	The Women's Forum of North Carolina, Inc.

2003 Young Adult Leadership Award Results

November 15, 2003

Each year since 1987, the Women's Forum has honored a young North Carolinian between the ages of 18 and 35, who has demonstrated leadership in improving the lives of North Carolinians, especially female. The Forum is pleased to announce 2003 YALA finalists and the award recipient. Congratulations to all four of these exceptional young women.

More about the awards.

YALA Winner for 2003

Charletta Sims is a native of Mt. Olive, NC. She was graduated from Winston-Salem State University with a BA degree in therapeutic recreation. She accepted a position at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in DC where she practiced as a certified therapeutic recreational specialist. After earning her MED from Bowie State University, she worked as a therapist for students with emotional challenges and physical disabilities in the Prince George’s County School System. She returned to Raleigh in 1999 accepting a position at St. Augustine’s College as an Admission’s Counselor. Her next position was with Shaw university as a University Counselor. In 2001 she became the Director of Commuter Life and Diversity Programs at Meredith College. Currently she coordinates programs and services for commuter students and diverse populations.

Charletta serves at secretary of the Raleigh Wake WSSU Alumni chapter. She has volunteered with the Eastern NC Make-A-Wish Foundation and currently volunteers with the Meredith Reads Program in the Wake County Public School System. She holds the position of Member at Large on the NC College Personnel Association. She serves on various committees at Meredith College including the newly established Diversity Council.

YALA Finalists for 2003

Beth Messersmith is the Co-Director of a new non-profit organization, Democracy North Carolina (Formerly a project of Democracy South). Beth served for a year and a half as a field organizer and training coordinator with Democracy South. She has also worked as a marketing specialist for Big Brothers Big Sisters and a conflict resolution intern with the Carter Center. Awards include the Harry S Truman Fellowship for pursuit of graduate work in public service and a U.S. Department of Education Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowship for the study of Swahili. She was graduated from Furman University in Greenville, SC with a BA in Political Science and holds a Master of Public Affairs degree from Indiana University. Beth is a member of NC Voters for Clean Elections, a coalition working to pass a public financing option for elections in NC. She serves as the Raleigh/Wake County AAUW Public Policy Chair and is a member of the Board of Women United. Beth is married and lives in Durham with Jamey, her husband.

Norma H. Montague, CPA is the Department Chair for the Business Technologies program at Central Carolina Community College in Sanford, NC. She has six years teaching experience at the college in the areas of accounting, business and marketing. She has done adjunct work for Campbell University. Recently she has expanded into teaching business courses in her native Spanish language. Norma directed the NC Community College System’s Accounting Technology Curriculum Improvement Project (CIP) through curriculum change and implementation planning, the development and field-testing of on-line accounting courses and professional development. Norma received her BA and Master of Accounting from NC State. She is a CPA in NC and previously worked at a public accounting firm in the areas of audit and taxation. She is a Certified REAL (Rural Entrepreneurship through Action Learning) instructor. She is an active member of NCACPA. Norma is married and expecting her first child in January.

Colleen Stack is a recent graduate of Duke University. While a student she worked as a Student Programmer and Peer Education Programmer in the Office of Sexual Assault Support Services at Duke Women’s Center. She was an active participant on the Duke Sexual Assault Policy and Procedure Review Committee. Colleen volunteered with the Healthy Devils Peer Education Program. Her work has been recognized with the Lighthouse Award in Peer Education. Other awards are the Peer Educator of the Year Award and the William J. Griffith University Service Award. She currently works as a Health Communications Specialist for the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s National STD and AIDS Hotlines. Her future plans include becoming an OB/GYN physician at a women’s health clinic. Colleen enjoys reading, painting and her dog, Niko.

YALA Committee	YALA Judges
Chair, Delores A. Parker Rebecca F. Brownlee Annette D. Hawkins Mary A. Peterson	Angela D. Coleman — 2002 YALA Winner Lisa Rowe-Ralls — Community Representative Mary A. Peterson – Women’s Forum Member

The Women's Forum is an invitational, non-partisan organization of diverse women leaders of proven influence dedicated to working together to achieve equality and maintain social, economic and political power for women.

Last modified:
17-Aug-2005