Fall 2022

Seeding Future Leadership

From member to advocate, Robin Nicholson made a lifetime commitment to North Carolina 4-H. For Jim Kirkland’s family, supporting NC State is a family tradition.

by: Lea Hart 6-min. read

Robin Nicholson and Jim Kirkland witnessed the impact of North Carolina 4-H and FFA over the course of their lives. She participated in 4-H from an early age, while he attended FFA camp as a youth. As adults, these two long-standing donors each chose to contribute to seeding the future of these programs and are helping to ensure the next generation of students can reap the same benefits they did in their youth.

A Lifelong Love for North Carolina 4-H

Growing up on a farm in Lincoln County, all three of Robin Nicholson’s older sisters participated in Extension’s 4-H program, so it was only natural that she, too, chose to join.

One day back in the 1960s, county 4-H agent David Choate came out to her family’s farm and handed Nicholson a sheet of paper. He then told her to study it and be at a certain place at a certain time.

“I was 10 at the time, and that was all I absorbed from the conversation,” she recalled. “But by the time the event came around, I had it memorized.”

Little did she know she’d been entered in a public speaking contest that she would go on to win.

Nicholson continued with 4-H public speaking projects, leadership training and other activities. She stayed in 4-H until she went to college, but those public speaking and leadership skills stayed with her much longer. They became central in her career at Duke Energy, where she’s worked since 1981.

Her first job involved training, and Nicholson said her training through 4-H made her more effective. She went on to hold prominent positions with Duke Energy, including roles in accounting and customer service and in Duke Energy’s Sports Marketing divisions. Today, she speaks in front of groups as Duke Energy Carolinas’ district manager for government and community relations in Alexander, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Lincoln and McDowell counties.

She’s stayed involved in 4-H, now serving as president of the North Carolina 4-H Development Fund Board. The board works to ensure the financial viability of North Carolina 4-H. The active, cohesive board cares deeply about 4-H and its future and finds ways to support 4-H both financially and through partnerships, Nicholson said.

Nicholson and her husband, Rick, chose to make a planned gift to benefit 4-H programs for years to come. In planning their estate, the couple thought a lot about which nonprofits to support. They chose three where they thought their gifts would have a long-term impact.

She kept her gift to 4-H quiet until a North Carolina State University development staff member asked if she was willing to share the news with the rest of the development fund board.

“I wanted to show that I do have a lifelong commitment to 4-H,” she said. “Part of that can be your estate and a planned gift.”

Though her role on the board focuses on the financial sustainability of North Carolina 4-H, Nicholson spends a lot of time advocating for the organization’s long-term sustainability. That involves keeping participant numbers high and helping people, including business and industry leaders, understand its benefits and its role in shaping future leaders.

Nicholson has a core team at Duke Energy involved in the state 4-H Electric Program. Together, they work to build awareness.

“It’s about helping people understand what a great program 4-H is and what a talent pipeline it creates,” she said.

It’s also about noticing the aging population of 4-H agents and recognizing the need for more volunteers.

“This is not just people with a child in 4-H, but others with the skills,” she said. “I’m trying to help folks who have different skill sets, different career backgrounds, (to) understand that the material is there, and you just need to bring your expertise.”

Though much has changed since she was in 4-H, Nicholson hopes her gift will help current 4-H’ers find what benefits them most, pursue their passions and become strong leaders.

“There are some really great programs,” she said. “I particularly like seeing the inclusion of … the outdoor programs—things like archery have been around for a long time, but they still teach good skills.”

Through 4-H, youth can learn about a wide array of subjects, including where food comes from and why it’s important to maintain healthy crops and livestock.

“I encourage parents to get their kids involved in 4-H,” she said. “They may have a strength, and that strength may start shining and carry them further than anything else you’ve seen so far.”

N.C. 4-H helps young people gain knowledge and life skills. It’s a partnership of NC State Extension, Cooperative Extension at North Carolina A&T State University and local governments. See NC4H.org.

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A Legacy of Support

Jim Kirkland roamed the halls of North Carolina State University before he was even old enough to think seriously about college.

Tompkins Hall, to be exact, is where he developed a love of photography and an interest in radio broadcasting. Back in the 1950s, when Tompkins housed NC State’s vocational agriculture program, Jim—or “Jimmy,” as he was known back then—was a regular in the building.

Jim’s dad, J. Bryant Kirkland, served as dean of the School of Education from 1948 to 1969, and Jim came to see him regularly. There, he met the faculty and staff members who would seed his lifelong hobbies.

“I got to know the instructors and the professors in the vocational agriculture program,” he said. “I loved things that moved, cranked and turned.”

Jim talks fondly of his father and his father’s time at NC State. J. Bryant Kirkland’s M.S. and Ph.D. were in agricultural education, as was much of his teaching background, and Jim said his dad knew the names of every student in his programs while at NC State. His dad, he says, would be blown away by the university’s progress if he could see it today.

Jim later graduated from East Carolina University, where he met his late wife, Evelyn, in 1960. He still liked things that moved, cranked and turned, and he ran his own tire and auto repair shop for three decades before selling the business and retiring in the early 2000s.

Time in Tompkins Hall shaped Jim’s future career and hobbies, but his dad instilled another important trait: a desire to give back. J. Bryant Kirkland was an avid NC State supporter in many ways. Students continue to benefit from the Eileen and J. Bryant Kirkland Endowed Agricultural Scholarship, the Eileen and J. Bryant Kirkland Endowed Scholarship and the J. Bryant Kirkland Merit Endowed Scholarship.

Jim and Evelyn followed suit throughout their lives. Most recently, Jim established the James B. Kirkland Jr. FFA Leadership Endowment.

Encouraged by a vocational agriculture teacher, Jim attended FFA summer camp at White Lake as a youth, and his dad had supported North Carolina FFA as well. Jim identifies with FFA students, many of whom share his love for hands-on learning.

“Our family was always more prone to endowments that taught things and gave kids growth opportunities,” he said. “I’ve been so impressed with what FFA has done—a lot of great leaders came out of there.”

NC FFA brings a level of maturity to high school students, Jim said.

He noted that his daughter, Laura Kirkland Laudenberger, earned a B.S. and an M.S. in statistics at NC State after attending Governor’s School in high school. In Governor’s School, she “felt good about being smart,” he said.

In Jim’s eyes, the leadership programs he supports do the same for FFA members.

“It makes these kids feel good about being smart,” he said.

Jim’s gift to NC FFA is just the latest way he and his wife have supported students and educators. Evelyn was a classroom teacher for 30 years, and though she held advanced degrees that could have moved her up the ranks, Jim said she just loved being in the classroom. Together, the couple understood the importance of a good education.

The family has established scholarships at a community college and other universities, and they have passed on their spirit of giving to their children. Laura supports NC State, as does her brother, J. Bryant Kirkland III, who served on the university’s Board of Visitors from 2002 to 2006.

Having seen the lasting impact of philanthropy over the years, Jim recounts the story of an East Carolina University student who went on to receive her doctorate in education while working at the same time. She told Jim she wouldn’t have been able to return to finish her studies had it not been for his family’s scholarship.

“You can’t out-give education,” Jim said. “Doctors, lawyers, accountants, they all have to sit in front of a teacher—it all starts in the classroom.”

Through agricultural education and North Carolina FFA, students have opportunities for leadership development, personal growth and career success. To learn more, visit NCFFA.org.

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