is 

vice president of State Street Corp. 

Marshall Gay (MBA, MGMT ’75) is a realtor 

with Coldwell Banker Howard Perry and 

Walston in Raleigh. 

Bob Peoples (MKTG) is a director of business 

development in the Southeast U.S. for Norwich, 

a full-service contract development and 

manufacturing provider for the pharmaceutical and 

biotech industry. He has directed manufacturing 

and packaging operations at Burroughs Wellcome 

and DSM Pharmaceuticals and spent the last ten 

years in sales and customer service. 

1979 

Robert E. Bencini III (MBA) is county 

manager in Washington County. Previously, 

he was director of community and economic 

development in Guilford County. 

David Livingston Denning (MKTG, HHP 

’77) celebrated 30 years in sales with Sanofi- 

Aventis Pharmaceuticals. He is senior sales 

representative selling Multac. At ECU, he was a 

Sigma Nu. 

1975 

Walter R. Whittemore Jr. (MBA) was named 

chief financial officer for Volunteers in Service to 

the Elderly (VISTE), a 501(c)3 serving the elderly 

in central Florida. He joined VISTE in 2002 

after 25 years of providing IT services to the U.S. 

military and intelligence communities. Walter and 

his wife, Barbara, reside in Lakeland, Fla. 

11 


AlUMNI NOTES 

1972 

Glenn R. Croshaw (BUSA) was elected by the 

General Assembly of Virginia for an eight-year 

term as a judge of the Second Judicial Circuit 

Court for the city of Virginia Beach. 

1971 

Phillip Dixon, center, 

accepts his award from 

the N.C. Bar Association. 

Phillip R. Dixon 

(MGMT ’71) 

of Greenville 

received the N.C. 

Bar Association’s I. 

Beverly Lake Public 

Service Award for 

2011. The annual 

award, bestowed at a 

dinner at the Grove Park Inn in June, recognizes 

a lawyer in North Carolina who has performed 

exemplary public service. Dixon was cited for 

serving on the UNC Board of Governors and 

previously chairing the ECU Board of Trustees 

and the Pitt Community College Board of 

Trustees. 

1969 

Edward W. Bradley (ACCT) is a CPA and 

CFP and works for The Pinnacle Group in 

Midlothian, Va. 

1967 

Marian McLawhorn (BUSA, 

LIBS ’88), N.C. House of 

Representatives member, 

was honored by the General 

Federation of Women’s Clubs of 

North Carolina as a “Woman 

of Achievement” for her 

contributions to the state. 

1964 

Marian 

McLawhorn 

Eddie Buck (BUSA) of Charleston was inducted 

into the South Carolina Business Hall of Fame 

in May. Buck started out as a banker, rising to 

become executive vice president of Citizens and 

Southern National Bank. He bought a small 

lumber supply company in 1975 and built it into 

a mainstay of the area, Buck Lumber. He built 

the Bluewater chain of convenience stores, opened 

fast food restaurants and 18 public storage sites. 

His enterprises operate through Jupiter Holdings, 

the parent company of Buck Holdings. Buck 

has chaired more than a dozen of Charleston’s 

civic organizations as well as the State Railroad 

Commission and the State Ports Authority 

Commission. He and wife, attorney Margaret 

Brown, have two children, Susanne Buck Cantey 

and Eddie Buck, Jr., both of whom work in the 

family business. 

1961 

J. Paul Davenport (BUSA), a retired military 

officer and Greenville businessman, is chair of the 

Pitt Community College Board of Trustees. He 

has served on the college’s governing board since 

2005. 

1947 

Naomi Blanchard Bagley Hofler (BUSA) was 

inducted into the ECU College of Education’s 

Educators Hall of Fame. 

gOT NEWS? 

add your own 

alumni Note at 

www.business.ecu.edu/ 

CoNNECT 

11

12 



1950s 

AlUMNI NOTES 

h 

Ernest guy Black (BUSA ’59) of asheville died November 25. 

Robert Small Braswell (BUSA ’59) of mt. Dora, Fla., died Feb. 

25. He retired from lockheed martin after 35 years. 

John Andrew Kovalchick (BUSA ’52) of Greenville died may 

1. He was a mail carrier for 19 years. 

James Franklin “Jim” lee (BUSA ’54) of Raleigh died June 

29. a WWII Navy veteran, he retired from the N.C. Department 

of Transportation Personnel office, where he received 

the order of the long leaf Pine in 1999. 

James Clifton “Jim” Nobles (BUSA ’57) of Chatham, Va., 

died Feb. 28. He was an auditor for the u.S. General accounting 

office in Virginia beach, retiring in 1986. 

lorenzo William “Pete” Peterson (BUSA ’56) of Chesapeake, 

Va., died June 8. a Korean War army veteran, he was a civil 

service auditor for the Navy. 

