The Ava Gardner Museum in Smithfield celebrates the Ava Gardner Festival Oct. 3-5. The showcase includes "Ava's Closet," a new exhibit on the fashion choices of the legendary actress. The event features music, films and food.

Kristine Stiles is the curator of "Rauschenberg: Collecting and Connecting," a new exhibit at the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University in Durham. She organized the show with assistance from undergraduates Lauren Acampora, Katherine Hardiman, Emma Hart, Jacqueling Samy and Taylor Zakarin. The exhibit runs through Jan. 11. Stiles is the France family professor of art, art history and visual studies at Duke.

N.C. Central University in Durham features the work of Isabel Chicquor, who was a professor there for 30 years. Chicquor passed away in 2011. "Isabel Chicquor: A Tribute Exhibition," which runs through Oct. 25, includes more than 40 of her pieces.

The Hillsborough Arts Council Gallery presents "Adagio," oil paintings by Jennifer Hahn and embellished gourds by Catherine Kramer. The show runs through Oct. 25. Hahn has worked at the Carrboro Art Center. Kramer's studio is located in Orange County.

Local Color hosts "Kaleidoscope," an exhibit with a theme of color, creativity, texture and shapes. The show, which runs through Oct. 31, features the works of Adrien Montoya and Lizzie Bailey. Local Color is a co-op gallery of female artists in Raleigh.

Elizabeth Matheson of Hillsborough exhibits her photography at the Craven Allen Gallery in Durham through Nov. 8. Matheson's work focuses on the enigma of Cuba.

Paintings by Lolette Guthrie of Chapel Hill and Michelle Yellin of Cary are displayed in "Discoveries" at the Hillsborough Gallery of Arts. The show runs through Oct. 26.

Cathy McLaurin, a Siler City native, recently exhibited video, photographs and mixed-media based on her hometown. The show, "The North Wind and the Sun," was on display in the Power Plant Gallery at the American Tobacco Campus in Durham.

Jane S. Shaw, president of the Pope Center for Higher Education Policy, announced that the institute has reached GuideStar Exchange's Gold Participation Level, which is a sign of transparency and accountability. The Pope Center is a Raleigh-based nonprofit that works on improving higher education in North Carolina.

Chanda Branch, a theater and English language arts teacher in Wake County schools, was appointed to the Raleigh Arts Commission.

UNC-Greensboro welcomed 34 Guarantee Scholars from North Carolina for the 2014-15 year. They included Emma VanBeveren of Chapel Hill, Anas Bingham and Kristena Armwood of Durham, and Tressy Luyindula of Raleigh.

Abigail Chopel, a Raleigh native and fourth-degree black belt for the past 10 years, started teaching taekwondo at Sanderson High School last month.

Kristen Hoffman joined the Triangle East team of Wells Fargo's Private Bank as a senior trust and fiduciary specialist. The Triangle East team covers 52 counties, including Orange, Durham and Wake.

Lynda B. Boulay, executive assistant to the treasurer of the N.C. Department of State, was reappointed treasurer for The Foundation of the International Association of Administrative Professionals. Boulay was appointed treasurer of the group in 2012 and has been a member since 1988. The charitable organization offers career education, research and training for the administrative professional.

Sharon Decker, secretary of the N.C. Department of Commerce, was the keynote speaker at the annual banquet of the Cary Chamber of Commerce last month.

Erin Cohen, president of the greater Raleigh chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners, announced that the group hosted a financial workshop led by Jess McLamb last month. McLamb, the founder and president of Roper Bookkeeping in Raleigh, presented "Developing Your Financial Dashboard."

Wendy Coulter, CEO of the Hummingbird Creative Group in Cary, is serving as chair of the Thank You Committee for the 12th annual Gingerbread Benefit, which takes place in December and benefits Triangle Family Services. She is also serving on the marketing committee for Marbles Kids Museum, a nonprofit dedicated to inspiring children through adventures in play and IMAX experiences.

Raleigh's Emily Ballance, a certified speaking professional and N.C. licensed professional counselor, was a keynote speaker at the Home Visiting Training Institute in Tennessee. The August gathering drew an audience of 400 home visitors.

