6 minute read
Alumni Highlights
Congrats to Alumnus Earl Williams ‘73 on his Retirement
Written by Stuart McAllister- VP Sales and Marketing, Dole
Firstly, and with mixed emotions, Earl Williams announced his retirement as National Sales Manager for Dole Packaged Foods effective November 3, 2023. This date is just about 24 years to the day of service to Dole from his home base near Atlanta, Georgia. Before Dole, Earl held sales manager positions for Ocean Spray, General Mills, and Hunt Wesson.
With this experience, Earl brought his sales and marketing skills to Dole to establish the presence of Dole products in the Convenience channels, including c stores, vending, micro markets, gas stations, airport concessions, airlines, hotels, coffee shops, movie theatres, gift shops, book stores, and other grab n go outlets. Earl’s love of snack products and his passion for selling them made him the perfect sales professional. He also introduced business with DOT Foods to Dole through the Convenience channel distributors. Over the years, Earl welcomed several members of the sales support team to work a booth at the convenience or vending shows alongside him, thus giving them valuable work skills talking to customers. He also served as a board member for the National Automatic Merchandising Association. Earl became famous in the trade for his wit and humor, as well as an encyclopedic and current working knowledge of a wide array of professional, amateur, and high school sports. Earl says he plans to not only turn the page for his next chapter in life but he plans to start living a whole new book. Rumor has it he will be starting a career in stand-up comedy, and he’s already performed at several open mic nights to test the waters. Earl’s big smile and warm heart will be truly missed at Dole. Past and present Dole team members who worked closely with Earl will be coming to Atlanta to celebrate Earl at the National College Football Hall of Fame, befitting his love of sports. For those who worked with Earl, please drop him a line to wish him well.
Congrats to Alumnus Jamel Simper ‘03 on his Appointment as Federal Judge
Congratulations to Jamel Simper ‘03! President Joe Biden nominated Semper as judge of the U.S. District Court earlier this month.
The 41-year-old Semper spent more than ten years as a prosecutor in Union and Essex counties before becoming an Assistant U.S. Attorney in 2018. Read more about Simper HERE
Congrats to Alumna Cheryl Thaxton ‘92 on her Promotion
Congratulations to Cheryl Thaxton ‘92 for her new position on the senior leadership team at the College of Nursing at The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth .
Dr. Thaxton brings more than 30 years of experience in nursing, including critical and primary care and nursing leadership. As a graduate of George Washington University’s Doctor of Nursing Practice program, she spent several years researching the specific needs of children and adults with life-limiting illnesses.
Congrats to Alumna EmmoLei Sankofa ‘12 on Scoring Successes
Congratulations to Alumna Emmolei Sankofa ‘12! She has recently completed scores for The Other Black Girl on Hulu and Project CC, a Launchpad short film on Disney+. Check out more of EmmoLei Sankofa’s work HERE
Congrats to Alumnus Terrence P. Wright ‘15 on his Change of Command Ceremony
Congratulations to Captain Terrence P. Wright (US Army, Military Intelligence) ‘15. On August 10, 2023, he was celebrated with a Change of Command Ceremony after serving as the Detachment Commander for Bravo Detachment, 125th Intelligence and Electronic Warfare Battalion, 25th Infantry Division for 15 months at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. A change of command ceremony is a long-held military tradition. The ceremony is a symbolic passing of responsibility, authority, and accountability from one commanding officer to another. It is often the last time the unit sees the outgoing commander. Captain Wright led the unit through a year long training cycle including a two month rotation to the Philippines. During his farewell speech, Terrence attributed his ambitions to a “Standard of Excellence” that was instilled in him as a Cadet during his time at Hampton University. Terrence will continue his military service at Fort Dix, New Jersey serving as an Intelligence Observer Coach Trainer for the next two years.
Congrats to Alumna Racquel Oden ‘98 on her Promotion
Congratulations to Racquel Oden ‘98! She is joining HSBC as Head of Wealth and Personal Banking (WPB) for the US.
She joins from JP Morgan Chase, where she most recently served as Head of Network Expansion for Consumer Banking.
“I’m excited to join HSBC to lead the Wealth and Personal Banking business in the US,” said Oden. “I look forward to working with my new colleagues in the US and around the world to continue to build and grow a platform that leverages HSBC’s unparalleled international network to serve the unique needs of our clients.”
Congrats to Alumna Zya Kinney ‘21 on her New Job
Congratulations to Zya Kinney ‘21 on her new job as a News Producer at 13News Now/WVEC! She is producing for the Daybreak show during the first half of the 5 a.m. and 6 a.m. hours.
According to Kinney, “I’m super excited to be at my new station and back in my old stomping grounds. Just last September, I was in Lynchburg, VA working multiple jobs in the restaurant industry to save up after not landing a job post graduation. Before my first real gig in television, I took a leap of faith by showing up (literally) and meeting someone who worked at my future first news station. Months later, I landed my first job as a Production Assistant at NBC4 in my hometown of Washington, D.C. I worked every shift time you can imagine from the early mornings, late nights and even overnights. I met so many great people and professionals during my time there. I stepped up to take ownership of my career by writing and shadowing whenever I had time. Now, less than a year later, I advanced into my Producer role and I am loving it!”