Voight Verne Pritchard (BUSA ’58) of Goldsboro died 

august 16. a member of Sigma Nu fraternity, he worked for 

Commercial Credit Corp. for 32 years. 

Eugene Paden Smith (BUSA ’51) of Williamston died July 25. 

a resident of Havelock for more than 50 years, he was editor, 

publisher, and owner of The Havelock Progress weekly newspaper. 

He was instrumental in the referendum establishing 

the town of Havelock, where he was mayor from 1975 to 1984. 

Carl David Tolson Jr. (BUSA ’53) of lancaster died June 11. 

an army veteran, he was an auditor with armour and Co. 

in atlanta and later worked with Springs Cotton mills, now 

Springs Industries. 

1960s 

Herman “Butch” Hardy (BUSA ’68) of Cary died april 24. 

He worked with adams Products Co. for 38 years, serving as 

the company president for 17 years. 

Kenneth Randall Mason (BUSA ’64) of Raleigh died april 1. 

He retired from Spring and the N.C. Department of Information 

Technology Services. 

John Rives “Big Read” Richardson (BUSA ’69) of Stevensville, 

md., died July 31. a Vietnam War veteran, he earned a 

National Defense Service medal and an army Commendation 

medal. He worked in the FDIC. 

IN MEMORIAM 

1970s 

Jeanette Matthews gibson (ACCT ’75) of New bern died 

april 28. She was a bookkeeper and accountant in New bern 

and morehead City, comptroller at Craven Community College, 

and a state auditor. 

John E. gilchrist (MgMT ’78, MBA ’80) of Dunwoody, Ga., 

died may 14. a member of Pi Sigma Phi honor fraternity at 

ECu, he was an attorney in the atlanta area. 

Tom Minges (BUSA ’76) died June 8 of an apparent heart 

attack. He was 56. He was chairman of the board and chief 

financial officer for minges bottling Co., a Pepsi-Cola bottler 

that employs 250 people and serves 14 counties in eastern 

North Carolina. He is survived by his wife of 37 years, Kay 

branton minges, four daughters, three grandchildren, and 

two sisters. 

1980s 

James Kenneth Edwards (MKTg ’85) of ayden died aug. 9. 

after retiring as a land surveyor and civil engineering tech 

from NCDoT, he was licensed as a real estate broker. 

1990s 

Clinton “Clint” Paul Charles (MKTg ’90) of matthews died 

may 5. He worked in the hospitality industry. 

James Edward Mcgee IV (MKTg ’96) of morehead City died 

June 16. He was an admissions representative at miller-motte 

College in Jacksonville. 

Durwood Scott Weston Sr. (DSCI ’92) of blounts Creek died 

may 29. He retired from beaufort Community College as the 

system administrator and instructor in the business division.


William K. “Kel” 

Normann (MKTG ‘85) 

Normann received one 

of two Distinguished 

Service Awards from 

the East Carolina 

Alumni Association. As 

a member of the ECU 

Foundation Board of 

Directors, Normann 

serves as chair of the 

Investment Committee 

and oversees the investment portfolios of the 

Foundation and University Endowment. He 

is also a member of the College of Business 

Advisory Council. Normann and his wife 

Parker support the University through generous 

gifts, funding the W. Kel Normann Business 

Scholarship, an annual scholarship that 

recognizes a full-time undergraduate business 

student who has demonstrated both outstanding 

academic achievement as well as financial 

need, and were among the first to support the 

East Carolina Scholars Program and Access 

Scholarship Program with annual gifts. 

Normann is a member of the Order of the 

Cupola, the Chancellor’s Society, the Old Austin 

Society, and the Leo W. Jenkins Society. He 

is a life member of the Alumni Association 

and longtime supporter of the Pirate Club. 

Normann has also contributed to ECU’s 

College of Nursing, the College of Human 

Ecology, the Division of Student Life, and 

the ECU Foundation. In 2008, Normann 

was recognized by the ECU Foundation with 

an Advancement Award for his extraordinary 

contributions to the University. 

In his professional life, Normann is managing 

director of the Normann Financial Group for 

Wells Fargo Advisors in Sanford, N.C. His 

daughter Jordan is a current ECU student in the 

College of Human Ecology. 

AlUMNI NOTES 

College of Business Alumni Honored with Awards 

The East Carolina Alumni Association has honored three College of Business alumni with awards for 2011: 

William K. “Kel” Normann, Ralph A. Finch Jr., and Steven H. Wright. 

Ralph A. Finch Jr. 

(BSBA ‘67) 

Finch, a business leader, 

was honored with a 

2011 Outstanding 

Alumni Award. A 

member of the first 

graduating class 

after East Carolina 

College received 

university status, he is 

an influential mentor 

and philanthropist. As president of Virginia 

Land Company, Finch has been successful in 

developing retail sites in Virginia and North 

Carolina for Ashley Furniture Stores, Family 

Dollar Stores, and Tractor Supply Company, 

among others. A U.S. Air Force veteran, Finch 

also spent time in his career as a real estate 

agent, focusing on second home and vacation 

properties. He developed corporate sites for 

Heilig-Meyers Furniture and Family Dollar 

Stores across the U.S. 

