WPU Alumna selected as 20 Under 40 Trailblazers by Business North Carolina Magazine

William Peace University Alumna Erienne Dickman ’20 was selected as a recipient of the Business North Carolina Magazine’s Top 20 Under 40 Trailblazers Award.

The award recognizes thriving business owners and professionals under the age of 40 who work in North Carolina cities and towns that have fewer than 100,000 residents.

Dickman was recognized for her work as tourism director for the Chowan County Tourism Development Authority in her hometown of Edenton, North Carolina. In her role, she leads a multiplatform marketing campaign, which led to a record-breaking year for the town’s occupancy tax. 

The award announcement described Dickman as “a hands-on director who is visible at town events doing everything from organizing silent auctions to cleaning.”

“I am honored to be among nineteen other trailblazers with similar interests in helping develop North Carolina communities,” she said. 

She also expressed being grateful for how her time at WPU prepared her for where she is today. A 2020 graduate, she studied Strategic Communications at WPU. 

She appreciates how her professors provided the opportunity for her and her classmates to have hands-on experience.

“I was blessed to experience professors who did not believe in assigning unnecessary busywork. They genuinely put us to work — we wrote press releases that were locally published, helped facilitate live campus events for our peers, and worked on strategic marketing plans that were authentically implemented,” she said. “It’s professors and experiences like this that help you #PrepareAtPeace for the ‘real world.’”

Additionally, WPU gave her the confidence to be a leader and public speaker. Before WPU, the idea of public speaking was nerve-wracking for her. However, thanks to her involvement as an Orientation Leader, Lead Summer Conference Manager, Campus Activities Board Member, and Diversity & Inclusion Department Summer Student Assistant, she saw her fears slowly fade. 

Dickman was drawn to attend WPU because of the tight-knit community. Because she graduated from a class of 160 in high school, she wanted to find a school that kept that intimate size. WPU offered just that.