Yesterday, the Chamber hosted Career Day at the Institute for Advanced Learning & Research. This program was designed for high school juniors from the Danville and Pittysylvania County school systems and featured an inspirational message by Rayna Dubose followed by breakout sessions with local professionals from various vocational fields.

Rayna Dubose shared her personal story of perseverance through her struggles after contracting meningococcal meningitis while attending Virginia Tech as a star basketball player.

The breakout sessions following her message included sessions from the following professionals:

Cosmetology
Catherine Adkins (Genesis Day Spa)
Dorothy Kidd

Automotive Engineering/Motorsports
Peyton Sellers
Dick Dell (Advanced Vehicle Research Center)

Administration of Justice
Timothy Scearce
Mike Nicholas (Daniel, Medley & Kirby)

Administrative Support Services
Allison Shackelford (Danville Regional Foundation)
Alice Ann Crowl (Piedmont Credit Union)

Customer Service
Sandie Currie (VIR)
Adele Martin (Courtyard Marriott)

Health – Dental
Dr. Patricia Dunbar
Lauren Lewis
Gwen Andrews

Graphic Design and Printing
Kim Demont (Demont Design)
Autumn Morris (Chamber of Commerce)
Rebecca Fitzgerald (McCain Printing)

Advanced Manufacturing and Automation
Ethan Brown (Sartomer)
JoAnn Holland (Shorewood Packaging)
Jerry Franklin (DCC)

Building Trades
Bobby Adkins (Blair Construction)
John Ranson (Dewberry)

Presenting Yourself in the Workplace
Petrina Carter (Averett University)
Jo Andrews (Goodyear)
Ellen McGregor (Goodyear)

Health – Medical and Administrative
Jamye Wright (DRMC)
Kevin Murray (DRMC)
Shannon Jones (Centra)

Skilled Craftsman
George Day (Virginia Technical Institute)
Scott Walker (Goodyear)
Kyle Goldsmith (Virginia Technical Institute)

Entrepreneurship
JD Edmunds (Who Paged JD)
Eva Doss (SBTC)

Veterinary Science
Jeff Smith (Mt. Hermon Animal Clinic)
Kelly Wells (Mt. Hermon Animal Clinic)

Education
Sherri Huffman (DCC)
Mona Whittle (DPS)

Human Services
Richard Gary (DPCS)
Allen Thorn (DPCS)
Kara Stone (Virginia Department of Corrections)

Engineering
Tim Reynolds (Reynolds Clark)
Jeff Bond (Dewberry)
Laura Buchanan (IALR)
Philip Kauneckas (Intertape Polymer Group)

Scientific Research and Laboratory Technicians
Chris Pantazis

Information Technology
Inez Harville (City of Danville)
Jason Grey (City of Danville)

We would also like to offer our most sincere thanks to the sponsors of and contributors to Career Day 2011: 

J.T. Minnie Maude Charitable Trust
Institute for Advanced Learning and Research
Danville Public Schools
Pittsylvania County Public Schools
Dan Valley Foods
Office Plus Business Centre
Linda Lawrence Dalton

Thank you to all of our sponsors, speakers, students, and teachers who made this event succesful. It is our hope that students can take away a deeper understanding of the careers they desire to pursue as well as insight into the varied career paths available to them here in Danville and Pittsylvania County.