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As a South Stanly High School senior, she was the first place winner in the state Future Business Leaders of America competitive event. As an Appalachian State University senior, she won first place in the state college level Phi Beta Lambda’s Future Business Executive competitive event and went on to place fifth in national PBL competition.

For nearly four decades, Tamara McSwain Singletary has lived up to those judges’ expectations and predictions, and has added the Stanly Community College Phi Beta Lambda Chapter’s 2021 Business Person of the Year recognition to her list of honors.

Singletary is executive vice president of investor Relations and corporate secretary at Uwharrie Bank/Uwharrie Capital Corp., formerly Bank of Stanly/Stanly Capital Corp.

After receiving a degree in business administration from ASU, she assisted with the opening of the Belk Albemarle Mall store and then became one of the original 13 Bank of Stanly employees in 1983.

During her career, she has done additional professional education programs through the North Carolina Bankers Association in Raleigh, the School for Deposit Counselors in Chicago, and the School of Bank Marketing at the University of Colorado-Boulder.

Singletary was a member of the inaugural Leadership Stanly class. She has served as chair of the board of the Stanly Regional Medical Center Foundation, a member of the Stanly County HORIZONS task force on community image and quality of life, and president of the Albemarle Business and Professional Women’s Organization, having been named as the 1986 Young Career Woman of the Year.

She is also an active member of Cedar Grove Methodist Church, serving in various leadership roles through the years.

At ASU, she was president of the university’s state and national award-winning Phi Beta Lambda chapter. She was later elected as an officer of the state PBL Alumni Association/Professional Division and has served as a competitive event judge at state conferences.

The national Phi Beta Lambda Business Person of the Year program began in 1980, and Stanly Community College has recognized an outstanding county business leader each year, beginning with Nell Poplin, owner of Leejames Dress Shoppe at Quenby Mall.

Last year’s Stanly recipient, Lee Pickler, owner of ScanOnline in Locust, went on to be named both the North Carolina PBL Business Person of the Year and one of two recognized at the national level.

“The chapter is proud to add Ms. Singletary to our list of distinguished Business Person of the Year list,” Chapter President Hannah Barnhill said.

Dan Hazlett, adviser for SCC’s PBL chapter, said the award is designed to recognize a local business person who is known for ethical business procedures, community involvement and the ability to serve as an example for students in business programs.

“The national FBLA-PBL theme for this year is ‘Aspire,’ and our chapter leaders chose to recognize a former PBL member whose aspirations led not only to personal success but also to contributions to the community,” Hazlett said. “Certainly, Tamara’s dedication to this local business and the betterment of our county meets that criteria. Although she was president of the competitive ASU State PBL chapter, we don’t hesitate now to consider her one of ours.”