Co-Founder

Jacqueline Whittenburg

About Jacqueline Whittenburg

From her elementary school days to years spent traveling around the country and abroad, Jacqueline Whittenburg has made it a point to strive for her goals, which were nothing shy of her biggest dreams. One of Jacqueline's most important dreams was to become a biologist and use her life experiences and education to give back to others.

A Raleigh, NC native, Jacqueline Whittenburg brings more than 30 years of creativity and innovation to her career as an educator and biologist. Her background reflects an impressive history in educating students in public schools around Northern Virginia and Westchester County, New York. As an educator, Jacqueline worked tirelessly to expose students to the world of science aiming to make a contribution to saving lives and advocating for a healthier society.

Jacqueline was educated in the Wake County Public School system where she strived for excellence in and out of the classroom. She began her college education at Saint Augustine's University in 1980 before transferring to North Carolina State University in 1981. Upon arriving at NC State, she continued her studies in Biology with a minor in Chemistry. She credits her academic success to professors who believed in her when she didn't believe in herself.

Although Jacqueline has traveled around the country the past 29 years supporting her husband's career as a college basketball coach, she has never overlooked an opportunity to enhance her knowledge through education. Jacqueline is a certified clinical research monitoring associate who holds a Bachelor of Science degree in developmental biology and chemistry. Jacqueline also earned a certification in oral radiology from the University Of Colorado School Of Dentistry, Denver, Colorado, and a certificate of conversational French from Laval University, Quebec, Canada. Jacqueline is a member of the Tri-Beta National Biological Honor Society and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.

These days, Jacqueline spends much of her time as the co-founder and executive director of The Dereck Whittenburg Foundation for Education which allows her to be a constant advocate for students working tirelessly to earn a college degree. She proudly serves as a trustee on the board of William Peace University. She previously served on the board of directors for StepUp Ministry, a non-profit organization that works with adults and children with the shared goal of stable lives through jobs and life skills training; she and her husband, Dereck of thirty-eight years live in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Jacqueline Whittenburg received the 2017 Distinguished Alumni Award from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at North Carolina State University