2018 Ray Foley Memorial Scholarship Winners

CDA is pleased to announce the winners of the 2018 CDA Distributors Education Foundation (DEF) Ray Foley Memorial Scholarship.

Carmen Carias-Romero is the daughter of Nobila Romero, mezzanine order selector, Southco Distributing Co. in Goldsboro, North Carolina.

Carmen graduated with a 4.1 GPA and was a member of both the Key Club and the Medical Club. Carmen also mentored other students in French and spends much of her free time volunteering in her community. Carmen’s teachers described her as “a model student for her peers and younger students.”

Carmen will be attending Appalachian State University in the fall and will be studying Nursing.


Brandon Bentley is the son of Barry Bentley, district sales manager, Eby-Brown LLC in Rockmart, Georgia.

Brandon was Salutatorian of his graduating class, captain of the tennis team, and was a member of the National Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta, Skills USA, and FBLA. “Not only is Brandon a high achiever academically, but he also possesses many natural talents,” said Camille Whitfield, a teacher at Cedartown High School.

Brandon will be studying Accounting at Berry College in the fall and hopes to obtain his CPA in the future.

Each year, two $5,000 college scholarships are available for CDA distributor member company employees and their immediate family members. Interested applicants are encouraged to apply for the next round, which will begin late Spring 2019. Learn more at https://www.cdaweb.net/Education/Scholarships.