Jason B. Harrel, president of ECU North Hospital in Roanoke Rapids, will be the commencement speaker for the 2024 graduation ceremony Friday at 1 p.m. 

The ceremony will be held in the Dr. Ervin V. Griffin Centre.

Harrell was raised in the rural town of Macclesfield in Edgecombe County. 

He received his bachelor of science nursing from East Carolina University; his masters in nursing, adult nurse practitioner from UNC-Chapel Hill; and his masters certificate in informatics from the University of Colorado — Denver. 

He served eight years in the Air Force as an aerovac nurse and retired with the rank of captain. His clinical experience was centered on cardiovascular patients, particularly heart failure.

As a nurse practitioner, he started a heart failure clinic at Forsyth Medical Center in Winston-Salem. 

He is currently vice president of Horizons, an economic development group for Halifax County, a member of the North Carolina Hospital Association Regional Policy Council and a board member of the ECU Health North Development Council. 

He and his wife Debbie continue to work with Serge Global to support missionary children and families in the United States and countries around the world.

"We are honored to have Mr. Harrell as our commencement speaker for this year's graduation ceremony," said Dr. Patrena Benton Elliott, president of Halifax Community College. "His dedication to advancing healthcare and improving the well-being of our community serves as an inspiration to us all. We are confident that his insights will profoundly impact our graduating class as they embark on their professional journeys."