YOUNG ALUMNUS RECIPIENTS

Pamela was born on April 29, 1963 to the parents of Ella Mae Gatling and the late Jessie Bernard Gatling in Pendleton, North Carolina. She is the youngest of five children: Carl, Calvin, Gwendolyn and Phyllis. She is married to Rev. Ronald Taylor and has two children (Reneisha, and Tony, Jr.) and four grandchildren (A’Ziah, Jionni, Xiaden, Jiavana). She has the pleasure of having 5 stepchildren and 5 step grandchildren.

She was educated in the Northampton County Public Schools
graduating in 1981. Pamela participated in the Upward Bound
program with Frank Stephenson, Jr. her junior and senior years
of high school. In that program she was exposed to many places
and things that were new to her. It was during the summer
campus program that she fell in love with Chowan College and
decided it would be a fit for her since she didn’t really want to
leave her mother home alone. She graduated from Chowan with an Associate Degree in Business Administration in 1983. She had the pleasure of receiving work study and working with Dr. Kenneth Wolfskill. Because of the fond relationship she had with the Dr. John and Mrs. Sarah Davis, she was referred to Mrs. Sallie Surface at CADA for a secretarial position with the agency. Pamela worked with the agency for six years and then was hired at Riverview Elementary School under the principalship of Dr. Brenda Tinkham. While at Riverview, Pamela received and answered the call into ministry.

One of the requirements to become an ordained Elder in the African Methodist Episcopal Church at that time was to have a Bachelor’s Degree. Attending Chowan, the first time, she really did not apply herself academically and had to submit a letter for re-admittance. She was accepted and re-enrolled at Chowan in 2000 and obtained her degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Small Business Management in 2002. She was nominated for student of the month March 2001 and her advisor was Mrs. Dorothy Wallace. The article was featured in the Chowan Today Summer 2001 edition. She was on the Dean’s List Spring Term 2002. She served as one of the speakers for Day of Chowan in 2000. She had the honor of giving the benediction at her graduation. She currently serves on the Chowan Ministerial Board. She found herself back with Choanoke Area Development Association, Inc. where she was instrumental in starting the Parent to Parent program for Northampton County funded by Smart Start for parents in the Gaston Housing Authority Apartments. The program targeted families with children prenatal – kindergarten and provided child development activities in their homes. She continues with this program now called Parents as Teachers and serves Hertford and Northampton Counties.

After learning of the Ordained Minister’s Grant at Chowan, she applied and was accepted in 2011 and was also a CCSA recipient. She graduated in 2015 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Religion. This degree was for her personal growth and it truly was rewarding. She was a Harris Scholar and traveled to London to study abroad. Pamela was ordained an Itinerant Deacon in 2000 and an Itinerant Elder in 2002. In 2001, she was appointed as Pastor of Oak Chapel AME Church in Warrenton, NC where there was only one remaining member (Ms. Zula Jones) from Fayetteville, NC. With the help of the North Carolina Conference, the community and her family, they were able to get some repairs done and reopened for worship. In 2003 she was appointed as pastor of the Macedonia/Oak Grove AME Church Circuit where she currently serves. While serving as pastor of the Circuit, many renovations have been made to the properties and outreach programs implemented. God has truly been amazingly good to Rev. Taylor and it is yet to be seen all that He has in store for her.

Born and raised in Kenya, East Africa, Debra is the daughter of Rev. Dr. Nicholas the Pastor of Forestville Baptist Church in Wake Forest, NC and Joyce Maingi. Maingi has two sisters and two brothers: Nancy, 32, Jimmy, 26, Melissa, 24 and Jamie, 13. Maingi graduated from Chowan University in 2012 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. During her time at
Chowan, Debra served as a vital part of the International Students Club with advisor Jill Awuni. She was the Program Director for two years and the Vice President her senior year. In her time she helped direct the club’s yearly Multicultural fashion show, volunteer events at PAWS, and planning a Coat Drive for the local elementary school to help the students prepare for the winter months. Maingi’s involvement in the club is one of her biggest successes during her college journey ultimately offering her an opportunity to polish her leadership and management skills.

Her time with the International Students Club allowed Maingi to forge relationships with not only fellow classmates but also to establish a community in Murfreesboro. Maingi states that her skill of establishing business acumen, knowledge to the tasks, and problem solving was gained under Awuni’s leadership and guidance.

As a student, Maingi was also a Leadership Scholar recipient. Within her duties she participated in Chowan Scholarship days and multiple mission trips to areas such as Asheville, NC, Richmond, VA and made a dual visit to East St. Louis.

Maingi’s passion for mentoring and leading was sparked through her time with the women’s Bible study as their facilitator in both Belk and Simons Residence Halls. This allowed for her to rema in close to her religious background a nd to continue the University’s faith endeavor.

Since graduating from Chowan University in 2012, Maingi has maintained a relationship with the university where she is a current member of the Alumni Council and an avid supporter of the Annual Fund. Within the council she has helped host a round table discussion for aspiring business managers for the School of Business and has also been the guest speaker for the International Student Club Spring Conference at Fort Caswell. In 2014, Maingi was named a Distinguished alumnus by the University for her continued work with the university.

Maingi is currently a Branch Manager for Wells Fargo Bank in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. She has been with the company for 5 years and has previously been a successful Outbound Sales Specialist, Personal Banker and Service Manager for the fortune 500 company. In her role as a Branch Manager she manages, coaches, interviews, and trains current and future team members. She is also responsible for helping with the development of team members within the company to increase engagement and morale. Maingi was recently promoted to a higher-level Branch Manager role where she will transition in mid- October with the banking giant. Outside of her profession, Maingi enjoys working with the Alumni Council, taking part in her father’s church, reading, traveling, and spending time with her family and friends.