Today, Governor Roy Cooper announced his nominations and appointments to 17 boards, commissions, and councils. The Governor nominated and appointed 33 well-qualified North Carolinians to these various positions.
“These committed North Carolinians will serve our state well,” Gov. Cooper said. “They have demonstrated their experience and dedication to our state, and I am grateful for their service.”
Gov. Cooper has nominated the following individual to serve on the Board of Transportation:
- Sam Bowles of Charlotte as the representative of the 10th Transportation Division. Bowles is the Managing Partner at Threadridge Investment Partners, a private investment management firm in Charlotte. Bowles currently serves on the UNC Healthcare System Board of Directors and the Kenan Flagler Business School Board of Visitors.
Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the North Carolina Alcohol Beverage Control Commission:
- Norman Alexander Mitchell, Sr. of Charlotte as an At-large member. Mitchell was a Mecklenburg County Commissioner and previously served on the National Association of Counties Homeland Security Task Force. Mitchell is a graduate of Johnson C. Smith University and veteran who served with the 82nd Airborne division at Fort Bragg and the 101st Airborne in Vietnam where he was awarded a Purple Heart.
Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individuals to the North Carolina Speech and Language Pathologists and Audiologists Board of Examiners:
- Nikki Jeffcoate of Fuquay Varina as a Speech Pathologist. Jeffcoate works in Acute Care Services as a Clinical Supervisor in Speech and Language Pathology at WakeMed Health & Hospitals. She previously worked at the University of North Carolina Memorial Hospital as a Staff Therapist.
- Mary Jane Richardson of Lumberton as a Public Member. Richardson is an Assistant District Attorney in District 16B-Robeson County. Previously, she served as an Assistant District Attorney for District 16A-Hoke and Scotland Counties.
Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the Credit Union Commission:
- Amy Woody of Asheville as a member with credit union management experience. Woody has over 26 years of credit union experience at McDowell Cornerstone Credit Union and Mountain Credit Union, where she has been the executive Vice President since 2003.
Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individuals to the North Carolina State Board of Examiners for Nursing Home Administrators:
- Jon Renegar of Asheville as a Licensed Nursing Home Administrator of a non-profit facility. Renegar has served as a licensed nursing home administrator for 13 years. Currently, he is the Director of Operations at Carolina Village.
- Amy Huntley of Garner as a Licensed Nursing Home Administrator. Huntley is the Vice President of Operations at Liberty Healthcare and Rehabilitation Services, and previously served as the Regional Director of Operations for the West Region.
- Vanessa Burton of Lumberton as a Public Member. Burton serves as an Assistant District Attorney for Robeson County. She previously worked as a Corporate Trust Officer at Wachovia Bank and Trust.
- Ruth Little of Ayden as a Public Member. Little is the Vice Chair & Assistant Professor at the Department of Public Health at East Carolina’s Brody School of Medicine. Little also served as the Public Health Director for the Jones County Health Department.
- Curtis Grogan of Cary as a Public Member. Grogan has served as the Risk Management Director for Wake County Public Schools and also in the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction as Section Chief/Risk Manager. Grogan has also worked with several large commercial insurance companies.
Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the North Carolina Board of Science, Technology and Innovation:
- Rick Webb of Cary as an At-large member. Webb is a Managing Director at Accenture and previously worked at IBM and Price Waterhouse Coopers. Webb also served as the State Chief Information Officer for the State of North Carolina.
Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the North Carolina Marriage and Family Therapy Licensure Board:
- Heather Stehberger of Charlotte as a marriage and family therapist. Stehberger works at Youth Villages where she is an MST Expert and a Comprehensive Clinical Assessor.
Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the North Carolina Commission on Public Health:
- Greg Hatem of Raleigh as At-large member. Hatem is the Founder of Empire Properties and has redeveloped properties that now house popular restaurants in downtown Raleigh, such as Sitti, The Pit, Gravy and Raleigh Times.
Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individuals to the Governor’s Crime Commission:
- Judge Beverly Scarlett of Durham as a District Court Judge. Scarlett has practiced law in areas of family law, juvenile abuse, neglect and dependency, juvenile delinquency and child support. Scarlett has served as a District Court Judge since 2007 and was previously an assistant prosecutor in Orange and Chatham counties.
- Lauren Smith of Holly Springs as a Citizen Under 21. Smith attends Holly Springs High School and organized the Raleigh March for Our Lives. She is currently a leader of Students Demand Action in Wake County, the National Honor Society and the Speech and Debate Honor Society.
