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Morning, gang.
Today we’re bringing you two stories of leadership transition.
First, we caught up last week with Greensboro’s new Mayor Pro Tem, Marikay Abuzuaiter. She’s strongly considering a mayoral bid but is not yet ready to announce anything officially. In the meantime, we talked with her about the “bittersweet” experience of taking over the pro tem position from the late Yvonne Johnson, tension over the vote to elect her, and what the position means for her future.
We’re also bringing you what you need to know about Bennett College President Suzanne Walsh’s stepping down this June. As P.R. Lockhart reports, Walsh was essential to stabilizing Bennett and getting the small, historically Black women’s college on the road to recovery post-pandemic.
Let’s get into it.
–Joe Killian
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A Conversation with Greensboro’s New Mayor Pro Tempore
When Marikay Abuzuaiter was elected Mayor Pro Tempore earlier this month, it was bittersweet.
The position was held by Abuzuaiter’s friend and mentor Yvonne Johnson until her death late last year. When the vote for Johnson’s replacement became a question of race, it got even more uncomfortable.
Read the full story here.
–Joe Killian
Read this newsletter online or contact The Thread team with tips and feedback at greensboro@theassemblync.com.
Walsh Stepping Down as Bennett College President
After six years at the helm of Bennett College, President Suzanne Walsh announced last week she’s stepping down later this year. Walsh’s tenure has been transformational for the small, historically Black women’s college, which was on the brink of closing before she took charge.
In 2019, Bennett was nearing the edge. The campus was mired in a financial crisis that put the school’s accreditation status at risk. Enrollment was down and the retention rate after freshman year was poor.
Those issues led to a groundswell of public and alumni support. But the college needed a new leader. In June 2019, the school announced Walsh, a nonprofit leader with experience managing large foundations and fundraising efforts, would take over.
“She was very, very strategic in terms of thought process and addressing what the issues were,” said State Senator Gladys Robinson, a Bennett alum and Chair of the Board of Trustees when Walsh was selected.
Six years later, Walsh leads an accredited college supporters say is more stable and much further down the road to recovery. Still, Walsh said last week, there is much left to do.
“We have moved from survival mode to becoming an attractive investment opportunity for donors and partners,” Walsh wrote in a January 10 resignation letter submitted to Bennett’s Board of Trustees.
Walsh is the second Guilford-area college president to announce a departure so far this year. Guilford College President Kyle Farmbry announced his resignation earlier this month.
Given Bennett’s financial troubles in recent years, Walsh’s decision could be read as part of a growing national volatility in higher education, particularly at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs).
But that’s not how those who worked with Walsh see it. In Walsh, Robinson said, the school found a transformative leader who helped revitalize campus operations, a capable fundraiser who turned instability into growth, and a mentor to the young Black women who comprise much of the student body.
“Suzanne has done a phenomenal job,” said Robinson.
Walsh’s tenure encouraged young women to transfer to Bennett, Robinson said—including the senator’s own granddaughter.
“She stabilized the college,” Robinson said. “The college is at a point where another academic leader, or a non-traditional leader, if necessary, can come in and have a level playing field to continue that great work.”
During Walsh’s tenure, the school pivoted to a “minimester” model that broke the traditional semester into smaller units. That made it easier for students to decide how much time they wanted to spend in the classroom. Enrollment numbers are still far lower than they were before the pandemic. The college went from 534 enrolled students in the fall of 2019 to 180 in the fall of 2024, according to the school. At the same time, student retention has increased from the 50 percent range to more than 85 percent, a shift that a Bennett spokesperson attributed to “intentional long-term changes to our recruitment strategy,” including an increased focus on support services and wellness initiatives.
Bennett also expanded its partnerships with the city of Greensboro, other historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), and national organizations. Walsh was appointed to several boards and advisory committees during her presidency, including the Department of Homeland Security’s Academic Partnership Council and the “America is All In” climate initiative.
As one of just two women-focused historically Black colleges, Walsh also focused on using Bennett to advance causes for Black women more broadly. That included increasing support for student mothers and responding to a student-led movement for more campus mental health resources available to women across Greensboro.
“President Walsh came to Bennett College during a critical period and instilled not only fervent hope but a foundation of sustainability that will be part of her legacy,” Cassandra Jones Havard, Chair of Bennett’s Board of Trustees, said in a statement.
With her exit, the college faces a new challenge: figuring out how it will continue to build on the foundation she leaves. There are still a number of needs on campus, Robinson said, including more residential housing, renovations to campus buildings, and growing the school’s endowment.
Walsh will remain in office until the end of June. The Board of Trustees is beginning its search for a new president and will partner with a search firm on the process. An interim president will be chosen and work with Walsh until her departure, taking over until a national search for the college’s next leader is complete.
“The interim president will focus on managing costs, boosting revenue, maintaining positive enrollment trends, and continuing to improve operational efficiency and facility productivity,” said Havard.
— P.R. Lockhart
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What We’re Reading
Meet the New Boss: Carolina Public Press has a new managing editor.
Mike Kernels left the News & Record earlier this month to join the non-profit newsroom. Kernels — or Colonel Mike, as he was affectionately known in the N&R newsroom — was an award-winning writer and key member of the editorial staff at the local daily for many years. Read all about his new gig here.
A New Year Tragedy: Nearly two weeks after 26-year-old Laequan Little went missing on New Year’s Eve, his body was found in a pond at a Greensboro apartment complex.
Little’s mother said she tried to get police to search the pond, where she says she saw tire tracks she believed belonged to her son’s car. They declined to do a proper search, she said, believing the pond was too shallow. Divers with the nonprofit Rapid Compassion Collective found him just where she’d feared. Fox 8 has the story.
Around the State
The Company Behind ShotSpotter Says It Curbs Gun Violence. But Some Cities Fear It’s An Empty Promise.
Several North Carolina cities have ended ties with the company that uses technology to track gun violence.
How Destin Hall Rose From Humble Beginnings to House Speaker
Hall, the youngest House speaker in 200 years, will have greater influence over the Republican agenda.
Vernon Johnson Seeking Late Mother’s Greensboro Council Seat
The son of the late Yvonne Johnson is planning to run for her at-large seat on the Greensboro City Council.
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