Keynote Speaker Mayor Sharon Harker is a longtime healthcare professional, small-business owner, and community leader who has called Beaufort home for more than four decades. After serving on the Beaufort Board of Commissioners, she was elected mayor in 2021, becoming the town’s first African American mayor.

Sharon has spent more than 25 years as a licensed respiratory therapist and healthcare leader at Carteret Health Care. She is also co-owner of Dancing Baristas Café, a Beaufort business centered around good coffee, welcoming spaces, and community connection.

Her service extends beyond Beaufort. She serves on the Board of Directors of the North Carolina League of Municipalities and remains active with the North Carolina Coastal Federation, supporting strong communities and responsible stewardship of the coast.

Across public service, healthcare, and business, Sharon believes community grows when people are seen, invited in, and given a place at the table. She and her husband, Perry, are proud parents and grandparents, and family remains at the center of her life

Erica Jones is a nonprofit executive, strategist and thought-provoking public speaker specializing in strategic planning, organizational growth and long-term sustainability. As Executive Director of the Carteret Education Foundation, she has helped lead the organization through significant growth, including the creation of the Teachers Fund, which has invested more than $140,000 in professional development for our Carteret County educators, a housing stipend for Teaching Fellows scholarship recipients, expanded community partnerships, and a growing legacy and endowment strategy designed to sustain the Foundation’s work for generations to come. Previously, Erica founded and led Sunshine Spaces, a nonprofit serving children and families facing extraordinary circumstances.

Originally from Zimbabwe, Erica’s leadership is deeply influenced by the African philosophy of Ubuntu: “I am because we are.” As a wife, mother of six, grandmother, entrepreneur and nonprofit leader, she understands the many roles women carry and the pressure to show up well in all of them.

As a speaker, Erica challenges women to think differently about leadership, success and authenticity. In a world increasingly shaped by AI and mass-produced ideas, she believes our stories, intuition, humor, empathy and humanity are becoming more valuable, not less. Her message is simple: the world does not need a more polished version of someone else. It needs you - fully present, fully human and fully yourself.

Mary Cheatham King is the CEO of one of the nation's top-performing real estate businesses, and Meg Millsap is her Marketing Director! Together, they grew Mary Cheatham King Real Estate (MCKRE) – a local small business – by more than 1,200% in 10 years through consistent, intentional marketing.

Mary Cheatham provides the vision and leadership behind the company's growth, while Meg leads the marketing strategy and execution that brings MC's vision to life. They've spent years testing, refining and implementing marketing systems that generate real business – and they're passionate about sharing what they've learned with other small business owners and leaders...just like you.

As educators, they've taught email newsletter classes, hosted dozens of webinars, and helped thousands of business owners develop practical, immediately implementable marketing strategies. Through their classes, workshops, email newsletter, and their new Instagram community (@mcandmeg), their mission is to help business owners feel more confident in their marketing by sharing the practical strategies, hard-earned lessons, and real-life experiences they've picked up along the way.

Through every win, flop and experiment, they hope to make marketing a small business feel a little less overwhelming – and a lot more achievable. 

Follow them on socials:    @mckrealestate     |     @carteretcurated     |     @mcandmeg

Brittany Suplicki has been part of Let's Make Pink Just a Color since its earliest days, working alongside founder Brittany Kelley to build an organization dedicated to supporting Carteret County residents affected by breast cancer. Brittany Kelley founded the nonprofit in 2023 with a vision of turning her own experience into direct, practical help for others facing a breast cancer diagnosis, through financial relief, community, and awareness. Since Brittany Kelley's passing in September 2025, the board has carried her mission forward, and Brittany Suplicki continues that work as a board member, helping lead the organization's annual 5K & Fun Run and Pink Relief Grant program.

Jeannie Jones, MA, CWP launched her own consulting practice in 2022. As an Independent Consultant, Performance Coach, and Facilitator, she partners with leaders and teams to foster healthy and high-performing organizational cultures.

Her approach is grounded in the principle that “Culture eats strategy for Breakfast.” Currently, Jeannie serves as HR Director at Pelagic Consulting LLC, delivering fractional HR Support. Her credentials include: 5 Behaviors® Practitioner, Wellness Practitioner (National Wellness Institute), Mental Health First Aider (National Council for Mental Wellbeing), DiSC® Practitioner, Certificate in the “Science of Happiness” (Berkeley), & Fearless Organization Practitioner (Psychological Safety). 

As a freelancer, Jeannie works directly with organizations to design tailored training solutions. She also serves as contract faculty for her local Small Business Center, PPS for Leadership Development and DiSC®, Zest for Work for Resilience and Energy Management workshops, and Coaching on the Go, empowering leaders to adopt a coaching-oriented leadership style.

Her expertise spans HR, Organizational Development, Benefits, Procurement, and Governance/Assurance, providing a comprehensive perspective on performance and employee wellbeing.

Kat Suralik is the proud owner of Tranquility, with more than 21 years of experience as a massage therapist and 18 years as an esthetician. For over 16 years, she has worked to make Tranquility a welcoming place where clients feel relaxed and cared for.


Kat enjoys supporting her team, connecting with clients, and giving back to the community. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Carteret County Chamber of Commerce and is a GLA for the Outer Banks Chapter of National Charity League. As a previous recipient of the EmpowerHer Grant from Crystal Coast Women in Business, Kat hopes to encourage women to lift one another up and celebrate each other's success.