THE SHINING ST R THAT IS By R.V. Baugus
As her next job took her to a new city in a career that continued to arc up and up and up, it ended up taking but one act to anchor Adina Erwin, CVE, in Atlanta and in her current position as chief operating oficer of the Fox Theatre.
Put a ring on it.
“I had the ability to move around a lot earlier in my career, be- cause it was just me and my dog,” Erwin said. “A lot of things hap- married and had my son. That started to change my perspective of life in general. Of course, the Fox was a great place to have that life, because it has always been a family-oriented type of organization and allowed for that.” While husband Michael Anthony and son Michael Dean, along with daughter Martha, can take a bow and some credit for Erwin putting down stakes in Atlanta, there is obviously more to the story. Erwin loves her job and the role her venue plays in the community. Come to think of it, Erwin has loved all of the positions she has held in the industry, mostly along the east coast which she calls home after being born in Cheverly, Maryland, but raised in Charlotte from age two. It’s just that when you have the drive and ambition that Erwin possesses, and others recognize you as an up-and-coming star in the industry, well, you are going to be pursued as much as you pursue new positions. Along the way, Erwin experienced life as a young African-Amer- ican female in an industry long dominated by white males. She learned the business and kept her focus forward, not sideways or looking behind at the distractions that might come her way. That straight-ahead view has provided great satisfaction in an in-
dustry Erwin loves. Shining Star
“Shining star for you to see, What your life can truly be.” Adina Erwin remembers her parents taking her to an Earth,
that those lyrics, sung by the band led by Maurice White and Philip Bailey, would not one day apply to the girl who sat starry-eyed and would one day go on to be that star and discover what her life could
truly be? “It was at the old Charlotte Coliseum,” Erwin said, a recollection
so fresh to recall that it could have easily taken place yesterday. “That place to see the Ice Capades and the circus.” Many would say that such an experience gave them an early desire to be part of the live entertainment industry. That was not the case for Erwin.
I went, I want to do this. I was like a lot of people in the industry – I stumbled upon it.” Erwin attended the University of North Carolina (Tar Heel,
through and through) and graduated with a physical education de- gree, but not with a longing to teach. In fact, she started college ma- joring in biology and changed her major a couple of times. “Back then there weren’t a lot of sports management programs,” Erwin said. “It was a PE degree where you could focus on sports ad- ministration, which is what they called it at the time. It was the busi- ness side of sports. I had a concentration in sports administration. When I left the university, I knew I wanted to go into venue manage- ment, but with a sports team.” Erwin served an internship at the Dean Smith Center at North
Carolina, while holding a part-time position with the North Caroli- na High School Athletic Association, where she once again saw the business side of athletics in managing all the high school athletic pro- grams around the state. That was what sealed the deal for Erwin’s desire to work professionally in some type of entertainment venue and with a sports team. Erwin’s break came fast out of the gate when she landed a part- time position at the Charlotte Coliseum working with two of the in- dustry’s elite in Sporty Jeralds and Steve Camp. Better yet, the vener- able venue played host to the NBA Charlotte Hornets. Heeding the advice of Jeralds and Camp that she attend gradu-
ate school and earn a degree in sports management, Erwin enrolled in the program at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst and
ADINA ERWIN, CVE
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60
