Governor Appoints Eight to State Banking Commission | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Publisher's note: The author of this post is Dan Way, who is an associate editor for the Carolina Journal, John Hood Publisher.

    Former state senator Don Vaughn of Greensboro and former U.S. ambassador Mark Erwin are among Gov. Roy Cooper's eight appointees to the State Banking Commission. .

    "North Carolina is a leader in banking, and this Commission provides important expertise and oversight for our state's banks," Cooper said in making the announcement Tuesday evening.

    State Treasurer Dale Folwell is chairman of the 15-member State Banking Commission. The other 14 members are appointed.

    The commission supervises, directs, and reviews the activities of the Office of the Commissioner of Banks under the North Carolina Banking Laws.

    At its April 5 meeting, for example, the commission received notices of bank branch closures, approved or was advised of pending branch openings, and approved branch consolidations involving BB&T, Capital Bank Corporation, First Bank, First Carolina, First-Citizens Bank & Trust Company, HomeTrust Bank, Surrey Bank & Trust, and Uwharrie Bank.

    Cooper's public member appointees to the commission are:

• Steve Coggins, a litigation and regulatory attorney. He is a partner with the firm Rountree Losee LLP in Wilmington, and the co-founder of BarCARES, a statewide 24/7 confidential counseling service for lawyers. In 2000, Coggins received the North Carolina Bar Association's Pro Bono Attorney of the Year award.
• Herman Gaskins III, an investigator of serious automobile accidents at Gaskins & Gaskins, PA. He is active in the Hispanic community in Eastern North Carolina, and has organized Spanish-language seminars in Beaufort County to introduce immigrants to the concept of credit, checking accounts, and other banking services. Gaskins is a native of Washington, N.C.
• Karl Robinson, co-founder of R&R Transportation, Inc. in Greensboro. He has served on numerous boards, including as a member for the Greensboro Chamber of Commerce and the Business Advisory Board for First National Bank. Robinson is a native of High Point.
• Jennifer Scott, business development counsel/manager at Shipman & Wright, LLP in Raleigh. She has served as general counsel for First Bank. She is a North Carolina Bar certified specialist in real property law and a certified Superior Court mediator. Scott has served on numerous boards, including the Chatham County Planning Board and Economic Development Corporation.
• Sallie Shuping Russell, a senior adviser in BlackRock Inc.'s Private Equity Partners group. From 1986 to 2001, she worked at Duke University managing the private investment portfolio of Duke's endowment and retirement funds. Shuping Russell served two terms on the UNC Chapel Hill Board of Trustees from 2006-16, and is vice chairman of the UNC Investment Fund. She has been on the boards of directors of several venture-backed companies and has authored chapters in two books about alternative investments.
• Vaughn served in the Senate from 2008-2012. He is an attorney with more than 30 years of experience. He practices law regularly in North Carolina District and Superior courts, in federal court, and is licensed to practice before the United States Supreme Court. He is appointed to the North Carolina Courts Commission, and serves as a board member of the Greensboro Chamber of Commerce.

    Cooper's practical banker appointees are:

• Sepi Saidi, president/CEO of SEPI Engineering & Construction, founded in 2001. He previously spent more than 16 years in the field of transportation engineering design and management, 12 of those with the North Carolina Department of Transportation. She served as a founding board member for TrustAtlantic Bank, and serves on the Wells Fargo Raleigh Community Advisory Board.
• Mark Erwin, president of Erwin Capital, Inc., a family-owned investment company in Charlotte. From 1999-2001, Erwin served as United States ambassador to the Republic of Mauritius, the Republic of the Seychelles and the Federal Islamic Republic of Comoros. He has served on the boards of more than 35 civic, charitable and educational organizations throughout his career.