About Fleming

Fleming El-Amin was first appointed as Forsyth County Commissioner for District A when Commissioner Walter Marshall passed away in 2017. El-Amin won his first election for the seat in 2018.

El-Amin, a Winston-Salem native, is well-known locally for his long career in education and his political involvement. He graduated in 1975 from Cornell College in Mt. Vernon, Iowa where he earned a degree in Economics and Business Administration and a certification in Secondary Education. He intended teaching to be his backup job.

He completed his student teaching in Chicago while working at Guaranty Bank & Trust Company. He stayed in Chicago, and began his education career teaching high school students at Sister Clara Muhammad School as he continued to work at the bank.

El-Amin earned his master’s from the American Graduate School of International Management in Glendale, Ariz. He then got a job in the International Division of Chase Manhattan Bank in New York City, but discovered he didn’t want the world of high stakes banking to be his career path. He decided to continue as an educator, which he found to be more fulfilling.

“The satisfaction was greater in the classroom than it was in the banking arena,” said El-Amin. “I thought I was making a greater impact on these young people’s lives.”

He returned to Winston-Salem in 1979 and got a job teaching in the Economics Department of Winston-Salem State University. While there, his students did a feasibility study for the city that resulted in the East Winston Shopping Center.

While teaching at Glenn High School, El-Amin left to further his education. He received a Masters in Educational Leadership from Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, La. and attended Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio as a doctoral student.

El-Amin returned again to Winston-Salem in 2000 and resumed teaching at Glenn, where he would eventually retire from. When he ran for county commissioner, his biggest campaign contributions were from former students he taught at Glenn.

El-Amin has been involved with politics for decades. He said County Commissioner Mazie Woodruff helped inspire that, telling him that politicians control the price of bread and he needed to be involved if he wanted to feed his family. After his longtime involvement as a precinct chair, he became the chair of the Forsyth County Democratic Party from 2008-2016. The party nominated him to the Forsyth County Board of Elections, which he served on from 2016-2017.

He had discussed running for county commissioner with Commissioner Marshall, who wasn’t planning on seeking reelection in 2018 and supported the idea. When Marshall passed away in 2017, Fleming was nominated by the Forsyth County Democratic Party to take his seat.

One of El-Amin’s early accomplishments as county commissioner was renaming the Department of Social Services building for Marshall, who served on the Social Services board.

El-Amin was appointed by the governor to serve on the N.C. Code Officials Qualification Board. He is the vice chair of the Shalom Project and the Consolidated Human Services Board. He is a board member for Triad Cultural Arts, Inc., Northwest N.C. Advocates for Disabilities, Triad Chapter – Americans United and Interfaith Winston-Salem. He is a lifetime member of the NAACP and former board member for the Liberian Organization of the Piedmont.

His awards include Exceptional Leadership and Service to the Forsyth County Democratic Party, Forsyth County Association of Educators award, President’s Award for Outstanding Senior Representative, Forsyth County Board of Elections Recognition of Dedicated Service, Excellence In Education from National Sorority of Phi Delta Kappa, Inc, Umoja (Unity) Kwanzaa award from the Urban League and Triad Cultural Arts, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Dare to Make a Difference Award, Certificate of Achievement in Politics from the Effort Club of New Bethel Baptist, Recognition and Gratitude for the Enrichment, Exposure and Enhancement of the Quality of Life from Goler Memorial A.M.E. Zion, and Lifetime Achievement Award from Toledo Masjid of Al-Islam.

He is married to Dr. Cassaundra A. El-Amin. They have five children and ten grandchildren.