Dr. Shanessa Fenner is no stranger to Up & Coming Weekly readers. In addition to being an elementary school teacher, podcaster, former radio personality and T.V. show host, she has also contributed articles to this publication for 16 years. Most recently, she was named the 2025 Principal of the Year for Cumberland County, and she now advances to the regional level.
Fenner strives to be a strong black woman, which she defines as formulating an independence by which you can provide for all of your own needs. This would encompass financial, of course, but also more intangibles such as the desire to share on emotional, intellectual and spiritual levels.
She strives to do this by taking advantage of every career opportunity put before her, constantly learning, recognizing and fueling her drive and ambition. She is a native of Fayetteville and one of two daughters of a mother who was also a teacher and go-getter. Her sister, Erica Fenner McAdoo, is also in education and is an elementary school principal.
Fenner values higher education and has excelled academically. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in elementary education at North Carolina Central University. She followed that up at Fayetteville State University with two Master’s degrees, one a Master of Arts in elementary education and the other a Master of School Administration. This course of advanced learning culminated in a doctorate in educational leadership.
As soon as Fenner had her bachelor’s degree, she taught elementary school at the first- and second-grade levels. Once she had her master’s in school administration, she was encouraged to apply for an assistant principal position. She spent four years in that position at the Max Abbott Middle School here in Fayetteville. Since then, she has served as principal at four schools: Mae Rudd Williams Elementary School, Ireland Drive Middle School, the Alger B. Wilkins Elementary School and, currently, the William T. Brown Elementary School.
Fenner is quick to acknowledge her respect for people who made inroads toward an integrated society for her and us all. For example, she always invited William T. Brown, who was an educator, advocate for change and mentor, to attend the first day of school each year at his namesake school. He graciously accepted each year until health issues held him back toward the end of his life. She speaks of him as respected and respectful, focused on the educational growth for the children and of being kind.
As one of her many other endeavors, Fenner hosted a local radio program for four years called “Real Talk with Dr. Shanessa Fenner.” It ran on Sunday evenings from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. featuring a wide array of invited guests to discuss current events or what was happening in the city. This was under the Beasley Broadcast Group on what was then KISS 107.7 FM. She hosted other radio programs on Bronco Radio from the Fayetteville State University campus. Fenner’s involvement with TV began in 1998.
She hosted two of her own shows and another for a prominent mover in education, the late Dr. Earl Hill. Hill also served in the U.S. Air Force. On Fenner’s TV show, “The Bronco Exchange,” she had the privilege of interviewing the late Georgia Congressman and civil rights movement leader John Lewis, which you can watch on YouTube (https://youtu.be/dMOjC3Yr3ok).
She loves writing and has been a contributing writer to nearly two dozen magazines. Essence ran her article on how parents can set their kids up for success (https://www.essence.com/lifestyle/parental-involvement-in-education/) each school year; Consciousness Magazine published her interview with Dr. Maya Angelou (https://consciousnessmagazine.com/drmayaangelou/); for Sheen Magazine she explored colorism https://www.sheenmagazine.com/the-internalization-of-colorism-in-black-america/) within the African-American community; and for Cuisine Noir Magazine she interviewed a black grocery store owner in Los Angeles. She wrote a piece on Air Supply, as well as many other musicians and topics for Up & Coming Weekly.
Fenner has written songs, she’s modeled for an African American hair product company and she’s acted in two local soap opera television shows. If she has any downtime, she replenishes herself with a well-deserved nap and take-out meal, her favorite restauranteurs know her order because it never changes.
Fenner has not yet found a man who can match her intellect or her compulsion for lifelong learning and achieving. And she is not unsympathetic to the challenges faced by black males in our society. She wrote her dissertation on the weighted stereotypes imposed on black male middle-school students and how they might rise above those barriers and achieve what they want in life. She does not regret not having her own family because her “babies,” as she calls them, are the countless students who have passed through her schools over the years.
Those children have been her focus, and she is committed to ensuring they have the education they need to meet the economies of today and tomorrow. It goes beyond the basics of being well-read and well-rounded. The world is changing rapidly, even more rapidly than it has over the last century and a quarter. It is getting increasingly competitive and Fenner wants her babies to succeed in this life, to take advantage of every opportunity that crosses their paths.
She is also concerned about artificial intelligence. She doesn’t mind if it is used to help a student learn about a topic or organize his or her thoughts for writing, for example, but she is wary of the negative impacts of AI, such as job loss and the challenges faced by students who expend time and energy on a screen but don’t put enough effort or value on personal interaction and networking. Both of these are vitally important for both personal opportunities and for building community.
So, what’s next for this highly accomplished woman? Well, Fenner has a podcast through “The City Insight” website that she’s starting. Also, she contemplates writing a book, but she’s not settled on what it would be about yet. She’s also an adjunct professor. Between all these projects she’s pulling together her portfolio for the Regional Principal of the Year board.

(Photo: Dr. Shanessa Fenner has been awarded the 2025 Cumberland County Principal of the Year. The principal of the William T. Brown Elementary School now advances to the regional level of principal of the year. Photo courtesy of Dr. Shanessa Fenner)