Dr. Cherry Maynor Beasley of the University of North Carolina at Pembroke was recently awarded the 2022 James E. Holshouser Award for Excellence in Public Service.

The award honors faculty who exemplify the University’s commitment to service and community engagement. 

Beasley is the founding member of UNC Pembroke’s Department of Nursing and served as the associate dean of health sciences and chief nursing officer of the McKenzie-Elliott School of Nursing, where she was also the Anne R. Belk Endowed Professor in Rural and Minority Health. Today she is the interim provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs.

Beasley holds the distinguished honor of being the first Lumbee to have earned a baccalaureate, master’s and doctorate in nursing. After receiving her bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan in 1973, Beasley obtained a master’s degree from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1978. She received a nurse practitioner degree from the University of South Carolina in 1998 and obtained a Ph.D. from East Carolina University in 2009. 

An educator since the 1970s, Beasley has taught at both North Carolina Central University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

A veteran of the U.S. Army Reserve Nurse Corps, Beasley served her country for eight years from 1982 to 1990, rising to the rank of major in 1985. While in the service, she held positions as a school nurse with the Robeson County Health Department and served as a principal investigator for the Office of Minority Health.

In 1992, when UNCP launched its nursing program, Beasley became the school’s first faculty member. 

“The impact Dr. Beasley has made in this region is immeasurable,” said UNC Pembroke Chancellor Robin Cummings in a press release. “With Dr. Beasley’s education, expertise and work ethic, it’s clear she’s had options available to pursue, but she chose to come home — to southeastern North Carolina, to her Lumbee people — to make a difference in ways no one else could. She serves as proof to her colleagues of their ability to make significant contributions wherever they land in life.”

Beasley has received many awards and accolades acknowledging her work. Among these is her recent recognition in 2020 when she was named a fellow in the American Academy of Nursing. Beasley is the first UNCP faculty member to ever receive that award, joining an elite, worldwide group of only 2,700 nursing leaders.

“Dr. Beasley is a highly-trained and talented leader who chose to come home to serve the people of Robeson County,” said Board of Governors Chair Randy Ramsey in a press release. “Her commitment to teaching, research and mentorship shows a deep passion for the wellbeing and development of her community — an attitude that represents the very heart of our University’s mission. My sincerest congratulations to Dr. Beasley on this award

.”