Wendy Poteat ’10, President and Chief Executive Officer of shift_ed, a local nonprofit committed to boldly accelerating student potential, will be the featured speaker at Guilford College’s Commencement exercises Saturday, May 18.
A native of Caswell County, northeast of Greensboro, Wendy became the leader of shift_ed (then known as Say Yes Guilford) in June 2019. In her leadership role she oversees operations as well as interactions with a range of audiences and partners across Guilford, Forsyth and Randolph counties.
In collaboration with dozens of community partners, shift_ed is impacting students in elementary, middle and high schools and colleges through services that include tutoring, reading literacy, entrepreneurship training, career assessment and post-secondary consultations, test preparation, scholarships and career exploration and networking.
shift_ed awarded $6.1 million in scholarships to more than 2,300 students from 2018-2023. It also serves more than 20,000 students through its Impact Programs.
“We are delighted to welcome Wendy home to Guilford College as our Commencement speaker this spring,” said President Kyle Farmbry. “Her personal and professional story is inspiring, and we are very proud of the work she is doing in support of educational access and achievement.”
Wendy served as Forsyth Promise Partnership Director for United Way of Forsyth County for two years before joining shift_ed. She was Director of Government Affairs for Winston-Salem Chamber of Commerce for six years and Chief Operations Officer for A United Community, a health and human services organization in the Triangle, before that.
She started her career with Greensboro Partnership (now known as Greensboro Chamber of Commerce) while completing a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice and African American Studies as an adult student at Guilford College. Later, she earned her MPA.
Wendy served on Guilford’s Board of Visitors and the Board of Directors of the Piedmont Opera. She was a recipient of an Outstanding Women in Business Award from Triad Business Journal in 2021, and she authored a book, Own Your Truth: Living Life According to Your Own Truth on Your Own Terms, in 2018.
“Guilford College holds a special place in my heart as my alma mater, a place that shaped my values, nurtured my growth and ignited my passion for learning,” says Wendy.
During the Commencement ceremony, which begins at 9 am in Ragan-Brown Field House due to rain in the weather forecast, additional remarks will be offered by the President, graduating senior Kevin Buikpor '24 and alumni representative Liz Nicholson '12.