Linda Carol Knight Preston contributed to the establishment of the James Preston Scholarship Fund, which is dedicated to supporting low-income scholarly access to colleges.
AUSTIN, TX, March 25, 2019 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Marquis Who's Who, the world's premier publisher of biographical profiles, is proud to posthumously present Linda Carol Knight Preston with the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award.
An accomplished listee, Ms. Preston celebrated many years' experience in her professional network, and has been noted for achievements, leadership qualities, and the credentials and successes she accrued in her field. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
After accruing 30 years of practiced experience in education, Ms. Preston retired from her role as a teacher for Troup County School Systems in La Grange, GA, in 2004. Earlier in her career, she joined Purdue University as a teaching assistant and instructor from 1974-1982. Over the years, she also gained valuable expertise as a paralegal in the environmental control division at the Office of Illinois Attorney General, at Prairie State College as an instructor, at Pathotox Publications as a technical editor, and with the Applied Communications Consortium, where she remained a member from 1996 until her passing in 2018. In a career filled with highlights, she was especially proud her work as a reviewer of award winning New Markets Tax Credits Allocation Applications. These awards supported economic growth in disadvantaged communities nationwide with access to more than $7 billion in public-private partnership investment and leveraged over $12.5 billion in private capital. The funding supported the creation and/or retention of quality accessible jobs for low-income people. It also helped with the provision of quality and affordable healthcare, education and access to workforce development training/placement in areas of our nation which often had poverty in excess of 30%, unemployment over 2 times the national rate and area median incomes well below 60% of median income.
An expert in her field, Ms. Preston held an Associate of Applied Science and an Associate of Arts from Thornton Community College, now known as South Suburban College, and a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts from Purdue University. She also obtained her paralegal certification while working with the Attorney General for the State of Illinois and was instrumental in helping to bring positive closure to one of the State's largest Brownfield cases. Additionally, she was certified as a secondary English teacher and a teacher of the gifted in the state of Georgia. In order to remain abreast of changes in the field, she maintained affiliation with the Modern Language Association, the Professional Association of Georgia Educators, and the Georgia and National Councils of Teachers of English. A prolific author, she penned multiple poems, essays and short stories, often submitting them to journals, newsletters and magazines. She won several awards for her poetry and was a key contributor to the establishment of the Purdue poetic journal.
In her spare time, Ms. Preston contributed to the establishment of the James Preston Scholarship Fund, which is dedicated to supporting low-income scholarly access to colleges. In light of her professional achievements, she earned the Teacher of the Year Award, the Golden Apple Award and the Coca-Cola Award from Troup County High School. Publications such as Who's Who in America, Who's Who in American Education and Who's Who of American Women have also honored her for her work. The daughter of James Albert and Charlsey Myrtlis Knight, Ms. Preston is survived by her daughter, Terri Elizabeth and her grandsons Conor and Collin Koenig. Subsequent to her passing, her family and extended friends and co-workers have founded The Preston-Knight Foundation.
The Preston-Knight Foundation includes four funds that support disadvantaged communities in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana and Texas. The Linda and James Preston Scholarship Fund continues its original purpose. The Preston Advance Fund focuses on supporting access to workforce development and life skills training to aid people in career growth or in getting back into the workforce. The Knight Educators Fund provides support to educators and education programs to help with funding needs to access curriculum for educators so they can better serve their students. Finally, The Preston-Knight Opportunity Fund focuses on economic development in low-income and disadvantaged areas through business and housing development and lending. Please visit www.Preston-Knight.org for more information.
In recognition of outstanding contributions to her profession and the Marquis Who's Who community, Linda Carol Knight Preston has been featured on the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement website. Please visit www.ltachievers.com for more information about this honor.
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Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who's Who in America®, Marquis Who's Who® has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. Today, Who's Who in America® remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the world. Marquis® now publishes many Who's Who titles, including Who's Who in America®, Who's Who in the World®, Who's Who in American Law®, Who's Who in Medicine and Healthcare®, Who's Who in Science and Engineering®, and Who's Who in Asia®. Marquis® publications may be visited at the official Marquis Who's Who® website at www.marquiswhoswho.com.
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