YAC announces 2019 Forty Under 40 inductees

Winston-Salem State University’s Young Alumni Council (YAC) has announced the Forty Under 40 Class of 2019.

The program recognizes young WSSU alumni who are committed to social justice, equity, education and community empowerment through their careers and volunteer activities, exemplifying WSSU’s motto of  “Enter to Learn. Depart to Serve.”

Honorees will be recognized at the Forty Under 40 Alumni Awards Gala at the Benton Convention Center in downtown Winston-Salem on Saturday, April 13. All proceeds from the event will benefit scholarships for WSSU students.

This year’s class includes alumni from a variety of industries, including business, healthcare, law enforcement, sports, education and journalism. 

This year’s nominees are:

• Brandon Akinbiyi ’12, photojournalist and entrepreneur, WPLG Local 10 News in Miami
• Dr. Juanyetta Beasley ’03, nursing director, Cone Health
• Ca’Vette-Latice Buford ’07, licensed esthetician, TTJ Enterprises in Fulton, Maryland
• Montavius Carson ’10, systems engineer, U.S. Department of Treasury
• Greg Colleton ’08, operations director, Redux Contemporary Art Center
• Kia Colleton-Livingston ’03, 07, adult nurse practitioner, Veteran Affairs Administration
• Tieshia DuRant ’05, ’14, family nurse practitioner, OptumCare

• Tish Forney Guerin ’05, director of player wellness, NFL’s Carolina Panthers
• Latasha Fuller ’14, transition specialist/advocate, LIFE Skills Foundation
• Dr. Tenille Gaines ’04, licensed psychologist and interim associate director of counseling, Michigan State University Counseling & Psychiatric Services
• LaToya Greene Lindsey ’04, associate director of athletics, University of Mount Olive
• Cameron Hamlin ’00, criminalist supervisor, Miami-Dade Police Department
• Amber Harper Lewis ’01, supervisor of outpatient rehabilitation, WakeMed Health and Hospitals
• Ashanti Holley ’02, principal, Perth Amboy Schools in New Jersey
• Samone Houston Graham ’06, assistant principal, Mooresville High School
• Kamille S. Jones ’01, HR analyst, Duke Energy
• Nathaniel Jones ’09, business owner and hair stylist, Nathaniel Jaye Salon in Winston-Salem
• Quentin Jordan ’02, business owner, AllDay Fitness in Dunellen, New Jersey
• Candace LaRochelle ’02, director of revenue cycle operations, Richter Healthcare Consultants
• Lori Lawson Poag ’06, business owner, Something BARowed Candy Bar Stations in Greensboro
• Dr. Tanesha McCauley ’07, family medicine physician, in Highland Park, Michigan
• Kendell McKoy ’01, trooper first class 2, Georgia State Patrol
• Alexandria Miles ’11, disability services researchers and Ph.D. candidate, International Society of Wheelchair Professionals
• Sgt. Ebony B. Moore ’05, master deputy, Guilford County Sheriff’s Office
• Elerod Morris ’12, ’16, founder and IT director, Bee Geek Inc.
• Jamerian Myles ’10, owner and operator, Chick-fil-A Glenwood Place in Atlanta
• Crystal Pellom ’06, child first program clinical supervisor, Coastal Horizons Center in Wilmington
• Tim Pulliam ’06, TV journalist, ABC 11 in Raleigh-Durham
• Aries Richardson ’03, portfolio manager, Bank of America Merrill Lynch
• Tiffany Richmond ’06, recruiter, Credit Karma; host/producer, The Culture Shock Podcast
• Stephanie Robinson ’06, attorney, Law Office of Jessie A. Jeffers in Raleigh
• Capt. Shana Sallee Goner ’09, commissioned officer in the Signal Corps, U.S. Army
• Shawanda Spencer ’11, ’15, CEO, Premium Direct Medical in Charlotte
• Marketa Taylor ’05, adult geriatric nurse practitioner, United Health Group/Optum
• Colette Waddell ’12, physical therapist, Atrium Health
• Lauren Waters Jones ’11, executive director, Propel Productions Center
• Tiffany Williams ’08, project coordinator, Gramercy Research Group
• Dr. Kimberly Willis Bennett ’00, psychiatrist and business owner, Northview Psychiatric Associates; UNC Rex Healthcare; Nuventra Pharma Sciences
• Alexandra Stevens Witherspoon ’02, family medicine physician and business owner, Palmetto Health USC Medical Group and university Family Medicine/Precision Vet Claims
• Sherrod Wood ’06 , assistant vice president, client service consultant, Abbott Downing in Winston-Salem

This is the fourth class selected in the biennial alumni program. A call for nominations was announced in September.

For more information, including tickets and sponsorship information, please visit the Forty Under 40 page.

WSSU’s Young Alumni Council (YAC) was established to strengthen the connection and participation of young alumni to the university, providing specific support, programs and engagement opportunities for WSSU alumni who have graduated since 2000.