Governor Cooper Announces Appointments to Boards and Commissions | Eastern North Carolina Now

Press Release:

    RALEIGH: Today, Governor Roy Cooper announced North Carolina boards and commissions appointments.

    "I'm thankful to have these talented appointees serving North Carolina and using their expertise to make important decisions that impact our economy, schools and communities," Gov. Cooper said.

    Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the North Carolina Council on Developmental Disabilities:

• Kerri K. Eaker of Asheville as chair. Eaker currently serves as family support and outreach coordinator for the Mission Health System in Asheville. She is a former member of North Carolina Families United and the Cleveland County Children's Collaborative

    Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individuals to the North Carolina Early Childhood Advisory Council:

• Dr. Valerie Bridges of Tarboro as a representative of a local education agency. Dr. Bridges is the Superintendent of Edgecombe County Public Schools. Dr. Bridges has served as Associate and Assistant Superintendent of Edgecombe and Washington County Schools. She also worked as a high school teacher, middle school assistant principal, and elementary school principal.
• Dr. Kristi L. Snuggs of Clayton as a DHHS member representing child care, NC Pre-K, health, mental health, social services, and the Infant-Toddler Program. Snuggs is the interim acting director for the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services' Division of Child Development and Early Education. She is also the Director and Chief Operating Officer for NEED, Inc. and an Educational and Fiscal Consultant at Triple K Consulting.
• Dr. David Stegall of Hickory as a North Carolina Department of Public Instruction representative. Dr. Stegall is the deputy superintendent of innovation for the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. He served as the Vice President for Global Education Management Systems in the Middle East, North African and South Asia regions of the world.

    Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individuals to the North Carolina Board of Examiners for Engineers and Surveyors:

• Dr. Cedric Fairbanks of Durham as a registered engineer. Dr. Fairbanks has been the lead engineer at the Duke Energy Mayo Steam Plant in Roxboro since 2015. Dr. Fairbanks also serves on the American Association of Blacks in Energy Board.
• Jonathan Care of Henderson as a Public Member. Care is an attorney at his own private practice where he concentrates on real estate, wills and estate administration, and small business matters. He is also the Vance county attorney.

    Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the North Carolina Board of Registered Environmental Health Specialist Examiners:

• Rebecca Rosso of Gibsonville as an environmental health specialist. Rosso has been an environmental health specialist for the Alamance County Health Department since 2004. Rosso currently focuses on quality assurance, quality improvement, and water quality.

    Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the North Carolina Board for Licensing of Geologists:

• Dr. Richard Spruill of Greenville as an academic geologist. Dr. Spruill has been the president and principal hydrogeologist of Groundwater Management Associates in Greenville since 1986. Dr. Spruill is also an Associate Professor of Geology at East Carolina University.

    Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the Board of Directors of the Golden L.E.A.F. Inc.:

• The Honorable Darryl D. Moss of Creedmoor as a member-at-large. Moss has over 30 years of public service experience, including serving as the Mayor of Creedmoor from 1999 until 2017. Moss has also served on many boards, including the Environmental Management Commission, the North Carolina League of Municipalities Board of Directors, and the National League of Cities Board of Directors.

    Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individuals to the Historic Bath Commission:

• Alice Sadler of Washington as a member at-large. Sadler previously served as the chief professional officer for the Boys and Girls Club of Beaufort County. Sadler is currently on the county's board of elections and was previously a county commissioner.
• Ken Friedlein of Durham as a member at-large. Friedlein is a retired architect who purchased and renovated the 1905 Swindell Cash Store on Main Street in Bath. He also worked to provide the feasibility study that has guided the renovation and re-use of the abandoned Bath High School buildings.
• Watsi Sutton of Washington as a member at-large. Sutton has been a practicing attorney for 20 years and currently runs her own practice in Beaufort county. Sutton previously served as an Assistant District Attorney in Beaufort county.

    Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individuals to the Historic Hillsborough Commission:

• Thomas Mills of Carrboro as a member at-large. He is the founder and publisher of PoliticsNC.com and was previously a political consultant overseeing local and national political campaigns.
• Thomas Watson of Hillsborough as a member at-large. Watson is currently retired after spending over 45 years with UNC Health Care. He also has previously served on the board for the Orange County Historical Museum, the Hillsborough Arts Council and the Orange County Cultural Center.
• Martha Jenkins of Hillsborough as a member at-large. Jenkins is a legislative assistant at the North Carolina General Assembly and the owner of Flags Over America.
• Virginia Ferguson of Hillsborough as a member at-large. Ferguson has had over 30 years of experience as a realtor in the triangle and enjoys spending her free time helping the local community.
• Libbie Hough of Hillsborough as a member at-large. She is the communications manager for Orange County Public Library and a self-employed communications consultant. Hough is the former vice-chair of the Town of Hillsborough's Tourism Board.
• Jackie Sykes of Hillsborough as a member at-large. Sykes is a retired teacher and has been an active volunteer with the Burwell School in Hillsborough.

    Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the Information Technology Strategy Board:

• Tracy Futhey of Durham as a North Carolina citizen with a background in and familiarity with business system technology, information systems, or telecommunications. Futhey has presided over Duke's information technology endeavors and led the Office of Information Technology since 2002.

    Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the State Judicial Council:

• Rebecca S. Henderson of Cornelius as an attorney. She is a lawyer, mediator, arbitrator, executive coach, and community leader with more than thirty years of experience in managing and resolving complex commercial disputes. She previously served on the North Carolina Bar Association Board of Trustees and the Equal Access to Justice Commission.

    Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individuals to the License to Give Trust Fund Commission:

• Dr. David Gerber of Chapel Hill as a transplant physician licensed in our state. Dr. Gerber is the currently serving as executive medical director at the UNC Healthcare Center for Transplant Care and Jason Ray Transplant Clinic and is a George F. Sheldon Distinguished Professor at UNC-Chapel Hill.
• Lynette G. Collins of Jamesville as a representative of organ, tissue, and eye recipient, or family member of donor from the coastal region. Collins received a kidney as part of what is believed to be the first successful six-person kidney exchange in the Carolinas.

    Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individuals to the North Carolina Locksmith Licensing Board:

• Huntington M. Willis of Raleigh as a public member. Willis is a trial attorney for Martin & Jones, PLLC. Before law school, Willis served as a Captain in the United States Army where he had many roles, including Battalion Intelligence Officer.
• Mike McCarty of Greenville as a public member. McCarty has served as Director of Development at Taft Family Ventures since 2009, where he oversees all budgeting, design, entitlement, planning, underwriting and construction for their residential and commercial developments.

    Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individuals to the North Carolina State Lottery Commission:

• Brad T. Adcock of Cary as a member at-large. Adcock is currently retired and previously served as the vice president of government affairs for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina. He also served on the UNC Board of Governors from 1997 to 2009 and served as Chair of the Appalachian State University Board of Trustees.
• Pamela D. Whitaker of Winston-Salem as a member at-large. Whitaker previously served as CEO of Key Resources Inc., the largest women owned business in the Triad Area for over 14 years. She also served on the Board of Visitors for UNC Greensboro and the United Way Development Board.

    Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individuals to the Martin Luther King Jr. Commission:

• Nervahna Crew of Raleigh as a member-at-large. Crew is the regional administrative lead for Messer Construction Company. Crew was previously a legal administrative assistant for the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.
• James E. Williams, Jr. of Carrboro as a member-at-large. Williams served as a public defender in Orange and Chatham counties for 27 years before retiring in 2017. Williams was also previously the regional chair of the National Association of Public Defense Racial Justice Task Force.

    Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the Pamlico Community College Board of Trustees:

• Dr. Dawn Baldwin Gibson of Merritt as a member-at-large. Gibson is the superintendent of the Peletah Academic Center for Excellence. Gibson was previously an English teacher at the high school and community college level in eastern North Carolina.

    Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individuals to the North Carolina Partnership for Children, Incorporated:

• Charles Bowman of Charlotte as the chair and as a member of the business community. Bowman is the Bank of America market president for Charlotte and for North Carolina. Bowman also served as the associate director of the John Motley Morehead foundation.
• Cassandra Brooks of Clayton as a child care provider. Brooks is the owner and operator of Little Believer's Academy Inc. LBA is located in a low income area and has worked to create access to mental health counselors and social workers to help families and children work through trauma.
• J. Patrick Danahy of Greensboro as a member of the party other than the Governor's party. Danahy is a consultant for the Greensboro Chamber of Commerce. He was the President and CEO of Cone Mills and served as CEO and President of the Greensboro Partnership/Greensboro Chamber of Commerce for nine years.
• Jennie Eblen of Asheville as a member representing a philanthropic agency. Eblen is the owner of Biltmore Oil Company and Eblen Short Stop Stores. She serves on the Buncombe County Partnership for Children and the United Way of Asheville & Buncombe County.
• Darlene Ennett of LaGrange as a health care provider. Ennett has worked in the hospital setting as a medical surgical and critical care nurse and as a Nurse Manager. She also served as the Assistant Director of Home Health.
• Danielle C. Gray of Raleigh as a member-at-large. Gray is senior vice president, chief legal officer, and corporate secretary for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina. Previously, she served as a partner in the New York law firm of O'Melveny and Myers. Prior to joining O'Melveny, she served in several public service roles in the White House and Department of Justice.
• Dr. Anthony D. Jackson of Henderson as an early childhood educator. Dr. Jackson is the superintendent of the Vance county school system. He was named the N.C. Central Region's Superintendent of the year for 2013-2014.
• Kevin Leonard of Raleigh as a member of the party other than the Governor's party. Leonard is the Executive Director for the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners. He previously worked for the government relations practice group at the Raleigh office for Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice.
• Joseph C. Patterson of Raleigh as a member of the party other than the Governor's party. Patterson is an attorney who now mediates disputes for the Superior Court of North Carolina. He serves on the Frankie Lemmon School & Developmental Center Board of Directors and on the Board of Beginnings for Parents of Children Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing.
• Tina Sherman of Apex as a parent. Sherman is a campaign director for the breastfeeding and paid leave campaigns at MomsRising. She recently was elected to serve on the Board of Directors of the United States Breastfeeding Committee. Sherman also serves on the Town Planning Board and the County Women's Commission.

    Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the North Carolina State Board of Refrigeration Examiners:

• Howard Price of Monroe as a licensed refrigeration examiner. Price spent 30 years in the refrigeration business with Harris Teeter and Lowes Food Stores. Price most recently served as business development manager for C.E. Holt Refrigeration Inc.

    Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the Sedimentation Control Commission:

• Dr. Richard A. Mclaughlin of Raleigh as a North Carolina State University Soil Science Department faculty representative. Dr. Mclaughlin has served as a professor of Urban Soil & Water Management at North Carolina State for over 27 years.

    Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individuals to the North Carolina Board of Science, Technology and Innovation:

• Dr. Tonya Smith-Jackson of Greensboro as a HBCU Component of UNC System nominated by the UNC President. Smith-Jackson is the Senior Vice Provost for Academic Affairs at NC A&T State University. She is a Professor and former chair of the Industrial and Systems Engineering Department at NC A&T. Dr. Smith-Jackson has worked as a usability engineer for IBM, Ericsson Mobile Communications (now Sony-Ericsson), and served as an expert witness in systems safety, usability and accident analysis litigation. She has served as a manager in county, state and federal government agencies, including the European Command (Germany) and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.
• Dr. Richard Tankersley of Huntersville as Component of UNC System nominated by UNC President (other than UNC-CH or NCSU). Tankersley is the Vice Chancellor for Research and Economic Development at UNC Charlotte. Tankersley spent four years as a Program Director at National Science Foundation. Tankersley has been a faculty member, administrator, and researcher for over 25 years, holding positions at Gonzaga University, the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC), and the Florida Institute of Technology.

    Gov. Cooper nominated the following individuals to serve on the North Carolina Turnpike Authority:

• Robert D. Teer, Jr. of Durham as a member at-large. Teer has been involved in transportation and economic development for his entire career and has served on the North Carolina Turnpike Authority since 2003. Since 1998 Robb has also served on the Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority in various capacities, including as Chairman.
• Montell W. Irvin of Raleigh as a member at-large. Irvin is the President and CEO of Ramey Kemp & Associates, a privately-owned transportation engineering, planning, and design firm. Irvin is a member of the American Council of Engineering of North Carolina and the Regional Transportation Alliance.
• Mary N. Clayton of Charlotte as a member at-large. Clayton is a senior vice president for Gresham Smith in their Charlotte office. She has more than 30 years of experience in the business of transportation and has specialized in transportation demand management. She recently served on several key committees of the American Public Transit Association, including Public Private Partnerships, and Innovative Finance.
• Sam R. Hunt of Burlington as a member at-large. Hunt is the President of Hunt Electric Supply Co. in Burlington, a family owned electrical distributor with 8 locations in North Carolina. He is also President of ESLSupply.com, an online retail business started in 2013.

    Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the U.S.S. North Carolina Battleship Commission:

• Katherine Phillips of Washington, D.C as member at-large. Phillips is the Federal Affairs Manager with Giffords, formerly known as Americans for Responsible Solutions.

    Gov. Cooper has nominated the following individual to serve on the Underground Damage Prevention Review Board:

• Jonathan Bryce Mendenhall of Franklinton as a representative from an investor- owned water system. Mendenhall is the Vice President of Operations for Carolina Water Service, Tennessee Water Service, and Blue Granite Water Company. Mendenhall was previously the Director of Public Utilities for Franklin county.

    Gov. Cooper has nominated the following individual to serve on the North Carolina Veteran Affairs Commission:

• Alexander Mendaloff III of Statesville as a representative of the 13th congressional district. Mendaloff is an attorney at Alexander Mendaloff III, PLLC. Mendaloff served 31 years in the United States Army and was previously the resident Superior Court Judge of the 22nd Judicial District of North Carolina.

    Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the North Carolina State Youth Advisory Council:

• Matthew D. Cox of Raleigh as an adult member. Cox is the vice president of business development at Global Data Consortium. Cox helped to launch a digital health company with the mission of increasing access to and lowering costs of healthcare for patients across North Carolina, RelyMD. Cox also served as a U.S. Navy Submarine Officer.

• Contact: Ford Porter
•     govpress@nc.gov