Governor Cooper Announces State Boards and Commissions Appointments

 Today, Governor Roy Cooper announced new appointments and nominations to boards and commissions across North Carolina.

Gov. Cooper has nominated the following individuals to serve on the North Carolina State Board of Education:

• Eric C. Davis of Charlotte as representative for the 6th educational district. Davis served as an Airborne Ranger combat engineer officer in the United States Army and is a professional engineer in North Carolina. Davis served on the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education representing District 5 in 2009 and served as chair from 2009 to 2011. He also served as chair of the City of Charlotte Privatization/Competition Advisory Committee and the CMS Bond Oversight Committee. Davis currently serves on the State Board of Education, serving as Vice Chair from April to September of 2018 and elected as Chair in September of 2018. 
• Alan W. Duncan of Greensboro as representative for the 5th educational district. Duncan is a lawyer for Turning Point Litigation. He is a past President of the North Carolina Bar Association and the North Carolina Association of Defense Attorneys. Duncan currently serves on the North Carolina Board of Education and serves as Vice-Chair. He served a total of 18 years on the Guilford County Board of Education and 16 years as Chair. 
• Melody Chalmers McClain of Fayetteville as representative for the 4th educational district. McClain is the Assistant Superintendent of Cumberland County Schools and previously worked as a school administrator. In 2020, she was the North Carolina African American Leaders in Education Honoree. McClain served on the Governor’s Commission on Access to a Sound Basic Education and the NC Association of Principals and Assistant Principal Board of Directors.
• Dr. Ronald K. Hargrave of Advance as a member at-large. Hargrave served as the Superintendent of Scotland County Schools for six years. He also served as Deputy Superintendent, Assistant Superintendent for Secondary Education, Executive Director of Student Support Services and Middle School Curriculum in the Iredell-Statesville School District. He is also a veteran, having achieved the rank of Sergeant First Class in the United States Army.

Gov. Cooper has nominated the following individual to serve on the North Carolina Employment Security Board of Review:

• Larry D. Hall of Durham as a representative of employees. Hall currently serves as a Deputy Commissioner at the North Carolina Industrial Commission. Hall served as the Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Military and Veterans Affairs under Governor Cooper from 2017-2020. Before his cabinet appointment in 2017, Hall represented District 29 as a member of the North Carolina State House of Representatives. Hall was an officer in both the U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Marine Reserve and practiced law for over 20 years.

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the North Carolina Agricultural Hall of Fame Board of Directors:

• Lori Lacy of Franklin as a member at-large. Lacy is an owner of Appalachian Growers, a USDA organic hemp farm in Franklin, North Carolina. Before starting Appalachian Growers in 2017, Lacy spent 21 years as a wellness and fitness trainer.

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the Governor’s Advisory Council on Aging:

• Gregg Warren of Raleigh as a member at-large. Warren recently retired after 34 years from DHIC Inc., a non-profit housing development group. As the former president, Warren supervised the construction and rehabilitation of thousands of affordable apartments. He also serves on the Raleigh Housing Authority Board of Commissioners and on the Board of Community Housing Capital.

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the Andrea Harris Social, Economic, Environmental, and Health Equity Task Force:

• Dionne D. Delli-Gatti of Raleigh as the Secretary of the Department of Environmental Quality. Delli-Gatti was recently named the new Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality. Previously, she was the director of southeast climate and energy at the Environmental Defense Fund, following her work as a congressional and governmental liaison at the Atlanta EPA regional office.

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the North Carolina Board of Architecture:

• Timothy A. Hillhouse of Durham as an architect. Hillhouse is a registered architect in North Carolina and Missouri, and he is a principal with O’Brien Atkins Associates, PA, a design services firm in the Research Triangle. He also served as president of the Triangle Chapter of the American Institute of Architects.

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to Blue Ridge National Heritage Area Act of 2003:

• Jesse Barry Pope, Jr. of Newland as a member. Pope is the President and Executive Director of the Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation. He also serves as an Executive Board Member on the Avery County Chamber of Commerce, the Southern Appalachian Man and Biosphere program, and the Carolina Bird Club. Pope volunteers with North Carolina’s Wildlife Diversity division of the Wildlife Resources Commission and the Audubon Society on various research projects.

