Catawba College Hires Alumna as New Human Resource Director

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Catawba College has named Leigh Ellington ‘02 as their new Director of Human Resources effective August 8, 2022.

“Leigh is dedicated to creating an equitable and diverse workforce while fostering positive employee relations and retention,” said Lauren Cox, vice president of business and finance at Catawba. “We look forward to having her lead our human resources department.”

Ellington graduated from Catawba with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and went onto to get her Master’s in Business Administration from American Inter-Continental University. She began working in the human resource field immediately upon her graduation and has over 20 years of experience.

She transitions to Catawba from the City of Salisbury where she most recently served as their Risk Manager. Prior to that she was the Human Resource Director at Sharp Transit for ten years. Ellington has also served in other key roles including Assistant Vice President/Branch Manager at Community One Bank, Senior Analyst at Freightliner, and Recruitment Officer at Lawson & Associates. She currently sits on the board of the Family Crisis Council of Rowan County and is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Inc.

“I am so excited to return to my alma mater to reinforce the mission that guided me so long ago,” said Ellington. “I hope to not only diversify the collegiate atmosphere, but to help realign the College’s synergies for a transformative future.”

Ellington lives in Salisbury with her husband, James. They have two children, Jaylynn and James III, and a grand puppy named Brentley.

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