Black Alumni Weekend
Speakers & Panelists
Kenny Bethea
James “Kenny” Bethea ’86 was born and raised in Lumberton, NC, and is a proud alum of Guilford College. Kenny attended Guilford until the last semester of his senior year when he decided to join the military. He is a proud disabled veteran, who served as a United States Army Pilot Cohorts {7th Infantry Division (Light) – Light Fighter} that changed modern day warfare for the Army.
Now a resident of Prosper, Texas, Kenny is a seasoned professional Program Management/Architect, with over thirty-five years of helping businesses, individuals and sports organizations improve their processes and procedures, saving them millions of dollars. His current role at Citigroup is in Program Governance, reporting as a Vice President.
Previously, Kenny served as an architect with Anthem, the parent company for Blue cross Blue Shield, for 12 years— leading projects as large as 30 applications valuing up to $30 million dollars in project budget.
Kenny holds a BA from DeVry University in Business Administration, a master’s in business and a master’s in project management from Keller Graduate School. He is also a certified Project Management Professional and a Certified Scrum Master.
Kyle Farmbry
Dr. Kyle Farmbry began serving as the 10th President of Guilford College on Jan. 1, 2022. Previously, Dr. Farmbry was Dean of the Graduate School at Rutgers University-Newark. Before joining the faculty of Rutgers, he taught at the University of Texas at San Antonio, San Diego State University, and Grand Valley State University. In 2017-18, Dr. Farmbry served as an American Council on Education (ACE) Fellow. In this role, Dr. Farmbry worked with the Vice-Chancellor (President) of the University of Pretoria in South Africa and examined university-based innovation and the implementation of the University of Pretoria - Mamelodi Campus’ anchor institution strategy. In May 2016, Dr. Farmbry launched the United States-South African Higher Education Network, an effort aimed at building enhanced collaboration between higher education institutions in South Africa and the United States. Dr. Farmbry received his B.A., M.P.A., and Ph.D. degrees from The George Washington University. Dr. Farmbry completed his J.D. degree at the Rutgers University School of Law.
Charlene Green
Charlene Green, MD is a retired board certified anesthesiologist who has dedicated her career to serving the people of North Carolina through health equity and policy changes and is now committed to advocating for women's empowerment as the co-founder of Gold Rice Communications LLC along with her partner Allison Mathews, PhD. Our company’s first major initiative is called 2nd Shift Playbook, which is focused on addressing the “second shift” of home and family responsibilities that women are often expected to juggle and navigate along with their professional careers.
Dr. Green is a native of Baltimore, Maryland who earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Chemistry from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1985. In 1989 Dr. Green obtained her Doctor of Medicine from the University of Maryland. In medical school, Dr. Green was one of 12 students in her year selected for the Combined Program of Psychiatry Program (CAPP) which enabled her to spend the summer of 1986 at Guy's Hospital in London England in a training program. Dr. Green was also one of two medical students who received Honors in Biochemistry. Dr. Green completed her medical internship CA-1 year at Sinai Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland from 1989-1990. Dr. Green completed her anesthesiology residency at Duke University Medical Center and in 1994 completed a Pain Medicine Fellowship at Duke University Medical Center. Dr. Green is a Diplomat of the American Board of Anesthesiology, Board Certified, April 1996, and a Diplomat of the American Board of Anesthesiology, Board Certified, Pain Medicine, September 1998.
Dr. Green is a graduate of the Cone Health Physician Leadership Academy in 2018 in partnership with the Center for Creative Leadership, Greensboro, NC.
Toiya L. Hancock
Toiya is an educator with nearly three decades of experience in the field. The Philadelphia native graduated from Guilford College in 1993 with a double major in Elementary Education and Psychology. She taught for eight years in the public school system as a 3rd and 5th grade reading specialist and spent her summers working with The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards as an Assessment and Development Trainer. In 2008 , she merged her education expertise with her goal of entrepreneurship, starting her consulting company, Triad Education Development LLC and became the first African- American Kumon franchisee in North Carolina. Fifteen years later, Toiya has provided educational support and coaching to over 450 students in the Triad and surrounding areas.
Toiya has a master’s degree in organizational psychology from Williams James College; has served as president of the BAGC since 2016 and is a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated.
Tonya M. Handford
Tonya M. Handford, MA is the Founder and Executive Director of A Legacy of Hope Inc. a community driven, non-profit organization dedicated to inspiring healthier communities by connecting women and families with necessary resources to build a brighter future for individual and families in our communities.
Born and raised in New Jersey, Greensboro NC became her second home in 2004. It was there that she continued her education at Guilford College and obtained a dual degree in 2010. Shortly thereafter, Tonya pursued a master’s degree from Liberty University and graduated in 2013. In addition to operating A Legacy of Hope Inc, she is the proud mother of four adult children and a very proud grandmother of four.
After years of contemplation and having the goal of launching a non-profit organization in effort to service her community, A Legacy of Hope Inc. was founded in 2018. In October of 2019, the organization became a fully formed 501(C)(3) organization with great support from her community, family, and friends.
David Hopkins
David Hopkins is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Urban League of Greater Hartford, a not-profit 501(c)3 whose mission is to promote racial equity through economic empowerment for Black Americans in Connecticut.
Since joining the agency in January 2019, Hopkins has grown the budget from a declining $980M in 2018 to $2.9MM in 2024 through aggressive fundraising and cost management, strategic partnerships, and expanded programming.
David majored in Economics and minored in Sociolgy and Computer Programming at Guilford. He earned his MBA from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business, and has a certification in Nonnprofit Leadership from Boston College.
