DR. PEGGY VALENTINE
Dr. Peggy Valentine is Interim Chancellor at Fayetteville State University. Prior to this appointment, she served as Dean and Professor of the School of Health Sciences at Winston-Salem State University. Her clinical experiences include registered nurse and physician assistant. She received a Doctor of Education Degree from Virginia Tech, a Master of Arts Degree and a Bachelor of Science Degree from Howard University. She was honored as “Educator of the Year” by the American Academy of Physician Assistants and elected Fellow in the Association of Schools of Allied Health Professions. Dr. Valentine is the co-founder of the North Carolina Alliance for Health Professions Diversity. She established the Journal of Best Practices in Health Professions Diversity and has served as Editorin-Chief since its inception in 2007. She is the immediate past Chair of Advisory Committee on Interdisciplinary Community-based Linkages of Health Resource Service Administration Health. She is a Paul Harris Fellow of Rotary, WinstonSalem and serves as president. She is also General Chair and President for the Consortium on International Management Policy and Development. In 2017, the Chronicle Newspaper of Winston-Salem honored her as Woman of the Year.
LISA S.T. DOSS
Lisa S.T. Doss, a staff writer since 2012, has a passion for gardening and the outdoors. In addition to maintaining 25 fruit trees, 50 blueberry plants, 25 grape vines, a flock of chickens and the goal of a two-season garden, beekeeping became the next endeavor. Beginning an apiary isn’t for the faint of heart. The sound of your beating heart arrives when driving a small wired box containing more than 3000 buzzing honeybees’ home. Well before sundown, the colony must enter their new dwelling, the hive. It only took a few honeybees to briefly rest on Lisa’s hand to change her perspective of the four-winged insects. Together, the Doss family attended monthly bee association meetings and registered for “bee school.” Upon completing 16 classroom hours, passing a state written exam, and a Fall and Spring practical, Lisa and her husband, Kevin, received North Carolina’s first level of certification. From one hive in 2018 to five in 2019 (not including successfully capturing a swarm), Lisa and Kevin reaped the rewards of extracting more than eight gallons of wildflower/ blueberry honey in late July. In February of 2019, an opportunity arose for Lisa to participate in the NC State Extension Master Gardening program. After completing 40+ hours in the classroom to transition from intern to volunteer, Lisa joined a network of passionate gardeners, who sought to learn, educate and help the community of Stokes County. With the drive to continue learning and building relationships, the future is bound to include a few more hives, lessons in medicinal herbology and community involvement.
NAILAH MCELVANE
Nailah McElvane is the administrative assistant at the Lewisville-Clemmons Chamber of Commerce and a senior at Winston-Salem State University. When she first got to college, she wanted to be a newscaster; two major changes and four internships later, she found that event-planning and public relations were her true passions. Her current role consists of planning ribbon cuttings and business after hours for members as well as other activities for members to engage in and connect at. She also helps with the chamber’s social media presence, writes the occasional press release and handles chamber-to-member correspondence. When not at work, she is either finishing up school work before graduation in December or at home relaxing and enjoying motherhood – she had a baby girl last month!
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