The Greater Statesville Chamber of Commerce announces ROAR line up 

The Leading Ladies of The Greater Statesville Chamber of Commerce are proud to announce that Speaker Hall of Famer, SiriusXM Radio Humorist, and Best-selling Author, Jane Jenkins Herlong will be the keynote speaker at the inaugural women’s leadership symposium, ROAR. On Friday, March 31st at the Statesville Country Club, the day-long event features dynamic female leaders that include Herlong, along with local and regional speakers Cheryl Banks-Barber, Amber Valentine, and Tracy Alston.  

Tickets are $85 per person for chamber members and $110 for non-chamber members. Tickets can be purchased on the Greater Statesville Chamber of Commerce’s website.  

“Attendees are sure to find experiences that resonate with their spirit as well as their personal and professional goals, as we hear from these dynamic, powerful, and 

phenomenal female speakers,” said Dana White, ROAR Symposium Chair. “Our mission for this Symposium is to give you a moment to pause and to find your voice. To learn how to outshine the competition, reach your greatest potential, and transform your life. I know that we’ll all walk away from the day, ROARing with a deeper, enriched vision of who we are.” 

The symposium, sponsored by Leading Ladies of the Greater Statesville Chamber of Commerce, focuses on empowering women in business and other entities through team building exercises and networking, and features four dynamic women speakers, each with her own take on what the empowerment of women means in today’s world. 

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS 

Jane Jenkins Herlong, Keynote Speaker 

The courageous woman is like a giant. She revolutionizes her life in a fearless fashion; she roars like thunder and makes the earth shake. Every day she is determined to continue her journey to discover the best version of herself—to climb the highest mountains and fight falling into the valleys.  

With wit and wisdom, Jane Jenkins Herlong shares her personal journey of self-actualization that will encourage you to travel through life with strength, passion, perseverance… plus a healthy dose of humor!  

Growing up in the tomato fields on her father’s farm, he taught her the value of hard work and honesty. A farmer’s life is difficult for both the farmer and the family. Her mother modeled for her and her family how to use humor to bring levity to a situation, handle harmful emotions, deal with difficult people, and find a healthy compromise. 

Who knew life lessons would be harvested while working in the tomato fields and would springboard Jane (a young girl) who was bullied for dyslexia and being homely, to journey from the rows of a tomato field, to a Miss America runway, to perform at Radio City Music Hall and beyond. Yes’m, it really happened! For years, her professional career has led her to speak and sing all over the world, including Radio City Music Hall and on SiriusXM, Pandora, Spotify and other broadcast stations. 

Yes, awards were received, but Jane wasn’t stopping there. While writing her first book, she reflected on her life and her professional and personal accomplishments. Awards and accolades don’t mean anything unless you can use them to help others. 

Cheryl Banks-Barber 

Cheryl will speak about being a Truth Teller and Truth Seeker. When you Shout, the true Voice comes back around. A True Voice is real and doesn’t change: the Voice of integrity, honesty, courage, faith, love etc.  

She will share her Truth based on her life experiences as a cancer survivor, a woman of color, a caregiver for her aging parents, and a woman of faith. She’s grown into her Truth. We all have our own journey and should speak our Truth to the world. 

Cheryl Banks-Barber is a retired federal law enforcement officer with extensive experience in both the federal and state courts. She served as a Court Services Specialist and Special Offender Specialist with the U.S. Pretrial Division (Western District of North Carolina) in Charlotte. During her federal career, she was often called upon to visit colleges and universities, where she shared her experiences with students and encouraged them to consider careers in public service. A portrait of Cheryl along with the federal magistrate judge and deputy courtroom clerk, hangs in the federal courthouse in Charlotte. She devoted 25 years of service to the federal judiciary until her retirement in 2016. Cheryl earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminal Justice in Sociology from North Carolina State University. 

Amber Valentine 

Allow Amber to take you through the lessons she learned in business and life as she explains her 300-pound transformation, really magnifying the importance of authenticity in leadership so that the people who you attract are easy to lead. When you shine as the real you it gives everyone around you permission to do the same and you become contagious. Get ready to sparkle as you outshine the competition. 

Amber is the CEO of Hotmess 2 Hotness, LLC and W.I.N. Worth It Nutrition Program. She helps women transform internally, and externally, through her mindful weight loss program, bringing in her reigning message that anyone can make a decision today to make tomorrow better than yesterday….especially in the right pair of heels. 

Tracy Alston 

Tracy will lead an interactive experience on learning how to quiet a busy mind, visualize your success and get the best out of your brain’s potential! See it. Feel it. Achieve it. 

Tracy Alston is a mental fitness consultant, a licensed clinical mental health counselor, board certified in Biofeedback and neurofeedback by the Biofeedback Certification International Alliance (BCIA) and a podcaster of the Mental Fitness Matters show. 

Tracy is an entrepreneur and the Founder and CEO of two companies, New Mentality, located in Mooresville, N.C., (www.newmentalityinc.com ), and Mental Edge Fitness Solutions, located in Cornelius, N.C. (www.mentaledge-fitness.com). 

Tracy’s passion is creating innovative strategies and solutions for improving the mental health and mental fitness of her clients, companies and the world. Tracy draws on her extensive training as well as her own athletic experience to help her clients. A graduate of Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, N.C., Alston earned top academic honors and a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology. She attended Wake Forest on a full athletic scholarship, playing four years in the Atlantic Coast Conference as a shooting guard and small forward on the Wake Forest women’s basketball team. During her basketball career, she received the Distinguished All ACC-Defender award. She also holds a dual master’s degree in community agency counseling with school licensure from Lenoir-Rhyne University, in Hickory, N.C., where she also served as an assistant women’s basketball coach. 

This event is made possible by the generosity of sponsors like KKPR Marketing & Public Relations, Piedmont Healthcare, Dominion Energy, Jon C. Packman, DDS, Energy United, American Family Care Urgent Care, Your Coffee Place Troutman, and Iredell Free News. 

For more information or to purchase tickets please contact Joni Stone. at [email protected] or call 704-873-2892.