Tuesday, July 23, 2019

Governor Announces Boards and Commissions Appointments

Raleigh
Jul 23, 2019

Gov. Cooper has nominated two new members, three reappointments and five current members to new seats to serve on the North Carolina Board of Transportation:

As new members:

  • Lisa D. Mathis of Sanford as a representative of the eighth transportation division. Mathis owns ArtStudio, a company helping to spread art and design education to the next generation. She has also served as a board member of Cary Academy.
  • Dirk Cody of Robbinsville as a representative of the fourteenth transportation division. Cody has served as project manager for Herve Cody Contractor in Robbinsville since 1988. He has also served as chairman of the Graham County Transportation Advisory Board since 2010.

As reappointments:

  • Grady Hunt of Pembroke as a representative of the sixth transportation division. Hunt has practiced government, education and real estate law for more than twenty-five years. Hunt is currently a partner at the law firm of Locklear, Jacobs, Hunt & Brooks Attorneys at Law.
  • Augustus H. Tulloss of Rocky Mount as a representative of the fourth transportation division. Tulloss is the owner of Gus H. Tulloss Insurance Agency. He has been a licensed insurance agent since 1989. He is a member of the local, state and national Association of Life Underwriters.
  • Samuel B. Bowles of Charlotte as a representative of the tenth transportation division. Bowles currently serves as the managing partner at Threadridge Investment Partners, a private investment management firm. He also serves on the UNC Healthcare System board, the Greater Charlotte Cultural Trust and the Kenan Flagler Business School Board of Visitors.

As current members in new seats:

  • Major General Hugh R. Overholt of New Bern as a representative of the second transportation division. Overholt currently is an attorney at Ward and Smith, PA. A retired Major General of the U.S. Army, his practice encompasses federal and state government affairs.
  • Andrew M. Perkins, Jr. of Winston-Salem as a representative of the ninth transportation division. Perkins is the Associate Vice Chancellor for business and finance/facilities at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. Previously, he served with the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers as a Commander and District Engineer.
  • Nina Szlosberg-Landis of Raleigh as an at-large member representing mass transit. Slozberg-Landis served three terms on the NC Board of Transportation representing environmental issues. She also served on the Triangle Transit Board of Authority and the Transportation Advisory Committee of the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization. Slozberg-Landis founded and is president of Circle Squared Media, a strategic communications consulting firm.
  • Thomas Taft, Jr. of Greenville as an at-large member representing environmental issues. Taft currently serves as a principal at Taft Family Ventures and is involved in developments of multifamily properties and has overseen major renovations of several projects across the Southeast. He also serves on the Greenville Board of Adjustments and the board of directors of the ECU Medical and Health Sciences Foundation.
  • Jack Debnam of Sylva as an at-large member representing rural areas. Debnam founded Western Carolina Properties real estate firm in Dillsboro and Cullowhee. He was a founding board member and past President of Jackson County Habitat for Humanity and A.W.A.K.E., a child advocacy organization. He has also served as president of the Northern Jackson Board of Realtors and as the chairman of the Jackson County Board of Commissioners.

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

  • Lillian R. Bryant of Elizabethtown as a member at-large. Bryant is the director of the Bladen County Smart Start Partnership for Children, Inc. She has also served as the Delaware family literacy state coordinator in Delaware’s adult education program.

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

  • J. Thomas Lundy of Hickory as a member at-large. Lundy is a governance fellow and board leadership fellow with the National Association of Corporate Directors. He also served as County manager for Catawba County from 1979-2016.

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individuals to the Certified Public Accountant Examiners:

  • Bernita Demery of Greenville as a certified public accountant. Demery served as the director of financial services for the City of Greenville, NC for 30 years before she retired in 2018. There, she was responsible for directing all operations of the city’s financial management.
  • Barton Baldwin of Mount Olive as a certified public accountant. Baldwin has served as managing partner of Baldwin & Hodge, LLP since 2000. Previously, he served as president of Barton W. Baldwin, P.A. from 1977-2000.