Finch may be best known in the Pirate Nation 

as author of the University’s first mascot book 

The Adventures of Pee Dee the Pirate, with all 

proceeds given back to ECU as scholarships. 

Prior to the book’s launch, Finch gave ECU 

marketing students real-world experience 

through research, planning, and idea sharing 

for the book’s marketing plan. Finch stays 

involved with the College of Business as a 

visiting lecturer, student mentor, and supports 

College of Business Etiquette Dinners. Finch is 

a member of the Chancellor’s Society, the Old 

Austin Society, the Alumni Association, and 

Pirate Club. 

In Midlothian, Va., Finch is still actively 

working and serves as a deacon at Bon Air 

Baptist Church. He loves spending time with his 

grandchildren and restoring his 1930 Model A 

Ford. 

Steven H. Wright 

(MGMT ‘78) 

Wright, an executive 

partner at international 

law firm Holland & 

Knight, also received 

a 2011 Outstanding 

Alumni Award. Wright 

currently oversees 

management of his 

firm’s Boston office ‒ a 

120-lawyer firm. In his 

practice, he serves as lead counsel and strategic 

advisor for several Fortune 500 companies, 

where he represents senior, in-house counsel, 

and corporate executives in complex commercial, 

corporate, intellectual property, litigation, and 

regulatory matters. He also chairs the Boston 

office’s New England Executive Steering 

Committee and Compensation Committee. He 

is a member of Holland & Knight’s Directors 

Committee. Wright served the mayor of New 

York City as deputy counsel, where he resolved 

legal and policy issues for the mayor and his 

Executive Cabinet, and was general counsel to 

New York City’s Public Advocate. Wright’s court 

admissions include the U.S. Court of Appeals 

for the First Circuit, the U.S. District Court for 

New Jersey, and the Court of Appeals of New 

York State. 

Wright is a director for the Greater Boston 

Chamber of Commerce and serves as co-chair 

of its Commerce Transportation Committee. 

He is a member of the Business Law Section of 

the American Bar Association and the Corporate 

Law Forum, and member of the Commercial 

Litigation Section of the National Bar 

Association. He is a former trustee and executive 

board member of the Boston Bar Foundation 

and past president of the Massachusetts Black 

Lawyers Association. He is currently a director 

for the Savings Bank Life Insurance Company of 

Massachusetts and a member of its Executive and 

Investment Committees. 

At East Carolina, Wright is co-chair of the 

University’s National Leadership Advisory 

Council, chairman of the Ledonia Wright 

Cultural Center Advisory Council, and a former 

member of the Board of Visitors. He is also a 

member of the Chancellor’s Society. Wright is 

the son of Ledonia Wright, who was an associate 

professor of community health at East Carolina 

and a public health professional, and for whom 

the Ledonia Wright Cultural Center was named. 

13

Alumni Highlight: Evelyn Preast Cooper (ACCT ‘85) 

From accounting to writing, Evelyn Cooper’s career 

has taken some interesting turns throughout the 

past few decades. 

After graduating from ECU in 1985 as a secondgeneration 

Pirate (her father, Dewey Preast, Sr., 

earned his business degree in 1959), Cooper began 

her career in Toledo, Ohio as a manufacturing 

accountant at Owens Corning, a Fortune 500 

producer of residential and commercial building 

materials, glass-fiber reinforcements, and engineered 

materials for composite systems. She says her 

position was unusual for a woman in the 1980s. 

“I spent time on manufacturing lines, climbing 

asphalt tanks, and discussing football,” she said. 

“As such, I often found myself as the only woman 

on a team working on new manufacturing lines, 

new plants, new processes, and new software. It 

was a fun experience.” 

After moving up the ladder to become a plant 

controller, Cooper says she found it necessary to 

“retire” after 15 years with Owens Corning. Several 

years earlier she had married the first southern man 

she found in Toledo, even though he was a University 

of Tennessee graduate, and it was time to help raise 

their two sons ‒ just 18 months apart in age. 

Now 50 ‒ and with sons who are 14 and 15 years 

14 


AlUMNI NOTES 

old ‒ Cooper recently co-founded 4Gaby.com: 

Grits, a Brit, and a Yank. The web site features an 

online magazine created by a group of four friends 

who all have an interest in writing, in mothering, 

in aging, and in supporting each other and other 

women. The magazine features four monthly 

columns, offering brief slices-of-life on their 

experiences dealing with the “older mom” trend. 

“We aren’t trying to be a literary magazine, just 

something lighter, more informal, and an easygoing 

forum to share and to listen,” Cooper said. 

“We want to have fun, share experiences, hope, 

problems, and praise.” 

