Hilda Pinnix-Ragland facts for kids

Hilda Pinnix-Ragland, born in May 1955, is an American business leader and a generous giver to good causes. She made history as the first African-American woman to become a vice president at Duke Energy. Before that, she was also the first African-American woman to hold a vice president role at Progress Energy Inc.

Today, she serves on the board of directors for several important organizations, including RTI International and Southwest Water Company. She is often the first African-American woman to join these boards. Hilda Pinnix-Ragland also leads the board of trustees at North Carolina A&T State University. In 2017, she helped write a book called The Energy Within Us: An Illuminating Perspective from Five Trailblazers.

Early Life and School Days

Hilda Pinnix-Ragland grew up in Hillsborough, North Carolina. Her family owned an angus farm, and they had been landowners for five generations. In 1965, she was escorted to Aycock Elementary School by members of the United States Marshals Service. This happened during a time when schools were becoming integrated in the United States.

As a teenager, she was very active. She was on the track and field team at Orange High School. She was also a Girl Scout and took part in the youth group 4-H. While still in school, Hilda got her bus driver license in Orange County. She was one of the first female school bus drivers there. She also worked at her uncle's gas station. She finished high school in 1973.

College and Further Studies

Hilda Pinnix-Ragland went to North Carolina A&T State University. She graduated in 1977 with a degree in accounting. She earned her degree with high honors, called magna cum laude. She was also a member of the sorority Alpha Kappa Alpha.

Later, in 1986, she earned a master's degree in business administration (MBA) in finance. She got this degree from Duke University's Fuqua School of Business. She also completed a leadership program at Harvard University's Harvard Kennedy School. She studied taxation at St. John's University as well.

Career Journey

After college, Hilda Pinnix-Ragland moved to New York City. She worked as an auditor for Colgate-Palmolive. She was also a senior auditor for Arthur Andersen.

In 1980, she moved back to North Carolina. She started working for Carolina Power & Light. This company later became Progress Energy. She began as a systems auditor. At Progress Energy, she was the only female auditor and person of color on her team.

Rising Through the Ranks

Hilda moved from auditing to the treasury department. She was later named a vice president in several areas. These included economic development, energy delivery services, and the northern region for the company. She was the first African-American woman to serve as a vice president at Progress Energy.

In 2012, Progress Energy merged with Duke Energy. After the merger, Hilda Pinnix-Ragland became the Vice President of Corporate Public Affairs. In this role, she worked with government officials. She helped create public policies to protect customers and businesses. She retired from Duke Energy in June 2016. She was the first African-American woman appointed to the board of directors there. She also helped lead Progress Energy's Corporate Diversity Council.

Board Memberships and Community Work

Hilda Pinnix-Ragland has served on many important boards. In 2013, she joined the board of directors for the North Carolina Institute of Medicine. She is also on the board for Southwest Water Company. She is the vice-chair of the board at RTI International.

She has led the board of directors for the North Carolina Community College System. She also co-chaired Wake Invests in Women. She was the chair of the board for the American Association of Blacks in Energy. She is a member of the National Association of Corporate Directors. She also co-chairs the Wake Education Partnership. She leads the Nominating and Governance Committee and the Audit Committee for 8 Rivers Financial Capital. She chairs the board of directors for North Carolina Dental Services.

Hilda also co-chaired the Governor of North Carolina's transition team. She served on the state's Budget Reform and Accountability Commission. U.S. President Barack Obama nominated her to serve on the board of the National Park Foundation.

Helping Girls and Students

Hilda Pinnix-Ragland started STEMulus Academy. This program helps fifth-grade girls in Wake County learn about science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. She also created the Hilda Pinnix-Ragland Endowment. This fund provides scholarships for accounting students at North Carolina A&T State University.

Awards and Recognition

Hilda Pinnix-Ragland has received many awards for her work.

• In 2007, she received the James E. Stewart Award from the American Association of Blacks in Energy.
• In 2008, she got the North Carolina 4-H Lifetime Achievement Award.
• In 2012, Savoy Magazine named her one of the Top 100 Influential Women in Corporate America.
• Joe Biden gave her the Education Award for Leadership in Community Colleges.
• In 2017, Triangle Business Journal honored her with the Women in Business Lifetime Achievement Award.
• In 2020, she was inducted into the Lifetime Hall of Fame for NCA&T State University Business School.

In May 2019, she co-authored the book The Energy Within Us: An Illuminating Perspective from Five Trailblazers. She wrote it with Carolyn Green, Joyce Hayes Giles, Rose McKinney-James, and Telisa Toliver.

Personal Life

Hilda Pinnix-Ragland is married to Alvin Glendale Ragland. He is a human resources specialist. He leads human resources for Sony Ericsson in Research Triangle Park. They have one daughter and live in Cary, North Carolina.

Hilda and her husband are members of Carolina Country Club in Raleigh, North Carolina. They were the first African-American members in the club's 103-year history when they joined in 2013.

She is a member of the Episcopal Church. She teaches Sunday school at St. Ambrose Episcopal Church in Raleigh.