Governor Cooper Announces 40 New Appointments to Community College Boards

Governor Roy Cooper today announced 40 additional appointments to the State Board of Community Colleges and the North Carolina Community College Board of Trustees.

“North Carolina’s exceptional community college system prepares North Carolinians for the workforce and supports local economies,” Gov. Cooper said. “I welcome this group of talented, experienced professionals to these boards.”

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individuals to the State Board of Community Colleges:

• Ann Harden Whitford of Morehead City as Member representing Region 5. A former educator, business owner, and member of the North Carolina State Board of Community Colleges, Whitford brings decades of valuable experience to her new appointment.
• Frank L. Johnson of Statesville as Member representing Region 2. Johnson brings decades of experience in business and manufacturing to the board. An active member of his community, Johnson has also served on boards of organizations including Belmont Abbey College, the Greater Statesville Chamber of Commerce, and the North Carolina Department of Transportation.
• William Holder of Raleigh as an At-Large Member. A retired Lieutenant with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and current business owner, Holder brings years of professional experience in business and law enforcement to the board. 

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

• Ronald P. Edgerton of Asheville as a member on the Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College Board of Trustees. Edgerton brings over four decades of senior leadership experience in high-tech companies including iWatt, SigmaTel, and Eastman Kodak to the board. Active in philanthropy, Edgerton has also served on the boards of Manna Foodbank and the Southern Appalachian Highland Conservancy.
• Marya Shavender of Pantego as a member on the Beaufort County Community College Board of Trustees. Shavender has served her community for decades, serving on the Belhaven Chamber of Commerce Board, the Pungo District Hospital Board, and the Chowan University Board and the Visitors Board.
• Bruce Dickerson of Elizabethtown as a member on the Bladen Community College Board of Trustees. Dickerson has worked as a pharmacist in Bladen County for over 35 years. In addition to his new appointment, he also serves on the board of several charities and community organizations, including the Southern Regional Area Health Education Center and the Elizabethtown Optimist Club.
• Sheila D. Grady of Leland as a member on the Brunswick Community College Board of Trustees. A retired public school teacher and administrator, Grady is skilled in various facets of educational operations. She has earned several professional certifications, including a National Board for Professional Teaching Standards Early Adolescence and Young Adulthood Career and Technical Education certification.
• Ronald R. Beane of Lenoir as a member on the Caldwell Community College Board of Trustees. A former Associate Superintendent and educator, Beane retired from the Caldwell County School System in 1994 after 35 years of service. He has also served his community as a County Commissioner and brings previous experience as a Caldwell Community College Trustee to this appointment.
• Jonathan Barfield, Jr. of Wilmington as a member on the Cape Fear Community College Board of Trustees. A Realtor and lifelong resident of New Hanover County, Barfield serves as a New Hanover County Commissioner. He has also served on the boards of various local charities, including Cape Fear Habitat for Humanity and the Affordable Housing Coalition of Southeastern North Carolina.
• Melodie Darden of Morehead City as a member on the Carteret Community College Board of Trustees. A retired high school English teacher, Darden brings decades of experience in education to this appointment. An engaged community member, she is also a board member of the National Charity League.
• Linda Greenwell of Terrell as a member on the Catawba Valley Community College Board of Trustees. A retired senior executive from Aon Consulting, Greenwell brings over 39 years of professional experience to the board. In retirement, she has been active with community organizations including the United Arts Council of Catawba County, the Hickory Museum of Art, and the Sherills Ford-Terrell Library. 
• Patricia Ann Kirkman of Sanford as a member on the Central Carolina Community College Board of Trustees. Kirkman brings over 38 years of nursing and health care experience to her new appointment. She volunteers with various charitable organizations in the Sanford area, including the American Red Cross Board for Lee County, HAVEN, and Helping Hand Clinic.
• William P. Tatum of Sanford as a member on the Central Carolina Community College Board of Trustees. Tatum brings decades of professional experience in education and business to the board. He served on the Lee County Board of Education for 8 years and was also appointed as an advisor to the North Carolina State Board of Education. 
• Michael S. Hawley of Charlotte as a member on the Central Piedmont Community College Board of Trustees. A partner at K&L Gates LLP, Hawley brings over 30 years of legal experience to the board. He has served the boards of several charities in the Charlotte area, including the Charlotte Regional Partnership, the Charlotte Downtown Rotary Club, and the Central Piedmont Community College Foundation.
• Betty H. Carrigan of Kings Mountain as a member on the Cleveland County Community College Board of Trustees. Carrigan brings decades of business experience to her new board appointment. She has also served on the boards of various Cleveland County charities, including Missions from the Heart and Food Closet.
• Thomas Fulcher, Jr. of Kitty Hawk as a member on the College of the Albemarle Board of Trustees. Fulcher brings more than 20 years of business experience to this appointment. He is also an active volunteer with Beach Food Pantry and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
• Robert E. Whitley of New Bern as a member on the Craven Community College Board of Trustees. Whitley has been a practicing attorney in New Bern since 1995, and has also taught business law at Lenoir Community College. Whitley participates in many community service and charitable organizations including the New Bern Boys and Girls Club.
• Tina Royal of Lexington as a member on the Davidson Community College Board of Trustees. Royal has served in the North Carolina State Department of Community Corrections since 1994. An active community member, she also serves on the board of Communities in Schools of Lexington/Davidson County.
• William Barker French of Durham as a member on the Durham Technical Community College Board of Trustees. A retired partner at Brinker Capital, French brings years of experience in investment strategy to the board. He is an engaged member of the Durham community and has served on the boards of dozens of local nonprofit and community organizations, including the Durham Arts Council, the Historic Preservation Society of Durham, and East Durham Children’s Initiative.