Cooper credits ECU with the ability to be open 

to others and to communicate well with everyone 

from production line employees to CEOs to her 

online magazine followers. 

“ECU recognizes a blue collar work ethic that I 

still appreciate,” she said. “We expect nothing to be 

handed to us, and we expect to give no quarter.” 

Cooper is an avid Pirate football fan and still 

holds season tickets. She says she taught her sons 

their multiplication tables by explaining that three 

touchdowns is the equivalent of seven times three. 

“At home, I start out knitting during football 

Alumni Highlight: Whitney Sibol (MKTg ‘11) 

Being raised in Baltimore, Whitney Sibol 

decided to head south for college at East 

Carolina University, where she studied 

marketing. She loved life in Pirate 

country, but she knew she ultimately 

wanted to return home to Maryland. 

With graduation approaching in spring 

2011, Sibol focused on networking as 

she searched for jobs and connected 

with others in any way possible ‒ even 

if it meant just getting advice from her 

new connections. As part of her efforts 

she explored social networking web 

sites like LinkedIn. It was there she ran 

across the ECU Alumni group. Sibol 

says she typed in “Baltimore” and came 

across one person in the marketing 

industry: Tom Ainsley, a 2004 political 

science graduate who was founder and 

CEO of Baltimore Media Group. 

Sibol reached out to Ainsley and 

learned he had started his own 

marketing and advertising company 

in Jan. 2010, after working for a 

larger firm. Although his company 


was growing, Ainsley was not ready to 

hire ‒ but he was willing to share his 

insights. 

Sibol said, “Tom was incredibly 

helpful, and I learned a lot from our 

conversations. So I left it at this ‒ he 

was a good connection to make, and I 

could use his advice as I continued my 

job search in Baltimore.” 

Sibol went on several interviews over 

Easter break and had two companies 

she was steadily interviewing with 

when May rolled around. After those 

job opportunities didn’t pan out, 

she emailed her ECU connection in 

Baltimore again and asked Ainsely 

where his company was growth-wise. 

They went to coffee the next day, and 

it turned out he was looking to expand. 

“Our discussion evolved from there, 

and I have been a Marketing Associate 

at Baltimore Media Group for several 

months now and loving it,” Sibol said. 

“It is a perfect fit! And it just goes to 

Evelyn Cooper with her father, Dewey Preast, 

Sr., at an ECU football game 

games, and I end up throwing it to the side so I can 

pace. I get a little, let’s go with exuberant, during 

ECU games,” she said. 

In her spare time, she also enjoys volunteering with 

the Boy Scouts and is the local ECU Pirate Club 

representative and Alumni Association contact for 

upstate S.C., where she now lives. Cooper says her 

life has certainly taken some unexpected turns, and 

she encourages others to be open to change. 

“Always be open to the possibilities of a new 

career, always treat others (even in your own 

company) as a valued customer, and always look 

for unanswered needs,” she said. “Doing this has 

allowed me to move ahead in business and in life.” 

show that networking with strangers 

can work to your advantage, and it does 

happen!” 

Today, Baltimore Media Group is 

one of the fastest growing advertising 

and marketing firms in the Baltimore 

area. The firm works with local 

hospitals, mortgage companies, home 

improvement businesses, and tech 

startups ‒ basically anyone who has a 

story to tell and needs help developing Whitney Sibol (MKTG ‘11) 

a marketing plan for a product or 

service. 

“What I love most about working 

with Baltimore Media Group is that 

I get to meet new people every day.” 

Sibol said. “We work with some 

amazing clients. I’m either on-site or 

behind the scenes writing content and 

watching email marketing campaigns, 

making sure that our clients’ story is 

getting across and helping them grow 

their business.” 

Tom Ainsley (POLS ‘04)

Alumni Highlight: Vern Davenport (MKTg ‘80, MBA ‘81) 

Growing up just down the road from Greenville in 

Grifton, Vern Davenport knew he wanted to play 

football at East Carolina. In 1976, he walked on to 

the team as a redshirt freshman when Pat Dye was 

the coach and then played as a wide receiver and 

kicker for the next five years, including one year 

as an MBA student. Davenport says he especially 

enjoyed the family support he received during his 

college years; his father attended every football 

game and a large majority of the team’s practices. 

The hard work and discipline Davenport learned 

in football was quickly applied to the business 

world once he landed his first job as a newly 

minted MBA grad: a sales rep position with IBM’s 

Greenville office. 

“Greenville was a great town to serve with the 

university and new medical school,” Davenport 

said. “In fact, both are still IBM clients today. My 

first job helped cut my teeth on the healthcare 

industry, and for the most part I have had 

healthcare responsibility in various jobs throughout 

my career.” 

College of Business alum 

Allen Thomas (MKTG 

‘92) has been elected the 

new mayor of Greenville. 

This was his first run for 

office. 

