GOLDSBORO, N.C. – Jacqueline Kannan has been selected to serve as the new executive director of the Foundation of Wayne Community College.
Kannan, a Goldsboro native, is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communications with a concentration in public relations. She also earned a master’s degree in public administration from UNC-Chapel Hill.
Early in her career, Kannan worked for the North Carolina governor’s office, the State Board of Elections, and the Housing Authority of the City of Goldsboro. She also spent several years working for the American Red Cross and the Disaster Tracking Recovery Assistance Center in Thailand, delivering aid programs following the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.
Kannan is no stranger to WCC. She served as WCC’s marketing and recruiting specialist from 2012 to 2015, until she transitioned into fundraising and development roles. Additionally, her father, Jack Kannan, was the Foundation of WCC’s executive director for 20 years.
The Foundation of WCC is a nonprofit organization that works to broaden the base of community support for educational opportunities at the College. It funds program and facility enhancements, provides employee recognition, offers cultural programs for the community, and awards scholarships.
Kannan said she loves being back at WCC and getting to follow in her father’s footsteps. “I feel like I have grown up with this Foundation and have a connection with its mission,” she shared. “I love how it has come around full circle.”
Most recently, Kannan worked as the development director of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Wayne County and then became the executive director of the Wayne Memorial Hospital Foundation in 2020. In this role, one of her noteworthy accomplishments was overseeing the development of UNC Health Wayne’s Diabetes HealthCheck program, the first diabetes prevention program of its kind in Wayne County.
Kannan is the past chair of the Wayne County Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, is a member of the Kiwanis Club of Goldsboro, and serves on the Southeastern Cancer Care Board of Directors, the Wayne County Livestock Development Foundation Board of Directors, the Military Affairs Committee, and the Skill Creations Board of Directors.
As she spoke with students during her time as WCC’s recruiter, Kannan learned that many of them are concerned with being able to afford higher education. “I had those conversations in my previous role here when I was working to recruit students to our campus, and now I get to assist them by having solutions for the financial burdens or barriers that they might face,” she said.
Kannan believes that WCC’s efforts to produce capable and educated students will help strengthen the community, and the Foundation of WCC will continue to support the College in its endeavors.
“By offering scholarships, we’re able to provide students with opportunities they might not have otherwise had,” Kannan said. “I can’t see anything more rewarding than working for the organization that is going to help raise money so that we can send students to school and set them up to be successful in life.”
