Governor McCrory Announces Appointments | Eastern North Carolina Now

 Raleigh, N.C.     The Office of Governor Pat McCrory announced the following appointments today:

• Dan McNeill (Cumberland County) — McNeill retired in 2008 after more than 40 years of commissioned service in the United States Army. He has served with the Special Forces, a mechanized infantry and aviation units. He is a retired four-star general. This is a reappointment.
• Paul Dordal (Cumberland County) — Dordal is a retired United States Air Force brigadier general. He now serves as a military defense consultant. He is a command pilot with more than 3,700 flying hours, primarily in F-4, F-16, and A-10 fighter aircraft. This is a reappointment.
• Mabry Martin (Forsyth County) — Martin is a retired brigadier general in the Army National Guard. He serves on the finance council for Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church, is the chairman of the church's stewardship commission and is also a member of the N.C. Employer Support for the Guard and Reserve. This is a reappointment.
• James N. Stewart (Mecklenburg County) — Major General James M. Stewart is the Military Executive Officer on the Reserve Forces Policy Board for the Office of the Secretary of Defense in Washington, D.C. The Reserve Forces Policy Board serves as an independent adviser to the Secretary of Defense, providing advice and recommendations to the Secretary on strategies, policies, and practices. He is recommended by the chair and designated by the Secretary of Defense, serving as both the military adviser to the chair and as military executive officer for the Reserve Forces Policy Board.
• Steven Ratti (Brunswick County) — Ratti is a U.S. Coast Guard rear admiral. He is the Director of Operations, J3 for the United States Southern Command, and assumed that post in April 2010. Prior to that, he served as Director of the Joint Interagency Task Force West at the United States Pacific Command, and as a Company Officer at the United States Coast Guard Academy.
• Joy Thrash (Cumberland County) — Thrash is the Executive Director of the North Carolina Defense Business Association, a corporation that serves as a professional trade association for the defense industry in the state. She is an honorary member of the 82nd Airborne and a member of several committees, including the Bragg Special Activities Committee. This is a reappointment.
• Patricia Walker (Wake County) — Walker served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Materiel and Facilities. She also served as the senior advisor to the Training and Education Joint Cross Service Team. She is certified at the highest level of Acquisition Corps and served on the Defense Acquisition Regulatory Council for several years.

 The commission provides advice, council, and recommendations to the Governor, the General Assembly, the Secretary of Commerce and other state agencies on initiatives, programs, and legislation that will continue and increase the role that North Carolina's military installations, the National Guard, and the Reserves play in America's defense strategy and the economic health and vitality of the state.

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• Frederick Stokes (Onslow County) — Stokes taught in the North Carolina Public School System for five years before accepting a position as a first grade teacher with the Department of Defense School System at Camp Lejune. Fritz is also a trained leader for a church sponsored scouting program where he taught five and six year old boys weekly classes over the course of five years. He currently serves his local church as the Director of Christian Education.

 The NCECAC shall create and sustain a shared vision for young children and a comprehensive, integrated system of family strengthening services, including early care and education services that support children, families, and communities. The NCECAC shall also develop, encourage and support initiatives to strengthen the state's early childhood system to achieve the best possible outcomes for the state's young children.

• Arthur M. Pappas (Durham County) — Pappas is the Managing General Partner of A. M. Pappas & Associates, LLC (aka Pappas Ventures) in RTP. The company invests in biotechnology, biopharmaceuticals, drug delivery, medical devices and related ventures. Pappas has served on the Board for Chimerix, AtheroGenics, Quintiles and other large companies. He also served in the 101st Airborne Division of the United States Army from 1968-1971. This is a reappointment.
• Carol A. Marino (Wake County) — Marino is the President of Argentes Consulting LLC, a strategic advisory firm that focuses on enabling the start-up phase of early stage technology companies. She also serves on the Board of Directors for the Clemson University Research Foundation, and has served on the board of numerous technology and venture capital companies. This is a reappointment.
• Bhaskar R. Venepalli (Wake County) — Venepalli is the President and CEO of CiVentiChem, a pharmaceuticals development and manufacturing company in Cary. He received his BS, MD and PhD from Osmania University in India, and also received an MBA from the University of Rochester. This is a reappointment.

 The center is responsible for supporting research, business and education, strengthening the state's academic and industrial biotechnology research capabilities and working with business, government and academia to move biotechnology from research to commercialization in North Carolina. The center also fosters the states biotechnology industrial development, informs the public about the science, applications, issues and benefits of biotechnology, enhances teaching and workforce training capabilities of the state's educational institutions and works to establish North Carolina as a preeminent international location for the biotechnology industry.

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• David Bone (Martin County) — Bone is County Manager for Martin County. He serves as the Chairman for the Water & Sewer Authority. Prior to his position, he was the Town Manager for the Town of Wendell and the Town of Elizabethtown, North Carolina, where he administered a more than $5 million annual budget. He is also member of the North Carolina City/County Managers Association. Bone earned a Master's Degree in Public Administration from North Carolina Central University. He is filling an unexpired seat.

 The board develops the 911 State Plan, administers the 911 Fund and the monthly 911 service charge, distributes revenue in the 911 Fund, establishes policies and procedures to fund advisory services and training, and investigates revenues and expenditures.

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• Matthew Raines (Wake County) — Raines is the Senior Client Management Consultant for CapTrust Financial Advisors in Raleigh, N.C. He is a past board member/treasurer of the Cameron School of Business Advisory Steering Committee and the Raleigh Chamber of Commerce Young Professional Network. In 2013, he was awarded the Community Service Employee of the Year at CapTrust.

 The council fosters a civic discourse in the state through a variety of programs which are free and designed for adults. The council provides communities with opportunities to reflect on their traditions, understand and appreciate their culture, coordinate programs to generate mutual understandings which foster common concerns and motivate citizens to become better informed.

• Contact: Crystal Feldman
•  govpress@nc.gov