Community News

LOCAL BRIEFS: BRCC leaders, railroad club Fourth of July event, SkillsUSA winners, cadet honored

Pictured, from left, are Blue Ridge Community College team members who completed community college leadership programs over the past year: Crystal Bradshaw, Kerby Placak, Shawn Moore, Benjamin Rickert, Dr. Sarah Parlier and Kate St. Jacques. [RICH KEEN/BRCC]

By Lightning Reports, Published: May 31, 2026

BRCC employees finish leadership programs

Blue Ridge Community College is recognizing six employees who recently completed state and regional leadership development programs designed to strengthen collaboration, professional growth and leadership across North Carolina’s community college system.

“I am incredibly proud of these employees and their commitment to personal and professional growth,” BRCC President Laura B. Leatherwood said. “Strong leadership is essential to the future of community colleges, and each of these graduates brings talent, dedication, and a deep commitment to student success. Their willingness to grow, collaborate and lead will continue to strengthen Blue Ridge and the communities we serve.”

This spring, five Blue Ridge employees graduated from the 2025–26 Western Community College Leadership Academy, a regional professional development partnership among Blue Ridge Community College, Haywood Community College, Isothermal Community College, McDowell Technical Community College, Southwestern Community College, Western Piedmont Community College and Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College.

BRCC’s 2025-26 academy graduates included Crystal Bradshaw, success coach; Shawn Moore, supervisor of facilities and maintenance at the Health Sciences Center; Dr. Sarah Parlier, director of teaching and learning; Kerby Placak, continuing education program and operations specialist; and Kate St. Jacques, recruiter and customer relationship management system manager.

At Blue Ridge, Human Resources Director Lorri Allison served as the program’s campus lead.

In addition, Benjamin D. Rickert, BRCC’s director of marketing and communications, graduated from the 2026 North Carolina Community College Leadership Program, a six-month statewide leadership initiative hosted by the Belk Center for Community College Leadership and Research at N.C. State University.

Arboretum chief honored as Society of Landscape Architects Fellow

Drake Fowler, executive director of the North Carolina Arboretum in Asheville, has been elected to the 2026 Council of Fellows of the American Society of Landscape Architects, the organization announced last week.

ASLA Fellows are recognized for their exceptional contributions to the landscape architecture profession and society at large. Election to the ASLA Council of Fellows is among the highest honors the organization bestows on members and is based on work, leadership, knowledge and service, the professional society said in a news release.

Fowler has led the North Carolina Arboretum since 2024, following a decade serving as the organization’s CFO and deputy director. Prior to joining the Arboretum, he managed operations for Design Workshop, a global landscape architectural firm. He served as president of the North Carolina chapter of the ASLA in 2024.

“The profession of landscape architecture has given so much to me. I am honored to be elected as a Fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects,” Fowler said. “I am humbled to be among such amazing talent. The other professionals in this esteemed group are staunch defenders of the Earth, promoters of great design and advocates of equality through universal design.”

“The 2026 Class of ASLA Fellows represents the very best of our profession — leaders whose work strengthens communities, advances environmental stewardship, and expands what landscape architecture can do for people and places,” ASLA President Brad McCauley said. “Their careers reflect a deep commitment to design excellence, service, innovation, and the power of our profession to create healthier, more equitable, and more resilient communities. I am proud to celebrate these Fellows, their leadership, and the lasting impact they continue to make.”

ASLA Fellows will be elevated during a special investiture ceremony at the 2026 Conference on Landscape Architecture in Los Angeles, Sept. 16–18.

Railroad club hosts Fourth of July event

The Apple Valley Model Railroad Club will host a train-oriented Independence Day exhibit from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, July 4, at the Historic Train Depot, 650 Maple St.

There will be a diesel locomotive with a crew from the Blue Ridge Southern Railroad. The crew will answer questions about the locomotives and railroading today.

The train club has indoor exhibits of railroad memorabilia and an operating HO gauge layout depicting towns in Western North Carolina that had train service from the 1950s to mid-1960s. There is an outdoor G gauge railroad depicting gravel and timber operations in Western North Carolina in the early 1900s. Kids can run HO scale models of Thomas the Tank Engine and Emily.

Narrators will tell the stories of the railroad in Canton, Asheville, Black Mountain, Hendersonville and of course the famous Saluda grade. Visitors can try finding all the items in a scavenger hunt or try typing Morse code on a 100-year-old telegraph.

An N-scale model railroad club just across the tracks from the Depot will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The depot and N-scale model will be open rain or shine. There is no admission to either club, although donations are welcome.

Crash-repair team excels at SkillsUSA meet

Four Blue Ridge Community College students earned high marks — including first place in three events — at April’s SkillsUSA state SkillsUSA winners Kareem Abdellatif, Kedric Lemaster, Rodney Hayes and Blake Lee pose with their medals in the automotive shop at Blue Ridge Community College. [RICH KEEN/BRCC]competition in Collision Damage Appraisal and Automotive Service Technology. First-place finishers were Kareem Abdellatif in Collision Damage Appraisal (post-secondary, college level), Kedric Lemaster in Automotive Service Technology (post-secondary, college level) and Rodney Hayes in Automotive Service Technology (career and college promise, high school level). Blake Lee placed fourth in Automotive Service Technology (career and college promise, high school level). Abdellatif, Lemaster and Hayes advance to the SkillsUSA National Leadership & Skills Conference, June 1-5, in Atlanta.

DAR chapter honors Cadet Gracie Hartley

The Joseph McDowell Chapter of Daughters of the American Revolution presented the 2026 DAR JROTC Award to West Henderson High School student Gracie Hartley on May 1 at the Hedrick Rhodes Veterans Center.

Pictured, from left: NC State National Committee Chair Sharon Horan, Cadet Major Gracie Hartley, and Nancy Funston, Chapter National Defense Chair.The presentation was made by Chapter Regent Dorsa McGuire and Col. Robert Sentell. Also attending were Sharon Horan, N.C. State National Committee chair, and Nancy Funston, Chapter National Defense chair, NCSDAR.

Cadet Major Hartley serves as Battalion Executive Officer — second in command — and manages the Battalion staff in accomplishing assigned tasks. She has won the JROTC Academic Achievement Award and is a Career and Technical Education Scholar. Hartley is a member of the JROTC Archery Team and HOSA (Future Health Professionals). Outside of JROTC, she works as a CNA at Flesher’s Nursing and Retirement Home in Fairview. After high school, she plans to attend South Piedmont Community College to study sonography.