On Thursday, February 26, 2026, the UCCEO team had the pleasure of visiting with Ms. Norma Lee Hackney at the Anna Arts Center in downtown Anna.
The Anna Arts Center, founded in 2008, has been under Lee’s leadership as Director since 2012. Over the years, it has served as the setting for countless plays, art exhibits, performances, and classes, becoming a vibrant cultural hub for our region. The Center draws not only local patrons but also visitors from well beyond Union County — creating a meaningful impact on our community by bringing people here to experience the arts, dine in our restaurants, shop in our stores, and explore all that Union County has to offer.
Lee’s story is one of leadership, perseverance, and service. She grew up as the only daughter among four children in a military family, moving across the country wherever her father was stationed. Eventually, her family settled in Florida, where she graduated from high school before attending junior college in North Carolina. After two years, she returned to Florida, enlisted in the ROTC program, and completed her bachelor’s degree — launching what would become a remarkable 28-year career in the United States Navy.
Her naval service quite literally spanned the globe. In fact, when adding up her sea journeys, Lee has circumnavigated the world twice. Among her many accomplishments, she was the first female engineer officer aboard a Navy ship and later became the first female captain to command a large-deck amphibious ship — the aircraft carrier USS Saipan.
Lee’s leadership journey — from military command to arts advocacy — provided our young professionals with powerful insight into courage, resilience, and lifelong service.
One of our AJCHS students, Aleah Box, shared this reflection following our visit:
“ I had so much fun while I was there. I was able to ask questions this time, and hearing Lee Hackney’s experiences was really inspiring. Especially with her experience in the Navy, and the obstacles that were her peers that she had to face. I thought of how brave she was, and it also taught me that I shouldn’t let people try to take me down or get to me. She had a segment on thinking of “who we were” and what defined us, and it really had me think. It made me wonder about who I was and how I defined myself; it’s definitely something that i’ll be thinking about for a long time..”
AJCHS student, Drue Teske, also reflected on the impact of the visit:
“On Thursday, February 26th, the CEO class was BLESSED with a class visit at the Shawnee Hills Art Council with guest speaker Lee Hackney. During our visit, Lee told incredible stories about her career, experiences, childhood, and lessons she has learned along the way. Lee grew up traveling across the country for her dad’s work, naturally making her become a very adaptive, diverse, and mobile person. She also mentioned that her family frequently challenged the standard gender roles, so Lee was always learning her independence and autonomy through both generally masculine and feminine jobs. Lee definitely surprised the class with how much advice and experience she had as a leader. For example, she advised the class that we should participate in covenant leadership, where we create a contract with the people we lead. She stressed that her success as a leader truly depended on how well she connected with her group or “employees”. She also shared the secrets of life…which I don’t know if I should even repeat (because they’re a secret) haha! First, as a growing individual, you always do what is right. You want to take advantage of displaying a good attitude at all times to create a fun and uplifting environment. Secondly, you should do everything to the best of your ability. I see this as “if you don’t give it your all, what do you have to lose?” Although that might sound confusing, I believe that I can have no regrets when I know I gave my best efforts in everything I do. Lastly, Lee said that as leaders, we have to show others that we care for them. We need to be sincere and focus on what’s important–the people. Overall. I was absolutely amazed the whole time during this visit. I am blessed to know Lee, who is so humble, modest, wise, and gracious. She deserves the world and more for the immeasurable impact she has made on the world as an individual.”
Moments like this are exactly why experiential learning matters. When our students hear directly from leaders like Lee, the lessons extend far beyond business — they become lessons about character, identity, leadership, and courage.
Thank you, Lee, for your distinguished military service and for your unwavering dedication to bringing the arts to Union County. The exhibits, performances, and events hosted at the Anna Arts Center enrich our community in countless ways, and we are so grateful for the impact you continue to make. We appreciate you!