NC-HCAP News

Majette Appointed Interim Executive Director
of the North Carolina Health Careers Access Program

12.04.06

CHAPEL HILL – Patrena Benton Majette has been appointed interim executive director of the North Carolina Health Careers Access Program (NC-HCAP) at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Since 2003, Majette has served as the associate director for development, evaluation and new initiatives and chief operating officer. In this role, she supervised professional and support staff and structured office procedures to ensure effective, efficient, and productive management based on program priorities and changes. She also provided fiscal management and oversaw the collection, dissemination, and evaluation of NC-HCAP program data and new program initiatives. Additionally, she worked in collaboration with constituents to develop a series of program components to facilitate a sustainable educational training model for student exposure and enrichment in the health care professions.

She began her seven-year tenure with NC-HCAP in 1996, serving as the recruiter/assistant communications specialist and the NC-AHEC liaison/NC-HCAP recruiter. Prior to her return to NC-HCAP, she coordinated pre-college and college summer programs for the UNC School of Medicine/Office of Special Programs and held an adjunct-faculty appointment with Durham Technical Community College.

“Health disparities and the underrepresentation of minority and disadvantage students in graduate and health professional programs continue to be critical issues in our state and nation. For 35 years, NC-HCAP has worked to impact these areas,” says Majette. “I have served in various capacities throughout my tenure with the organization. I feel privileged to have the opportunity to continue to contribute to these efforts. It is a humbling experience to follow in the footsteps of the outstanding leadership that has preceded me.”

Through a variety of innovative programs and activities geared toward minority and educationally and/or economically disadvantaged students – from elementary to graduate school – NC-HCAP works to increase the number of underrepresented individuals trained, educated and employed in the health professions.

Majette earned a bachelor’s degree in communications studies at UNC and a master’s degree in adult education at North Carolina A&T State University. She is currently pursuing a doctorate degree in leadership studies at NC A&T.

She succeeds Dr. Carolyn M. Mayo, who led NC-HCAP since 1990. Mayo recently became the chair of the Department of Communication Disorders at NC Central University.

For more information about the North Carolina Health Careers Access Program or its programs and services, contact (919) 966-2264 or visit the Web site at http://nchcap.unc.edu.