ECU Women’s Roundtable honors 2022 Incredible Women Award recipients

The East Carolina University Women’s Roundtable honored 10 award recipients at a luncheon on Sept. 23.

Established in 2003, the Women’s Roundtable acknowledges the contributions of women to ECU’s legacy and encourages new levels of commitment by women to the university’s future.

The ECU Women’s Roundtable honored 10 deserving alumnae while raising funds for undergraduate student scholarships at its 2022 Incredible Women Award luncheon. (Contributed photos)

The recipients of this year’s awards included Mary Sue Cummings Deaton, Susan M. Durrwachter, Mary W. Earp, Marybeth Petteway Eason, Karen E. Evans, Valerie Madden, Ariana McAuley, Danielle Moinet, Windy O’Connor, and Dr. LaNika Wright.

• Mary Sue Cummings Deaton of Greenville is a two-time ECU graduate — earning both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nursing. She serves as the chief engagement officer of Patient Centered Innovation, a company offering services designed to promote patient, family, caregiver and community-centered care.
• Susan M. Durrwachter of Williamsport, Pennsylvania, is an Emmy-nominated CNN producer. She graduated from ECU in 1985 with a bachelor’s degree in sports medicine and later received her master’s degree from American University.
• Mary W. Earp of Winnabow graduated from ECU in 1958 with a bachelor’s degree in home economics. A community leader in Brunswick County, Mary and her husband, Wilbur, settled in 1960 at Funston Farm, where they adopted cutting-edge enterprises to sustain their farm operation that included a grape vineyard and swine and cattle production.
• Marybeth Petteway Eason of Greenville is an Elizabethtown native who earned an associate degree from Peace College in Raleigh, and bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business administration from ECU. After graduation, she joined BB&T, now Truist, where she is a merchant services marketing and sales enablement manager.
• Karen E. Evans is a North Carolina native who earned her bachelor’s degree in nursing from ECU in 1980. A former registered nurse and U.S. Air Force captain, she serves as a trial attorney with The Cochran Firm in Washington.
• Valerie Madden of Los Angeles graduated from the ECU School of Art and Design in 1991 with a bachelor’s degree in communications arts and graphic design. She is a multi-disciplined entertainment marketing and advertising professional with more than 20 years of industry experience. She is entertainment marketing and advertising creative director at Amazon Studios.
• Ariana McAuley graduated from ECU in 2016 with a bachelor’s degree in political science. She later received master’s degrees in international relations and diplomacy from Schiller International University-Paris and the University of Roehampton-London. She is a senior global strategy and operations consultant for Deloitte Global in New York.
• Danielle Moinet is a Raleigh native who earned a bachelor’s degree in business marketing at ECU in 2006. Moinet is an accomplished actress known for being a World Wrestling Entertainment diva under the ring name Summer Rae, as well as through her nonprofit work for the DTM Foundation that provides services to families with medically fragile children at Duke University and UNC hospitals.
• Windy O’Connor, an award-winning and globally renowned American painter, graduated from ECU in 1990 with a bachelor’s degree in interior design. Based in Charlotte, her passion for art and design developed into a lifestyle brand of textiles, wallpaper, clothing and home accessories.
• LaNika Wright of Greenville received her doctorate in nursing from ECU in 2014. She earned a bachelor’s degree from East Tennessee State University and a master’s degree and certification as a women’s health nurse practitioner from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Wright is associate vice chancellor of health and well-being and the executive director of Student Health Services at ECU.

The Incredible ECU Women’s Luncheon is hosted every three years. Awards are presented to deserving alumnae who have achieved excellence in education, business, health sciences, fine arts, performing arts, public service, media, sports, professional services, and research.

Guests heard a keynote address from Pirate alumnae Jamie Lynn O’Grady ’01 and Sarah Evans ’01 — partners of the award-winning public relations firm, J/PR. Attendees also enjoyed inspirational messages from alumnae and students, updates on university initiatives and opportunities to connect with university and community leaders.

Following the luncheon, the honorees participated in a panel discussion at the Main Campus Student Center Black Box Theater.

The event benefits the Women’s Roundtable Access and Honors College Scholarship Endowment funds, which provide support for undergraduate student scholarships. To make a charitable gift or to learn more about sponsorship opportunities, visit www.piratealumni.com/IECUW22.

ECU is in the public phase of the Pursue Gold campaign to raise half a billion dollars. This ambitious effort will create new paths to success for Pirates on campus, across the country and around the world. Donor gifts during the campaign will keep us constantly leading and ready to advance what’s possible. Learn more at pursuegold.ecu.edu.