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the North Carolina Child Well Being Transformation Council:

  • Madhu Vulimiri of Durham as a representative from DHHS, Division of Medical Assistance. Vulimiri is a senior Medicaid strategist for NC Medicaid. She has also been a research assistant for Duke-Margolis Center for Health Policy since 2017.

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the Governors Crime Commission:

  • Virginia Lee Jicha of Fayetteville as a representative with knowledge of juvenile delinquency and the public-school system. Jicha is a teacher at Anne Chestnutt Middle School. She is also the president of NC, PTA, where she works with a 20 member board of directors to create and implement programs and organization goals. 

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the North Carolina State Licensing Board for General Contractors:

  • John D. Cooper, Jr. of Cary as a residential construction representative. Cooper currently serves as president of Southeastern Properties and Development Company, a construction company that now handles varied projects including, office buildings, luxury homes, land development, restaurants, industrial work, government buildings and up fits.

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

  • James R. Hutchins of Forest City as a member at-large. Hutchins taught high school social studies in both Cleveland and Rutherford counties from 1968 to 2000. Currently, he mentors middle and high school students for the Robert and Janice McNair Educational Foundation.

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

  • Reverend Edward Neal Carter, Jr. of Harrisburg as a public member. Carter is a teaching elder and a member of the Presbytery of Charlotte. He has served as minister/head of staff of Rocky River Presbyterian since 2016.

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individuals to the North Carolina State Board of Examiners for Plumbing, Heating, and Fire Sprinkler Contractors:

  • Melvin Randall Strother of Pinehurst as a fire sprinkler contractor. Strother has been a full-service design build fire protection contractor for Phoenix Fire Protection, Inc. since 1987. He is a member of the American Fire Sprinkler Association, the National Fire Protection Association and the Society of Fire Protection Engineers Triangle Chapter.
  • Roberto A. Nuñez of Durham as a UNC System School of Engineering representative. Nuñez is lecturer and senior extension specialist at North Carolina State University. He is also the founder/president of IQ Contracting, LLC and IQ Engineering and Consulting.

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the North Carolina State Commission for Public Health:

  • Gene Minton of Littleton as a licensed pharmacist. Minton is the CEO and owner of Drugco Pharmacies. He serves on the NC Board of Pharmacy and previously served on the UNC Board of Visitors. He is the 2014 recipient of the Don Blanton award from the North Carolina Association of Pharmacists.

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the North Carolina Railroad Board of Directors:

  • Steve Lerner of Chapel Hill as a member at-large. Lerner is the founder and managing partner of Blue Hill Group. He is a former member of the UNC Chapel Hill Board of Trustees.

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

  • Melanie J. Carroll of Rockingham as a member at-large. Carroll is currently serving is a solo practitioner at Melanie J. Carroll, Attorney at Law. She is also a North Carolina Guardian ad Litem attorney advocate and previously served on the Richmond County United Way Board.

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the Roanoke-Chowan Community College Board of Trustees:

  • Albert Vann of Conway as a member at-large. Vann is vice-chair of the Northampton County Planning Board. He previously served on the Roanoke-Chowan Community College Board of Trustees for 8 years.

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the North Carolina Rural Infrastructure Authority:

  • Charles Brown of Albemarle as a representative of a tier 1 or 2 county. Brown is a partner with the law firm of Brown, Brown & Brown, PLLC. He is a Morehead Scholar and has served on the UNC Chapel Hill General Alumni Board and Board of Visitors.

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

  • Andy Penry of Raleigh as a member at-large. Penry is a partner at Penry Riemann. He serves as an adjunct professor in construction law at Campbell University School of Law, as well as adjunct professor in alternative dispute resolution at Wake Forest University School of Law.

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individuals to the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission:

  • Stephen L. Windham of Winnabow as a 4th wildlife district representative. Windham is the owner of Windham Distributing Company, a wine wholesaler in Wilmington. He previously served as chair of the Wildlife Resources Commission.
  • Kelly N. Davis of Swan Quarter as a 1st wildlife district representative. Davis is a certified wildlife biologist and a certified forester. She previously worked as a biologist with the US Fish and Wildlife Service at Mattamuskeet, Swan Quarter and Cedar Island National Wildlife Refuges.

###

Related Topics: