Members of the Southeast District of NCCEAPA met on Friday, July 11^th at the N.C. Cooperative Extension – Onslow County Center. President Emoni Burgess presided over the meeting. Secretary, Erin Richey, led the Roll Call and Parliamentarian,  LaToya Lucy, verified that a quorum was reached.

Before the meeting began, Onslow County Extension Director Jessica Gardner welcomed the SED NCCEAPA members to the Onslow County Center.

CALS librarian Hillary Fox delivered the professional development presentation. Her presentation focused on the library's services, how to identify credible information, Google tips and tricks, and tips on navigating YouTube. Fox highlighted various services and information that are valuable to our association and Cooperative Extension.

For lunch, attendees enjoyed a “build your own sandwich or salad” buffet.

Membership Committee Chair, Betty Draughon presented the membership report which shows:

• Active Paid Members: 33
• TERSSA Members: 16
• Honorary Members: 18

An Honorary Membership Nomination for Laura Danyce Dicks has been approved at district level. The State Board will vote on this at the next state meeting. The SED Membership Committee revised their guidelines and were voted on. Notebooks to be used as new member gifts have been purchased for our district with the remaining President’s funds per Emoni. Betty ordered the notebooks and brought them to the meeting so each current member could receive one and new members will receive one in the future.

Standing Committee Reports

Crystal Pope-Jones, Public Relations Committee Chair, presented a summary for this year’s service project. Sampson and Brunswick County successfully collected and delivered food to their local food banks. Recommendations were given for future initiatives including: Earlier Planning, Targeted Outreach, Specific Needs List, Volunteer Recruitment, Partnership Expansion and Visual Documentation

Under Old Business, Betty Draughon, Membership Chair said that NCCEAPA notepads were ordered and everyone would receive one. She would hold onto the rest of the order and send them out to new members going forward. A pen order was put on hold for now.

Lynn Raynor, District Advisor, presided over the Induction Ceremony of new officers. They included:

• District President – Dominique Greene
• District 1st Vice President – Kareis Britt
• District 2nd Vice President – Debbie Titus
• District Secretary – Crystal Pope-Jones
• District Treasurer – Joel Fulton (Year 2)
• District Advisor – Emoni Burgess

Awards

The Administrative Professional of the Year Award was presented by Lynn Raynor to Dina Murray from Carteret County.Emoni Burgess, President, presented Unofficial Awards and a raffle to conclude the meeting. Award recipients include:

• The GEAR Award presented to LaToya Lucy
• The Paperclip Award presented to Lynn Raynor
• The G.O.A.T Award presented to Erin Richey-Daynes
• The Perfect Point Committee Award presented to the Membership Committee: Betty Draughon, Erin Richey, Dina Murray, Wanda Bell, and Debbie Titus

After the meeting, attendees were invited to enjoy a self-guided tour of the Discovery Gardens, which is maintained by the NC State Extension Master Gardener Volunteers of Onslow County.  This 4-acre public garden features a pond, walkways, a children's garden, and more.

The next SED NCCEAPA meeting will be held at the Robeson County Extension Center on November 7th, 2025.

The SED NCCEAPA Facebook Group has been created and members are encouraged to join!