Gov. Cooper Announces New Appointments to State Boards and Commissions

Today, Governor Roy Cooper announced 39 new appointments to various state boards and commissions.

“These North Carolinians bring dedication, skills, and years of experience to our state boards and commissions,” Gov. Cooper said. “I appreciate them using their time and talents to serve North Carolina.”

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individuals to the North Carolina State Board of Examiners of Fee-Based Practicing Pastoral Counselors:

• Rev. Dr. Robert Cooke of Selma as Chair and as a member who is a certified fee-based practicing pastoral counselor. Cooke is a pastor at Pauline Baptist Church in Four Oaks and a pastoral counselor at Triangle Pastoral Counseling in Raleigh, where he provides psychotherapy in both English and Spanish. 
• Rev. Dr. Orlando Dowdy of Durham as member who is a certified fee-based practicing pastoral counselor. Dowdy is a Pastoral Counselor in Durham and a Pastor at Holland Chapel AME Zion Church in Apex. Previously, Dowdy served as a Commander in the U.S. Army National Guard and a police officer in Fayetteville. 

Governor Cooper has appointed the following individual to the Marine Industrial Park Authority:

• The Honorable Janice Cole of Hertford as Chair and a resident in an area where a Marine Industrial Park is located. Cole previously served as the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina. Cole was also the first African-American and woman elected to serve as a district court judge in the 1st District of North Carolina. 

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individuals to the North Carolina Council for Women:

• Jenny Black of Raleigh as Chair and at-large member. Black is the CEO and President of Planned Parenthood South Atlantic, overseeing the operation of more than 14 centers in North Carolina, South Carolina, West Virginia, and Virginia. Black is also on the Board of Directors for St. Mary’s School in Raleigh and for the nonprofit IPAS. 
• Andreina Hall of Waynesville as an at-large member. Hall is an award-winning court advocate for victims of human trafficking, domestic violence, and sexual assault at REACH of Macon County. S 
• Annette Taylor of Morrisville as an at-large member. Taylor is the Director of Community Engagement for Congressman G.K. Butterfield. Taylor previously served as the Executive Director of the NC Center for Women in Public Service at William Peace University. 
• Crystal Moore of Pembroke as an at-large member. Moore is a Family Nurse Practitioner at the Student Health Services of UNC-Pembroke. She is also an adjunct member of UNC-Pembroke’s Nursing faculty. 
• Del Mattioli of Durham as an at-large member. Mattioli is the founder and President of Mattioli Associates, LLC, a financial services firm in Durham. Mattioli previously worked at New York Life Insurance for 34 years. 
• Katherine Woodbury of Wilmington as an at-large member. Woodbury worked for Goldman Sachs for eight years as a currency options and emerging markets interest rates derivatives trader. She also previously served as COO and CFO of Kipp Memphis Collegiate Schools in Memphis, TN. 
• Lucy Horton of Williamston as an at-large member. Horton worked as a domestic violence counselor in Williamston for 11 years.  She previously served as the chair of the Martin County Social Service Board and as a member of the Martin County Council for Women. 
• Mary Conlon of Charlotte as an at-large member. Conlon is the founder and Executive Director of Moderate Chic, a civic engagement group. She previously worked as a Biotech Launch Specialist for Eli Lilly and Company. 
• Patricia Adams of Rocky Mount as an at-large member. Adams worked at Edgecombe/Nash Mental Health, Substance Abuse, Development Disabilities Center for thirty years and was the Director of the Rocky Mount Children’s Developmental Services Agency (CDSA) for seven years. 

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

• Michael Cunningham of Cary as the Governor’s Designee and Chair. Cunningham serves as general counsel for Red Hat in Raleigh. He previously was associate general counsel for both IBM and PricewaterhouseCoopers. Before becoming a lawyer, Cunningham worked as an engineer at Sperry Defense Electronics. 
• Kimberly Bankston of Wilmington as a representative of private industry. Bankston is Executive General Manager for Human Resources at GE Hitachi Nuclear. She currently serves on the Wilmington Chamber of Commerce Board. 
• Catherine Horne of Charlotte as an at-large member. Horne is the President and CEO of Discovery Place, Inc. in Charlotte. Horne serves on the board of directors for the Association of Science and Technology Centers and the North Carolina Grassroots Science Museums. 
• Secretary Eric Boyette of Kenly as an at-large member. Boyette is the Secretary and State Chief Information Officer for the North Carolina Department of Information Technology. He previously was the Chief Information Officer for the North Carolina Department of Transportation. He also has served as Commissioner of NCDOT’s Division of Motor Vehicles. 
• Dr. Amalendu Chatterjee of Morrisville as a representative of private industry. Chatterjee is the co-founder of the software company Eximsoft International. He also is a technical and business adviser to Network Optic Communications and Quad Research. 

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children:

• E. Alex Erwin III of Jacksonville as a member who is a local school board attorney. Irwin is an attorney at the Erwin Law Firm in Jacksonville. He previously served as a District Court Judge for the 4th Judicial District in North Carolina. 

