For District 17 member Shirley Coble, there is no more outstanding SEANC member than her friend, mentor and stepmother, Jeannette “Jenny” Dean also of District 17.

“When I went to work for the state, one of the first things she told me to do was to join SEANC, and I did,” Coble said.

And, she said, she wasn’t the only person Dean recruited into SEANC during her more than 30 years at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

“She probably got more people to join SEANC than just about anybody,” Coble said.        

But the best part about Dean, Coble said, was that she didn’t just recruit members and stop there, she worked hard to take care of her fellow state employees. For example, she said, Dean, who served on SEANC’s Retiree Council, worked to help much of the housekeeping staff at UNCG maximize their retirement benefits.

“Nobody else stood up for them like she did,” Coble said. “I don’t know what we’d do without SEANC and I don’t know what I’d do without her.”

Her impact at UNCG was such that when she retired from her secretary position in the School of Education, her retirement party had to be held in one of the largest reception halls.

“They had it in a huge room and everybody came. The room was filled,” Coble said. “She did so much for so many people.”

And even today, she said, Dean, at age 88, is still an active SEANC member who has attended every convention since she joined 30 years ago.

“She’s just so fabulous and I can’t think of anyone who deserves this recognition more,” Coble said.

Do you know a fellow SEANC member who works hard for the state and the association? Help us give them the recognition they deserve!

Send us their names, tell us something about them and include a picture if at all possible. Email your nomination to Communications Specialist Matt Whittle or call (919) 833-6436.