Governor Cooper Nominates Members to State Boards and Commissions | Eastern North Carolina Now

Press Release:


    RALEIGH: Governor Roy Cooper today announced nominees to three state boards and commissions, the North Carolina Utilities Commission, the State Board of Education, and the North Carolina Employment Security Board of Review.

    "These commissions make critical decisions that impact the everyday lives of people in our state, from keeping public utilities affordable and reliable to setting policies for our public schools," Gov. Cooper said. "I'm appointing well-qualified members who will keep North Carolinians' best interests in mind."

    Gov. Cooper nominated the following individuals to serve on the North Carolina Utilities Commission:

• Senator Floyd McKissick of Durham. McKissick serves in the North Carolina Senate representing District 20 in Durham County. McKissick is also an attorney with McKissick and McKissick specializing in civil litigation. He serves on multiple Joint House and Senate Committees including the Revenue Laws Oversight, Government Operations Oversight, Economic Development and Global Engagement Oversight committees.
• Kimberly Duffley of Raleigh. Duffley is a senior staff attorney at the North Carolina Utilities Commission. She serves on the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners and is an advisory member of the North Carolina State Bar Utilities Law Specialization Committee.
• Jeff Hughes of Durham. Hughes is an associate professor and the Director of the Environmental Finance Center with the School of Government at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Previously, Hughes worked as a specialist on international utility finance at RTI International and as the Director of Public Works and Utilities for Chatham County.

    Gov. Cooper has nominated the following individual for reappointment as the Executive Director of the Public Staff of the North Carolina Utilities Commission:

• Chris Ayers of Apex. Ayers has served as the Executive Director of the Public Staff of the North Carolina Utilities Commission since 2013. Previously, he was a partner at Poyner Spruill practicing land use, utilities, government, environment, and real estate law.

    Gov. Cooper has nominated the following individuals for reappointment to the State Board of Education:

• Jill Camnitz of Greenville as a representative of the 1st Education District. Camnitz is chair of the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Coastal Plain Board of Directors. Camnitz also serves on the Parents for Public Schools of Pitt County, Pitt County Educational Foundation and Brody Foundation. She previously served as a member and chair of the Pitt County Board of Education.
• James E. Ford of Charlotte as a representative of the 6th Education District. Ford is the principal at Filling the Gap Education Consultants, LLC and serves as co-chair for the Leading on Opportunity Council in Charlotte. Ford previously served as the program director at the Public School Forum of North Carolina and was the North Carolina State Teacher of the Year during 2014-2015.
• JB Buxton of Raleigh as a member at-large. Buxton is the founding principal of the Education Innovations Group and has also worked as the deputy state superintendent of the North Carolina Department for Public Instruction. Buxton has served as an appointed member of the Raleigh Planning Commission and as a soccer coach with the Capital Area Soccer League.

    Gov. Cooper has nominated the following individual to serve on the North Carolina Employment Security Board of Review:

• Theresa Stephenson of Apex as a representative of the general public who shall be a licensed Attorney and serve as the chair. Stephenson is Special Deputy General Counsel at the North Carolina Department of Public Safety. Previously, she was deputy commissioner at the North Carolina Industrial Commission.

• Contact: Ford Porter
•     govpress@nc.gov