Today, Governor Roy Cooper announced appointments to twenty one North Carolina boards and commissions.
“These appointees bring strong skills and diverse perspectives to state boards and commissions,” said Gov. Cooper. “Their work will provide valuable guidance and oversight on a variety of issues critical to North Carolina.”
Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individuals to the North Carolina Ethics Commission:
• Carrie B. Cook of Charlotte as a member in the same political party as the Governor. Cook is the founding executive director of the GreenLight Fund. She is a recipient of the Women of the Year Award and named one of the 50 Most Influential Women by the Mecklenburg Times. Additionally, she is the public policy institute chair of the Junior League of Charlotte.
• William H. Freeman of Winston-Salem as a member in the same political party as the Governor. Freeman served as a district court judge, special superior court judge and most recently as a resident superior court judge. He currently works as a mediator and arbitrator. He is a member of the Forsyth County and North Carolina Bar Associations and the North Carolina Conference of Superior Court Judges.
• James L. Baker of Marshall as a member in a different political party as the Governor. Now retired, Baker previously served as a commissioner for Madison County. Additionally, he also served as senior resident superior court judge and emergency superior court Judge. He was member and chair of the Madison County Board of Education.
• Thomas Jeffrey Keith of Winston-Salem as a member in a different political party as the Governor. Keith was elected district attorney five times in Forsyth County and later served as district attorney of Rockingham County. Keith also lectures for the NC Bar Foundation, WFU Law, UNC-CH, and NC School of Government. Previously, he served as chair of the Forsyth County Board of Elections and has testified before US House of Representatives and Senate sub-committees.
Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the North Carolina Locksmith Licensing Board:
• Bobby Blackmon of Wilmington as a public member. Blackmon is a major in the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office, overseeing the Patrol and Support Services Divisions.
Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individuals to the North Carolina Financial Literacy Council:
• Dewana Little of Asheville as a public member and chair. Little is a marketing and administrative associate at Self-Help Credit Union, and serves as the executive director of Positive Changes Youth Ministries.
• Jim Morton of Wilmington as a representative from the Community College System. Morton is the president of Cape Fear Community College. He served as president of the Airlie Gardens Foundation Board and as a board member of North Carolina’s Southeast Regional Economic Development Partnership.
• George Sherrill of Raleigh as a representative from the Department of Commerce. Sherrill is the chief of staff to North Carolina Secretary of Commerce Tony Copeland. Previously, Sherrill was director of the Department’s Community Development Block Grant Program. He retired with the rank of captain from the United States Naval Reserve after 28 years of service.
• Hugh Harris of Raleigh as a representative from the Department of Justice. Harris serves as outreach and policy counsel in the Public Protection Section. Previously, Harris was an assistant attorney general in the Consumer Protection Division.
• Jennifer Haigwood of Raleigh as a representative from the Department of Labor. Haigwood serves as the director of administration and governmental affairs. She is a member of the Junior League of Raleigh where she serves as co-captain of BackPack Buddies.
• Trey Michael of Raleigh as a representative from the Department of Public Instruction. Michael is the director of career and technical education. Previously, he taught at West Cary Middle School and Green Hope High School after working in the financial sales sector.
• John Maron of Raleigh as a representative from the Secretary of State. Maron serves as the director of the investor protection and education services program. He also a member of the alerts and advisories project group at the North American Securities Administrators Association.
• Lonnie Christopher of Creedmoor as a representative from the Commissioner of Banks. Christopher has worked for the Office of the Commissioner of Banks as a paralegal, rules coordinator, and financial literacy contact. He previously worked in finance for Haven House, a non-profit providing community-based services to at-risk youth and families.
• Bobby Puryear of Raleigh as a representative from the UNC System. Puryear is a professor of economics in the Poole College of Management at N.C. State University. He previously served as director of undergraduate programs for the Department of Economics from 2007-2017.
• Dru Minifield of Clayton as a representative from a government agency. Minifield serves as a revenue administration officer in the Personal Tax Division at the North Carolina Department of Revenue. Previously, she was the group manager of the business and income technical group in the Taxpayer Assistant Division.
• Muye Akinkuotu of Raleigh as a public member. Akinkuotu served as an international pharmaceutical management professional with extensive experience with medication manufacturing. He is a member Rho Chi Pharmacy Honor Society.
• Sonia Garrison of Durham as a public member. Garrison is the financial capabilities program manager at Self-Help Credit Union. She has developed and taught financial education workshops for Triangle Residential Options for Substance Abusers, Inc.
• Andy Culpepper of Greenville as a public member. Culpepper is the managing director of investments and a financial advisor for Culpepper Family Wealth Management Group of Wells Fargo Advisors. He was the Kinston-Lenoir County 2001 Citizen of the Year.
• Travis Rouse of Durham as a public member. Rouse is the chief sales and lending officer for M&F Bank. He serves on the board of the Boys and Girls Club of Orange and Durham Counties and the Lincoln Community Health Center Foundation advisory board.
• Louise Mack of Concord as a public member. Mack is the president and CEO of Property Unlimited, Inc. She is a certified housing counselor, a high cost loan counselor, a certified homebuyer educator, and a licensed real estate broker.
