Two CAES alumni, Michael S. Regan and Dr. Frankie Jones, are blazing distinguished career paths that have made news this month in areas of leadership and advocacy.
Dr. Frankie Jones, center, flanked left-to-right by Dr. Shirley Hymon-Parker, interim dean, and Dr. Richard Robbins, CAES facilities coordinator, at the dedication.
Jones of Phoenix One Enterprise, who was responsible for several thousand dollars’ worth of student scholarship and corporate in-kind donations from a national retailer, visited the CAES last week to dedicate a new student collaborative research study area. He also touted his roots in agriculture and his experiences at A&T.
“It gives me great pride to be able to say—and I’ve said this to the chancellor—that the “A” in A&T stands for agriculture,” said Jones, who bought and resides on the Alamance County farm that his family once worked as sharecroppers.
Meanwhile, Regan, North Carolina’s new secretary of the Department of Environmental Quality, has garnered extra attention as an A&T alumnus with a bachelor’s degree in earth and environmental sciences.
Regan was named by Gov. Roy Cooper on Jan. 3, to head the state agency that leads and protects the quality of the state’s air, land, water, coastal fisheries, and the public’s health. After a round of legislative committee hearings, Regan’s nomination was finally approved by the N.C. Senate earlier this month.
Regan has also worked for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under the administrations of presidents Bush and Clinton, and also most recently served as the associate vice president of U.S. Climate and Energy and Southeast regional director of the Environmental Defense Fund.
The CAES has been cheering the news of Regan’s confirmation, as well as basking in words of encouragement and financial support from Jones – the owner of Phoenix One Enterprise. Jones was at C.H. Moore on April 19 to help administrators officially christen the collaborative student research area, made possible because of $12,000 worth of furniture donated by national furniture retailer Rooms To Go. The No. 1 independent furniture company provided new sofas, tables and chairs in lounge areas of C.H. Moore and Sockwell Hall in which students can gather, study and meet for discussions.
The donations are part of the company’s long-term strategic plan to create environments conducive to student-centered learning at premiere academic institutions. Jones, who has a relationship with the privately-held, south Florida based company, made sure that the CAES specifically benefited from the donation. In addition to the furniture donation, Jones and Phoenix One endowed a $2,500 scholarship for CAES student leader—Gabrielle Jones—and will continue a scholarship in that amount for the next several years.
As he was here for the dedication, Jones also showed some unvarnished support of the CAES, A&T and the university’s status as a historically black university (HBCU).
“There’s a tremendous need for our HBCUs. If our schools don’t address the needs of the disenfranchised and under-served young people among us, then who’s going to do it?” Jones told an audience of students, administrators and faculty gathered at C.H. Moore. “We need to embrace our mission and not be apologetic about it. We have a mission to go out and help others.”
