Co-Lin to honor Fortenberry as Alumna of the Year at homecoming

Patricia Ann (Moak) Fortenberry of Fayetteville, North Carolina, originally of Bogue Chitto, was selected as Copiah-Lincoln Community College’s 2021 Alumna of the Year. She will be recognized during Homecoming on Thursday, Oct. 28 at the Alumni Association Awards Reception at 3:30 p.m. in the Thames Center of the college’s Wesson Campus.

Fortenberry is a 1961 graduate of Co-Lin where she was a member the Young Women’s Christian Association, the Baptist Student Union, the 4-H Club, Future Teachers of America, the Chemistry Club, and was president of the Home Economics Club. After Co-Lin, she attended the University of Southern Mississippi. Upon her graduation, Fortenberry briefly worked as a social worker and a home demonstration agent before becoming a stay-at-home mom dedicated to raising her two children.

In 1975, Fortenberry began her 30-year career with Mary Kay Cosmetics and within two years she was promoted to Sales Director in the top two percent of the company. Over the course of her career, her business expanded internationally to Canada, South Korea, the Philippines, Thailand, and Malaysia. Fortenberry was promoted to Executive Senior Sales Director in 1979, National Sales Director in 1984, and to Senior Executive National Sales Director in 2003, a position held by only three people out of more than one million sales representatives.

In 2005, she was recognized as the number one sales representative in Mary Kay Cosmetics out of more than one million people and had over 30,000 people in her organization bringing in more than $40 million in retail sales annually. Over the course of her career, Fortenberry earned 17 Mary Kay pink Cadillacs and appeared on ABC’s “Good Morning America” with Mary Kay. Fortenberry retired from selling Mary Kay in 2006.

Beginning in 2006 after her retirement from sales, Fortenberry signed a contract to travel internationally for Mary Kay to speak to and train sales managers in new markets around the world and is actively involved in assisting Mary Kay with its global expansion. She also authored and published the book “More than Makeup,” which coaches and inspires other salespeople throughout the world. She is recognized as an Elite Executive National Sales Director Emeritus within the company and is a member of the National Speakers Association.  She and her husband Charles have two children and five grandchildren.

For more information on Co-Lin Homecoming events, call (601) 643-8313 or visit www.colin.edu.