• Silvia Rincón of Durham as a public member. Rincón is the vice president of communications and brand management at the Latino Community Credit Union. She also oversees LCCU’s financial education program.
• Angela Ellison of Raleigh as a public member. Ellison is a postal inspector with the US Postal Inspection Service. As a federal law enforcement agent, she conducts criminal, civil, and administrative investigations of violations of postal laws.
Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the North Carolina Principal Fellows Commission:
• Dr. Jim Watson of Lincolnton as a representative of business and industry. Watson is the president of WSRR Consulting Group. Watson is also a managing partner of Silo Investors and a founding director of Carolina Trust Bank. He serves on the Board of Directors, Executive Committee, Marketing and Business Development Committee and chairs the Compensation/Personal Committee.
Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the North Carolina Arboretum Board of Directors:
• Sadie Walters of Raleigh as a member at-large. Walters is a project designer and landscape architect at Timmons Group. She previously owned and operated a native plant nursery in Asheville. Walters is a recipient of the American Society of Landscape Architecture Honor Award for Community Service.
Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the Tryon Palace Commission:
• Mayor Jay Bender of Pollocksville as a member at-large. Bender serves as Mayor of Pollocksville. Bender serves on the Civilian-Military Community Council, Pollocksville Rotary Club, and the Executive Committee on the Eastern Carolina Council. He was an adjunct history faculty for Craven Community College and co-owner and manager of Armstrong Grocery Company.
Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individuals to the North Carolina Military Affairs Commission:
• Paul Friday of Stella as retired military residing near Camp Lejeune. Friday retired on 03 January, 2019 as the Deputy AC/S G7 and as the director of Government and External Relations (GER) Division.
• Chuck Allen of Goldsboro as retired military living near Seymour Johnson Air Force Base. Allen is mayor of Goldsboro and owns Allen Grading Company. He serves as chair of the Wayne County Development Alliance and Goldsboro Metropolitan Organization.
• Stanley Walz of Elizabeth City as retired military from the Coast Guard. Walz serves as president and CEO of VectorCSP. Previously, he was vice president for US Coast Guard programs for Perot Systems Government Services.
• Edward M. Reeder of Fayetteville as retired military residing near Fort Bragg. He retired as a Major General. He commanded the US Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School and the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force-Afghanistan. He also established and commanded the first Combined Forces Special Operations Component Command-Afghanistan.
• Crockett Long of Raleigh as a public member. Long has served on the Governors Highway Safety Commission and Governors DUI Task Force and the NC4ME board. He was recently the chair of the North Carolina Beer and Wine Wholesalers Association.
• Timothy McClain of Raleigh as a public member. McClain serves as the US initiative consultant of global diversity and inclusion at MetLife. He was Commander of the 112th Special Operations Signal Battalion at Fort Bragg.
• Patricia Harris of Raleigh as a public member. Harris serves as commander of the North Carolina Veterans Council. Previously, she was a unit dispatcher and communications specialist in the US Army Reserve and a state commander of the Department of NC American Legion. Harris also founded Women Veterans Support Services, Inc.
• Arnold N. Gordon-Bray of Rocky Mount as a public member. Gordon-Bray was division chief in the Joint Special Operations command at Fort Bragg and the installation Management Command in San Antonio. Gordon-Bray works with 360 Cradle to Careers and is a qualified master parachutist and army ranger. He is a recipient of the Army Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Defense Superior Service Medal, and the Legions of Merit.
• David Hayden of Raleigh as a public member. Hayden is a retired Army colonel and JAG corps officer. He was assistant US attorney for the NC Eastern District and general counsel for USfalcon, Inc. He serves on the North Carolina Heroes Fund, the North Carolina Defense Business Association, and the Veterans Life Center.
• Representative Grier Martin of Raleigh as a public member. Representative Martin is a member of the North Carolina House of Representatives in the North Carolina General Assembly and is a soldier in the United States Army Reserve. He is a recipient of the Office of the Secretary of Defense Medal for Exceptional Public Service, NCSCA Legislator of the Year, and the Charles Dick Medal of Merit.
• Francis Bottorff of New Bern as retired military residing near Cherry Point. Colonel Bottorff completed various aviation tours at MCAS Cherry Point and MCAS Yuma Arizona as an AV-8B pilot, including a tour as the Commanding Officer of VMA-542 and as the Commanding Officer of MCAS Cherry Point. Bottorff now serves as manager for Havelock, NC.
• Rudy Rudisill of Charlotte as an NC resident who is a current or retired member of the NC National Guard. Major General Rudisill is assistant to the chair of the joint chiefs of staff for national guard matters for the Pentagon. He is a recipient of the Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit, and the Bronze Star Medal.
• Matt Scott of Pembroke as an NC resident who is a current or retired member of a reserve component of the Air Force, Army, or Navy. Scott is the district attorney for Robeson County District Attorney’s Office. He is a member of the Wisconsin and North Carolina State Bar and is a recipient of the Bronze Star and Iraq Campaign Medal.
Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the Domestic Violence Commission:
• Hilary Cooper of Raleigh as the Governor’s designee. Cooper is senior legal counsel at SAS Institute. She previously served as assistant counsel for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina and as a senior attorney at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Cooper formally served as a member of the Orange County Rape Crisis Center board of directors and co-chaired their development committee.
Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the North Carolina Council on Educational Services for Exceptional Children:
• Selene Johnson of Winston-Salem as a representative of a private school. Johnson is the executive director of ABC of NC Child Development Center. She is a board-certified behavior analyst and is the president of the North Carolina Association for Behavior Analysis.
Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the North Carolina Emergency Response Commission:
• Sheriff Paula Dance of Greenville as a sheriff. Dance is the first African-American woman sheriff in North Carolina, serving Pitt County. Prior, she served with the Martin County Sheriff’s Office.
Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Commission:
• Jamilla T. Hawkins of Tarboro as a member at-large. Hawkins is currently the senior program manager of the NC Rural Center. She is a recipient of the 2016 Young Rural Leader of the Year and the R.E. Jones Award. Additionally, Hawkins serves on the board of the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, the Edgecombe Charitable Foundation, and the Conetoe Family Life Center.
Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the North Carolina State Board of Barber Examiners:
• David L. Williams of Hickory as a licensed barber. Williams is the owner and operator of Plush Kutz Barbershop. Prior, he worked as a barber at Clemons Barbershop and received his Barber certification from the Hairstyling Institute of Charlotte.
Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the North Carolina State Board of Refrigeration Examiners:
• Tom Backman of Morehead City as a licensed refrigeration contractor. Backman is currently President of BMIL Technologies, LLC, a refrigeration supplier. He is a Certified Test & Balance Engineer, EEC. Backman is a member of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers and of the Refrigeration Service Engineers Society.
Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the Beaufort County Community College:
• Wali Saleem of Washington as a member at-large. Saleem is the owner and manager of Professional Tax Service. Previously, he was a teacher, principal and director of mathematics and science for Beaufort County Schools. Saleem serves as an Advisory Board member of the Boy & Girls Club of the Coastal Plain and NC Association of Educators.
Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the North Carolina Gasoline and Oil Inspection Board:
• Rohit Shetty of Waxhaw as a member at-large. Shetty is principal engineer of Geological Resources, Inc. He is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers and the National Groundwater Association.
Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the North Carolina Commission on Volunteerism and Community Service:
• Travis B. Broadhurst of Weaverville as an individual between the ages of 16 and 25 who is a supervisor or recipient in a volunteer or service program. Broadhurst graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill with a B.S. in Geological Sciences and Physics. He was on the UNC Student Union Board of Directors and served as vice president of programming for the Activities Board. Broadhurst was a Buckley Public Service Scholar.
• Ellen D. Whitlock of Greensboro as a representative of a national service program described in Section 122(a) of the US Public Law 103-82. Whitlock serves as executive director of Senior Resources of Guilford. She previously served as the director of the Mental Health Association in High Point.
Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the Vance-Granville Community College Board of Trustees:
• Andrea Harris of Henderson as a member at-large. She is a co-founder of the North Carolina Institute of Minority Economic Development. Harris was executive director of a Community Action Agency in Henderson and worked throughout the southeast through the regional Office of Community Services.
Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the North Carolina Veterans Affairs Commission:
• Terry Hales of Advance as a representative of the 13th congressional district. Hales retired at the rank of colonel in the US Army. Hales was a teacher and is a current member of the Davie County Board of Education. He serves on the Advisory Board for the North Carolina State Employees Credit Union.
Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individuals to the North Carolina Interagency Coordinating Council for Children from Birth to Five with Disabilities:
• Jody Miller of Whittier as a provider of early intervention services. Miller is the community engagement coordinator at Region A Partnership for Children. She is the chair of the Smart Start teams for the Interagency Coordinating Council of Graham, Haywood, and Macon Counties and the Qualla Boundary.
• Martika Harrington of High Point as a local early intervention agency representative. She is the owner, educational therapist, and early interventionist for Stepping Stones. She previously worked as a program supervisor and educational therapist for Easterseals UCP.
Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the North Carolina Commission for Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Substance Abuse Services:
• Tracy Blackmon of Goldsboro as a substance abuse services prevention specialist. Blackmon is a clinician at the Waynesboro Family Clinic. She provides individual therapy, sex offender therapy, and substance use therapy for clients.
Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individuals to the North Carolina Museum of History Associates, Inc. Board of Directors:
• Winston Kirby of Raleigh as a member at-large. Kirby is an attorney with Edwards Kirby, LLP. He is a member of the North Carolina Advocates for Justice. Kirby volunteers with the NC Bar Legal Feeding Frenzy Food Drive.
• Gareth Evans of Wilmington as a member at-large. Evans has been executive director of the Bellamy Mansion Museum. Previously, he was the associate director of the Historic Wilmington Foundation.
• Jennifer Bowden of Greensboro as a member at-large. Bowden is an attorney with R. Steve Bowden & Associates PC. She is a member of the Greensboro YMCA Metro Board, Communities in Schools Board, and the Junior League of Greensboro.