Belk College of Business alumni Austin Duke ‘16, Chrystal Giles ‘06, and Kimberly Moore-Wright ‘95 are among the 2022 recipients of the Black Alumni Chapter Excellence in Leadership awards. The awards luncheon, held on Oct. 21, 2022 as part of Niner Nation Week, also honored Terrell Blackmon '89, Robyn Massey '81, Vontina McGrant '02, Dr. Michelle Pass '20, Ohavia Phillips '15 and Allen Simmons '20.
Excellence in Emerging Leadership
Austin Duke, who studied marketing in the Belk College, is a mortgage loan officer with APD Mortgage Financing. He is the founder of APD Foundation, which creates opportunities for the youth of Charlotte to develop their football skills, learn life-skills through seminars and help strengthen their emotional intelligence. Duke played wide receiver for the Charlotte 49ers and later professionally for the Carolina Panthers in the NFL and New York Guardians in the XFL.
Excellence in Financial Services
Kimberly Moore-Wright is the chief teammate officer at Charlotte-based Truist Financial, one of the largest commercial banks in the nation. In this role, she is responsible for all aspects of human resource management, including teammate relations and talent acquisition, talent management, learning and development, teammate experience, payroll, total rewards, enterprise diversity, and human capital systems. She is a member of the company’s executive leadership team. Moore-Wright, who studied accounting, serves on the Belk College of Business Board of Advisors.
Excellence in Arts
Chrystal Giles graduated with an accounting degree from the Belk College of Business in 2006. She has a passion for children’s literature, with a focus on representation and diversity. Giles published her first book, “Take Back the Block,” in 2021, and plans to publish another in 2023. Before delving into literature, Giles spent 15 years in various accounting and finance roles.