Meredith alumnae Reston Jones,’10; Liz McLean, ’08; Amanda Oliver, ’02; Karen Rosser,’84; and Nicole McGuinness Hines,’08, in North Carolina’s Capitol Building.
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eeping a state governor’s office running smoothly takes hard work from hundreds of people. Five Meredith College graduates are playing important roles in North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory’s administration. Though their roles vary, these five often interact to get their jobs done. “Everyone on our end of the hall is a Meredith grad. That just says Meredith turns out quality people,” said Karen Rosser, ’84. “Meredith prepares women, grows women with positive self-esteem [who] aren’t afraid to be challenged. When you leave there you know there’s nothing you can’t do.”
AMANDA OLIVER, ’02 Amanda Oliver, ’02, began working in politics in 2012 at the Republican National Con-
vention, and then for presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s campaign before joining the governor’s staff. In January 2013 she became one of Gov. McCrory’s two schedulers. Now she handles all requests for Gov. McCrory’s time: meetings, photos and all kinds of events, including, she said, “everything from his haircuts to a legislative meeting.” Each day she goes over the Governor’s schedule with him, and plans so far in advance for him that she said, “I get so focused with his schedule that I forget my own.” The work is fast-paced and exciting. “No day is the same,” Oliver explained. “I don’t take it for granted on my walk up to the [Capitol Building] that I work here. Certainly I learn something new every day about the political process.”
Still, Meredith College is never far from her mind. “I can trace back most of my successes. I had each of them on my own but Meredith was the catalyst.” Oliver is committed to sharing Meredith with younger college-bound women, like the pages who work in the governor’s office. “I always take an extra minute with them to see what their college plans are and I hand them an admissions packet,” Oliver said.
LIZ MCLEAN, ’08 Working in government has always been a goal for Liz McLean, ’08. “I’ve known that I wanted to work in politics since I was in third grade,” she said. Once at Meredith, McLean double majored in political science and history, was vice president of her freshman and sophomore F all 2013 | M E R E D IT H M A G A Z I N E
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