News Briefs CONTINUES
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ORANGE COUNTY BOARD MEMBER IS
FIRST ELECTED TO STATE BOARD OF
DIRECTORS
HILLSBOROUGH, NC - Brenda Stephens, Orange County
Board of Education member, was elected to the North
Carolina School Boards Association (NCSBA) Board of
Directors at its 45th annual conference held November
17, 2014 in Greensboro, NC. Currently, Ms. Stephens is
serving her fourth term as an Orange County Schools
Board of Education member. This is not the first time
Brenda Stephens has been recognized for her service to the
county and state. Previously, as the Hyconeechee Regional
Library Director, Ms. Stephens was recognized as the Director of the Year (North
Carolina Public Libraries Association). Ms. Stephens was selected to serve on the
Federal Relations Network as a member of the Washington, D.C. lobby for North
Carolina public schools. Also, Ms. Stephens is a member of the Historic Hillsborough
Commission.
ORANGE COUNTY BOARD MEMBER IS
FIRST ELECTED TO STATE BOARD OF
DIRECTORS
RALEIGH, NC - Ken Lewis, with nearly three decades of
experience as a corporate and securities attorney, has joined
Nexsen Pruet as a Member in its Corporate Practice Group in
Raleigh. He represents clients across a variety of industries
in matters related to the merger, acquisition, and sale of a
business and the formation of strategic alliances. Lewis was
a candidate in North Carolina for the United States Senate
in 2010. Prior to that, he was a partner at two large law firms
in North Carolina, and the co-founder of a boutique law firm
located in both Raleigh and Durham. Lewis is recognized in Best Lawyers in America
– Corporate Law. He earned his undergraduate degree from Duke University, where he
was an R.J. Reynolds Scholar and recipient of the President’s Senior Leadership Award.
He earned his law degree from Harvard Law School. Founded in 1945, Nexsen Pruet,
LLC is one of the largest law firms in the Carolinas with more than 195 attorneys and
offices in Columbia, Charleston, Greenville, Hilton Head, and Myrtle Beach, S.C. as
well as Charlotte, Greensboro, and Raleigh, N.C.
SAINT AUGUSTINE’S UNIVERSITY
NAMES NEW PROVOST/VICE
PRESIDENT FOR ACADEMIC AFFAIRS
RALEIGH, NC - Dr. Yvonne Moore Coston has been named
provost and vice president of Academic Affairs at Saint
Augustine’s University effective December 12th. Dr. Coston
joined the faculty at Saint Augustine’s University as an
assistant professor in the Department of Mathematics. After
earning her doctoral degree in mathematics education and
completing teaching, research, and service responsibilities,
Dr. Coston moved through the faculty ranks to become a full
professor with tenure in the Departments of Mathematics
and Education. Dr. Coston has served in various roles throughout her tenure at Saint
Augustine’s University. Prior to this new appointment, Dr. Coston was the vice
president of Research and Innovation. She previously successfully served as the chief
academic officer and vice president for Academic Affairs while the institution was
reviewed off-site and on-site by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Dr.
Coston holds a Ph.D. from North Carolina State University in mathematics education,
a M.S. degree from North Carolina State University in statistics, a M.Ed. from North
Carolina State University in mathematics education and a B.S. degree from Fayetteville
State University in mathematics.
THE STATE’S #1 ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL
IS AT HILLSIDE HIGH
DURHAM, NC - Jason Jowers, assistant principal at
Durham Public Schools’(DPS) Hillside High School, has
been named the 2015 North Carolina Assistant Principal of
the Year by the North Carolina Association of Principals
and Assistant Principals. Jowers, who came to Hillside High
School to direct its Freshman Academy before becoming an
assistant principal, will represent the state in the National
Assistant Principal of the Year program, which recognizes
outstanding middle level and high school assistant principals
who have demonstrated success in leadership, curriculum
and personalization. The program is sponsored by the National Association of
Secondary School Principals. Jowers, a N joined DPS in 2007 as a history teacher
at Southern High School. After graduating from NCCU in 2007, Jowers joined DPS
in 2007 as a history teacher at Southern High School. In 2012, Jowers’ success in the
classroom caught the attention of U.S. Rep. G.K. Butterfield (D – N.C.), who invited
him to attend President Barack Obama’s State