SALISBURY — Rowan Vocational Opportunities, Inc. Executive Director Gary Yelton has announced the return of Wilson Cherry to the agency’s staff at the Rowan and Cabarrus sites.

“Wilson is returning to help spearhead the agency’s fundraising and publicity efforts. He will be actively involved in the company’s proposed 17,000 square foot production and warehouse expansion,” Yelton said in a news release.

“Wilson is a highly regarded speaker and writer who continues to be an advocate and activist on behalf of ‘differently-abled’ persons,” said Yelton.

A Salisbury native and Cabarrus County resident, Cherry originally retired from RVO/CVO in 2021 as a result of physical health issues.

He was a recent recipient of the Catawba College Black Distinguished Alumni Association “Trail Blazer” Award and the Arc of North Carolina’s Distinguished Service Award. Cherry currently serves as a presiding Elder at Trinity Presbyterian Church, USA in Salisbury.

Rowan Vocational Opportunities, Inc. was founded in 1966 at the former Ellis Cross Road school building. In 1999, the late Food Lion founder, Ralph Ketner, and his wife, Mrs. Anne Ketner, donated $1 million to build the current 27,000 square foot warehouse onto what was once the Rowan County Health Department, located at 2728 Old Concord Road in Salisbury.