Recognizing outstanding professionals in our community sponsored by Atrium Health and Novant Health. There are well over 400,000 people in the Charlotte workforce, with future job growth expected to be around 42% over the next ten years. With numbers like these, it is sometimes difficult to give great employees the accolades they deserve. This is why Pride Magazine continues to feature the “Best of the Best” employee recognition pages in its May/June Business Issue. Striving for excellence in the workplace is a part of being a professional, no matter what the job. It includes doing quality work, taking initiative, being responsible, going the "extra mile" and being enthusiastic, solving problems, taking risks, a willingness to learn and more. TAKE A LOOK AT SOME OF CHARLOTTE'S BEST EMPLOYEES ON THE FOLLOWING PAGES AND LET'S GIVE THEM THE KUDOS THEY DESERVE.
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Atrium Health
Albemarle Corporation Willie King
Senior Director of Engineering and Project Execution Willie has overall accountability for engineering, design and field implementation of capital projects for Albemarle's Bromine, Catalyst, and Fine Chemistry Services Global Business Units.
Atrium Health Saúl Amezquita
Senior Patient Experience Consultant, Population Health Saúl co-leads health literacy initiatives with specific emphasis on culturally and linguistically diverse communities. He also co-produced Atrium Health’s Spanish Language Community Townhall that addressed vaccine hesitancy.
Chris Branner, MD, MPH
Specialty Medical Director, Urgent Care Services Dr. Branner leads a team of providers and teammates across 35 Urgent Care locations in North and South Carolina; and is active in speaking out to address vaccine hesitancy in communities of color.
Rita Dominguez
Project Manager, Community Health Rita oversees the Latino/Hispanic Community Outreach for Community Health and Faith Community Health Ministry program. She also co-produced Atrium Health’s Spanish language Community Townhall that addressed vaccine hesitancy.
Trent Legare
Assistant Vice President, Community Care Trent leads strategy and operations for Atrium Health’s community-based mobile care models including primary care and COVID-19 response in vulnerable communities.
Gary Little, MD, MBA
Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, Greater Charlotte Region Dr. Little leads and coordinates initiatives in quality, patient safety, physician & APP engagement, clinical operations, and system integration; to include the Atrium Health community COVID-19 response.
Canopy Realtor® Association Terri Marshall
Executive Director, Canopy Housing Foundation Terri works with Realtors® and community partners to address unmet housing needs and advocates for fair and affordable housing standards and practices.
Kim Walker
Public Relations and Media Specialist Kim is responsible for positioning the Association as the voice of real estate and Realtors® as the expert resource for home buyers and sellers.
Cardinal Innovations Healthcare Jessica Moore
Director, Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) Care Coordination Jessica leads a team of care coordinators and specialty team members who provide support and services to Cardinal Innovations’ IDD members and their families.
Kisha Price
Vice President, Claim & Benefit Administration Kisha leads the team that delivers customer service to Cardinal Innovations’ providers and has implemented improvements in managed care services for recipients as well as providers.
Charlotte Area Fund Ashley Williams
Director of Programs Ashley is responsible for managing and directing self-sufficiency programs and services implementation and compliance including Community Services Block Grant contracts and regulations.
Community Link Angela Cavender
Chief Administrative Officer Angela, a 20+ year Community Link veteran, provides essential administrative support that enhances the agency’s work in affordable housing. May-June 2021 | Pride Magazine
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Tameka Gunn
Chief Program Officer Tameka supervises Community Link’s program management team and ensures the quality of all Community Link services. She joined the Community Link team in 2007.
specializing in liquidity management and complex lending services.
Annie Moyer
Senior Private Banker Annie assists business owners, executives, professionals and affluent individuals and families reach their financial goals, specializing in liquidity management and complex, custom lending services.
Coca-Cola Consolidated Nikita Sanders
Ed Timberlake
Director, Community Engagement Nikita is responsible for developing and executing initiatives and programs that drive customer engagement, brand loyalty and community goodwill.
Vice President, Small Business Community Lender Ed works with small business owners and entrepreneurs to help them gain access to capital and increase sustainability through advisement, lending and resource connection.
Duke Energy-Piedmont Natural Gas Sidney Logan Echevarria
Sr. HR Consultant, Workforce Planning & Development Sidney is responsible for establishing and managing programs and partnerships with education, government, and community organizations to build a pipeline of qualified, diverse talent for critical roles.
