Greenville Magazine - August 2008 - (Page 33) College of Law. The day Norris received her acceptance letter to law school is one of her happiest memories, but her biggest achievement came in 2006 when she was admitted to the South Carolina Bar and completed her master’s degree within the same three-month period. But Norris knows she wouldn’t have been able to accomplish so much without the help of amazing mentors like Reverend Baxter Wynn or The Honorable Deborah Faulkner. “They have all taken their valuable time to listen, offer positive suggestions and share their knowledge.” It’s this knowledge Norris hopes to one day pass on to other new attorneys by serving as a mentor. Bernie Pritchard vice PresiDent, south cArolinA-lee hecht hArrison Bernie Pritchard has a long list of community contributions ranging from serving on the Board of Advisors at the Cleveland Street YMCA to serving on the Alumni Board of Directors for Leadership Greenville. When he’s not volunteering, the 33-year-old is advising senior leaders of some of Greenville’s largest employers through his position as the South Carolina Vice President of Lee Hecht Harrison. Lee Hecht Harrison is a global human capital services firm that focuses on career management, leadership development and executive career transition. Pritchard imagines big changes in his future, but he hopes Greenville’s big changes don’t affect the community’s quality of life. “[My hope is for Greenville] to have the prosperity of a growing metropolitan [area] without some of the common problems associated with growth. I hope that the integrity of downtown can be maintained and emulated by surrounding cities.” Jennifer Sparks oPerAtion Go AssistAnt Director, chilDren’s ministry AnD sPeciAl events, reDemPtion WorlD outreAch center Ashley Shockley’s long-term goal is to be a world changer. It may seem a little lofty to some, but not to the 25-year-old Greenville native. She runs several programs and ministries at the Redemption World Outreach Center, including Super Saturday, a weekly community outreach targeted towards at-risk children. She also coordinates special events year-round ranging from Holiday Hope to City Fest. Shockley’s motivation is seeing lives changed. “When you can see the fruit of your labor, it makes it easy to come to work,” she says. “To me, nothing in my life compares to making a difference.” Organizing events attended by hundreds of residents and coordinating dozens of volunteers may seem like a great achievement, but for Shockley the accomplishment she’s most proud of in her life is purchasing her first home back in February. Ashley Shockley Whole Foods Market, Sparks contributes to the community by educating people about healthy and sustainable eating and lifestyle choices, seeking out and promoting local farmers and producers and supporting local businesses and nonprofits concerned with environmental issues through such organizations as the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association, the Greenville Organic Foods Organization, Upstate Forever and Trees Greenville. Though she seems to have plenty on her plate, she said her future goals include successfully contributing to the Environmental Leadership Program, a fellowship to which she recently became a member; building up Slow Food USA, the nonprofit she recently founded to promote “good, clean and fair” food; and spending more time enjoying family and friends. Cathy Stevens AssociAte Director, the riley institute At FurmAn university Cathy Stevens is not only a leader herself, but she helps to train other leaders as well through her position with The Riley Institute at Furman University. The Riley Institute hosts programs for high-level leaders, conferences and symposia on emerging public policy issues. Stevens, 29, has spent the past three years working on a massive research project on South Carolina’s public education system that included interviews with nearly 800 people. Stevens has set some big goals for herself: earning a PhD in Education Policy, running a second marathon and growing the perfect crop of tomatoes in her backyard garden. To accomplish all of that and continue her roll as a leader, she’ll likely rely on the support of her mother and mentor, Carol. “She encourages me regularly not to be too stressed by life’s many responsibilities and keeps me focused on the things in life that I truly value.” AUGUST 2008 | Greenville MAGAzine Jennifer Sparks mArketinG & community relAtions liAison, Whole FooDs mArket More than most, Jennifer Sparks truly has been able to capture her passion in the work she does every day. Beyond serving as Marketing and Community Relations Liason for 33
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.