• William L. Hedgepeth, II of Fayetteville as a member on the Fayetteville Technical Community College Board of Trustees. Hedgepeth has an extensive career in banking and bank management and has served as the president and chief executive officer of Select Bank & Trust since 2008. He currently serves on the boards of the United Way of Cumberland County, the Airborne and Special Operations Museum Foundation, and the Greater Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce.
• Paul Wiles of Winston-Salem as a member on the Forsyth Technical Community College Board of Trustees. An experienced health care executive, Wiles led Novant Health as its CEO from 1997 until his retirement in 2011.
• Natalie Maree Tindol of Gastonia as a member on the Gaston College Board of Trustees. As a business owner, Tindol brings years of valuable professional experience to the board. She also gives her time to various civil service organizations including the Gaston County Family YMCA, Women Optimizing Wellness, and the Piedmont Council Boy Scouts of America.
• John W. Condrey of Cliffside as a member on the Isothermal Community College Board of Trustees. A dedicated public servant, Condrey brings years of leadership experience at Rutherford County, Isothermal Community College, and the Rutherford County Partnership for Children to the board. He is currently City Manager of Forest City.
• Wendy M. Crumpler of Wallace as a member on the James Sprunt Community College Board of Trustees. Crumpler is co-owner of Pure Country Farms, LLC. She serves on the boards of the University of Mount Olive and the NCSU Wolfpack Club.
• Dr. Pradeep Armugham of Kinston as a member on the Lenoir Community College Board of Trustees. An engaged community member, Dr. Armugham serves as a practicing physician at East Carolina University.
• Laurence Lilley of Williamston as a member on the Martin Community College Board of Trustees. A former Morehead Scholar and lifelong Martin County resident, Lilley has led his family business, Lilley International, since 1976. He has volunteered with community organizations including the Martin County Boys and Girls Clubs and the UNC Board of Visitors.
• Derrick Wilkins of Williamston as a member on the Martin Community College Board of Trustees. Wilkins brings decades of experience in various university administrations to the board, including Elizabeth City State University and Spelman College. He currently serves as the Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at Elizabeth City State University.
• Fred L. Stout of Newland as a member on the Mayland Community College Board of Trustees. Stout is a U.S. Army veteran, former instructor at Mayland Community College, and business owner. He has also served on the Mayland Community College Board of Trustees.
• Gary M. Stroud of Marion as a member on the McDowell Technical Community College Board of Trustees. A McDowell County native, Stroud is the owner of Tom Johnson Camping Center, a business with locations in Marion and Charlotte.
• William T. Price of Mount Gilead as a member on the Montgomery Community College Board of Trustees. After retiring from the U.S. Army, Price worked as an instructor and administrator in various community colleges. He has also served as a job readiness coordinator for the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.
• James T. Martin of Rocky Mount as a member on the Nash Community College Board of Trustees. Martin brings more than 45 years of experience in the public and private sectors to the board. A licensed attorney, he currently serves as a real estate title analyst at Poyner and Spruill, LLC in Rocky Mount. He has volunteered his time to various community organizations, including the Rocky Mount Chamber of Commerce and the Rocky Mount Downtown Economic Revitalization Committee.
• Dr. Sue H. Lee of Bayboro as a member on the Pamlico Community College Board of Trustees. An award-winning pediatric physician, Dr. Lee brings more than 30 years of medical experience to the board. She has also volunteered with various charitable and public health organizations in her community.
• Alan Herlands of Oriental as a member on the Pamlico Community College Board of Trustees. A retired federal financial institution regulator, Herlands worked as a National Bank Examiner with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency in the United States Treasury. He is a former Commissioner for the Town of Oriental and has served as president of the Oriental Rotary Club.
• Dr. John S. Stevenson of Rockingham as a member on the Richmond Community College Board of Trustees. A Greensboro native, Dr. Stevenson is an award-winning radiologist and former U.S. Air Force Major. He has served on various hospital committees and has received several community awards, including the Richmond County Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the Year Award.
• Morgan Hunt Jones of Pembroke as a member on the Robeson Community College Board of Trustees. Jones is an experienced college administrator and currently serves as director of alumni engagement at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke. She is also a member of the Lumbee Tribe.
• Marjorie Benbow of Concord as a member on the Rowan-Cabarrus Community College Board of Trustees. Benbow is a practicing attorney at Moretz & Skufca and previously managed intellectual property at UNC Charlotte. She has been named one of Charlotte USA’s 20 Most Dynamic Women by USAir, one of Charlotte’s 50 Most Influential Women, and a Distinguished Rotarian.
• Nancy H. Joines of Albemarle as a member on the Stanly Community College Board of Trustees. Joines brings more than 40 years of experience in higher education and community colleges to the board. Before retiring in 2010, she served as an instructor and associate dean at Stanly Community College.
• Kellie Falk of Raleigh as a member on the Wake Technical Community College Board of Trustees. Falk is a partner and managing director at Drucker & Falk, LLC, a family-owned fee management real estate company. An active philanthropist, Falk also serves on various boards, including the college advisory board for Meredith College and the board of Band Together.
• Dr. David Tayloe of Goldsboro as a member on the Wayne Community College Board of Trustees. A decorated physician and former Morehead Scholar, Dr. Tayloe has been president of Goldsboro Pediatrics since 1979. He has served on several state commissions, including the State Child Health Insurance Program, the Commission on Children with Special Health Care Needs, and the Health Information Exchange.
• Dr. Dan W. DeHart of Morganton as a member on the Western Piedmont Community College Board of Trustees. A veteran educator and school principal, DeHart brings more than 40 years of classroom and administrative experience to the board.