Spectacular Mag - Dec 2014 | Page 29

News Briefs CONTINUES Briefly 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