Despite the controversy surrounding her alleged academic credentials, Nicole Wadsworth is still leaning on her higher education degrees in hopes that it will distinguish her from the competition in the race for Alabama’s next lieutenant governor.
At a recent Marshall County Republican Club meeting, Wadsworth opened her speech by listing her degrees, including two master’s and a PhD. However, she failed to mention how her entire campaign quit recently due to “persistent misinformation and ongoing internal miscommunications” about her education, Yellowhammer News reported.
“I’m in the private sector. I have a Bachelor of Arts in history, a Master of business administration, a Master of Science in acquisition and contract management and a PhD,” she said Tuesday at the GOP meeting in Guntersville. “When I was earning my doctorate, my research was focused primarily on economic theory and how we use faith-based organizations and non-profit organizations to help revitalize economically impoverished towns.”
Wadsworth also stated that she has earned the Certified Alabama Planning and Zoning Official Certification and was the first person in north Alabama to receive the “EDAA Leadership Certificate.”
She continued, “So when I was in grad school, specifically when I was earning my MBA, the first thing that the professor wrote on the board was that higher education is just as much about tenacity as it is intelligence. I have the educational background, the professional background and the grit to be your next lieutenant governor.”
The controversy began with an email from Wadsworth’s campaign in early June, demanding that media outlets refer to her as “doctor” because she had earned a PhD in economics from the University of Alabama. State Rep. Tim Wadsworth (R-Arley) also sent an email to 1819 News about his wife’s credentials.
However, after widespread ridicule, she had to quickly walk back the claims made in her campaign’s email, clarifying that her doctorate was from the North Central Theological Seminary, which is not accredited by or affiliated with the U.S. Department of Education.
Her campaign manager, Hunter Weathers, who resigned shortly after, claimed it was a “mistype.”
Using the services of a legal firm, Nicole Wadsworth recently attempted an “off the record” clarification of her credentials.
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