Thomas, 42, co-founded 

IQMax Inc. with a 

fellow East Carolina 

University graduate 

in the 1990s. IQMax is a medical software 

technology company with clients in 36 states, 

three countries, and 154 medical facilities. 

His company processes approximately 15 

million medical records a day. Thomas is also 

licensed with the North Carolina Insurance 

Commission and the North Carolina Real Estate 

Commission. 

As a student at ECU, Thomas was elected 

student body president, where 21 years ago he 

first worked with the Greenville City Council 

as the university liaison to the council. After 

earning his degree in marketing from East 

Carolina in 1992, he attended law school at 

AlUMNI NOTES 

With more than three decades of senior executive 

experience in healthcare IT, Davenport now 

serves as Chairman of the Board and CEO of 

MedQuist, a leading provider of integrated clinical 

documentation solutions. 

Prior to joining MedQuist, he provided strategy 

consulting for Quintiles, a biopharmaceutical 

services company offering clinical, commercial, 

consulting, and capital solutions worldwide. Before 

that, Davenport was CEO of Misys Healthcare 

and led the strategic merger of Misys Healthcare 

Solutions and Allscripts, creating the U.S. market 

leader in acute and ambulatory clinical information 

systems. He has also worked for Shared Medical 

Systems, Kodak, and Siemens Medical Solutions. 

Widely seen as an industry leader, Davenport 

enjoys a successful track record in taking difficult 

situations and executing rapid performance 

turnarounds. 

When asked about his favorite ECU memories, 

Davenport says football dominates his best times 

North Carolina Central University before 

accepting a position under N.C. Governor 

Jim Hunt to help the N.C. Department of 

Commerce with business recruitment. Thomas 

also earned his MBA from the University of 

North Carolina at Chapel Hill. 

So what’s first on his agenda as mayor of 

Greenville? 

“I think initially we’re going to take a close look 

at city finances and see what we can do to make 

the city as healthy as possible for the long run 

going forward,” Thomas told WITN-TV in an 

interview. “Also, crime is an issue in the city and 

I think we’re going to continue to move forward, 

do what we can to improve safety. Quality of life 

for our citizens and job growth is a priority for 

me personally.” 

Thomas has served on the East Carolina 

University Board of Trustees and the ECU 

Board of Visitors. A supporter of the Pirates, 

Allen has been a on-air radio host for the past 

eight years covering ECU athletics. During the 

struggle to earn state funding from the North 

Carolina legislature, Thomas was instrumental 

in college, and 

many of the 

lessons he learned 

on the gridiron 

continue to serve 

him today. 

“The time that 

you spend in 

college becomes 

the defining years,” Vern Davenport 

he explained. “At 

the end of the 

day, there is no substitute for hard work and no 

shortcuts. You have to continuously outwork the 

other guy. And if you do something that you 

believe in, it becomes a lot of fun, too.” 

Although he has lived all across the U.S., Davenport 

now makes his home in Wake Forest, N.C. with his 

wife, Julie. He also enjoys spending time with his six 

daughters, who range in age from three to 25, and all 

love watching ECU football games. 

College of Business Alum Elected Mayor of greenville 

Mayor Allen 

Thomas 


in developing and creating the “Purple Alert” 

system, which organized thousands of East 

Carolina University alumni to lobby their local 

senators and representatives to vote for the 

funding for the East Carolina Heart Institute in 

2004, which now stands at UHS/Pitt Memorial 

Hospital in Greenville. He also previously served 

as chairman of the City of Greenville’s Planning 

and Zoning Commission and on the City of 

Greenville’s Board of Adjustment. 

Thomas is married to Janet Stubbs Thomas and 

is the father of two daughters, Ava and Holly. 

Mayor Thomas with his family. 

15

16 



STUDENT NOTES 

MIS Student lands Valuable gE Internship 

Junior MIS student Thanh Ngo 

has landed a competitive summer 

internship with GE’s healthcare 

division in Milwaukee for summer 

2012. 

Every summer, GE offers fulltime, 

paid internships to qualified 

candidates at each of its businesses. 

Interns gain hands-on experience 

while working on challenging projects, 

networking with professionals, and 

learning through one of the top firms 

in the U.S. 

MIS Student Thanh Ngo 

Ngo, 20, was born in Vietnam and 

has lived in Raleigh since age six with his parents. He says he initially 

applied for the GE internship as a sophomore at a recruiting event, but 

he was turned down due to his shyness and lack of interpersonal skills. 

“At first I did not have any people or presentation skills, skills that GE 

looks for the most, but I was determined to give it another go. For the 

rest of my sophomore year, I worked hard to improve myself.” 

Student Highlight: Daniel Carter (MBA ‘12) 

Deep in the heart of North 

Carolina’s Research Triangle Park, 

Daniel Carter had plenty of 

options when it came to choosing 

an MBA program several years ago. 

