Linnie S. Carter, Ph.D., APR

When Linnie S. Carter, Ph.D., APR, refers to ‘hitting it out of the ballpark’, her employer, colleagues, clients and students know that something very special is about to happen. Carter is a seasoned public relations executive, entrepreneur and educator with a renowned work ethic, where excellence is expected and nothing less is accepted.

 

For more than 30 years, Carter has honed her stellar work ethic with roles in communications, fundraising, higher education and public relations:

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• Carter serves as the vice president of college advancement at a community college and leads the community college foundation.

• She is currently the president and CEO of Linnie Carter & Associates LLC, a consulting firm providing public relations, marketing, fundraising and executive services. The company primarily serves institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations, professional associations and small businesses.

• Also, Carter is part of cooperatives with other entrepreneurs.

 

Of her diverse responsibilities, Carter says, "I am a more effective company CEO because of my experience as a college administrator and professor. The skills required by these positions are complementary, and I strive constantly to improve my performance in each."

 

When asked how she successfully juggles her roles, Carter says, "I give a lot of credit for my professional success to my mother. She reared her children to have an extraordinary work ethic. She did not try to paint a rosy picture of the world for us, nor did she buffer us from life. She was loving but also insisted that we never do anything halfway." Carter says that she now lives her mother's advice daily, dislikes the work ethic and habits of lazy people as a result and believes that her exemplary work ethic attracts like-minded colleagues and clients.

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Carter’s successful professional experience is matched by equally impressive academic credentials. She earned a doctorate in community college leadership from Old Dominion University, and she holds master’s and bachelor’s degrees in mass communications from VCU.  She also earned the Accredited in Public Relations (APR) designation from the Universal Accreditation Board.

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Throughout all of her professional effort and its ensuing success, Carter has been committed to giving back to her community. She and her husband elevated their philanthropic efforts by establishing a nonprofit organization, Carter Scholars Inc., in February 2011. This organization provides financial assistance to students who live in the states where Carter and her husband have lived. She says, "A lack of money should never be a barrier for our students not having access to the academic tools that they need to be successful."