Governor Cooper Names Members to Boards and Commissions

Governor Roy Cooper announced appointments to a number of state boards and commissions today.

Included in the announcement are members of the Governor’s Advisory Council on Aging, the Board of Architecture, the North Carolina Environmental Management Commission, the U.S. Tobacco Cooperative, the North Carolina Partnership for Children, the North Carolina State Commission for Public Health, the Industrial Commission, and the Sentencing and Policy Advisory Commission.

“I’m grateful that these accomplished North Carolinians will share their expertise with our state through public service,” Gov. Cooper said.

To the Governor’s Advisory Council on Aging, Gov. Cooper has named:

• Charles Johnson as At-Large Member. Johnson, of Rocky Mount, has served on the NC Board of Nursing Home Administrators, NC Recreational Therapy Licensure Board, and the Nash County Adjustment Board.
• Libby Eaton as At-Large Member. Eaton, of Morehead City, serves on the advisory board of the Carteret County Economic Development Council. She has also been a member of the Eastern Region Military Task Force Committee: Quality of Life Committee and president and executive board member of the Crystal Coast Hospice House.
• Kathie Smith as At-Large Member. Smith, of Raleigh, has been with the Association for Home and Hospice Care of NC since 2004 and has also served on the NC Better Jobs Better Care team, which developed the NC New Organizational Vision Award.
• Daniel Mosca as At-Large Member. Mosca, of Brown Summit, is currently a member of the Guilford County Commission on Aging and the Piedmont Triad Commission on Aging. He was previously the Vice Chair of the Governor’s Advisory Council on Aging and participated in a task force studying elder fraud and abuse.
• Amit Shah as At-Large Member. Dr. Shah, of Waxhaw, is a physician who has practiced internal medicine for more than 30 years with a focus on elderly patients. He is board certified in hospice and palliative medicine and has served as president of the Greater Charlotte chapter of the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) and chair of its National Governing Body.
• Roger Manus as Chair of the Council. Manus, of Raleigh, is a member of the Governor’s Advisory Council on Aging and the North Carolina Coalition on Aging. He has advocated for seniors and persons with disabilities for more than 35 years through various boards and through his law practice. 

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

• Katherine Peele as Architect Member. Peele, of Cary, is an architect and executive vice president of practice for LS3P, one of the Carolina’s largest architectural firms. She has been a part of the firm for more than 29 years with a primary focus is on designing educational projects. 

To the North Carolina Environmental Management Commission, Gov. Cooper has named:

• Dr. Suzanne Lazorick as Physician Member. Dr. Lazorick, of Newport, is an associate professor of pediatrics and public health at the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University. She is board certified in internal medicine and pediatrics and previously practiced medicine in Clayton, Benson and Raleigh. 
• Mr. Richard Whisnant fills the seat requiring special training in freshwater, estuarine, marine biological or ecological sciences. Whisnant, of Chapel Hill, is a professor of Public Law and Policy at the UNC School of Government with expertise in natural resource management, environmental protection, and soil and water conservation. He previously served as general counsel for the N.C. Department of Environment, Health and Natural Resources and practiced environmental law in Charlotte.  
• Dr. Albert Stanley “Stan” Meiburg fills the seat requiring special training or scientific expertise in hydrology, water pollution control or the effects of water pollution. Dr. Meiburg, of Winston Salem, is currently the director of graduate studies at the Center for Energy, Environment and Sustainability at Wake Forest University. He is worked with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for almost 40 years where he was the second person in history to serve as Deputy Regional Administrator in more than one region.
• Ms. Marion Deerhake fills the seat requiring special training or scientific expertise in air pollution control or the effects of air pollution. Deerhake, of Raleigh, has worked for RTI International, a nonprofit global research organization headquartered in Research Triangle Park, for more than 34 years as an environmental scientist. She has also served on seven state-level environmental and energy commissions and committees. 

To the U.S. Tobacco Cooperative Incorporated, Gov. Cooper has named:

• Mr. James Tull Hill, Jr. as At-Large Member. Hill, of Kinston, is president and co-manager of a large family farm operation in Lenoir, Greene and Pitt counties. He is a past chairman of the U.S. Tobacco Cooperative and a past board member of the North Carolina Growers Association. 

To the North Carolina Partnership for Children/Smart Start, Gov. Cooper has named:

• Mrs. Elizabeth Star Winer as At-Large Member. Winer, of Charlotte, runs the Winer Family Foundation, which focuses on women’s healthcare, early childhood, and social justice. She also serves on the boards of Teen Health Connection, the Nurse Family Partnership, the Institute for Child Success, and the UNC- Charlotte Cato School of Education. 

To the North Carolina State Commission for Public Health, Gov. Cooper has named:

• Dr. Joe Gordon as Veterinarian Member. Dr. Gordon, of Raleigh, is a founder of Care First Animal Hospital and has practiced veterinary medicine for more than 23 years. He has served on the North Carolina Veterinary Board for 10 years including two years as president, and on the SPCA board of directors.
• Dr. Patrick Roberson as Dentist Member. Dr. Roberson lives in Raleigh where he runs his own dentistry practice. He is a former member of the 82nd Airborne where he served as brigade dental surgeon. He also served as a Major in the North Carolina National Guard Medical Detachment.
• Dr. Jimmie “Wayne” Riggins as Optometrist Member. Dr. Riggins, of Fayetteville, has practiced optometry for more than 36 years. After a long career as a medical professional in the military, he is now an assistant professor at Campbell University’s School of Osteopathic Medicine.
• Mr. George Sweet, Jr. as Professional Engineer/Soil Scientist Member. Sweet, of Saluda, is chairman of the Macon County Watershed Council and vice chairman of Little Tennessee Watershed Association. He also worked for Duke Energy for 35 years in various roles, including manager of engineering, supervisor of distribution services, and field engineer designing both overhead and under-ground distribution systems.
• Dr. Venkata Jonnalagadda as At-Large Member. Dr. Jonnalagadda, of Greenville, is the Medical Director for the North Carolina Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Substance Abuse Services. Dr. Jonnalagadda is a board certified child, adolescent and adult psychiatrist and a Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association. She also serves as adjunct teaching faculty at ECU’s Brody School of Medicine. 

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

• Philip A. Baddour, III as Commissioner Representing Employees Member. Baddour is a native of Goldsboro who currently lives in Raleigh. He has served as Deputy Commissioner for more than 16 years, where he hears tort claims against the State of North Carolina and has served on full commission panels when a Commissioner was unavailable. Baddour is a lawyer and former assistant Attorney General who also served as a Captain in the North Carolina National Guard.  

To the Sentencing and Policy Advisory Commission, Gov. Cooper has named:

• Susan Katzenelson as Public Member. Katzenelson, of Raleigh, has been Executive Director of this Commission for almost 20 years and previously worked for the U.S. Sentencing Commission. She is currently a visiting professor at the Duke University Sanford School of Public Policy.