CIAA Volleyball Welcomes Keynote Speaker: Jennifer Watson Roberts- Chair, Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners

CIAA Volleyball Welcomes Keynote Speaker:
Jennifer Watson Roberts- Chair, Mecklenburg Board of
County Commissioners

November 2, 2007

Charlotte, NC... The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association welcomes Jennifer Watson Roberts, Chair of the Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners, as the keynote speaker for the 2007 CIAA Volleyball Championship Luncheon.  Festivities will be held in Grimes Hall on the campus of Johnson C. Smith University on Wednesday, November 7 at 11:30am.

Jennifer Watson Roberts is currently an adjunct professor in the International Studies Department at UNC-Charlotte and is Chairman of the Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners; on which she is serving her second term. 

She served as Interim Director of the Mayor's International Cabinet for five months before joining First Union, where she was a lending officer in International Corporate Banking for four years.  Roberts was also executive director of the Charlotte World Affairs Council from 1997 until 2002. She has also served as an international business consultant and a Foreign Service political officer.

Roberts' community involvement in Charlotte is extensive.  She served on the board of the Mayor's International Cabinet, where she chaired the Business Committee for three years, as well as the boards of the World Affairs Councils of America (in Washington, DC), the British American Business Council of North Carolina, and the Latin American Chamber of Commerce.  She was a member of the first class of William Friday Fellows of the Wildacres Leadership Initiative and served on the selection committee for UNC-Chapel Hill's Morehead Scholarship for six years.  She has also been active with numerous other organizations, including the Arts and Science Council, the Girl Scouts, SmartStart, Keep Mecklenburg Beautiful, Charlotte Mecklenburg Housing Partnership, UNC-Charlotte, and International House, and she has spoken to various groups on topics ranging from diplomatic service to the international growth of Charlotte.

Mrs. Roberts is a native of Charlotte and a graduate of East Mecklenburg High School.  She attended UNC-Chapel Hill on a Morehead Scholarship; graduating with highest honors. At UNC-Chapel Hill, she played the middle hitter position in varsity volleyball for four years; serving as captain her senior year, and won the Phil Tatum scholar/athlete award. Roberts also has a Masters Degree in International Affairs from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies in Washington, DC and a Masters in European History from the University of Toronto. 

She has traveled widely and has lived in Italy, Canada, and the Dominican Republic. Roberts is married to Manley Roberts and has two children, Montana (10 years old) and Manley (8 years old).

CIAA Volleyball Championship Schedule
Thursday, November 8              9:00, 11:00, 1:00, 3:00, 5:00, 7:00
Friday, November 9                   5:00, 7:00 (Two semi-finals games)
Saturday, November 10             5:00pm Championship Game

Pool A: Grady Cole Center        310 N. Kings Drive, Charlotte    (Central Piedmont CC)
Pool B:  Brayboy Gym               Johnson C. Smith University