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the North Carolina State Board of Registration for Foresters:

• Henry Randolph of Cameron as a member who is a registered forester. Randolph is a partner at Gelbert, Fullbright & Randolph Forestry Consultants, PLLC. He has provided forestry management and consulting services since 1996. Randolph previously served as the Treasurer of the Harnett County Forest Landowners Association. 

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individuals to the State Bar Council:

• Thomas Elkins of Raleigh as a public member. For 15 years, Elkins worked as a Medical Facilities and Health Planner at the Division of Facility Services for the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. He previously served as Executive Director of the North Carolina Public Health Association. 
• Dr. Joseph E. Johnson of Greensboro as a public member. Johnson is a Professor Emeritusat the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Johnson served on the faculty of UNC-G’s Joseph M. Bryan School of Business for 31 years and founded the school’s Department of Business Administration.   
• Mohan Venkataraman of Cary as a public member. Venkataraman is currently the CTO of IT People, an IT services and workforce solutions consulting firm. He previously worked on developing blockchain technology at IBM. He also served on the North Carolina Board of Public Telecommunication. 

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individuals to the Tryon Palace Commission:

• William Cannon, Jr. of Concord as Chair and as an at-large member. Cannon serves as Chair of the Commission. He is President of the Cannon Foundation. 
• Jill Hendrickson of Zebulon as an at-large member. Hendrickson is a businesswoman who specializes in event planning and commercial real estate management. She currently serves on the Board of Visitors at Western Carolina University. 
• Kelly Whitley of New Bern as an at-large member. Whitley previously worked as a Research Assistant at the Florida State Legislature. She also served as a Guardian Ad Litem in Craven County and is an active volunteer at Tryon Palace and the North Carolina History Center. 
• Steve Graves of Blounts Creek as an at-large member. For 26 years, Graves worked as a solo practitioner in his law firm, Stephen A. Graves, P.A. Graves previously served a tour in Vietnam with the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War, and he is the recipient of two Purple Heart medals and a Bronze Star for Service. 
• Pender McElroy of Charlotte as an at-large member. McElroy is a partner at James, McElroy, and Diehl, P.A,. McElroy served as the President of the Mecklenburg County Bar and as the Board Chair for Mental Health America. 
• John Bircher III of New Bern as an at-large member. Bircher is a partner at White and Allen, P.A. in New Bern.  He currently serves on the Board of Governors for the North Carolina Bar Association. 
• Dr. Jim Congleton of New Bern as an at-large member. Congleton has been practicing dentistry since 1977 and currently works at Coastal Pediatric Dentistry. Congleton served on the Dental Foundation of North Carolina and the North Carolina Mansion Fine Arts Commission.  
• Olivia Holding of Raleigh as an at-large member. Holding is president of E & F Properties, Inc. and Twin States Farming, Inc. in Smithfield, where she manages commercial real estate properties and her family’s farms. She serves on the boards of the North Carolina Coastal Federation and the Research Triangle Park Foundation. 
• Bernard George of New Bern as an at-large member. George is a retired city planner and local historian. He previously served on the N.C. African American Heritage Commission and on the New Bern Historical Society. 
• James Norment of New Bern as an at-large member. Norment is an attorney at Ward and Smith, P.A.  He was a member on the Tryon Palace Foundation Board of Directors for six years, where he served on the executive, finance, audit, and nominating committees. 

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the Governor’s Advisory Council on Aging:

• Jimmy Patel of Waxhaw as an at-large member. Patel worked as a retail pharmacist for more than 40 years including in the Charlotte area. In his free time, Patel volunteers at BAPS temple. 

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the Morehead City Navigation and Pilotage Commission:

• Captain Don Davis of Morehead City as a resident of Carteret County. Davis served as a United States Merchant Marine Officer. He also spent 28 years in the U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve. Davis is a pilot boat captain for the Morehead City Pilots Association. 

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individuals to the Western North Carolina Public Lands Council:

• Josh Kelly of Asheville as a resident of Buncombe County. Kelly is a Public Lands Field Biologist for MountainTrue, where he works to preserve the lands and forests of the Blue Ridge Mountains. He also serves on the Land Protection Committee of the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy. 
• Marcy Oneial of Waynesville as a resident of Haywood County. Oneial previously served as the Town Manager of Waynesville from 2012-2016. She has also served as the Town Manager of Black Mountain and Assistant City Manager of Wilson. 

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individuals to the North Carolina Board of Licensed Professional Counselors:

• Dr. Michael Brooks of Winston-Salem as a member who is a Licensed Professional Counselor in education. Brooks is an Associate Professor in the School of Education at NC A&T State University. He has also served on the National Board of Certified Counselors Foundation Advisory Board. 
• Dr. Denauvo Robinson of Elizabeth City as a member who is a Licensed Professional Counselor. Robinson is the President and CEO of Albemarle Alliance for Children and Families, Inc. He previously served as the Director of the Family Resource Center at Albemarle Smart Start Partnership. 
• Charles Wentz of Laurinburg as a member who is a Licensed Professional Counselor. He is the Executive Director of the Scotland Family Counseling Center in Laurinburg. He previously served as the Assistant Director of the Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.