Bennett College News January 12, 2012 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: WANDA MOBLEY -336-517-2267 History-Maker Makes History at Bennett College (GREENSBORO, NC) Gwendolyn Keyes Fleming, Regional Administrator for the United States Environmental Protection Agency's Southeast Region (Region 4), will once again make history as she and President Julianne Malveaux sign the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Bennett College on the campus of Bennett College, Thursday, January 19, 2012. This 11:00 am ACES program will be held in the Annie Merner Pfeiffer Chapel and is free and open to the public. The signing of the Memorandum is the culmination of three years of work conducted by Professor Valerie Johnson, Mott Distinguished Professor of Women's Studies and Director, Africana Women's Studies and Ms. Ilona M. McGriff, Director, External Relations and Career Services. Through the MOU, Bennett College and EPA express their intention to build a cooperative working relationship in areas of mutual interest over the next two years. Areas of cooperation include but are not limited to: Exploration of the development of an institute (or "a center") at Bennett College dedicated to the scholarly examination of environmental justice, globalization, leadership and sustainable entrepreneurship; EPA technical support for Bennett's Sustainable Campus Community Initiatives (Grow Green: Get Fit Garden of Hope, Energy Audit program, healthy lifestyles, recycling initiatives, health literacy, intergenerational greenhouse project) and other related initiatives; EPA technical support for environmental education to the campus and surrounding community; and EPA technical support for greening of our historically registered buildings. Fleming was appointed by President Barack Obama as the Region 4 Regional Administrator in September 2010. She is the first African American to hold this position in Region 4; however, this is not the first time she has made history. Fleming took office as the DeKalb County District Attorney in January 2005 making her the first African-American and first woman ever to serve in that post. Before being elected in November 2004 as the DeKalb County DA, she was DeKalb's Solicitor-General. She made history in that post as the first African-American, first woman and the youngest person ever elected as Solicitor-General in DeKalb County. Fleming earned a bachelor's degree in finance from Douglass College, the all-women's college affiliated with Rutgers University. She earned her law degree from the Emory University School of Law. She is a former president of Emory Law School's Alumni Association, has served as an Emory University School of Law adjunct professor and received the institution's Distinguished Alumni Award in 2007 among other legal honors. She has been featured in various newspapers and magazines and has appeared as a guest commentator on In Session, a national TV show about criminal trials that airs on truTV, a CNN property. The Atlanta Business League selected her as one of Atlanta's Top 100 Black Women of Influence and Ebony featured her in its March 2000 issue as one of "21 Women to Watch for the 21st Century." In March 2001, Gwen was inducted into the Douglass College Alumna Hall of Fame for her contributions to the law and the community. She is the youngest alumna to be so honored in the college's history. For more information, contact the Office of Public Relations/Communications at 336-517-2267 or wmobley@bennett.edu. SANDRA M. PHOENIX Executive Director HBCU Library Alliance sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org> www.hbculibraries.org<http://www.hbculibraries.org/> 404.592.4820 Skype:sandra.phoenix1 1438 West Peachtree Street NW Suite 200 Atlanta, GA 30309 Toll Free: 1.800.999.8558 (Lyrasis) Fax: 404.892.7879 www.lyrasis.org<http://www.lyrasis.org/> Honor the ancestors, honor the children.