Ernst & Young Yele Aluko MD, MBA, FSCAI
Wendy Cheatham
Store Manager, Store #985, Charlotte, NC Wendy has served as an annual mentor in the Y-Achievers Summer Intern Program for over five years and has 33+ years of service with Food Lion.
William Cloud, Sr.
Chief Medical Officer and Member of Health Sector Board Dr. Aluko advises health system executives on strategy and business operations. He leads EY’s health equity solutioning, providing client competency in the elimination of health disparities.
Store Manager, Store #2243, Huntersville, NC A two-year veteran and 2020 Regional Store Manager of the Year, William manages retail operations, quality assurance, profitability and customer satisfaction. He also volunteers in Food Lion’s hunger relief efforts.
Malcomb Coley
Julius Gaines
EY-US Central Private Leader and Charlotte Managing Partner As the EY-US Central Private Leader, Malcomb oversees the growth of the US-Central core accounts across 22 states, 42 offices and over 16,000 colleagues.
Fifth Third Bank Olufemi “Femi” Lamikanra
Private Banker Femi is responsible for helping businesses, executives, professionals and affluent individuals and families reach their financial goals,
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Food Lion
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Store Manager, Store #106, Charlotte, NC Julius leads a team of 65 associates and is responsible for retail operations, staffing, growing sales, managing inventory levels, associate development, quality assurance, profitability and customer satisfaction.
Sonja Vega Rodriguez
Buyer and Merchandiser for Bakery Sonja is responsible for purchasing in the Bakery category, forecasting promotions, and procuring assortment. She is also Chair of the Hispanic Latino Business Resource Group.
Foundation For The Carolinas Jill Blumenthal
Senior Donor Relations Specialist Jill has provided unmatched customer service to FFTC’s donors for 17 years and plays an integral role in the Foundation’s Equity and Inclusion Team.
Keva Womble
Senior Vice President of Community Programs Keva oversees FFTC’s regional grantmaking and scholarships programs. She also leads the Foundation’s internal racial equity work.
Grant Thornton LLC Nora N. Richmond, CPA, CFE, CAMS
Senior Associate, Advisory Practice and Carolinas African American Business; Resource Group Champion Nora provides regulatory compliance and internal control services to clients in the financial services industry. Additionally, she coordinates initiatives for the Carolinas’ Business Resource Group Council.
INLIVIAN
Lowe’s Companies, Inc. Jessie Dodson
Senior Merchant, Lumber Jessie ensures that lumber, one of Lowe’s top-selling products for our stores, is always top quality and available at the right price.
James J. Irby
Regional Field Director, Final Mile Delivery Operations James has more than 15 years of big-box retail leadership experience and oversees delivery operations for more than 135 stores and crossdock facilities across six states.
Sherreka Tharps
Director HR PRO Sales Sherreka supports Lowe’s Pro Sales, leading a team of HR professionals and providing strategic leadership to develop a people strategy that executes on key business initiatives.
Novant Health Dr. Abayomi Agbebi
Infectious Disease Physician, Novant Health Infectious Disease Specialists-Salisbury Dr. Agbebi provides remarkable care at NH Infectious Disease Specialists in Salisbury. He is Board certified in infectious disease and wound care and has a master’s degree in Public Health.
Dr. David Baker, III Jesse Dozier
Maintenance Technician Jesse Dozier is a Maintenance Technician and has served INLIVIAN for 31 years. He has an outstanding performance, superior dedication, exceptional service and a positive attitude.
Johnson C. Smith University Terik Tidwell
Executive Director, Smith Tech-Innovation Center Terik develops and manages partnerships and programs to ensure inclusive innovation through JCSU’s STEM Innovation Initiative. He is Board Chair of the African American Community Foundation.
Family Care Physician, Novant Heath Michael Jordan Family Medical Clinic Dr. Baker, III is a bilingual family physician who is passionate about partnering with patients of all ages and backgrounds to achieve their full potential and working to address inequity in Charlotte.
Saad Ehtisham
Senior Vice President and President of Novant Health Greater Charlotte Market Saad is the President of Novant Health Greater Charlotte Market and NHPMC. Saad is a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives and holds an MHA and MBA from TWU.
Tammy Jones
Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Tammy, a global marketing executive, is responsible for leveraging the power of storytelling, consumer insights and May-June 2021 | Pride Magazine
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digital innovation to elevate NH’s brand experience and deliver on the promise of providing remarkable healthcare.
