Today, Governor Roy Cooper appointed 28 new members to 23 North Carolina Boards and Commissions.
“I’m thankful for the expertise each appointee brings to serving North Carolina, and for their help as we work to move North Carolina forward,” said Gov. Cooper.
Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the Board of Directors of the Golden L.E.A.F., Inc.:
• Honorable Bobbie Richardson of Louisburg as a member at-large. Richardson recently retired from the North Carolina State House of Representatives. Prior, she was director of the Exceptional Students Program in the Department of Public Instruction. She was also a member of the Franklin County School Board and the Executive Board of the North Carolina Correctional Association.
Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the North Carolina Board of Landscape Architects:
• Oscar Roberto of Sanford as a public member. Roberto chairs the board of directors of El Refugio Family Resource Center in Lee County and the finance committee of Morris Chapel United Methodist Church. He also serves on the Lee County Planning Commission and the Lee County Community Foundation.
Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the North Carolina Local Governmental Employees’ Retirement System Board of Trustees:
• Sheriff Clee Atkinson of Rocky Mount as a law enforcement officer. Atkinson serves as sheriff of Edgecombe County and as chair of T.H.I.N.K. (Thornes Chapel Inspiring Neighborhood Kids). He was a master trooper with the NC State Highway Patrol and received the NC Department of Public Safety Badge of Excellence for Public Service and Volunteerism.
Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the North Carolina Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists Board of Examiners:
• Beth Maynor of Zebulon as a speech-language pathologist. Maynor provides therapy to 50 students at Johnston County Public Schools. She was a special educator and speech-language pathologist for Wake County, Moore County, and Robeson County school systems.
Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the Governor’s Teacher Advisory Committee:
• Freebird McKinney of Burlington as a classroom teacher. McKinney teaches at Williams High School and Elon University’s School of Education. As the 2018 Burroughs Welcome Fund NC Teacher of the Year, McKinney serves as an advisor on the State Board of Education and the Public School Forum.
Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Commission:
• Walter Rogers of Laurel Hill as a member at-large. Rogers served as president of the Scotland County NAACP and held a position in the Congressional Black Caucus.
Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the North Carolina Interagency Coordinating Council for Children from Birth to Five with Disabilities:
• Eric Harbour of Apex as a representative of the Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Abuse Services. Harbour is the child behavioral health services team leader at the NC DHHS Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Abuse Services. He is a licensed clinical social worker and is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives.
Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the Morehead City Navigation and Pilotage Commission:
• Richard Gillikin of Harkers Island as a Carteret County resident. Gillikin was a ferry master with the NC Department of Transportation Ferry Division for nearly three decades. He is board chair of The Bridge Down East, a non-profit providing afterschool and summer programs for at-risk children of the Down East portion of Carteret County.
Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individuals to the North Carolina Radiation Protection Commission:
• Jerry Hightower of Winterville as a member involved in the environmental protection field. Hightower manages diagnostic physics and radiation safety services at Vidant Medical Center. He was granted a Medical Health Physics License by the American Board of Medical Physics.
• Diana Hart of Wilmington as a member experienced in the atomic energy field. Hart is the senior vice president of environmental health, safety and security for GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy. Previously, she was the general manager of hydro facilities for Exelon.
• Graham Johnson of Charlotte as an employee of one of the licensed public utilities involved in the generation of power by atomic energy. Johnson manages the nuclear fleet laboratory services in the nuclear general office at Duke Energy. He is a certified health physicist with expertise in radiological emergency response.
Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the Outdoor Heritage Advisory Council:
• Mikey Fulk of Albemarle as a member at-large. Fulk is the associate director for Three Rivers Land Trust. She was the membership and outreach director for LandTrust for Central North Carolina. Fulk received both the Montana Hunting Heritage Award and the Montana Wildlife Federation Special Achievement Award.
Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the North Carolina Commission for Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Abuse Services:
• Jessie Garner of Hope Mills as a substance abuse services consumer. Garner is the executive director of the Community Awareness Project. Additionally, Garner is a member of the Cumberland County Continuum of Care and is coordinator of the Fayetteville Cumberland Reentry Council.
Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the Supplemental Retirement Board of Trustees:
• Nels Roseland of Cary as a state employee experienced in finance and investments. Roseland is the deputy state budget director at the North Carolina Office of State Budget and Management. Previously, he served as deputy chief of staff and chief financial officer in the NC Attorney General’s Office and on the Cary Town Council.
Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the Building Code Council:
• Michael S. Ali of Raleigh as a registered engineer. Ali is the engineering supervisor of the State Construction Office, NCDOA. He is a judge for the ACEC-NC Engineering Excellence Awards.
Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the Code Officials Qualification Board:
• Richard J. White of Elon as a city manager. White is currently the town manager of Elon. He is a member of the International City/County Management Association, North Carolina City/County Management Association, and serves on the Alamance Chamber Board of Directors.
Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the Fire and Rescue Commission:
• Scott Mullins of Barnardsville as a member at-large. Mullins is captain of the Asheville Fire Department and president of the Asheville Fire Fighters Association. Additionally, he is the district vice president of the Professional Fire Fighters and Paramedics of North Carolina and chairman of the Professional Fire Fighters of North Carolina Charitable Fund.
Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individuals to the Forestry Council:
• Dr. Zakiya Leggett of Raleigh as a forest scientist. Leggett is a professor at North Carolina State University in the College of Natural Sciences. She serves on the advisory board for the Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at Tuskegee University and for the SEEDS program within the Ecological Society of America.
• Caitlin Burke of Cary as an expert in urban forestry. Burke is the associate director of the Conservation Trust for North Carolina. She serves on the Town of Cary Environmental Advisory Board and the Town of Cary Tree Advisory Committee.
Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the Licensed Professional Counselors:
• Gussie Tate of Morrisville as a public member. Tate is the senior brokerage operations manager at First Citizens Investor Services. Prior, Tate was the department manager of trade processing and security master for at Wells Fargo Advisors and First Clearing LLC.
Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individuals to the North Carolina Courts Commission:
• Representative Marcia H. Morey of Durham as a member of the North Carolina House of Representatives, representing District 30. She served as a judge for the 14th Judicial District Court for 18 years and as chief district court judge for 5 years.
• Senator Valerie Foushee of Hillsborough as a member of the North Carolina Senate, representing District 23. She serves on the board of directors of the Boys and Girls Club of the Eastern Piedmont and as a mentor for the Blue Ribbon Mentor-Advocate.
Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the State Education Assistance Authority:
• Clay H. Jackson of Fuquay Varina as an expertise in finance. Jackson is a founding member of Jackson Hill & Associates with Merrill Lynch and is active in community organizations including SAFEchild of Wake County and the North Carolina Symphony.
Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the Domestic Violence Commission:
• Deborah M. Weissman of Chapel Hill as an academician who is knowledgeable of domestic violence. Weissman is a Distinguished Professor of Law at the UNC Chapel Hill School of Law. She is a member of the UNC Gender Based Violence Research Group and serves on the advisory board of the NIJ Study: Courts Applying Solutions to Intimate Partner Violence.
Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individuals to the Veterans Affairs Commission:
• Ron Perez of New Bern as a representative of the third congressional district. Perez is a senior program manager for the Naval Air Systems Command. He has held officer positions with the local Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Craven County Veteran’s Council.
• Jane Campbell of Davidson as a representative of the twelfth congressional district. Campbell served over 25 years in the United States Navy as a public affairs officer. She currently serves as a commissioner on the Davidson Town Board and as a representative of the Lake Norman Transportation Commission.
Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the North Carolina State Licensing Board for General Contractors:
• Lisa A. Piercy of Pinehurst as a public member. Piercy worked as the director of lobbying and government relations at Ragsdale Liggett PLLC. Piercy has served the boards of the Meredith Fund at Meredith College and the Major Gifts Committee at the Alexander Family YMCA.
Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the North Carolina Board of Chiropractic Examiners:
• Kimberly Quarles Swintosky of Raleigh as a public member. Swintosky is a partner at the law firm Smith Anderson, practicing tax, corporate and business law. Swintosky is also a North Carolina Certified Public Accountant. She serves as an emeritus board member for the Carolina Ballet and as chair of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Wake County.