In the city of Durham where he 

works, he was less than five minutes 

from Duke, 15 minutes away from 

MBA Student Daniel Carter 

University of North Carolina at 

Chapel Hill, and 10 minutes away 

from N.C. State. His high GMAT score allowed him to go just about 

anywhere. 

As a managing consultant at Health Planning Source, a healthcare 

consulting firm, Carter decided early on that an MBA degree would 

hold more flexibility in the future. When he was hired 10 years ago, his 

experience level was enough - but now he was one of very few colleagues 

who didn’t have a master’s degree. He knew an MBA would demonstrate 

both competence and a broader understanding of business, while giving 

him more flexibility and credibility with clients. 

In fall 2009, despite all the nearby choices, Carter decided on East 

Carolina University‘s online MBA program. Although the physical 

campus was an hour and half away, the fully online program was the 

best fit for Carter’s travel-heavy lifestyle. 

“I researched several business schools before choosing ECU, including 

Campbell, Duke, Elon, N.C. State, and UNC, all of which are closer 

than ECU, but I don’t think I could have made a non-online program 

Ngo joined clubs and took leadership positions, practiced speech 

exercises in his spare time, and read books like “How to Talk to 

Anyone” to improve his soft skills. He worked closely with ECU 

faculty and staff members, including Dr. April Reed, who helped him 

polish his technical skills and resume; Rod Bradley with the Ledonia 

Wright Cultural Center, who guided him through the recruiting 

process; Richard O’Dor of the Business Communication Center, who 

served as a mentor and fine tuned Ngo’s presentational speaking and 

communication skills; and Greg Hodges, a former MIS instructor with 

the Office of Institutional Planning, Assessment, & Research, who also 

served as a mentor. 

Ngo plans to work hard this summer and hopefully land a spot in GE’s 

Information Management Leadership Program, a two-year program 

consisting of multiple assignments and more than 12 weeks of formal 

training. It’s seen as a key entry point for information technology 

professionals in GE. 

“GE’s internship program will open a ton of doors for me,” Ngo 

said. “I’m so glad I worked hard to achieve this position. Never let a 

chance go by; you will never know what could happen, only what didn’t 

happen.” 

work with my schedule, even an Executive MBA program. ECU’s 

program was definitely the best value from my perspective,” Carter 

explained. “Plus, since the MBA program at ECU is completely online, 

I have total flexibility to travel for work and do school while I’m out of 

town.” 

Carter has taken two courses at ECU per semester since starting in 

2009, and he is taking three in his final semester this spring. Today, less 

than one semester away from graduation, Carter is still happy with his 

choice ‒ and he says it’s been challenging. He even took part in ECU’s 

travel-abroad option last summer, spending two weeks in China that 

helped him form bonds with his classmates. 

“I highly recommend a similar experience to anyone who can do so,” he 

said. “Studying abroad definitely takes a time commitment, but it not 

only opened up my perspective on a culture I had not experienced, it 

also allowed me to become friends with my fellow student travelers and 

engage directly with faculty ‒ something that isn’t always possible with 

an online program.” 

Overall, Carter says he’s extremely satisfied with the choice of ECU for 

his MBA. 

“It has been hard. I will be glad to get my degree in May, and I’m 

going to enjoy finding new challenges and opportunities that my MBA 

experience at ECU has afforded me.” 

Adapted from an interview with OnlineMBA at http://www.onlinemba.com/blog/ 

student-perspective-daniel-carter-mba-2012-east-carolina-university/


Students Celebrate MlK Holiday with Community Service 

A team of students from the College of Business’ Leadership I course 

participated in ECU’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service on Jan. 

16, volunteering time to help the Salvation Army on Dickinson Ave. 

in Greenville. 

Twelve graduate students who serve as lab facilitators for Leadership 

I and two instructors, Abby Knight and Charlie Brown, re-painted 

yellow walls in the Family Store shades of blue, green, and tan. They 

replaced damaged ceiling tiles and scrubbed, vacuumed, and cleaned a 

planned teen center that will open in a former restaurant in April. The 

remodeling is part of a larger effort in the organization’s work with 

teenagers. The College of Business team gave approximately 42 total 

hours of service. 

The Day of Service was put on by ECU’s Volunteer and Service 

Learning Center. Students said the event was a way to carry out Dr. 

King’s message about coming together to help those in need. 

“I think it’s great to turn the day into a day of action, rather than 

a sale at the mall,” Leadership I instructor Abby Knight said. “It’s 

significant because he spent his life calling people to action. We’re 

putting that in motion.” 

Graduate students who participated include Hannah Cherry, Ryan 

Chadwell, Devang Patel, Jonathan Atamanchuk, Emily Hampton, 

Heather Clayton, Chris Wheeler, Don Philyaw, Aly Schillig, Maggie 

Cunningham, and Lauren Baggett. 

