Oak Ridge Today

Ben Stephens appointed to Oak Ridge school board

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Ben Stephens

Ben Stephens

The Oak Ridge Board of Education on Monday appointed Benjamin Stephens to fill the seat being vacated by Vice Chair Robert S. Eby, who is resigning at the end of March in order to serve on the Tennessee State Board of Education.

Stephens will serve through the county election in August. The winning candidate in that election will then serve through the November election, which will have candidates for municipal, state, and federal offices.

Stephens is manager of academic partnerships at the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge, according to his LinkedIn profile. He has been involved in community activities, and he serves on the Oak Ridge Municipal Planning Commission.

At Monday’s meeting, BOE member Angi Agle said she and Laura McLean, another board member, served on a 2020 Committee with Stephens and were impressed with his service there.

Stephens said he has worked with the board on several strategic plans, and he is honored to serve on the Oak Ridge Board of Education. [Read more…]

Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority has 30th MLK Program on Monday

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Archie Smart

Archie Smart

In celebration of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated (AKA), Oak Ridge Chapter, will present its 30th annual Community Speaks Program on Monday, January 15, at 9:45 a.m. at Consolidated Nuclear Security’s New Hope Center on Scarboro Road. This year’s theme is “Together We Win with Love for Humanity,” a press release said.

Archie Smart, the keynote speaker, is a native of South Carolina, a press release said. He received a bachelor’s degree in history from South Carolina State University. Smart is a veteran of the U.S. Army, where he served as a commissioned officer in the Adjutant General Corps.

He is a project manager at Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU), where he manages the third consecutive National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) project, the press release said. [Read more…]