Elizabeth City State University (ECSU) has named a diverse group of nine leaders in fields ranging from finance, and healthcare to aviation and county government to serve on the ECSU Board of Visitors. This board is a volunteer advisory organization which advises Chancellor Karrie G. Dixon and serves as an advocate for the university. Board members are appointed by Chancellor Dixon based upon their knowledge and experiences in specific academic fields or their broad expertise, ability to influence financial support, and willingness to give time and commitment to ECSU.
The new members are:
Gayle Crosby, an ECSU alumna, serves as Loan Operator Manager for Triad Business Bank. Before joining Triad Business Bank, she served at a community bank in Greensboro, N.C., for 20 years. For more than a decade, she has also served in several civic organizations in the Triad Region, including Sharpe Road Church of Christ and Silhouettes of Greensboro Alumni Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.
Bridget Ellis has served in higher education for more than 35 years, most of which has been in the financial aid profession. She is currently an Outreach Director for ECMC, a non-profit Federal Guarantee Agency, where she manages the implementation of products and services for the Project Success federal initiative for participating Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs). Ellis is an advisor to Project Success school presidents, chancellors, and others on campuses to help them select and prioritize the Project Success services.
Hope M. Foote is a Partner in the Financial Services Organization Assurance practice of Ernst & Young LLP (EY) in Charlotte, N.C. She has 27 years of experience providing audit services to a broad spectrum of public and private companies. Foote has spent 10 years in EY’s Richmond office and 13 years in the company’s Philadelphia office. She is a Certified Public Accountant and is licensed in the state of North Carolina and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.
Tammie Hall-Roberts serves as the Assistant County Manager for Community Prosperity and provides executive leadership countywide for Library Services, Cooperative Extension Services, Veteran Services and Supplier Diversity teams. Previously, she served as the lead of the Office for Historically Underutilized Businesses (HUB) and Assistant to the Secretary for HUB Outreach for the State of North Carolina. Hall has over 25 years of government experience and spent eight years as a Congressional Policy Advisor.
Keenon M. James is Senior Director of the Everytown Survivor Network, a nationwide community of gun violence survivors advocating for safer neighborhoods, victims' rights and sensible gun laws. For over 20 years, James has been at the forefront of policing and criminal justice reform campaigns. He served as the Deputy Director of the North Carolina Sheriffs’ Association, Deputy Director of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE), and Program Officer at the Pew Charitable Trusts’ Public Safety Performance Project. He managed President Barack Obama’s Policing Practices and Accountability Initiative at the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Community Oriented Policing Services.
Corey Kellam is a First Officer for United Airlines. He studied aviation science and flight education at ECSU and graduated in 2013 with the distinction of being the first student in the history of the university to attain both flight credentials and a degree in aviation science. After earning his degree, Kellam became a certified flight instructor for Liberty University in Virginia. He is also the first ECSU graduate to become an airline pilot, as well as the first African American ECSU graduate to become a captain for any airline.
Tru Pettigrew is a celebrated author, an engaging speaker, a committed community leader, and an award-winning marketing executive with over 20 years of experience at the nation’s top advertising and marketing agencies. Currently, he serves as the Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer for the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Minnesota Lynx. Pettigrew is also the founder and President of Tru Access, a community bridge building consultancy.
James Donte’ Prayer, an ECSU alumnus, is a healthcare, human rights, equality and social justice advocate. He is the HIV Program Manager for The Center for Black Health & Equity, Director of NC AIDS Action Network’s Health Access and Founder of R.O.L.E. Models, a nonprofit that utilizes fashion as a tool for health promotion to influence health equity, awareness, and advocacy among the Black community. Prayer previously served as the Chair of the Collaborative Council for Statusboiz and Statusgurlz, a University of North Carolina at Charlotte research study. He is currently affiliated with an HIV Prevention Trials Network Vaccine Study as a Researcher.
Dewayne Washington II is a Banker for J.P. Morgan. In 2019, Dewayne began working at J.P. Morgan Private Bank in Miami, Florida. Prior to that, he worked at Citi Bank in New York, thus accumulating five years of Wall Street experience. Throughout his career, he has worked closely with entrepreneurs, athletes, entertainers and company executives. He provides his clients with extensive advice relating, but not limited to, pre-transaction planning, investment allocations, and insurance guidance. Washington is actively engaged in community boards and organizations, including the Young Alumni Leadership Council at the University of Miami and the Philanthropy and Engagement Alumni Strategic Design committees at Ravenscroft School in Raleigh, N.C.