Tamara Smith
Vice President, Community Engagement Tamara is responsible for ensuring that Novant Health’s reputation is strengthened through proactive, intentional, and strategic social responsibility programs, health equity and upward mobility programs, and community partnerships.
Premier, Inc. Allison Golding
Vice President, Employee WellBeing and HR Operations In addition to her human resources responsibilities, Allison leads the activities and manages the coordination of ten Employee Resource Groups.
Stacy Mason
Vice President, Employee Relations Stacy leads the employee relations team and is a Champion for diversity initiatives, serving on the Employee Resource Groups and is a primary contact for Diversity partners like Pride Magazine.
Pride Magazine Tye Feimster
Distribution Manager Tye, with 15+ years with Pride, is responsible for distribution of the magazine. He also handles accounting and payroll, provides photography, website and social media support and works behind the scenes on events and programs.
Pride Public Relations Nepherterra Best
Director and Chief Communications Officer A co-founder of Pride Public Relations, Nepherterra’s PR acumen and highly developed skills as a strategist and tactician have positioned the organization to effectively serve governmental, corporate and nonprofit entities.
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Rodgers Builders James Clayton
Senior Director, Diversity and Community Development James’ responsibilities include outreach and prequalification of MSWBE and HUB trade contractors and helping them build their capacity. He also engages with organizations that promote the utilization of MSWBE and local businesses.
Conroy Parchment
Construction Manager Conroy leads the onsite project operations staff during the preconstruction and construction phases of a project and oversees all phases of construction, working closely with teammates to accomplish the project goals.
Self-Help Credit Union Donnetta Collier
Senior Financial Coach Donnetta leads the financial capability work in the Charlotte Region. With 30 years of experience, she is uniquely qualified to provide financial coaching and workshops to help the underserved achieve their financial goals.
Truist Bank Rondell Gaddist
Vice President & Business Banking Relationship Manager for the Metrolina Region Rondell manages a large lending and deposit portfolio of businesses across the Charlotte Market. As a top performer, he is a Truist Performance Award recipient.
Len Lopez
Senior Vice President Division Investment Director, Truist Wealth Len leads a team of investment professionals for the central and western divisions of Truist Wealth and serves as the co-enterprise lead for the Hispanics Organizing Purpose & Engagement (HOPE) BRG.
Lissa J. Miller
Senior Vice President/Chief Supplier Diversity Officer Lissa is responsible for working with Truist lines of business and functions to expand the utilization of qualified minority, women, veteran, disabled, LGBT-owned and small businesses.
UNC Charlotte Byron White, Ed.D.
Associate Provost, Urban Research & Community Engagement Dr. White is a transformational leader who works to connect UNC Charlotte and the community through research, collaboration, and engaged scholarship to help build a thriving, inclusive region.
WCNC Juanita Barrett
Sales Account Manager Juanita is the key point of contact for clients after ad solutions are sold. She coordinates the fulfillment process to ensure clients achieve the desired business results.
Michelle Boudin
U.S. Bank Ashley Cumberbatch
Vice President, District Manager Ashley oversees consumer banking operations and digital strategy. She is passionate about building and serving a diverse customer base and making a difference personally and with her team.
Jeffrey Gatica
Vice President, Community Affairs Manager Jeff spearheads community engagement, corporate contributions and strategic partnerships that are aligned with community needs and the bank’s commitment to supporting family financial stability and building sustainable and equitable communities.
Jasmine Johnson
Affordable Housing Strategy and Operations Project Manager; U.S. Bancorp Community Development Corporation Jasmine supports strategic initiatives and operational improvement within the Affordable Housing business line. She also serves on the Advisory Committee for Freedom Communities, which supports investments in the Northwest corridor.
Investigative Reporter Specializing in investigative journalism, Michelle is a key part of the station’s “Where’s The Money” franchise helping consumers and businesses solve problems.
Stephanie Mackey
Brand Manager As part of a diversity and inclusion group, Stephanie leads the development of programs designed to drive meaningful and lasting change and create a culture where everyone is valued.
Larry Sprinkle
Weather Anchor Larry reports the weather at WCNC. When not on TV, he often serves as a fundraising auctioneer for community events and has helped raise over $12M in the past 20 years. P
James McDuffie
Community Lending Area Manager for the Mid-Atlantic Region James’ focus is boosting home ownership within diverse communities and ensuring that U.S. Bank provides attention and support to consumers fairly and consistently.
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