(Left) Ryan Chadwell of Richmond, Va., holds a ceiling tile to replace the one being removed by Don Philyaw of Greensboro 

in the planned Salvation Army teen center. Chadwell and Philyaw are graduate assistants in the College of Business. (Right) 

College of Business graduate assistants Heather Clayton and Devang Patel work together to paint a wall in the Salvation 

Army’s Family Store. Photos courtesy of Cliff Hollis 

Marketing Students Earn Top Spot in google 

Competition 

A team of students in Dr. Christy Ashley’s consumer behavior class 

placed in the semi-finals during the 2011 Google Online Marketing 

Challenge last spring. 

Emily Baumgartner, Scott Dannelley, Sal Villari, and Kelsey Weeden 

placed among the top 15 teams in the Americas region (North and 

South America) for their work with Top Dog Academy and ranked in 

the top 100 teams internationally out of 3,082 teams. In addition, five 

other ECU teams from Ashley’s class placed in the top 10%. All eight 

teams were above the 80th percentile in the international competition. 

Ashley’s class has participated in Google’s Online Marketing Challenge 

since spring 2009. Students begin the semester by learning about 

principles that affect consumer behavior online, such as market 

segmentation, consumer search behavior, perceptions, attitude change, 

and communications. Then, with a budget provided by Google, students 

STUDENT NOTES 

develop an online advertising strategy for a real business or nonprofit 

organization that has not used AdWords in the last six months. 

During a three week period, students make changes to their online 

marketing strategy based on feedback from their client and results 

(including impressions, click through rates, and conversions). Students 

make presentations and provide a weekly update to their clients. At 

the end of the project, students report their results and make future 

recommendations for online marketing. 

The international competition is open to enrolled undergraduate or 

graduate students, regardless of major. Ashley’s class will participate in 

the Google Online AdWords Challenge again in spring 2012 with the 

following non-profit and small business clients: Greenville Museum of 

Art, Tryon Palace, Artisans, Cathy’s Homemade Biscuits, Lalee’s Cakes, 

ECU Stuff, and ECU Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow. 

17

18 



STUDENT NOTES 

Students Inducted into Beta gamma Sigma 

The College of Business recently inducted more than 50 new members into the Gamma Chapter of Beta 

Gamma Sigma, the honor society serving business programs accredited by AACSB International - The 

Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. 

An induction banquet was held Dec. 6 at the Rock Springs Center in Greenville, where chapter honoree Kevin 

Monroe (MGMT ‘99, MBA ‘05) delivered the keynote address. Monroe, vice president of CAPTRUST, is the 

former captain (and four-year letterman) of the ECU football team, a radio show host on The Pirate Sports 

Network, and the vice president of Future, Inc., a local youth outreach program. He currently serves on the 

boards of the Pitt County Health Education and the Pitt County Pirate Club. 

Two times per year, the College of Business inducts eligible students and faculty into Beta Gamma Sigma. 

Membership is by invitation only and is based upon eligibility criteria, including those who rank in the top 

7% of the junior class, top 10% of the senior class, and top 20% of graduate students within the College of 

Business. Beta Gamma Sigma membership is the highest recognition a business student can achieve. 

Assistant professor Andrew Herdman (MGMT) currently serves as faculty advisor in the College of Business. 

Fall 2011 Inductees 

JUNIORS Andrew Beamon Brooke Kessing Kylie Moss 

Britnee Coley Antoine Khoury Thanh Ngo 

Terresa Dent Casey King Matthew Rodwell 

Brandon Hall Christopher Lang Emilio Santiago 

Michael Hardy Tyler Masuda Danielle Stanley 

Mary Hill Marisa Melchiorre Zachary Teachey 

Stacey Hobbs Alexandra Morrison Stephon Thomas 

Allison Johnson 

SENIORS Christy Aguilar Sarah Howland Kseniya Shakotko 

Jennifer Clemmons Jessica Melton William Spain 

Kendell Harris Mary Newcombe Jessica Swanson 

Camille Hefner Clifton Quinn Christina Weaver 

MASTERS Jason Carman Megan Gabel Mark Rinehart 

Christopher Crotty Douglas Hayden Cheterra Sheff 

Melissa Ebili Jeffery Hope Ryan Stallings 

David Eckell Mitchell Kimsey James Teske 

Ronald Farlow Jackson McRae Jeremy Yates 

Olivia Fisher Joseph Rafalowski 

Beta Gamma Sigma faculty advisor 

Dr. Andrew Herdman (left) stands 

with chapter honoree Kevin Monroe.


Regardless of size, your annual gift makes a 

difference to ECU. Every gift is important 

and is a vote of confidence in the College of 

Business and its future. 

Your annual gift to the College goes to work 

immediately to: 

• strengthen academic programs. 

• attract top faculty members. 

• make ECU affordable for all students. 

Annual giving allows the College of Business to 

provide extraordinary opportunities for learning 

and discovery; to extend financial aid to students 

who need it; and to help meet emerging needs 

and challenges. These unrestricted funds give 

the flexibility to undertake new initiatives, such 

as implementing our new leadership curriculum 

and the necessary elements to support it. 

