The National Business Education Association (NBEA) is proud to recognize and celebrate Alice Huskey, who recently surpassed her 54th consecutive year of NBEA membership. Alice began her journey with NBEA in 1972, and over five decades later, she continues to embody the values, professionalism, and passion that define the business education community.

Originally from West Helena, Arkansas, Alice broke new ground as the first member of her family to attend college. With an early passion for business education, she never wavered from her dream. She earned both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Business Education from Arkansas State University in Jonesboro. Just one month after completing her Master’s, she began teaching at Motlow State Community College in Lynchburg, Tennessee—a newly established college located in the scenic hills of middle Tennessee.

At that time, Motlow was a young institution with just one campus. Today, it has grown into a thriving college with multiple campuses and sites. Alice’s teaching career at Motlow spanned nearly 40 years—35 years full-time and another four years part-time. Her impact continued even after retirement, as she remained an academic advisor part-time until her third and final retirement, culminating in a remarkable 48-year service to the institution.

Alice’s dedication to teaching was matched by her embrace of technology and innovation. She witnessed and led the transformation from electric IBM typewriters to the dawn of online instruction. At Motlow, she played a vital role in training faculty and staff in the emerging world of computer technology, word processing, and digital procedures. Beyond traditional credit courses, she also taught non-credit classes, CPS Review sessions, and contract training for local businesses.

Alice’s NBEA story began in her third year of teaching when a colleague encouraged her to join. What started as a resource for teaching ideas and liability insurance quickly blossomed into a deep professional commitment. Her involvement grew to include leadership roles in TBEA, SBEA, and NBEA, where she served on executive boards, chaired committees, and took on roles such as session coordinator and convention presenter.

For more than 18 years, Alice served as Tennessee Membership Director for all three organizations. Her contributions were recognized with numerous awards throughout her career, but she considers her proudest honor to be the 2002 NBEA Postsecondary Teacher of the Year Award.

Alice credits NBEA with connecting her to a network of professional peers and lifelong friends. Among her many treasured experiences, she highlights the mentorship of former NBEA Executive Director Dr. Jan Treichel as especially meaningful.

“I can’t say enough about what NBEA has meant to me all these years,” Alice shared. “I challenge each of you to get involved, stay involved, solicit more members, and you won’t be disappointed. As they say, ‘what you get from anything depends on what you put into it’—that’s certainly true in the classroom as well as in life.”

Alice Huskey’s legacy is a shining example of commitment, growth, and impact in business education. We thank her for 54 years of loyalty and leadership, and we honor her continued presence in the NBEA community.