Linnie S. Carter, Ph.D., APR
When Linnie S. Carter, Ph.D., APR, refers to ‘hitting it out of the ballpark’, her clients, colleagues 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. She and her team routinely hit home runs on projects for clients.
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For more than 30 years, Carter has honed her stellar work ethic with roles in public relations, communications, fundraising and higher education. She is currently the president and CEO of Linnie Carter & Associates LLC (LCA), 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.
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In addition to running her own company, Carter serves as the vice president of college advancement at a community college and is part of a cooperative with other women 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."
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Carter’s efforts and professional success have not gone unnoticed, and clients continue to give her firm top accolades for its work. A client of LCA, said, “Linnie Carter and her staff are the most knowledgeable, trusted and high-performance professionals I (and others) have encountered in the public and private sectors.”
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LCA provides a wide range of strategic services.
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When asked about the accomplishments of her company, Carter proudly describes a project. "A higher education client had asked us to serve as their public relations department while they searched for new staff. Over a two-month period, LCA produced more than 25 written pieces for the client. The writing we provided was diverse, including news releases announcing special events and new programs and website content that showcased high-achieving students and community award winners. We also created student profiles, features for local newspapers and correspondence for college administrators. Most importantly, the feedback that we received from the client was excellent," she says.
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When asked how she successfully juggles serving as a community college vice president and managing a company, 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 has extensive experience in higher education administration.
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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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A result of Carter’s hard work and professional success has been recognition by her peers.
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Throughout all of her professional effort and its ensuing success, Carter has been committed to giving back to her community.
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Carter 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."
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For more information about Linnie Carter, please visit her website, DrLinnie.com, and her company’s website, www.linniecarter.com. The company website also showcases Carter’s blog, In the Loop with Linnie, where readers can glean Carter’s thoughts on a wide variety of industry and academic topics. Any of these sites can also connect to Carter personally, and she encourages individuals and businesses to contact her and learn more about how she might assist them or their organization to “hit it out of the ballpark” on their next project!