We have outstanding news! We have an even stronger team at Light Up Durham due to the recent signing on of Minnie Forte-Brown and Bill Shore as Honorary Co-Chairpersons. Both Minnie and Bill are exemplary people in the Durham community and both are passionately committed to the youth in Durham. We are excited, actually ecstatic to have them on our team! Take a look at the bios of these two individuals below, and you'll see why we know that this is going to be one of our best years ever!

Minnie Forte-Brown is recognized as an exceptional educational giant, gifted master teacher and as a dynamic public community servant as board chair for the Durham Public Schools. She was born in Durham, North Carolina, attended Durham Public Schools and is a proud graduate of Hillside High School. She earned the B.A. (magna cum laude) in Speech and English from Saint Augustine's College and Master's of Education degree (honors) in Speech Pathology and Audiology from North Carolina Central Univeristy. She also participated in doctoral studies (trustee scholar) at Howard University in Theory and Rhetoric in the School of Communication.

Minnie attributes her passion for teaching to the early philosophies of her grandmother, her mother and her father. Her mother, the late Dr. Minnie T. Forte, was indeed a mentor educator and encouraged her daughter to enter the teaching profession. As a faculty member at North Carolina Central University for over 25 years, Minnie is currently an Instructor, master teacher, advisor and coordinator of Speech Communication in the Department of English and Mass Communication. She previously taught at Howard University, Seattle Public Schools, Baltimore Public Schools and in the Washington, D.C. Public Schools. She has served as a visiting scholar and mentor in the "Preparing Future Faculty" (PFF) Initiative at Duke University. Minnie's teaching philosophy is fueled by this quote, "Good teachers inspire, motivate, guide and correct their students without crushing their identity and creativity. They impart more than knowledge; they participate in and shape the lives of their students. I am a part of my students' lives, and they know that my involvement goes beyond the academic experience."

Minnie's professional and community affiliations are numerous. She proudly serves as a national officer for the National School Board Association as a steering committee member for the Council of Urban Boards of Education (CUBE), and co-director of the Racial Isolation Task Force. She hold membership in the North Carolina School Board Association, North Carolina Association of Black School Board Members, and Carolinas Speech Communication Association. She is a lifelong member of White Rock Baptist Church, Durham Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Charms, Inc., C.A.S.T. (Church and School Together),and the National Alumni Association of Hillside High School. Her extra curricular service to the university includes many roles, but most prominent among those are recruitment, retention, advising and presenting to campus organizations.

Her most recent recognitions and achievements include the following: unanimously re-elected for the third year as Board Chair of the Durham Public Schools, 2009 Graduate- Center for Reforming Schools Systems Reform Governance Training, 2008 Today's Woman Public Service Award, 2008 Durham County Women's Commission Notable Woman, 2008 North Carolina Central University College of Liberal Arts Service Award, 2008 North Carolina Central University Quarter Century Commitment and Dedicated Service Award, 2007 Women's History Month Honoree-National Council of Negro Women, Inc., 2007 Women of Vision- Educational Leadership Award, Bennett College for Women National Alumnae Association 2006 Elna B. Spaulding Women in Action for the Prevention of Violence Founder's Award Nominee, 2006 Service to Mankind Award from the James E. Shepard Sertoma Club,2005 Star Studded Citizen's Award Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., 2005 North Carolina Central University Award for Teaching Excellence, 2005 Who's Who Among America's Teachers, Woman of the Year at White Rock Baptist Church.

Minnie is the proud parent of one daughter (Mina) a son-in law (Neill) and two grandsons (Michael and Naszir). She is married to Roger A. Brown.

And now Minnie has yet another "feather in her cap" ... she is Honorary Co-Chair of Light Up Durham!

Bill Shore has overall responsibility for GlaxoSmithKline's US community programs. In this role, Bill is responsible for building relationships with key US external stakeholders and developing GSK's reputation and commitment as an intelligent and responsible corporate social investor. Bill heads up the U.S. Community Partnership's team and serves on the U.S. Corporate Contributions Committee, which determines GSK's corporate social investments in the US, and is a member of the company's Site Leadership Team at the Research Triangle Park, N.C. headquarters.

Mr. Shore joined Glaxo in January 1985 as manager of administrative services. He started the community affairs program in 1987 and has expanded the department's focus from the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill (RTP) area to state and national efforts. He has helped make GlaxoSmithKline a national corporate leader in volunteerism and community involvement.

Bill currently serves as Chairman of the N.C. Communities-in-Schools Board of Directors, Chairman of the Students Affairs Advisory Board at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chairman of the Business Advisory Council for Durham Public Schools, and Chairman of the Institute for a Competitive Workforce (ICW) Board of Directors at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. He also serves on the boards of the Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce, the Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health (in New York), the Advisory Board for the Children's Health Fund (in New York), The Hill Center (in Durham, NC), Chairman of the President's Roundtable for the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (in Washington D.C.), the Kenan Fellows Advisory Board, the Business Civic Leadership Center (BCLC) Board at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the board of Advisors at the Raleigh Chamber of Commerce, the Campbell University Presidential Board of Advisors and the Friends of the Nasher Museum Advisory Board at Duke University.

Bill has also served on the Board of Trustees for North Carolina Central University, the board of Directors for the North Carolina Business Committee for Education, the North Carolina Public School Forum Board of Directors, the North Carolina Center for Public Policy Research Board of Directors, and Chaired the Regional Transportation Alliance in the Triangle area of North Carolina.

Bill also recently served as a member of the Education Leadership Committee which was co-chaired by the State Board of Education and the University of North Carolina System and was a founding member of the U.S. Business Education Network at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Bill has received numerous recognitions related to his involvement in support of Educational improvement efforts. He received the Elna Spaulding Award from the Durham Public Education Network in recognition of his strong support for Durham Public Schools and the "Lever Award" from the N.C. Public School Forum which is the highest award in the State of North Carolina for private support of North Carolina Schools. He was also a recent finalist for the "Jay Robinson Award" which recognizes key individual leaders involved in support of educational excellence in North Carolina and received the "Goodmon Award" from Leadership Triangle in recognition of his role as a leader in the Triangle region.

Bill is married and has two grown daughters and two grandchildren.

And now Bill can add to his impressive resume...he is the Co-Honorary Chairperson for Light Up Durham!