Today, Governor Roy Cooper announced new appointments to boards and commissions across North Carolina.
Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the North Carolina Addictions Specialist Professional Practice Board:
- Florence Stein of Raleigh as a public member. Stein retired from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services in 2017 after 30 years with the department. Most recently, she was the deputy director of the North Carolina Division of Mental Health, Development Disabilities and Substance Services.
Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individuals to the Andera Harris Social, Economic, Environmental, and Health Equity Task Force:
- Dr. Christy L. Clayton of Roxboro as a member at-large. Clayton is a retired OB/GYN. Clayton owned and practiced at Cary Women’s Center for 18 years before retirement. Clayton now serves as a member for the Board of Domestic Violence in Durham and Orange Counties and as a member of the Planned Parenthood Patient Advocacy Board.
- Dr. John R. Lumpkin of Chapel Hill as a member at-large. Lumpkin is the President of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation and the Vice President of Drivers of Health Strategy for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina. Lumpkin is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research and is the chair of Digital Bridge.
Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the Beaufort County Community College Board of Trustees:
- Laurel E. Miller of Chocowinity as a member at-large. Miller is the social work program administrator at the Beaufort County Department of Social Services. Miller is also a member of the Board of Directors for the Salvation Army of Beaufort County and the Beaufort County Juvenile Crime Prevention Council.
Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the Bladen County Community College Board of Trustees:
- Whitley J.H. Ward of Elizabethtown as a member at-large. Ward is an attorney at Womble Law Firm in Elizabethtown. Ward also serves as the Programs Director for the Elizabethtown Rotary Club and as the Attorney for the Town of Dublin.
Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the Carteret Community College Board of Trustees:
- Mary Charles Jenkins of Morehead City as a member at-large. Jenkins is a potter, working from her own home studio. Previously, Jenkins was the Marketing Manager for Sound Bank in Morehead City. Jenkins also volunteers for the annual Empty Bowls events to benefit Hope Missions and Martha’s Missions.
Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching:
- Dr. Phillip Barry Williams of Hobbsville as a representative from Educational Region 1. Williams is the Superintendent of Gates County Public Schools, a position he has held for the past 10 years. Williams has served as an Assistant Principal, Principal and coached high school football and girls’ basketball. Williams was named the Northeast Region Superintendent of the Year in 2019.
Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the Central Carolina Community College Board of Trustees:
- Gladys Rodriquez McAuley of Sanford as a member at-large. McAuley is a retired administrative specialist and contract manager, working for Siemens and IBM, respectively. McAuley served on the board of directors of HAVEN in Lee County, which provides help for individuals dealing with domestic abuse.
Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individuals to the North Carolina Code Officials Qualifications Board:
- Bettie Parker of Elizabeth City as an elected official of a city with a population over 5,000. Parker is the mayor of Elizabeth City, a position she has held since 2017. Previously, Parker was a high school math teacher. Parker is the first woman to be mayor of Elizabeth City and was the first African American woman to be elected as an at-large member of the Pasquotank County Commission.
- Bill Thunberg of Mooresville as a member who is a citizen of the state. Thunberg is the Executive Director of the Lake Norman Transportation Commission. Thunberg has served on the Code Officials Qualifications Board since 2012 and is currently the chair. Thunberg was previously the mayor of Mooresville and was awarded The Order of the Long Leaf Pine in 2010.
Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the Davidson County Community College Board of Trustees:
- Kevin Firquin of Lexington as a member at-large. Firquin retired in 2007 after 30 years in public education. Firquin was most recently principal of Central Davidson High School. Firquin has served on the Davidson Country Community College Board of Trustees since 2016 and is currently the chair.
Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the Edgecombe County Community College Board of Trustees:
- William McKinley Parker of Tarboro as a member at-large. Parker previously worked for Consolidated Diesel Company until his retirement in 2008. Parker is the Chair of Vidant Community Foundation and a member of the Edgecombe County Human Services Board. As an army veteran, Parker was awarded the Bronze Star.
Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the Forsyth Technical Community College Board of Trustees:
- Carmen I. Canales of Winston-Salam as a member at-large. Canales is the chief human resource officer at Novant Health. Prior to joining Novant Health, Canales served as the Chief Human Resources Officer at Wake Forest University, and as the Chief Talent Officer at the law firm now known as Womble Bond Dickinson. Her prior board involvement includes roles with the Arts Councils of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County, River Run International Film Festival, the Hispanic League and the Bethesda Center for the Homeless.
Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the North Carolina Hearing Aid Dealer and Fitters Licensing Board:
- Dr. Marion Baker of Nebo as a person with hearing loss, representing the interests of hearing aid consumers. Baker is a retired high school and community college educator who taught chemistry for over 25 years. Baker also serves on Board of McDowell Mission Ministries, a non-profit homeless shelter and the McDowell Technical Community College Foundation.
Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the James Sprunt Community College Board of Trustees:
- Morgan Swinson of Beulaville as a member at-large. Swinson is a managing partner and attorney for Swinson & Atkinson, Attorneys at Law. Swinson is a member of the Southern Bank Board of Directors, the Duplin County Education Foundation, the Duplin County Bar, and the Duplin County Rotary.
Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individuals to the North Carolina Pesticide Board:
- Chris Johnson of Raleigh as a Representative of Department of Environmental Quality. Johnson is the Organic Chemistry Supervisor for the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Water Science Section Central Laboratory. Johnson has worked in laboratory settings for over 35 years.
