Political Ad: Curry seeks Ward 1 seat on Lexington City Council

Family

I was born to Virginia and Willie Curry Jr. I was raised outside the city limits in the Southmont community. I am married to Tammy Brown Curry, and we celebrated our 41st anniversary on April 25th. We have three sons and all attended Lexington Senior High School although the youngest graduated from Central Davidson. We also have seven grandchildren. The family dog is named Elon. Our family has lived on Garden Drive for over 30 years.

Education

I am a graduate of Central Davidson High School. I excelled there academically and earned all-conference honors in basketball and track. The school awarded me the Spartan award which is given to the best all-around athlete in the school my senior year. This award requires you to letter in two varsity sports, maintain at least a B average and participate in a leadership position at the school. I was secretary of the Quill and Scroll journalism society.

I have earned several degrees over the years. The first is a Bachelor of Science degree from A & T State University. This degree helped me obtain a job as a supervisor over a crew of workers at the age of 23. This is the beginning of a long career of working in the private sector. My work ethic and skill landed me a job at

Philip Morris USA which I worked for many years. The good news about working there is the employee educational fund.

I tapped the available funds and earned three degrees over a 10-year period while working full time and raising a family. The first was a Master of Divinity, and a Doctor of Ministry degree. I was very active at the seminary and served as president of the student government my senior year. My dissertation project “A

Youth Ministry Model to Change Male Attitudes in The Rural Church” was completed in 2003. I have been a pastor and leader for over 20 years at two churches.

The third degree earned while working at Philip Morris is a Master of Special Education in 2006. I did student teaching at Charles England in the fall 2006 and landed a job at the high school in December of that year. This fulfilled a dream to work as a teacher and mentor for students, so I could encourage them to dream big about the possibilities in life. I currently hold a license to teach special education, high and middle school science classes including AP environmental science. I am very passionate about helping students reach their fullest potential. Currently, I am the Behavioral Specialist for Lexington City Schools.

Community Service

It has always been my aim to serve the community in many ways. The “Center of Hope” was formed in the mid-nineties. The non-profit was awarded a million- dollar grant that allowed us to develop many types of programs. This organization partnered with the school system to have buses bring students to our building. We offered tutoring, summer programs, and mentoring for girls and boys. I served as

Chairman of the Board of Directors and led this group for several years. It is a time I cherish because of the tutoring, and trips which had a positive influence on the students. This experience is one of the reasons I became a teacher.

I served two terms on the Board of Directors at Thomasville Hospital. This experience informed me on the workings of a hospital and the budgetary decisions that affect the stability of the hospital. Recently, I volunteered to serve as a chaplain at Atrium Health Behavioral Health Psychiatry & Counseling, located in Davidson, NC which provides pediatric, adolescent, and adult psychiatric and psychological treatment for a broad range of conditions. My role was to conduct Sunday services and work with groups and individual patients. This experience allowed me to become more knowledgeable about the mental health needs in our communities.

I served as President of the NAACP for seven years before resigning because of time constraints. During my time as president, I met with city government officials on more than one occasion to discuss the needs of the community. Discussions on a street name change to Martin Luther King Jr. boulevard began under my leadership. To show support for the change I organized a march on Raleigh Road that included hundreds of participants. The march ended at Lexington Senior high School. The outpouring of support for that march was instrumental in the road name being changed.

Leadership

I have served in many leadership positions. I want the residents of Ward 1 to understand my qualifications and many experiences as a leader in different organizations.

● Pastor 20 years

● Educator 15 years

● Staff member of National Baptist Sunday School Convention

● President of the Rowan Congress of Christian Education

● President of the Ordination Council

● President of the NAACP

● Past Member Board of Directors Thomasville Hospital

● Strategic Planning Committee Member City of Lexington

● Student Government President Hood Seminary

● Lexington Advisory Board Member Two Terms

● Volunteer Coach Recreation Department

● Coach IQ Bowl Team Lexington Senior High School

● Earth Day Club Sponsor at the High School

One of the most important aspects of my candidacy is to ensure that transparency and accountability occurs within the council and all the city departments. Our community is very diverse, and I intend to embrace the cultures within our city.

My aim is to showcase our strengths as a community and work to overcome our weaknesses. I pledge to develop a communication system, so all the voices in the community are heard. Strong leadership qualities are going to be essential on the City Council. I will serve the Ward and city to the best of my ability.

“You Can Count on Curry”