May 7, 2015
Bernita Demery Honored as Woman of Distinction
Bernita Demery (MBA ’02) was honored April 13 in a ceremony at the Murphy Center that celebrated the impacts women have – large and small – on East Carolina University and the world. She was one of 10 women to receive the recognition.
Bernita Demery
The Women of Distinction awards celebration is held every other year, organized by ECU’s Chancellor’s Committee on the Status of Women. Each award recognizes a woman who demonstrates outstanding leadership through the type and quality of work she does inside and outside the university; the breadth and diversity of that work; her level of leadership in all aspects of life; mentoring; and her commitment to diversity, empowerment, equality, equity and/or social justice.
A native of eastern North Carolina, Demery has worked with the City of Greenville’s financial services department for more than 27 years, currently serving as its director.
She attended North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro, graduating in 1984 as class president with a B.S. in Accounting. After a summer internship in Chicago, Demery decided to move back east, where she began her career with Sprint and then moved to the City of Greenville and became a licensed CPA. Under Demery’s steady leadership over the years, the city has won several consecutive awards for excellence in budgeting and financial reporting. Recently, the City of Greenville received its 25th award for Excellence in Financial Reporting.
Demery said she strives to balance her career, health, and enjoy life – and she also stays involved with her community. She was the first black president of the N.C. Government Finance Officers Association, where she still serves as a state representative for the national association. Demery also works closely with the N.C. Association of Certified Public Accountants, currently volunteering with the organization’s Minority Action Committee.
She is a member of numerous organizations, including Cornerstone Missionary Baptist Church, the ECU Business Advisory Board, Concerned Citizens of Tillery, Pitt Community College’s Business Advisory Council and Diversity Committee, Pitt County Chapter of North Carolina A&T State University’s Alumni Association, and is a 25+ year member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. She also recently spoke to students at the college’s Business Leadership Conference, leading a breakout session called “Getting Noticed – for the Right Reasons – at Your First Job.”
“I’m committed to God, family, community service, and long-term fiscal stability for the City of Greenville,” Demery said. “I believe the famous words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. – if I can help somebody as I pass along the way, then my living will not be in vain.”