Governor Cooper Appoints New Members to State Boards and Commissions

Today, Governor Roy Cooper announced 40 new appointments to various North Carolina boards and commissions. 

“Serving on state boards and commissions requires dedication and I appreciate these appointees stepping up to help us move North Carolina forward,” Gov. Cooper said. 

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individuals to the North Carolina State Museum of Natural Sciences Advisory Commission:

• Anne Russel Caywood of Apex as a member at-large. Caywood is a services accountant at Pivotal Software. Prior, she was a revenue recognition analyst and a Project Accountant at Viavi Solutions.
• Carl Wilkins of Raleigh as a member at-large. Wilkins is marketing and communications director at the Family Education Initiative. He previously served as a student volunteer for the North Carolina Natural Science Museum.
• Christina Williams of Raleigh as a member at-large. Williams is a pricing analyst and agent at Hunter Rowe Real Estate. She is also a volunteer at CORRAL Riding Academy for at-risk teenage girls.
• Dr. Alison Durham of Greensboro as a member at-large. Durham is the public relations coordinator/wellness director for The Oral Surgery Institute of the Carolinas. She also founded and works as a podiatrist at Cardinal Podiatry. She serves on the Greensboro Children’s Museum Board of Directors.
• Carly Cooke of Greensboro as a member at-large. Cooke is the managing partner at CAC Holdings. She serves as VP of Ways and Means on the Claxton Elementary PTA and on the Program Leadership Team for the Guilford Education Alliance.
• Shanna Windham of Wilmington as a member at-large. Windham is the vice president of Key Accounts for ONEHOPE. She serves on the Silent Auction Committee for Yacht Venture benefitting the Children’s Museum. 
• Dorsey Tobias of Rocky Mount as a member at-large. Tobias is the director of Marketing and Communications for Nash UNC Healthcare. She has been active with the Twin Counties regional marketing campaign.
• Anna Clay Kroboth of Raleigh as a member at-large. Kroboth is the manager of Employment Resources in the Career and Employment Resources Division at Wake Technical Community College. She also serves as advisor for the Phi Beta Lambda honors fraternity.
• Megg Rader of Wake County as a member at-large. Rader is retired from the Alliance Medical Ministry. She is a former president of the Junior League of Raleigh and member of the Conservation Trust of NC Board of Directors.
• James Lewis of Morehead City as a member at-large. Lewis is a computer and network technician. He is a past chair of the Beaufort Music Festival and Beaufort 300 Celebration Committee member.
• Hailey Ferrell Lail of Hickory as a member at-large. Lail works as a ceramic artist for Piedmont Designs. She serves on the Preservation Awards Selection Committee for the Hickory Landmarks Society and on the Steering Committee for the Catawba Valley Pottery and Antiques Festival.
• Sterling Fulton of Raleigh as a member at-large. Fulton is the chief executive planner and founder of Your Space to Thrive, and Women Thriving at a Space to Plan, LLC. She is the state legislative chair to the NC Federation of Business and Professional Women.
• Creighton Blackwell of Morrisville as a member at-large. Blackwell is the vice president of Corporate Affairs and Community Engagement at Coastal Federal Credit Union. He serves on boards of the Triangle Family Services, Orange County Partnership for Young Children, the Chapel Hill/Carrboro Chamber of Commerce Executive Board, and the Triangle Martin Luther King Leadership Committee.
• Rebekah Branagan of Cary as a member at-large. Branagan is a web administrator for the Duke University School of Medicine and a regional leader for Outdoor Afro.
• Amy Locklear Hertel of Chapel Hill as a member at-large. Hertel is the chancellor’s chief of staff at UNC Chapel Hill. Previously, she was director for the American Indian Center. Hertel serves on the NC American Indian Health Board.
• Rodney McCormick of Raleigh as a member at-large. McCormick is the senior youth and outreach director of Walnut Creek, Hunter and Camp Renaissance for YMCA of the Triangle. He was a cultural conversation facilitator for the NC Museum of Natural Sciences’ Race: “Are We So Different” Exhibition.
• Barden Culbreth of Raleigh as a member at-large. Culbreth is an associate for Randolph Cloud and Associates. He serves as treasurer for the Capital Area Grange and previously served as the chair of the City of Raleigh Historic Cemeteries Advisory Board.  
• Ed Summers of Cary as a member at-large. He is director of accessibility and applied assistive technology at SAS. Summers serves as chair of the State Board of Education Advisory Council for the Governor Morehead School of the Blind. 

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individuals to the North Carolina Minority Health Advisory Council:

• Bertram Scott of Charlotte as a representative of a health-related agency. Scott is senior vice president of Population Health and Value Based Care at Novant Health. He also serves on the board of directors of Lowes Company, and the American Heart Association where he is the 2017-19 chairman-elect of the board.
• Ramon Llamas of Durham as a public health representative. Llamas founded Switch/Health, LLC., a social enterprise where he works as a writer and consultant. He is a member of the American Public Health Association where he serves as the membership & communications chair for the Men’s Health Caucus.

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the North Carolina State Banking Commission:

• Easter Maynard of Raleigh as a practical banker. Maynard is the director of community investment for Investors Management Corporation where she leads the ChildTrust Foundation. She currently serves as chair for the North Carolina Early Childhood Foundation and Golden Corral Board of Directors and serves on the boards of BB&T and the Methodist Home for Children.

