Nyki Hill selected as assistant city manager

City Manager Keith Rogers Jr. has announced the selection of Nyki Hill as the newest assistant city manager.

Hill has nearly 18 years in North Carolina local government, most recently serving as assistant city manager for the city of Raleigh. Prior to her role with the city of Raleigh, Hill served as assistant city manager for the city of Albemarle and held progressively responsible roles with Mecklenburg County and the city of Charlotte.

Hill holds a Bachelor of Science and Master of Business Administration from East Carolina University, where she is on the Board of Visitors. She furthered her studies at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Senior Executives in State and Local Government program and University of North Carolina School of Government’s Municipal and County Government Administration program. Hill is a member of the North Carolina City and County Management Association and the International City/County Management Association.

“I am excited to welcome Mrs. Hill to our team,” stated Manager Rogers. “She is a talented and skilled public administrator and I believe that Mrs. Hill will be a tremendous asset for the City of Rocky Mount.”

Hill’s appointment is effective Dec. 4.

New Exhibit Opening:
Sculpture Salmagundi XXVII Outdoor Juried Exhibition

Ten new pieces of eye-catching artwork are being installed in downtown Rocky Mount as part of the Sculpture Salmagundi XXVII Outdoor Juried Exhibition sponsored by the city through the Imperial Centre for the Arts and Sciences.

The primary purpose of this national outdoor sculpture competition is to recognize and promote excellence in public art and sculpture while encouraging people to explore downtown Rocky Mount and the Imperial Centre. 

This year’s selected artists hail from North Carolina and three other states. They include Paris Alexander of Cary; Matt Amante of Winterville; Jordan Parah of Greenville; Hanna Jubran of Grimesland; Ethan Morrow of Cary; Adam Walls of Tryon; Thomas Happel of Bradenton, Florida; John Parker of Glenside, Pennsylvania, and Glenn Zweygardt of Alfred Station, New York.

Selected sculptures for the Salmagundi exhibition receive a $1,000 honorarium. One work will be selected for an additional $1,000 Best in Show Award chosen by the juror. This year’s juror is Tom Grubb, a celebrated sculptor and artist as well as an educator and arts administrator.

Each of the works will remain on display for a year at the Imperial Centre, the Helen P. Gay Rocky Mount Historic Train Station and the Rocky Mount Senior Center.

A free reception will be held from 2-4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 5, at the Maria V. Howard Arts Center in the Imperial Centre. Winners will be announced at 2:30 p.m. Please join us for light refreshments, a chance to meet the juror and some of the artists. In addition, there will be a free hands-on art activity for kids to build their own paper sculpture. Families can also visit current gallery exhibits, which include Everett Mayo Adelman: Retrospective Fifty Years in Painting, Susan Lenz: Once and Again Alterations, and Dion Burroughs: A Selection of Recent Works. Plus, the Children’s Museum and Science Center will be free for all on Sunday.

For more information, contact Arts Program Coordinator Emily Joyce Turner at 972-1175 or via email at emily.turner@rockymountnc.gov.

The Imperial Centre for the Arts and Sciences is located at 270 Gay St. in downtown Rocky Mount. 

City of Rocky Mount and North Carolina Wesleyan University partner to provide educational opportunities for municipal employees

A partnership between the city of Rocky Mount and North Carolina Wesleyan University will encourage and incentivize city employees to develop career skills by enrolling in an array of university programs.

“We are excited about this partnership as we continue to prioritize strategic investments in our organization,” said City Manager Keith Rogers Jr.

“North Carolina Wesleyan University recognizes that the city of Rocky Mount is a critical and valuable resource when it comes to serving the needs of our citizens,” stated Michael Drew, university vice president of enrollment. “As a member of the Rocky Mount community, NCWU is proud to partner with the city to advance the quality of services provided. Through this partnership, Wesleyan offers professional development, certificates, undergraduate and graduate degrees to support their employees.”

This partnership allows city employees to receive special rates to attend North Carolina Wesleyan University. In return, city officials will market the university’s programs to all their employees. The university also will have an opportunity to reach out to city employees through email, on-site opportunities, flyers, brochures and the posting of other promotional materials.

North Carolina Wesleyan University will offer a one-time $250 University Award of enrollment in certificate classes to each city employee during their last semester of enrollment. The university has certificate programs in Executive Leadership, Healthcare Administration, Human Resource Management and a Public Health Graduate Certificate that can be completed in as little as 16 weeks.

For those city employees interested in pursuing a bachelor’s degree, North Carolina Wesleyan University will offer a $1,000 University Award at the end of the first semester of enrollment in undergraduate classes. A second award of $1,000 will be presented at the end of their last semester, for a total amount of $2,000.

City employees enrolling in the university’s Master of Business Administration, Master of Criminal Justice, Master of Public Health or Master of Strategic Leadership degree programs will receive a $500 University Award at the end of their first semester of enrollment in graduate classes. A second award of $500 will be provided at the end of their last semester, for a total amount of $1,000.

Employees must stay employed with the city to remain eligible for these awards.