The Fayetteville-Cumberland Human Relations Commission recently awarded Methodist University’s Donna Pelham – chair of Business Administration, Management and Marketing and professor of Accounting and Business Administration – with its 2024 Educator Award. The prestigious award was one of only eight handed out to the community during the organization’s annual awards ceremony.

Pelham, who has taught business law, employment law and accounting classes at Methodist University for 16 years, is grateful for the honor.

“I’m humbled by the support and recognition of the Fayetteville-Cumberland Human Relations Commission, Methodist University and the local community,” said Pelham in a press release. “I endeavor to educate students who are mindful of the challenges regarding diversity, equity and inclusion that we continue to face in our society. My hope is that because of that awareness, Methodist University graduates will be better prepared to address human and civil rights issues within their workplaces and communities.”

For more than a decade, each semester, Pelham welcomes guest speakers from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Fayetteville Police Department to address discrimination and harassment in the workplace along with community and police relationships, respectively.

Pelham regularly encourages students to participate in various programs hosted by MU’s Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, such as the monthly “Lunch and Learn” presentations and events such as last year’s production of “Blood Done Sign My Name” and “Community Conversations with Jane Elliot.”