Jacqueline King
Jacqueline King began her career with Edward Jones in 2007, after her previous 17 years of experience in financial services where she served as a corporate operations manager responsible for 74 loan offices in five states, which included overseeing compliance on a federal, state and local level. She's a graduate of Fayetteville State University, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology. In addition to securities and insurance licenses, she holds the Accredited Asset Management Specialist designation. She is also Certified John Maxwell Speaker and Coach.
As a Rotarian and Chaplain, she volunteers in the community and support my local church and other nonprofit organizations. She serves as a resource and mentor for other business professionals. She conducts numerous financial workshops and life coaching sessions across the country throughout the year. She has held several appointed positions within Edward Jones including Women's Advisory Counsel and African American Advisory Board. She has been quoted in such national publications as Investment News and Black Enterprise. In 2020, She was elevated to the role of regional leader, responsible for supporting over 60 branch teams in Guilford, Alamance and Rockingham counties. In 2021, she was honored to be named a principal partner of our Fortune 300 firm.
In her free time, she enjoys traveling the world and spending time with her family.
Ashlee Wiley Lewis
Ashlee is a senior philanthropic trust advisory specialist and senior assistant vice president within the Trust Services division of the Wealth & Investment Management division at Wells Fargo Bank N.A. Ashlee has over 20 years in nonprofit development, philanthropy, and community building. Formerly, Ashlee served as a strategist for a regional health system, and as a consultant and small business owner. She has served as a senior development officer at Greensboro’s local community foundation, as marketing and development director for nonprofit service agencies, and has worked in university advancement.
Ashlee earned a Bachelor of Arts from University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Masters in Strategic Public Relations from The George Washington University, and a Juris Doctor from North Carolina Central University School of Law. She is a member of the NC Bar Association and Greensboro Bar Association. She has held membership in NC Council of Charitable Gift Planners; Society of Financial Service Professionals; Association of Fundraising Professionals; and Association of Black Foundation Executives. She volunteers as an advocate with Administer Justice legal aid clinic, through her local church, as board member of PDY&F and Gate City Charter Academy, and through membership with Women to Women Foundation, Greensboro Future Fund, and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
Allison Mathews
Dr. Allison Mathews serves as the co-founder of Gold Rice Communications LLC, along with her partner, Dr. Charlene Green. Their first major initiative is called 2nd Shift Playbook, an online community focused on addressing the “second shift” of home and family responsibilities that women are often expected to juggle and navigate along with their professional careers.
She is also founder and CEO of Community Expert Solutions, Inc., which uses technology, social marketing and community engagement to innovate clinical research engagement for underrepresented groups. She specializes in integrating technology, social marketing, community engagement and social science to examine the intersections of race, class, gender, sexuality and religiosity on HIV-related stigma and to innovate clinical research engagement and access to health care for underserved populations.
She previously served as Executive Director of the Gilead COMPASS Faith Coordinating Center and Research Fellow in Faith and Health in the School of Divinity at Wake Forest University. During her tenure as Executive Director, she and her team have launched the North Carolina HIV & Faith Ambassador Program, which boasts 50 faith leaders and 10 medical providers and the Black Faith & HIV Initiative, which awarded more than $3 million to 95 Black and Latinx-led organizations across the US South; created a national online database of faith-based organizations providing HIV services; and created a network of more than 1000 faith communities committed to address HIV stigma.
She earned her BA in Sociology from Howard University and her MA and PhD in Sociology from UNC-Chapel Hill. She completed her postdoctoral work at UNC-Chapel Hill in the Department of Social Medicine and the Institute for Global Health and Infectious Disease.
Ruth Watakila
Ruth Watakila is a dedicated real estate broker with prior experience in Training, Operations and Project Management. With a proven track record of success, consistently ranking in the top 16% of top performers in the Berkshire Hathaway Home Services Network, she is committed to helping clients find their dream homes, navigate life changes with home sales, and make sound investment decisions in the Triad area.
Her passion for this area extends beyond her work, as she supports community programs and has served as a member of the Board of Trustees, Parents' Association President, and currently in an advisory role to the Parents’ Association at her daughter’s alma mater. She has facilitated bike drives for her organization in support of the Children’s Home Society and food drives for The Greensboro Urban Ministry.
Outside of her professional endeavors, Ruth finds joy in spending quality time with loved ones, including family, friends, and colleagues. She has a deep love for travel, constantly seeking to learn about new places and diverse cultures. Additionally, Ruth is an avid supporter of volleyball, a passion that was ignited by her daughter.
Reggie Wilson
In 2021, Reggie Wilson was selected to take over the role of Provost for the North Campus of Pasco-Hernando State College in Brooksville. Provost Wilson served as acting provost of the North Campus and the associate dean of academic affairs and retention services for nearly one year prior to his current appointment. Prior to his six years as the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, at the PHSC North Campus, Wilson served as the assistant dean of student affairs at PHSC’s West Campus, from 2011-2013.
As a native Floridian from Daytona Beach, Provost Wilson, has demonstrated his value in higher education for over two decades. He has served students and communities, while being employed at several higher educational institutions, in Florida and in North Carolina in the areas of academic affairs administration, student affairs, and has worked as an adjunct professor.
Wilson earned his bachelor’s degree in history at Guilford College in North Carolina and a master’s degree in education with a focus in curriculum and instruction from the University of Phoenix. Provost Wilson is currently working on his Doctor of Education with a focus on educational leadership.