N.C. A&T to Honor Ronald McNair with Annual Celebration

EAST GREENSBORO, N.C. (Jan. 11, 2019) – In commemoration and honor of the life and legacy of alumnus Ronald E. McNair, Ph.D. who died in the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University will hold the 33rd Annual Ronald E. McNair Celebration at 11:30 a.m., Jan. 28, in the New Student Center Ballroom.

In 1978, McNair, was selected as a mission specialist astronaut for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Space Shuttle Program. On Jan. 28, 1986, he was aboard the Challenger for his second mission when it experienced fatal malfunctions upon takeoff. McNair died along with six other crew members. 
The celebration program will include greetings and presentations from students, faculty, staff, administrators, city officials and community leaders as well as a keynote speech by N.C. A&T alumna Dannellia Gladden-Green, Ph.D.

Gladden-Green is director of economic inclusion and social responsibility for Owens & Minor, a leading healthcare services and logistics company headquartered in Richmond, Virginia. Prior to joining the healthcare industry, she spent more than 20 years in microelectronics high-tech companies such as Dell Computers, Texas Instruments and Freescale Semiconductor.

Aa a United States patent holder, she leverages an innovator’s platform and emphasizes the need to create and document intellectual property.

Gladden-Green received a bachelor’s degree in physics from N.C. A&T; a master’s degree in electronic materials from Massachusetts Institute of Technology; and a doctorate in electronic materials from North Carolina State University.