KRISTA E. SUMMITT

          A Lincoln graduate in 1983, Krista E. Summitt is the youngest of the four LHS distinguished alumni award recipients this year.  She has pursued a varied career with IBM since graduating from Purdue University in December 1987. 

          Located in Research Triangle Park at Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, Summitt is worldwide e-commerce project manager who has deployed e-commerce for IBM in 34 countries.  She has received excellence awards for this achievement and for establishing e-commerce in Latin Americafor IBM.  Recently Summitt earned a master's certificate in project management from George Washington University. 

          In earlier IBM positions she was a marketing communications planner and PC sales manager.  In the latter assignment she supervised a staff of 27 representatives selling hardware and software products.  Summitt also was product manager for an entrepreneurial start-up group called PC direct options, which became a profitable product line in all areas of marketing.  Her first IBM assignment after graduating from Purdue was marketing representative, for which she received numerous honors including the prestigious Golden Circle Award for outstanding sales achievement. 

          While at Lincoln High School Summitt participated in several activities including basketball, track, cheerblock, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, student council, and Old Post Sentinel, the school newspaper of which she was co-editor her senior year.  She received an academic award her senior year.  She also was listed in Who's Who Among American High School Students and the Society of Distinguished American High School Students. 

          She graduated from Vincennes University with honors in 1985.  A few years later the Vincennes University business division named her recipient of the outstanding recent graduate award. 

          Summitt is a licensed Baptist minister.  At her church, Orange Grove Missionary Baptist Church in Durham, she is an associate minister and director of the board of missions.  She is chair of the Spirit of David Aids Ministry for the Orange Grove Church and also was co-chair for the church's Hurricane Floyd Relief Task Force in her area. 

Distinquished Alumni 2001

Class of 1983