Alumni Association announces new board members

The East Carolina University Alumni Association announced the addition of five new members to its 28-member board of directors. The new board members will play an active role in guiding the efforts and initiatives of the association, which reaches more than 170,000 ECU alumni worldwide.

The East Carolina University Alumni Association recently inducted five new members to its board of directors. (Photo contributed by ECU Alumni Association)

• Karen Correa ’92 from Mickleton, New Jersey, received her Bachelor of Science in biology from ECU. She is the senior director of clinical operations for Adare Pharmaceuticals, serves as an editorial board member of Clinical Leader, and is a board member for CAMcare Health Corporation in Camden, New Jersey. Correa said she sees serving on the alumni board as an opportunity to give back to the university that gave so much to her. She wants to help spread the word about ECU so that more people from the New Jersey area consider it as an education option.
• Dr. Christopher Heery ’06 from Durham received his medical degree from ECU’s Brody School of Medicine. He is the chief medical officer for Bavarian Nordic and head of the clinical trials group for the Laboratory of Tumor Immunology and Biology for the National Cancer Institute. He also serves on the Clinical Trials Research Advisory Board for BSOM. “I hope to see Brody and the Greenville community benefit from a stronger commitment to clinical trial research over the next five to 10 years,” he said.
• Mr. Adam Keen ’05 ’08 from Wrightsville Beach received his bachelor’s degree in business administration and his MBA from the ECU College of Business. He is an active supporter of the college and the ECU Miller School of Entrepreneurship as well as an alumni volunteer for admissions. He is a partner at Tidewater Equity Partners LLC. “I am grateful for the opportunity to serve as a member of the board of directors and I look forward to working alongside my fellow board members as we help connect and engage past, present and future ECU Pirates,” Keen said.
• Tara Parker ’99 ’02 ’06 from Greenville received her bachelor’s degree in exercise and sports science, a Master of Arts in education and a master’s degree in administration from ECU. She works as a school administrator with Pitt County Schools and serves on the Pitt County Schools Discipline Task Force. She has previously served on numerous councils and boards serving Pitt County Schools, Pitt Community College and ECU.
• Valerie Tarte ’98 from Wilmington received her bachelor’s in nursing from ECU. She works with the UNC-Wilmington School of Nursing to teach BSN students the core concepts of leadership and management for professional nursing. She also serves as a clinical instructor for senior nursing students at Cape Fear Community College and is an active supporter of her local Girl Scout troop. “Although I graduated from ECU over 20 years ago, I knew it was time to give something back,” Tarte said. “I am thrilled to become a part of such a committed board. I cannot wait to start building lasting relationships as well as getting into the dynamics of creating new events for our alumni.”

Heath Bowman, associate vice chancellor for alumni relations, said the board of directors is critical to meeting the alumni association’s mission to inform, involve and serve members of the ECU family.
“The alumni board provides the university with invaluable insight, and each member’s expertise and experience helps us advance our mission,” he said. “I’m excited to welcome our new board members and look forward to their future contributions to ECU.”
Board members serve three-year terms and meet four times a year. The board strives to maintain a diverse and inclusive membership made up of graduates from the many colleges at the university. The board will help provide leadership through advocacy and education and ensure an environment which is open, inclusive and sensitive to the university’s diverse alumni base.
 
-by Erin Shaw, University Communications