Investing in the College of Business has never 

been easier. Annual gifts may be made by check, 

transfer of stock/securities, or credit card with 

Keeping Connected with your ECU College of Business 

Hello ECU College of Business Alumni 

and Friends, 

My thanks to so many of you who have used 

the business.ecu.edu/CONNECT link on 

the ECU College of Business homepage. I 

am very pleased to see the updates and receive 

information from you about other classmates 

you know. Please also feel free to email me 

directly at westmorelandj@ecu.edu! 

All of our graduates are important in our 

College of Business alumni network. I am 

still working and encouraging students to 

seek you out as alumni and ask you to be a 

mentor in whatever form works for you. In 

my list of people who are volunteering to talk 

with students, I try to make good matches 

based on areas of expertise, location, etc. 

Please stay in touch with College of Business 

news, events, and your fellow alumni. Now 

that our new Dean has been officially named, 

Stan Eakins and I will be traveling to various 

cities. We also welcome you to visit when you 

are in the Greenville area. 

I am always just an email or phone call 

away, whether you have news to share or just 

ADVANCEMENT NOTES 

Your Annual gift Makes a Difference 

our secure online giving form. And now, gifts 

can be made directly from your smartphone, 

using the Quick Response (QR) code on the 

right. Similar to a barcode, the QR code can be 

scanned using your smartphone’s camera, and it 

will take you directly to web site content. Read 

the code using a free app (like Barcode Scanner 

for Android and Scan for iPhone). QR codes 

are popping up everywhere, and they make it 

easy to give back and stay connected. 

Every gift matters. Make yours today. 

want to learn more about what’s happening 

on campus. Networking helps all of us stay 

connected. 

Jim 

James R. Westmoreland, Ed.D. 

Associate Dean for 

External Affairs 


East Carolina University 

Greenville, NC 27858 

(252) 328-0130 

westmorelandj@ecu.edu 

http://www.ecu.edu/business/connect/ 

Colin O’Connor 

Senior Major Gifts Officer and 

Director of Academic Leadership 

Programs Philanthropy 


East Carolina University 

252-328-9562 

oconnorc@ecu.edu 

www.ecu.edu/cs-bus/support.cfm 

Scan the QR code above with 

your smartphone to access ECU’s 

secure online giving form. There 

are free QR reader applications 

available for all mobile platforms. 

The ECU College of Business Commerce 

Club continues to grow. Please share 

articles of your classmates or when you 

have been featured! 

19

College of Business—Commerce Club 

1200 Harold H. bate building 

East Carolina university 

Greenville, NC 27858-4353 

Change Service Requested 

Marketing Students Attend Career Conference in NYC 

For the third straight year, ECu marketing students participated in the annual 

advertising Women of New York (aWNY) Career Conference, held at the Fashion 

Institute of Technology in New York City. Twenty four students from East Carolina 

were led by Dr. Tracy Tuten, associate professor in the Department of marketing 

& Supply Chain management, and Shelly Spear, an administrative support 

associate in the College of business who is also earning her undergraduate 

degree in business. 

During the conference, held Nov. 11-12, approximately 750 students from across 

the country learned about various career opportunities in advertising. Students 

were exposed to industry leaders in the field of advertising, learned career 

planning techniques for landing the job they want, and attended resume building 

workshops led by experts in advertising placement. 

ECu students also toured Dentsu america’s New York office with its President, 

Doug Fidoten. Dentsu, which was awarded “advertising agency of the Year” by 

adfest 2011, is considered the third most awarded agency in the world. 

“This annual trip to New York is a great way for students to test the waters 

regarding a career in advertising,” Tuten said. “Students learn directly from top 

experts in the field and come away with a wealth of information that could never 

be taught in a classroom. It’s a unique experience for everyone.” 

Senior marketing student anna Katharina lohre agreed, “I really enjoyed the 

weekend in NYC and had a great time. The advertising Career Conference 

offered a great variety of workshops and presentations that were very 

interesting. I can definitely say I was inspired by the end of the conference! Even 

if I do not end up working in advertising, this was an amazing opportunity that 

broadened by horizons and that I will never forget.” 

20 

About Stocknotes 

Nonprofit Org. 

U.S. Postage 

P A I D 

Permit No. 110 

Greenville, NC 

Marketing students visit Dentsu in New York City 

Stocknotes is published by the Commerce Club, ECU’s College 

of Business alumni organization. It is designed to connect, 

engage, and inform alumni, partners, and other friends of the 

College of Business. 

You can also read Stocknotes online at 

http://www.ecu.edu/cs-bus/stocknotes.cfm, where both past 

and current issues are available. 

We welcome your letters and comments. 

Please e-mail cclub@ecu.edu or contact us at 252-328-6377. 

Printed with nonstate funds.

College of Business - East Carolina University

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