Tom Hammonds recently announced that he will serve as a member of the North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University Motorsports Advisory Council.

Racing since the age of 16 and backed by Chevrolet, Hammonds made a triumphant return to full-time drag racing at the Gatornationals Gainesville Raceway in March 2007. He is the only African American owner (Tom Hammonds Enterprises, LLC) and driver of a race team in professional motor sports.

"I am honored to serve as a member of the N.C. A&T Motorsports Advisory Committee," said an elated Hammonds. "For me to be in a situation where I can make recommendations to grow an excellent program so that other universities may use as a model is outstanding."

Previous owner of a Chevrolet dealership, Hammonds was drafted 9th overall in the 1989 NBA draft and enjoyed his career with Washington, Denver, Charlotte, and Minnesota, where he completed his career. Before his illustrious NBA career, he played college basketball at Georgia Tech, where his jersey was retired for being the fourth all time leading scorer while also earning a bachelors of science in business management. He received a gold medal at the 1986 FIBA World Championship. A native of Crestview, Fla., Hammonds was inducted into the All Sports Association Hall of Fame of Fort Walton Beach, Fla. in March 2007.

Thurman Exum, program director for A&T’s Motorsports Program endorsed Hammonds for this position because of his commitment to the development of motorsports professionals. Exum and his staff at A&T are looking forward to working with Hammonds and Tom Hammonds Enterprises, LLC to help deliver a quality education to the students.

Hammonds' appointment is for two years, with the council meeting four times a year. The eight member council is made-up of industry leaders and stakeholders. Members are charged with providing ongoing advice and consultation to the motorsports department by proposing program initiatives on recruitment, training and retention of young men and women who have selected motorsports as their career. Members will be active in securing and providing internships and co-op experiences to bridge the gap between classroom learning and real world knowledge.

A&T offers a four-year degree in motorsports technology. The program has been in existence since 2002 and provides a technical management course of study to develop motorsports professionals that fulfill the human resource needs of corporate sponsors, team owners, track facilities and product/service support suppliers. The curriculum was developed to create a strategic alliance to increase the number and quality of job opportunities for African American students in key motorsports and other related automotive business activities. The program has been featured on NBC Nightly News and received many awards, the latest one being an educational award from NASCAR for providing motorsports professionals to help them diversify the industry. For more information contact, Tonita Perry of Eaddy Perry & Associates, Inc. at 704-965-6956 or via e-mail: tperry@eaddyperry.com.