This April marked 10 years since I joined the staff of Chapel Hill Magazine as an assistant editor. I came from Southern Living Magazine, so my editorial scope suddenly narrowed from the entire South to just one county. I wondered, “How on earth are we going to fill an entire magazine six times a year?”
But issue after issue, we’ve shared stories of the incredible people in our community. I even have a separate list dedicated to Women of Achievement contenders, filled with names of women I’ve met and nominations from readers. As my role evolved, so did our community – and the people in it. Now, as editor, I’ve got a 40-page running list of ideas, proving that I had nothing to worry about – and never will.
As I reflect on the past 10 years, so many of those Women of Achievement honorees have had their own growth. Sisters Bridget Pemberton-Smith and Wendy Smith were honored in 2014 for their entrepreneurship. While Bridget is striking out on her own as the owner of Bridges Art Therapy, Wendy was recently appointed the executive director at The ArtsCenter. Jess Anderson, who graced our 2019 Women of Achievement cover when she was a town council member, is now mayor of Chapel Hill, while 2021 honoree Barbara M. Foushee is now mayor of Carrboro. Back in 2017, Gina Kim was a Chapel Hill High School student and a golfer on the rise. In 2023, the Duke grad recorded a season-best T3 in the Portland Classic on the LPGA Tour.
Read on to learn about this year’s class of nine women – educators, community advocates, coaches and more – starting on page 65. I’m honored to celebrate them now and excited to see where the next 10 years take us all. – Jessica Stringer, editor
WOMEN OF ACHIEVEMENT
66 Ashton Tippins
Executive director, TABLE
68 Lillian W. Lee
Retired educator
70 Susana Benites
Co-executive director, ISLA
72 Nevaeh Hodge
Student at Carrboro High School & community activist
74 Carly Erickson
Owner, Boro Beverage Company
78 Tammy Velasco
Owner, Leon + Maeve
80 Shannan Campbell
Planning and economic development manager, Town of Hillsborough
82 Jeanne Langley
Co-founder, Students to Scholars
86 Courtney Banghart
Head coach, UNC women’s basketball
FEATURES
90 Lifelong Learning
Retirees find friendship and enrichment in continuing education
112 A New Look
One couple retooled their home ahead of major life changes
DEPARTMENTS
10 About Town
Events not to miss
26 Noted
What we’ve heard around our towns …
30 What We’re Eating
News from our restaurant community, plus a dish we love
38 Once A Tar Heel …
Hunter Lewis, editor-in-chief of Food & Wine, shares how UNC helped blend his love of food and writing
PEOPLE & PLACES
16 Orange Chatham Association of Realtors Gala
17 Chapel Hill-Carrboro Public School Foundation Gala
18 Chamber for a Greater Chapel Hill-Carrboro Annual Meeting
20 Central Carolina Women in Business Luncheon
22 Webster’s Rock the Hill
24 Manly McCauley Marker Unveiling
ENGAGEMENT & WEDDINGS
124 Presley & Wolf
126 English & Stiffler
127 Putnam & Wiener
128 Cabell & Turner
SPONSORED CONTENT
49 Faces of Chapel Hill
Celebrating the people behind our local businesses
