Occupation: Physician
Age: 37
Background: Spent first 10 years of her childhood in Alabama, the rest in Georgia.
Education: Graduated from high school in Columbus, Ga. Earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from Queens University of Charlotte. Continued her education at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta, graduating in 1998.
Career path: Completed three-year residency at Saint Francis Hospital in Memphis, Tenn. Began working as a family physician in Salisbury in 2001. She is now practicing at Rowan Medical Clinic.
Family: Mother lives in Georgia, father in Alabama. Has a brother in Georgia and a sister in Charlotte.
Role model: Her mother, a nurse. “She would always come home and tell me stories about her job and how much she liked it. She thought medicine was a great field and said there would always be a job for doctors and nurses. She has always been behind me in whatever I decided to do.”
Quote to live by: “Always do your best.”
Pet peeve: “Tardiness. I try to go with the flow, but it does get under the skin a little bit.”
State of race relations in Rowan County: “I think there’s definitely room for improvement.” Before accepting job in Salisbury, Stallworth said she feared she might have problems working as a black woman in a smaller city.
“Things were somewhat better than I thought they would be. I think there are still areas that are very segregated, and I do think some people may choose their doctors based on race and even sex as well.
“As far as me personally coming face to face with any prejudice, I have not, but I know it’s out there. …
“If you’re going to judge someone, don’t use race anywhere in the equation. If you’re going to be friends with someone or hire somebody for a job or work with someone, don’t bring race into it.”
ó Kathy Chaffin