ACHIEVERS

Cumberland County agent honored by Farm Bureau Insurance Company

JAMES COOK, a Cumberland County Agent for North Carolina Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Company was named among the Top 75 Agents for 2022, by Allen Houck, CPCU, Executive Vice President and General Manager. Agent Cook was selected for this honor based on his outstanding sales and service record for multi lines of insurance during 2022. North Carolina Farm Bureau Insurance Company has more than 850 agents across the state. This announcement was made at the Annual Sales Conference of the Farm Bureau Insurance Companies held at the Sheraton Hotel Four Seasons/Joseph S. Koury Convention Center in Greensboro on Feb. 26 & 27.

Beasley Media Group’s Fayetteville WKML-FM Studio named in honor of Danny Highsmith

Beasley Media Group paid tribute to recently retired Regional Vice President DANNY HIGHSMITH by officially naming the WKML-FM broadcast studio in his honor on Friday, March 3, 2023 in Fayetteville.

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Edwards, who currently serves as the Vice President and Market Manager of the company’s Charlotte and Detroit operations.

Highsmith worked at Beasley Media Group for 51 years in a variety of capacities, many of which included serving as the Market Manager of the Fayetteville cluster. Employees shared in a press release that the media veteran’s legacy continues to be felt around the studios, along with his famous sentiment, “Remember, if you see someone today without a smile, give them one of yours,” which is now permanently etched, along with his image, on the WKML studio window at the station.

Michelle Skinner named new general manager for the Fayetteville Woodpeckers

The Fayetteville Woodpeckers have announced a new addition to their team with MICHELLE SKINNER joining on as the team’s new General Manager. Skinner is one of two current female General Managers in the Carolina League.

Ball State University and is a mentor for students in the Sport Administration Program.

“It is great to rejoin the Houston Astros organization; I look forward to meeting the Woodpecker fans and working alongside the team to provide fun entertainment throughout the summer,” shared Skinner in a press release. “When I visited Fayetteville in January, I was impressed by the world-class baseball facility, the enthusiasm of the community, and the dedication of the staff. I can’t wait to see everyone at the ballpark this season!”

Simpson receives scholarship for Economic Development Academy

Fayetteville’s MERICA SIMPSON has received an investment in her education after being awarded a scholarship from the The North Carolina Economic Development Corporation.

Thank you to the NCEDA board for affording me this opportunity.”

Simpson was presented with the scholarship at the NCEDA’s 2023 Spring Conference held in Pinehurst.

FSU students win first, third place in U.S. Army’s Inaugural xTechHBCU Student Technology Competition

Fayetteville State University students DENEEN ROYAL and SHIRLEY JACQUET placed first and third, respectively, on Feb. 11, in the first-ever xTechHBCU Student Competition of the U.S. Army’s xTech Program.

A senior computer science major at FSU, Royal earned the top prize for her project, “AI For Independent Surveillance Missions (ASIM).” She conducts research in FSU’s Intelligent Systems Lab.

Shirley Jacquet, a student in FSU’s Department of Biological and Forensic Sciences, received $2,000 for her third-place project, “QTL Mapping and Correlation Analysis of Amino Acids Contents in Soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] Population.”

The xTechHBCU Student competition offered undergraduates from historically Black colleges and universities, who met the eligibility criteria, the opportunity to present their inventive technological concepts aimed at

The dedication, hosted by Vice President and Market Manager Kent Dunn, also included a special presentation by Mayor Mitch Colvin, who officially proclaimed it “Danny Highsmith Day” in the City of Fayetteville.

The ribbon cutting ceremony also featured remarks from Chief Executive Officer Caroline Beasley, Chief Operations Officer and Executive Vice President Brian Beasley and former cluster Market Manager Mac

Michelle Skinner comes to the Fayetteville Woodpeckers after 13 seasons with the Tri-City ValleyCats of the Frontier League, formerly the MiLB Short Season Affiliate of the woodpeckers affiliate company the Houston Astros. Starting in 2010 as the Administrative Assistant, Skinner held the roles of Fan Development Manager and Community Relations Manager prior to being named the Assistant General Manager in 2015. Looking forward to being active in the Fayetteville community, Skinner was a member of the Capital Region’s Women's Business Council, President of the Troy Salvation Army’s Advisory Board, former President of the Troy Kiwanis Club, and is an avid supporter of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and Make-A-Wish. She serves on the Alumni Council of tackling issues such as climate change, safeguarding the mental and physical well-being of soldiers, and integrating artificial intelligence and machine learning.

Simpson, who currently serves as Director of Marketing and Communications for the Fayetteville Cumberland County Economic Development Corporation was awarded a North Carolina Economic Development Academy Scholarship, which will help curb the costs to attend one course offering of the North Carolina Certified Economic Developer program at East Carolina University.

“I'm very grateful to have been awarded this scholarship through the North Carolina Economic Development Association. As part of my NCCED certification, I’ll utilize this at my alma mater, ECU,'s Economic Development Academy,” shared Simpson. “I look forward to broadening my knowledge of economic development to further aid FCEDC in promoting the community.

The finalists represented nine HBCUs across the U.S. They were invited to participate in an eightweek xTech Accelerator program that prepared students for their pitches, educated them on Army priorities and areas of interest, and provided insight into Army career pathways. The 16 finalists were also awarded a total of $3,500 for their achievements.