Patrice J. Carter, Ph.D., a Christian life coach, motivational speaker and author, began offering services to motivate executive-level women. She offers a workshop titled "8 Weeks to SUPERb: Journey to Excellence." Carter also shares her messages of "The Power of Yes" and "Get the Vision" with college-age women on campuses around Raleigh.

Raleigh chef Ashley Christensen participated in the Chefs Boot Camp for Policy and Change, sponsored by the James Beard Foundation, in Arkansas last month. The boot camp is a retreat for civically and politically minded chefs to become more effective leaders for food-system change. Christensen owns many Raleigh eateries, including Poole's Downtown Diner, Beasley's Chicken + Honey, Chuck's, Fox Liquor Bar and Joulé Coffee. She was awarded the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Southeast earlier this year.

Amanda Haisley was a contestant in the Grilled Cheese Cook-off at Raleigh's Downtown Farmers Market. Haisley is a chef at bu•ku in Raleigh.

Jackie Green, owner of Sweet Cheeks Bakery in Apex, hosted a class on "How to Operate a Home-based Bakery" last month at Reedy Creek Middle School.

Laura Edgerton, founder of Edgerton Immigration Law in Raleigh, was named the Raleigh Immigration Law Lawyer of the Year for 2015. The award is given by Best Lawyers. Edgerton also received the honor for 2012 and 2014.

Shawna Lemon and Julie Richardson were two of the 10 attorneys from Myers Bigel Sibley & Sajoved to be named to the 21st edition of "The Best Lawyers in America." Myers Bigel, which operates out of Research Triangle Park, is the largest independent patent law firm in North Carolina.

Triangle Ladies Power Lunch hosted a Dress for Success Donation Drive in honor of its guest speaker, Pat Nathan, last month. Nathan founded the local Dress for Success Triangle affiliate in 2008. The nonprofit promotes the economic independence of disadvantaged women.

The American Heart Association-Triangle announced:

• Kelli Horton joined the team as senior director of development for the Triangle Heart Ball.
• Samantha Lauf was named director of development for the Triangle Go Red for Women campaign and luncheon.

The N.C. chapter of the Lupus Foundation of America hosts its 14th annual N.C. Lupus Summit Oct. 25 at the Raleigh Marriott Crabtree Valley. The summit is the largest educational conference in the state. This year's theme is "Discovering Hope Through Creativity." The event is open to the public; pre-registration is required by Oct. 17.

Lisa Many of Chapel Hill joined The WiderNet Project as its publicity relations specialist. WiderNet is a nonprofit associated with UNC-Chapel Hill that brings educational Web resources to those without Internet access.

WomenNC, a Cary-based nonprofit, announced its 2014-16 board and committee chairs, as well as a new Partnership Committee to focus on collaborative support from academic institutions, businesses, nonprofits and individuals. Beth Dehghan will continue to serve as president, Carrie Reuben as vice-president and Leigh Sanders as secretary.

The League of Women Voters of Orange, Durham and Chatham Counties invited new and potential members to an introductory luncheon last month in Chapel Hill. Attendees learned about the league and met volunteers.

Leanne Joyce, a Chapel Hill teen, announced that Positive Impacts for Kids is well on its way of reaching its fundraising goals. Joyce started the nonprofit three years ago after being diagnosed with aortic stenosis. Joyce has set a goal of raising $100,000 by the time she graduates from high school in 2018. The organization focuses on improving the lives of hospitalized teens and children by providing the hospitals with "wish list" items, such as iPads.

Leslie Gregory, co-owner of Steel Blue Fitness in Chatham County and Cary, announced the screening of the documentary "Rising From Ashes." Gregory was a friend of cyclist Jock Boyer, the first American to compete in the Tour de France. The film follows Boyer and his Rwandan cyclists in their journey as professional cyclists. The screening takes place Oct. 18 at 5:30 p.m. in Governor's Village in Chapel Hill.

Chasta Hamilton will serve as the choreographer for Theatre in the Park's 40th anniversary production of "A Christmas Carol." Hamilton is the owner and artistic director of Stage Door Dance Productions and the founder of The Dance Exec. She attended N.C. State University in Raleigh and is a member of the Leadership Council of the Junior League of Raleigh. "A Christmas Carol" will take the stage at Memorial Auditorium at the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts on Dec. 10-14 and the Durham Performing Arts Center on Dec. 18-21.