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individuals to the North Carolina Veterans Affairs Commission:

• Larry Pendry of North Wilkesboro as a representative of the fifth congressional district. He is a retired community development specialist and homeland security planner in the Western Branch Office of NCEM. Pendry is involved with North Wilkesboro Benevolent and Protective Order of the Elks Lodge 1846, DAV Chapter 33 and American Legion Post, 31.
• John Scherer of Wilmington as a representative of the seventh congressional district. Scherer is general counsel for the UNC-Wilmington. He is a member of the Association of United States Army.

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the North Carolina On-Site Wastewater Contractors & Inspectors Certification Board:

• Russ Ayers of Williamston as a member knowledgeable about the construction of on-site wastewater systems. Ayers is the owner and operations manager of Bennie A. Moore Septic Tank Service, Inc. He has served on the Martin County Board of Education and was voted the 2017 Martin County Business Person of the Year.

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individuals to the North Carolina State Board of Registered Environmental Health Specialist Examiners:

• Drew Morgan of Cary as an environmental health specialist. Morgan is the staff person for the NC Well Contractors Certification Commission. He began his career in the on-site program in Wayne County before joining the on-site, well and pool programs in the Durham County Health Department.
• Carl Kivett of Graham as an environmental health specialist. Kivett works as an environmental health specialist in Chatham County’s on-site wastewater/wells program and the childhood lead poisoning prevention program. He holds a NC Soil Scientist License and is a NC Certified Lead Inspector and Risk Assessor.
• Daniel Ortiz of Autryville as an environmental health specialist. Ortiz is the environmental health director for the Mecklenburg County Department of Public Health. He previously served as the environmental health director for the Cumberland County Department of Public Health.
• Felissa Vázquez of Black Mountain as an environmental health specialist. Vázquez works as a food and lodging supervisor for Buncombe County Health and Human Services. She has volunteered with the mountain area environmental health section of the North Carolina Public Health Association and the Black Mountain Home for Children.
• Davin Madden of Goldsboro as a local health director. Madden is the health director for the Wayne County Health Department. He also serves as an adjunct professor at the University of Mount Olive and as the chair of the Wayne County Child Fatality Prevention Team.

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the North Carolina Human Relations Commission:

• LaWana Mayfield of Charlotte as a member at-large. Mayfield is in her third term representing District 3 on Charlotte’s City Council. She serves on the National League of Cities REAL Race, Equity and Leadership Committee, and on the Smart Start of Mecklenburg County.

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the North Carolina Internship Council:

• Shawna Young of Durham as a private college or university representative. Young is the executive director of Duke TIP, after serving as executive director of MIT’s Office of Engineering Outreach Programs. She serves on advisory boards for the William and Ida Friday Institute for Education Innovation and the National Girls Collaborative. 

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the North Carolina Commission for the Blind:

• David Horton of Pilot Mountain as a representative of business, industry, and labor. Horton is president and CEO of Winston-Salem Industries for the Blind, a nonprofit dedicated to creating employment opportunities and providing necessary services fostering independence for people who are blind. He helped establish Tracy’s Little Red School House, a facility for providing after-school programs and a summer camp for children who are blind. 

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

• Victor Isler of Winston-Salem as a director of a county department of social services. Isler is the director of the Forsyth County Department of Social Services. He is a licensed clinical social worker and certified LCSW clinical supervisor. Additionally, Isler is a fostering health advisory team member for the North Carolina Department of Social Services.

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individuals to the North Carolina Interagency Coordinating Council for Children from Birth to Five with Disabilities:

• Sherri Vernelson of Louisburg as a representative of the state education agency. Vernelson is the section chief of sensory support and assistive technology in the exceptional children division at the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.
• Kate Brewer of Raleigh as a parent of a disabled child under age 12. Brewer is an attorney advisor for the Social Security Administration. Additionally, she served as the benefit gala co-chair for the Brooks Elementary School Foundation.
• Normarie Badillo-Velez of Apex as a parent of a disabled child under age 12. Badillo-Velez moved to North Carolina in search of better services for her 8-year-old son, who was diagnosed with severe autism. She has volunteered for various community events including 2015 Dine4Autism Fundraising and NC4PR Hurricane Relief.
• Catasha Williams of Wilson as a member involved in staff development and personnel training. Williams is a technical assistance associate and regional lead consultant at the FPG Child Developed Institute. Additionally, she is a facilitator of FPG National Early Child Inclusion Institute at UNC-Chapel Hill. 
• LaCosta Parker of Raleigh as a division of health benefits representative. Parker is an I/DD clinical consultant for the behavioral health section of NC Medicaid. She has over 20 years of Human Services experience in the public-sector. 

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the State Board of Proprietary Schools:

• Antwine Jackson of Raleigh as a member at-large. Jackson is the president and founder of Enitech, a managed service IT company. He serves on the Chapel Hill Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, the Capital City Clauses and the Carolina Club Board of Directors. 

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

• Nelson Cole of Reidsville as a member at-large. Cole is a former N.C. Representative who served Rockingham County in North Carolina’s 65th House District for eight terms. He was a founding director of the local soup kitchen and Habitat for Humanity and served as president of the Chamber of Commerce.