Cassidy Edwards Joins NC State Executive Education Team

Cassidy Edwards has joined the NC State Executive Education (NCSEE) team as program coordinator. In this role, she is managing NCSEE program logistics, from conception to completion and after, helping to assure a quality experience for participants and presenters alike.

Ashley Black, who has served as NCSEE program manager for the past six years, is transitioning into a new role as assistant director, focusing on the development and management of client relationships, said Dan McGurrin, NCSEE director.

Edwards brings to her new role prior experience in events management at NC State, first as an event technician with NC State’s Student Centers, where she set up technology for events held at the Talley Student Union and Witherspoon Student Center, and most recently as a reservations assistant with the campus’s Rave! Events office, “scheduling the events that I had previously been setting up,” she said in an email interview with Poole College communications.

She graduated from NC State in spring 2018 with a bachelor’s degree in parks, recreation, and tourism management, focusing on tourism and commercial recreation, and completed a minor in business administration at Poole College.

“I really enjoyed the courses I took in Poole College – especially a human resources course,” Edwards said, adding that throughout her undergraduate studies, “I envisioned my career focus being in event management.” Her prior campus roles got her started on that path.

“I wasn’t aware of how I could bring those two interests – human resources and events – together until I learned about Executive Education and this position. I’m getting a lot of great experience now, meeting industry partners, managing logistics for our programs, and sitting in on the programs that we offer. I get to learn every day I go to work, which is a dream,” she said.

Edwards has been in her current role since August 2018, as a temporary employee, and became a full time staff member on July 16.

“With high performance marks in her previous roles at RAVE and University Club, we were confident Cassidy has the maturity and broad skill set required of our Executive Education program managers,” said Dan McGurrin, NCSEE director. “I am excited about our ability to grow with both of these proven professionals leading our deliveries.”

Edwards is building on her prior events management experiences in her new role, working with presenters on their participant materials and needs during their sessions and keeping participants informed of program details.

Her office is in the 2806A Hillsborough Street building, across from Nelson Hall.

“I also want to congratulate Ashley on her acceptance into the NC State Graduate School’s Master of Education in Training and Development,” McGurrin added. “Since joining Executive Education six years ago, Ashley has demonstrated the potential for taking on more significant roles in the development and management of client relationships. Not only do we expect her outcomes from this program to provide support for her advancement, but also to bring immediate benefits for our current clients through her studies and research into the latest techniques in adult learning.”