Rooted in Community Values
Antoinetta Cash Royster, a Person County native, is a born leader and advocate. Growing up in Allensville, she witnessed both her immediate and extended family serving God and the community. Her parents, Leroy Cash (deceased) and Rev. Janice Cash, instilled in Antoinetta and her older brother, Aubrey Cash, strong values of faith, education, work ethic, service, and being a voice for those who felt unheard. She spent many days with her grandparents, Roy Cash (a farmer) and Louise Tuck Cash (a homemaker), in the Timberlake and Rougemont communities. As a young child, Antoinetta would read the Courier-Times to her grandfather, who only had a 2nd or 3rd grade education. He needed to "find out what was happening in town." Those moments introduced her to the politics, issues, and triumphs of Person County.
Education and Employment Background
Antoinetta attended North End Elementary School, Northern Junior High, and graduated from Person Senior High School in 1994. She was a teen mom and Medicaid recipient. During this time as a young mother, she graduated from North Carolina Central University with a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice. She worked at Food Lion, Harris Teeter, Kerr Drug, Museum of Life and Science, Duke University Medical Center as a pharmacy technician, LabCorp Center for Molecular Biology and Pathology as a Genetics Case Coordinator, Cabochon Estates as a leasing agent, Sisterhood Agenda as a youth coordinator, and for the NC Department of Health and Human Services as a Disability Examiner before accepting a job with Person County Department of Social Services (PCDSS) as a Work First Social Worker in 2005. She retired from PCDSS in 2021 as the Social Work Program Manager. Antoinetta earned a Master of Social Work (MSW) from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) as a NC Child Welfare Collaborative Scholar while employed at Person County DSS. She graduated from UNC in 2013, a year after her daughter graduated from Roxboro Community School, where Antoinetta had served on the Board of Directors from 2006-2012.
Antoinetta regularly worked as a substitute teacher in Person County Schools and Roxboro Community School. Antoinetta is currently a trainer and program consultant with the NC Department of Health and Human Services Division of Social Services where she trains child welfare social workers across North Carolina. Her perseverance and dedication forced her to accomplish most of these milestones as a single mother.
Leadership and Community Service
Antoinetta is active in the community. She is a member of Greater Clegg's Chapel Community Missionary Baptist Church in Timberlake where the Pastor is also her uncle, Rev. Louis Cash. Over the past 18 years, she has served on fifteen committees that serve Person County. She currently serves on the leadership team for B.A.S.I.C. (Brothers and Sisters in Conversation), Person County Education Foundation Board, Earl Bradsher Preschool Health Services Advisory Committee, and the National Night Out planning committee. Antoinetta was a member of the steering committee that established Person County's Children's Advocacy Center in 2022. She is in the community serving in volunteer or under independent contract roles in areas that address the housing crisis, accessibility or navigation of community resources, unity across racial and cultural differences, education, safety, and healthcare. She also worked with Duke University's Sanford School of Public Policy on a human services research study. Antoinetta is the Chair of Minority Affairs for North Carolina's Congressional District 4.
Family
Antoinetta is married to Maurice Royster, a former Person High School football player. So of course, their relationship began over ten years ago at a Person High School football game! They have a blended family of six children - Ati'yah Cash, Justice Thorpe, Jamauri Royster and wife, Ozja, Jaleah Royster, Ava Royster, and David "MJ" Royster, Jr. They have four grandchildren: Johnathan, Madison, McKinley, and Isaiah.
Call to Action
Antoinetta understands that families are the backbone of Person County. She is fortunate to have had support systems that permitted her to reach her goals; but she does not take lightly the fact that there are residents in this county who do not. Giving back to the community that invested in her drives her ambition to help others, thus her decision to run for County Commissioner.
As your County Commissioner, Antoinetta envisions a future where economic growth benefits Person County, where our children receive the best education, and where the safety and well-being of all residents promote a high quality of life. She is committed to working tirelessly to address the unique challenges facing our rural community and to build bridges that connect us all. Antoinetta will advocate for policies and initiatives that will safely and efficiently strengthen our community so that Person County families can thrive.
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