- Colleen Hudak-Wise of Raleigh as a representative of Department of Agriculture. Hudak-Wise has been the Director of the North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services (NCDA&CS) Agronomic Division since 2005. Hudak-Wise has served on the Pesticide Board since 2006.
Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the North Carolina State Board of Examiners for Nursing Home Administrators:
- Vonda Sumner Hollingsworth of Sophia as a licensed nursing home administrator of a non-profit facility. Hollingsworth is the Vice President of Pennybryn Retirement Home and Nursing Facility in High Point. Hollingworth is a representative of the Division of Health Services Informal Dispute Resolution Panel and the Standards and Ethics Committee of North Carolina for Health Care Facilities.
Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the Piedmont Community College Board of Trustees:
- Gordon Phillip Allen, Jr. of Roxboro as a member at-large. Allen owns and operates Thompson-Allen Insurance Agency. He also serves as the Chairman of the Person County Economic Development Commission and President of the Person County Business and Industrial Center, Inc. Allen has served on the Board of Trustees since 2012 and served on the Board of Directors of the Piedmont Community College Foundation for over 15 years.
Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the Randolph Community College Board of Trustees:
- Harvey C. Boone, Jr. of Asheboro as a member at-large. Boone is a quality control chemist at Alberdingk Boley, Incorporated. Boone has worked in quality control for over twenty years.
Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the Robeson County Community College Board of Trustees:
- Pedro “Tito” Massol, Jr. of Lumberton as a member at-large. Massol is a sales representative with Healthkeeperz, focused on home health, hospice and durable medical equipment sales. Massol is an army veteran and member of the Lumberton Chamber of Commerce.
Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the Rowan-Cabarrus County Community College Board of Trustees:
- William “Bill” Dusch of Concord as a member at-large. Dusch is the Mayor of Concord, a position he has held since 2017. Prior to his election, Mayor Dusch worked for the city of Concord for over 30 years as a member and chairperson of the city boards including Historic Commission, Planning and Zoning, Board of Adjustment, and Concord Downtown Development Corporation Board. He currently serves on the United Way of Cabarrus and Cabarrus Arts Council, Big Brothers and Big Sisters, and NorthEast Medical Foundation Boards.
Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the Sandhills Community College Board of Trustees:
- Vincent Gordon of Pinehurst as a member at-large. Gordon is Chief of the Administrative and Customer Service Division of the U.S. Census Bureau. Gordon attended North Carolina Central University where he earned a Bachelor degree in 1985 and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army; and served 23 years. As an army veteran, he was awarded the Bronze Star and the Civilian Distinguished Service Award. As a dedicated member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Gordon served as President, Vice President and Secretary of several local chapters. He was named "Omega Man of the Year" twice. Gordon also started a scholarship in honor of his mother and father, who were both educators, to recognize a graduating senior from his local high school attending Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the Stanly Community College Board of Trustees:
- Courtney Adams Brown of Albemarle as a member at-large. Brown manages a private sector firm, Proximity International, that specializes in doing research in war zones. Brown has spent much of his professional career in the non-profit and public sectors focusing on providing humanitarian assistance to families affected by war and natural disasters. He spent ten years working for the US Department of State at the US Agency for International Development (USAID). Most recently, he has lived in Turkey managing humanitarian and non-lethal assistance programs for the US State Department inside Syria.
Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the Surry Community College Board of Trustees:
- Emma Jean Tucker of Mt. Airy as a member at-large. Tucker is a retired supervisor of parent education for the Christina School District in Newark, Delaware. Tucker currently serves as chair of the Surry County Board of Health.
Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the Tri-County Community College Board of Trustees:
- Thomas Nelson of Murphy as a member at-large. Nelson teaches and coaches at Murphy Middle and High School. He is a former college athlete and member of Emory and Henry College Hall of Fame Committee. Nelson was named Murphy High School’s Teacher of the Year in 2011.
Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the Wake Technical Community College Board of Trustees:
- Cheetie Kumar of Raleigh as a member at-large. Kumar is the chef and co-owner of Garland, Kings, and the Neptunes Parlour in downtown Raleigh. Kumar was a nominated semi-finalist for the James Beard Award, Best Chef Southeast for four consecutive years and became a finalist for the award in 2020.
Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the North Carolina Water Treatment Facility Operators Certification Board:
- Tiffanie A. Hawley of Fuquay Varina as a water treatment facility operator. Hawley is an operations supervisor at Orange Water and Sewer Authority. Hawley was a Senior Environmental Specialist at the North Carolina Department of Public Water Supply Section’s Raleigh Regional Office.
Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the Western Piedmont Community College Board of Trustees:
- William “Bill” King Simmons III of Morganton as a member at-large. Simmons was in material management at Continental Automotive Systems from 1993 until his retirement in 2018. Simmons served on the Burke County Board of Education for three terms from 1995-2007, including four years as the Chair.
Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the Wilson Community College Board of Trustees:
- Lalor Armstrong Smith of Wilson as a member at-large. Wilson is a retired public educator. Most recently, Smith was principal of Brunson Elementary School the only highly gifted and talented elementary academic program in Winston Salem. Wilson is now the President of the Elm City/Wilson chapter of the Fredrick Douglass High School Alumni Association and volunteers at Elm City Elementary school to assist with reading.
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