Founders Day

Keynote Speaker: Ms. Patrena Rice

Patrena Rice grew up in Hemingway, South Carolina, and graduated from South Carolina State College (now a university) in 1971 with a bachelor's degree in mathematics. She pledged Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, and was pleased to have a work-study opportunity at the well-known Washington Dining Hall.
 
Before graduating, Patrena was recruited by the C & P Telephone Company of Virginia. She graduated at a time when the Bell Telephone companies were actively seeking engineers and recognized that they could greatly benefit from the talent emerging from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).
 
Patrena excelled in her professional career, earning special recognition for designing and developing the nationally and "highly" acclaimed Access Training Program. This program effectively facilitated the understanding of technical aspects and concepts related to telecommunications networks for Regional Bell Operating Companies (RBOCs) and Bell Communications Research (Bellcore).
 
After retiring early to pursue her entrepreneurial ambitions, she created Professional Training and Consulting
(PTC), a firm based in Charlotte, North Carolina, that focuses on enhancing job performance. Her engineering training classes were highly sought by leading communications and media organizations such as the Bells, Sprint, Walt Disney Productions, and IBM.
 
Patrena enjoys talking about one of her favorite topics, finance. So she created a 501C, Making Cents and Managing Money (MCAMM). This afforded opportunities to present various financial seminars to include managing/investing money, investment choices, spending personalities, etc. Through this venue, she was in a position to financially support and encourage many entrepreneurs in their venues. Patrena has been profiled in Fidelity Investment magazine.
 
To further pursue her paid traveling opportunities, Patrena accepted a technical training position with Lockheed Martin. This employment venue involved exclusive training for one of Lockheed Martin's client, The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) of Homeland Security. The assignment involved traveling throughout the US and Guam. After several years of traveling, Patrena decided to retire. Patrena is an active member of Friendship Missionary Baptist Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, where she serves as a deacon and holds various leadership roles. She has a giving spirit, and in 2014 she was inducted in the Thomas E. Miller Society, and she is an active member of the Charlotte Alumni Chapter. Patrena loves to travel and enjoys sharing her experiences with family, friends, and everyone she encounters, as she says, “It’s a joy!”

Honorees

• Ms. Patricia B. Lott, ’63 and ’79, Distinguished Alumna Award
• Mr. Thomas L. Kennerly, ’68 and ’74, Distinguished Alumnus Award
• Dr. Lakeisha Johnson, ’06, Distinguished Young Alumnus Award
• Ms. Patrena Rice, ’71, Outstanding Accomplishments and Achievements Award

Distinguished Alumni Award

• Class of 1969
• Class of 1974
• Class of 1979
• Class of 1984
• Class of 1989