Jody Cassell was featured in the American Dance Festival's September alumni spotlight. Cassell, who began as an ADF student, is a faculty member at its Samuel H. Scripps Studios in Durham. She's also a teacher for ADF Project Dance, the organization's outreach program.

Connie Carringer, an Apex resident and dance caller, taught dance classes for the family at the Halle Cultural Arts Center in August.

Habitat for Humanity of Wake County announced that Carrie Gray of Wells Fargo and Rosemary Kenyon of Smith Anderson are serving as chairs of Habitat Wake's Women Build project. The project focuses on two homes being constructed this fall, mostly by women.

Beth Smoot of Raleigh was named a finalist for the National Association of Realtors Good Neighbor Awards. The honor recognizes realtors who have made an impact in their community through volunteer work and community service.

Heather Link joined Terramor Homes, a local homebuilding company, as a marketing assistant. Link, who attended UNC-Greensboro, resides in Raleigh.

Cristi Thompson of Coldwell Banker Howard Perry and Walston Builder Services joined Traditions at Wake Forest as sales manager.

Grace Silva, a graduate student at UNC-Chapel Hill, was one of the researchers involved in a new study focusing on identifying "drivers" of cancer. The study, based at the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, uncovered eight genes that may be viable for targeted breast-cancer therapy. The study was published online in "Nature Genetics."

Robin Stanley, Ph.D., joined the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences in Research Triangle Park. She is the head of the NIEHS Nuclear Integrity Group, where she is studying ribosomes. Stanley, who resides in Chapel Hill, is a tenure-track researcher at NIEHS.

Allison Valentine, M.D., joined the team at Chapel Hill Primary Care. Valentine, who received her degree from the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Medicine, has practiced all aspects of family medicine.

The Thyroid Cancer Survivor's Association sponsored neck checks throughout September as part of its campaign to "Find It Early." September was Thyroid Cancer Awareness Month. Three of every four people diagnosed with the disease are women. The ThyCa Raleigh Support Group provides information and assistance at monthly meetings as well as through online services. The group, facilitated by Kathryn Wall, is free and open to all survivors and their families in the area.

YogaFest Raleigh, hosted by You Call This Yoga and other teachers, provided free yoga classes at City Plaza in Raleigh throughout September. Instructors included Tiffany Ingersoll of Open Door Yoga, Jessica Mollett of Breathing Mountain, Briana Young Roane and Mary Scudella of Bliss Body Yoga, Carrington Razook of Blue Lotus and Roxane Banville of Passport to Prana.

The poets Jaki Shelton Green and Betty Adcock are to be inducted into the N.C. Literary Hall of Fame this month. Adcock, who has held teaching residencies at Duke University in Durham and Meredith College in Raleigh, is the author of six poetry collections. She has won many literary prizes, including the N.C. Medal for Literature. Green, who has published four books of poetry, received the N.C. Award for Poetry in 2003.

Two stories by Donna Reeve of Chapel Hill will be included in "Chicken Soup for the Soul: Recovering From Traumatic Brain Injuries." The stories are "Mirror, Mirror" and "My Confession." Reeve began writing at 16 after a car accident left her with amnesia.

Faye Hueston, a Raleigh resident, wrote a memoir entitled "Fanchon's Daughter" about her search for her birth parents. Hueston's mother, Fanchon, was the first female film producer in Hollywood in the 1930s.

Nancy LaPonzina releases her third novel, "Yellow Pansies in a Blue Cobalt Jar" this month. The book follows Rhose Guerin, a bibliotherapist with a private practice in Raleigh, who finds she must reconsider her marriage. Guerin also faces the reappearance of an old love, a daughter in a relationship crisis and a parent challenged by health issues.

Wanda Pemberton co-authored a recently released book, "The Empowered Woman: Purpose, Passion and Possibilities." In the book, she provides readers with strategies to become more mindful in decision-making. Pemberton is a speaker, life coach and personal brand management strategist as well as the CEO of Sirrah Image Consulting in Durham.