- Judge Marvin Blount III of Greenville as a Superior Court Judge. Blount is the Senior Resident Superior Court Judge for Pitt County. Blount has held court in approximately 50 counties in North Carolina presiding over matters ranging from complex civil matters to murder trials. Previously, Blount worked in private practice and also served on the North Carolina Board of Transportation.
- The Honorable Susan Frye of Winston-Salem as a Clerk of Superior Court. Frye has spent 37 years working in the justice system in Forsyth County, starting as deputy clerk of court in 1976 and including other positions with the court and the county jail.
- Sheriff Keith Stone of Rocky Mount as a Sheriff. Stone has served as Sheriff of Nash County since 2014 and was previously a member of the State Highway Patrol for 25 years. Stone started his career in law enforcement in 1984 with the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office.
- Detective Matthew James Cooper of Raleigh as a Police Executive. Cooper is a Detective in the Raleigh Police Intelligence Center and previously worked with the Raleigh Police Gang Suppression Unit and the Raleigh-Durham F.B.I. Safe Streets Task Force. Cooper serves as President of the Raleigh Police Protective Association.
- Chris Suggs of Kinston as a Citizen Under 21. Suggs is the Founder and CEO of the nonprofit organization Kinston Teens. Suggs is also the Co-Founder and Chairman of Black Youth Network and has served as the youngest appointee to the Crime Commission since August of 2016.
- Patrice Andrews of Morrisville as a Municipal Government Official. Andrews currently serves as the Morrisville Chief of Police. She is a member of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, FBI National Academy Associates, and National Association of Women Law Enforcement Executives. Andrews has 21 years of experience in law enforcement.
Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the North Carolina General Statutes Commission:
- Kama Bethel Pierce of Matthews as an At-large member. Pierce serves as the Director of Development at Levine Museum of the New South in Charlotte. She previously served as both a staff attorney and federal law clerk to the Honorable Theodore McKee in the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the North Carolina Crime Victims Compensation Commission:
- Matthew Sperati of Rocky Mount as an At-large member. Sperati is a managing partner at Lassiter & Sperati, PLLC and the Co-Owner and legal counsel for Koi Pond Brewing Company, LLC. He has served on local boards for the City of Rocky Mount, including the Planning Board and the Housing Authority Board.
Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individuals to the North Carolina Private Protective Services Board:
- Debra C. Duncan of Monroe as a Public Member. Duncan currently serves as the Guardian Ad Litem for Union county. Duncan also served as a City Council Member and Chief of Police for the City of Monroe.
- Judge Ronald W. Burris of Albemarle as a Public Member. Burris served in the U.S. Army in military intelligence division. After serving, Burris began to practice law, working as an associate attorney, a partner attorney, and then served as a District and Superior Court Judge. Burris is a certified mediator with the NC Dispute Resolution Commission.
- Tammy B. Owens of Raleigh as a Public Member. Owens is a Business Systems Analyst for the North Carolina Department of Transportation.
Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the Substance Abuse Professionals Certifications Board:
- Lea Tackett of Raleigh as a Public Member. Tackett works as the Director of Building Management and Executive Assistant to Chief of Staff at the North Carolina Department of Justice. Previously, Tackett worked for NCBIO and the North Carolina Advocates for Justice.
Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the Western North Carolina Public Lands Council:
- John Parton of Whittier as a Swain County Resident. Parton has practiced law in American Samoa, Oregon, California, and Hawaii. He returned to Swain County in 1996.
Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the License to Give Trust Fund Commission:
- Sheila Martin of Rocky Mount as a member who has demonstrated an interest in promoting advance care planning education. Martin is the Executive Director of the Dunn Center for Performing Arts. Martin is the Founder and Chair of the Pitt Charity Golf Tournament, which donates all its proceeds to Organ Donor Education.
Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the Southern Regional Education Board:
- Rep. Graig R. Meyer of Chapel Hill as a State Legislator. Meyer has served in the North Carolina House of Representatives since 2013. Prior, Meyer spent time working in North Carolina’s public schools, coordinating programs such as the Blue Ribbon Mentor-Advocate Program.
Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individuals to the Southern Regional Education Board Legislative Advisory Council:
- Rep. Rosa U. Gill of Raleigh as a State Legislator. A former teacher, Gill also served as chair of the Wake County Board of Elections and the Wake County Board of Education.
- Rep. Linda P. Johnson of Raleigh as a State Legislator. Johnson has served in the North Carolina House of Representatives since 2000. Prior, Johnson was a board member for the Kannapolis City Board of Education and also worked as a tax accountant and a computer analyst.
- Rep. Erica D. Smith of Henricho as a State Legislator. Smith was elected to the General Assembly in 2014. She previously served on the Northampton County Board of Education. Smith has also worked as a Senior Specialist Engineer and a Patent Examiner.