27 Graduate from Chamber’s 2023 Leadership Carteret Program
What an amazing 10 weeks it has been! The Leadership Carteret class of 2023 (best class ever!) graduated Wednesday after 10 weeks of listening, learning, exploring and expanding their horizons.
The class traversed the county from Cedar Island to Cedar Point, making dozens of stops in between. They heard from local leaders who shared their experiences, their mistakes, and their best advice. They saw how quickly and willingly our community will stand up in support of an amazing program like Leadership Carteret. Most of all, they built relationships with their classmates; they heard from other points of view; they forged new partnerships; they discovered new opportunities.
At graduation, the class presented on four philanthropic projects they’d taken on as part of the program’s mission to teach leadership through service. This year’s class projects included providing a BBQ dinner for Hope Mission, restoring summer camp cabins at Camp Albemarle, collecting nearly 1000 new “Books for Littles” with the United Way, and bagging oyster shells for living shorelines with NC Coastal Federation.
The class voted for Lewis Stroud, Dean of Student Services at Carteret Community College, to deliver the class graduation speech. Stroud reflected on the diversity of strengths class members brought to the table, and closed his comments with a Seussian poem crafted specifically for the occasion.
After Stroud’s remarks, Leadership Graduation speaker Kirk Dominick, President and CEO of the World Federation of Youth Clubs, spoke to the crowd about his journey from juvenile troublemaker to Boys Club director to Boys & Girls Clubs executive vice president and beyond. His take-home message: true leadership starts with putting the right people in the right place while coaching them and caring for them.
The ceremony concluded with the issuance of Leadership Carteret diplomas, presented by Chamber President Tom Kies and Leadership Carteret Facilitator Wendy Routson.
Congratulations to all 2023 graduates!
The Class of 2023
Planning Director, Town of Atlantic Beach
Asst. Maintenance Director, Emerald Isle Realty
Chief Communications Officer, Carteret County Public Schools
Long Term Maintenance Coordinator, Emerald Isle Realty
Dean of Student Services, Carteret Community College
Facilities Manager, Carteret Community College
Vacation Planner, Emerald Isle Realty
Town Clerk, Town of Atlantic Beach
Councilman, Town of Morehead City
Chief Financial Officer, Emerald Isle Realty
Homeowner Services, Emerald Isle Realty
Town Manager, Town of Beaufort
Portfolio Manager, CAMS
Project Coordinator, Carteret County Government
Broker in Charge, Fonville Morisey Barefoot
Service Manager, First Citizens
Broker, Realty World First Coast
Board Chair, Carteret Partnership for Children
Marketing & Program Development Manager, Carteret County Chamber of Commerce
Director, Carteret County Health Department
Litter Campaign Coordinator, Carteret County Economic Development
Executive Director, The Bridge Downeast
Mission Manager, Hope Mission
Director, Carteret County Department of Social Services
Front of House Manager, SoundSide Restaurant
VP of Finance & Administrative Services, Carteret Community College
General Manager, Island Grille and SoundSide Restaurant
Leadership Carteret would be impossible without the the local governments, organizations, businesses and volunteers who gave their time, space, and financial support to the Class of 2023. We are truly grateful for you.
Leadership Carteret Sponsors
Big Rock Sports
Black & Tanne Realty Group
Carteret County Association of REALTORS
Carteret County Local Food Network
Carteret County Public Schools Foundation
Carteret-Craven Electrical Co-Operative
Christina Fulcher – Mary Cheatham King Real Estate
Clawson’s 1905 Restaurant & Pub / Aqua Restaurant
Debra Whaley, Attorney at Law
Diamond Bus Company
Duke Energy
Frank Door Company
Jason Holland – Cornerstone Home Lending
Paxon Holz
Robbie Oakes Mortgage Team at CIMG
Waylon Bell – Methodist Church, Morehead City
Leadership Carteret Facilitators
Alan Leary, Amanda Johnson, Anne Schrott, Christina Fulcher, Dee Smith, John Hagle, Julie Anderson, Kristi Mroch, Mary Joe Kaiser, Millie Chalk, Rebekah Murphy, Shannon Adams, Stacy Macklin, Steve Rea, Taylor McCune, Tessa Falcetta, Tom Hussmann, Wendy Routson
Additional Thanks
Beaufort Historic Site
Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament
Bobby’s BBQ
Bogue Sound Distillery
Camp Albemarle
Carteret Community College
Carteret Community Theater
Carteret Correctional Facility
Carteret County Government
Carteret County Public Schools
Chick-fi-la of Morehead City
Chris Yeomans
Class Act Catering
Core Sound Waterfowl Museum & Heritage Center
Crystal Coast Civic Center
Donna’s Deli
Downtown Morehead, Inc
Emerald Isle Realty
Fat Fella’s BBQ & Grille
First Bank
Fishing for a Cure
Fleet Readiness Center East
Fort Macon State Park
History Museum of Carteret County
Honey Baked Ham Company
Hope Mission
Hospice House
Island Express Ferry Service
James Cummings
Jim Normile
Karen Amspacher
MacDaddy’s
Michael J Smith Airport
Monica Willis Smith
Morehead City Marlins
NC Coastal Federation
NC Coastal Reserve and NC National Estuarine Research Reserve
NC Maritime Museum
NC Seafood Festival
Newport Pig Cooking Contest
NOAA
Olympus Dive Center
Parker Boats
Re/MAX Ocean Properties
Rett Newton
Sara Willis
Shortway Brewing Co.
Starbucks of Morehead City
The Banks Grill
Town of Atlantic Beach
Town of Beaufort
Town of Cape Carteret
Town of Cedar Point
Town of Emerald Isle
Town of Morehead City
Town of Newport
Town of Pine Knoll Shores
TransImpact
United Way
US Coast Guard
US Marine Corps
Whiskey Bravo’s Coastal Chophouse
Zaxby’s