Governor Cooper Names Commission and Board Appointees

Governor Roy Cooper today announced appointments to various state commissions and boards, including the North Carolina Military Affairs Commission and the North Carolina State Museum Natural Sciences Advisory Commission.

“Public service is a calling and I’m glad to announce that these leaders have agreed to use their time and talents to serve our state,” Gov. Cooper said.

To the Education Commission of the States, Gov. Cooper has named:

• Superintendent Mark Johnson to serve as state education agency representative on the Commission, which brings together education leaders from across the country to collaborate on education policy issues.

To the North Carolina Board of Architecture, Gov. Cooper has named:

• Frank Dodson as Public Member. Dodson, of Charlotte, is chief operating officer and executive vice president of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Housing Partnership, Inc., a nonprofit that works to expand affordable housing for low- and moderate-income families.

To the North Carolina Capital Facilities Finance Agency Board of Directors, Gov. Cooper has appointed:

• Frank Beam as Public Member. Beam, of Shelby, retired as Regional Vice-President of Operations for Lowes Home Center after 41 years. He also co-owns a local insulation and siding company and is active in community service, including serving as a Trustee for Gardner Webb University and has chair of the Shelby Savings Bank and the Cleveland Regional Medical Center Foundation.

To the North Carolina Board of Chiropractic Examiners, Gov. Cooper has named:

• Dr. Thomas R. Ayres, III. Ayres, of Raleigh, has 30 years of private practice experience with a focus on sports medicine. He served as president of the North Carolina Chiropractic Association in 2004 and president of the Wake County Chiropractic Society in 1992.
• Dr. John Paul Hammer. Hammer, of Rocky Mount, has operated his own chiropractic firm for 19 years. He graduated from Northwestern College of Chiropractic in 1993.

To the Historic Murfreesboro Commission, Gov. Cooper has named:

• Kim Castle as At-Large Member. Castle, of Murfreesboro, is a senior buyer in the aerospace and manufacturing industries. She is a member of the Carolina Eastern Civic Group.
• Lynn Johnson as At-Large Member. Mayor Johnson, of Murfreesboro, served as town mayor from 2003-2009. She has also served on various boards, including the Mid-East Commission’s Board of Directors, the Murfreeboro’s Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and the Board of Visitors at Chowan University.
• Alton Parker as At-Large Member. Parker, of Raleigh, is a program manager with Cisco Systems in Research Triangle Park. He volunteers with various organizations, including the Murfreesboro Historical Association and the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina.
• John B. Parker as At-Large Member. Parker, of Roanoke Rapids, served as an educator for 25 years and a financial advisor for 18 years. He is passionate about historic restoration and has worked as a restoration specialist in four states.
• John R. Parker as At-Large Member: Judge Parker, of Manteo, served as Senior Resident Superior Court Judge in the 1st Judicial District from 1994 until retirement in 2009. Parker is a native of Murfreesboro. He holds a J.D. from Wake Forest University School of Law.
• Jane Webster as At-Large Member. Webster, of Kitty Hawk, is a principal partner in two hotels in the Outer Banks area. She serves on multiple boards, including the Outer Banks Community Foundation and the Corolla Wild Horse Fund.

To the North Carolina Military Affairs Commission, Gov. Cooper has named:

• Patricia Harris as Public Member. Harris is founder/CEO of Women Veterans Support Services, an organization that supports women veterans in Durham, Orange and Wake counties. She lives in Raleigh and is a Persian Gulf combat veteran.
• Chris Rey as Public Member. Mayor Rey, of Spring Lake, has served as mayor of the town since 2011 and is executive director of Cumberland HealthNET. He served as an officer in the U.S. Army from 2000-2007, and is an active officer with the Virginia National Guard.

To the North Carolina State Museum of Natural Sciences Advisory Commission, Gov. Cooper has named:

• Dr. Philip B. Carter as At-Large Member. Carter is president of the Thurman-Zumwalt Foundation, which supports biomedical research into infectious and toxic agents. He lives in Raleigh and was a professor of microbiology & immunology at North Carolina State University for 24 hours

To the North Carolina Rate Bureau, Gov. Cooper has named:

• John Wei as Public Member. Wei , of Raleigh, has 30 years of experience in information technology and serves as president of R.D. International, Inc., a real estate company. He is founder of the North Carolina China Center and the North Carolina Chinese American Business Association.

To the North Carolina State Social Services Commission, Gov. Cooper has named:

• Drew Pledger as Chair and 4th Congressional District Representative. Pledger is a social worker who lives in Knightdale and is the Coordinator of Mental Health Services for Wake County Public Schools. He previously worked with Wake County Human Services, in private practice, and at the Methodist Home for Children.
• Dr. Iris Carlton-LaNey as1st Congressional District Representative. Dr. LaNey, of Durham, is a Distinguished Professor in the School of Social Work at UNC-CH and has taught social work for 37 years. A graduate of NC A&T, the University of Chicago and the University of Maryland at Baltimore, she is the former chair of the Durham County Social Services Board and also served on the board in Mecklenburg County.
• Theresa “Tess” Judge as 3rd Congressional District Representative. Judge, of Kitty Hawk, is active in civic and community service including serving as chair of the Outer Banks Hospital Development Council and a member of the Vidant Health Foundation Board of Directors
• Larry Sharpe as 5th Congressional District Representative. Sharpe, of Winston-Salem, holds a Master of Social Work from UNC-CH and currently practices social work. Prior, he oversaw all social work staff for the Winston- Salem/Forsyth County Schools
• Dr. Mark Marquez as 8th Congressional District Representative. Dr. Marquez, of Aberdeen, is an Assistant Professor of Social Work at Fayetteville State University. He worked previously as Clinical Director for the Sandhills Center for Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities & Substance Abuse Services and as Program Director for the Baptist Children’s Homes of NC in Kinston.
• Willa Wyatt as 11th Congressional District Representative. Wyatt , of Mars Hill, is an active community volunteer. She retired from more than 35 years in North Carolina public schools, where she worked as teacher, librarian, counselor, and principal.
• Bob Simmons as 12th Congressional District Representative. Simmons, of Charlotte, serves as executive director of Council for Children’s Rights, a nonprofit that advocates on behalf of children. He also has more than 30 years of experience practicing law and has been active with the United Way and local schools.

To the Tryon Palace Commission, Gov. Cooper has named:

• Olivia Holding as At-Large Member. Holding, of Raleigh, is president of E&F Properties and Twin States Farming, Inc. She serves on several civic boards, including the North Carolina Coastal Federation, North Carolina Aquarium Society, Environmental Defense Fund (N.C. Office) and Research Triangle Park Foundation.