Hilda Pinnix-Ragland

Hilda Pinnix-Ragland (born May 1955) is an American business executive and philanthropist. As the former Vice President of Corporate Public Affairs for Duke Energy, she was the first African-American woman to serve as a vice president at the company. She previously worked as the Vice President of Energy Delivery Services, Vice President of the North Region, and Vice President of Economic Development for Progress Energy Inc and was the first African-American woman to serve as a vice president. She currently serves on the board of directors for RTI International as Chair Audit & Risk Committee, in 2016, she was appointed to the 8 Rivers Capital, an energy technology company's Board and in 2020 she was appointed to the Board of Directors of Southwest Water Company. She is often the first African-American woman board member. Pinnix-Ragland also serves as the chairwoman of the board of trustees at North Carolina A&T State University. In May 2017 she co-authored the book The Energy Within Us: An Illuminating Perspective from Five Trailblazers.

Early life and education Pinnix-Ragland grew up in Hillsborough, North Carolina on her family's angus farm, the daughter of Lloyd Lee Pinnix and Irene Miles. Her family had been African-American landowners for five generations.

As a teenager she was a member of the track and field team at Orange High School, was a Girl Scout, and participated in the youth organization 4-H.

She graduated magna cum laude from North Carolina A&T State University, where she was a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha, in 1977 with a degree in accounting. She obtained a master of business administration degree in finance from Duke University's Fuqua School of Business in 1986. She also completed Harvard University's Kennedy School of Public Policy Executive Leadership program and completed graduate studies in taxation at St. John's University.

Career After graduating from college, she moved to New York City and worked as an auditor for Colgate-Palmolive and as a senior auditor for Arthur Anderson. She also serves on the board of directors for Southwest Water Company, serves as vice-chair of the board of directors at RTI International, and is a consultant with TVA Power. She served as chairwoman of the board of directors of the North Carolina Community College System, as co-chair of Wake Invests in Women, and as chair of the board of directors of the American Association of Blacks in Energy. She is a member of the National Association of Corporate Directors and is also a co-chair of Wake Education Partnership. She serves as the Chairwoman of the Nominating and Governance Committee and Chair Audit Committee, on the board of advisors at 8 Rivers Financial Capital, and is chair of the board of directors for North Carolina Dental Services. She founded the Hilda Pinnix-Ragland Endowment through the North Carolina Community Foundation, which provides scholarships for accounting students at North Carolina A&T State University.

In 2007, she was a recipient of the American Association of Blacks in Energy's James E. Stewart Award. In 2008 she received the North Carolina 4-H Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2012 she was listed as one of the Top 100 Influential Women in Corporate America by Savoy Magazine. She was inducted into the 2020 Lifetime Hall of Fame for NCA&T State University Business School.

Personal life Pinnix-Ragland is married to Alvin Glendale Ragland, a human resources specialist who serves as head of human resources for Sony Ericsson in Research Triangle Park. She and her husband are members of Carolina Country Club in Raleigh, North Carolina. They were the first African-American members in the country club's 103-year history when they joined in 2013.

She is Episcopalian and teaches Sunday school at St. Ambrose Episcopal Church in Raleigh.