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individuals to College of the Albemarle Board of Trustees:

• Stuart Paul O'Neal of Coinjock as a member at-large. O’Neal is the vice president of Towne Insurance and is a Currituck County Commissioner. He has served on the College of Albemarle Board of Trustees since 2000. In his time on the board, O’Neal has served as the co-chair of the Finance Committee and as a member of the Executive Committee.
• Dr. Emily Jane Walker of Coinjock as a member at-large. Walker is a staff pharmacist at Walmart Pharmacy in Elizabeth City and Colonial Pharmacy in Murfreesboro. She was previously an adjunct professor at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy.

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the North Carolina State Board of Community Colleges:

• Mark W. Merritt of Charlotte as the Region 4 representative. Merritt is an attorney at Robinson Bradshaw, where he counsels clients on a range of business-related litigation and serves on their Board of Directors. Previously, he served as vice chancellor and general counsel for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and he is also a past President of the North Carolina State Bar.

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the Disciplinary Hearing Commission of the North Carolina State Bar:

• Valencia A. Applewhite of Fayetteville as public member. Applewhite is the southeastern coordinator for Advance Carolina. Applewhite retired from the Air Force after 20 year of service. Additionally, Applewhite served three terms as a Fayetteville city councilmember.

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to Domestic Violence Commission:

• Jessica M. Englert of Raleigh as the Governor’s designee. Englert is the Policy Director in the Office of the Governor. Englert has held several leadership positions in the Cooper Administration and most recently served as the Assistant Secretary for the North Carolina Department of Commerce Division of Workforce Solutions. Prior to joining the Governor’s Office in January 2017, she served as an associate with the law firm of Sutherland Asbill & Brennan LLP in Washington, D.C.

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individuals to the North Carolina State Licensing Board for General Contractors:

• Elizabeth R. Phipps of Clayton as structural engineer. Phipps is the vice president and structures practice leader for KCI. Her background includes work in bridge design and inspection, roadway design, water resources engineering and design, and traffic engineering. She is also a part of KCI’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee.
• Leon Myers of Hillsborough as residential construction representative. Myers is currently self-employed as a consultant and advisor to residential building professionals and property owners. He is also the chair of the Board of Adjustment for Orange County, North Carolina. He founded and operated L.E. Meyers Builders Inc., a custom homebuilding business serving the Research Triangle area. 

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the Board of Directions of the Golden L.E.A.F. Inc:

• Laurence E. Lilley, Jr. of Williamston as a member at-large. Lilley is the president of Lilley International, the family business that he originally joined in 1976. He has previously been chairman for both the Martin County Committee of 100 and the Martin County Economic Development Corporation.

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the Historic Murfreesboro Commission:

• Susan F. Woodward of Suffolk, Virginia as a member at-large. Woodward is a retired history teacher with 40 years of service to education. She grew up in Hertford county and is a member of multiple historical societies in southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina. Her primary interest is historical preservation.

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the North Carolina Judicial Standards Commission:

• Colonel Donald L. Porter of Fayetteville as public member. Porter is the executive director of the Raeford/Hoke Economic Development Commission, where he advocates for economic investment across Southeastern North Carolina. He is also a retiree of the U.S. Army.

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the North Carolina Marine Industrial Park Authority:

• Theresa S. Judge of Kitty Hawk as a member at-large. Judge recently retired from over 46 years in hospitality and property management. She currently serves on the Outer Banks Hospital Board, the Children and Youth Partnership of Dare, the Outer Banks Relief Foundation, and Food for Thought. Judge also serves on the Board of Vidant Health Foundation and the North Carolina Joint Underwriters and is a past board member of the Outer Banks Chamber of Commerce.

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the North Carolina State Commission for Public Health:

• Dr. Michael Riccobene of Wilmington as a licensed dentist. Dr. Riccobene is the founder of Riccobene Associates Family Dentistry, which has 35 locations across North Carolina with more than 500 employees. Riccobene is also a board member of the UNC Chancellors Global Leadership Council and the UNC Dental School Board of Advisors.

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the Roanoke River Basin Bi-State Commission:

• Ernestine Byrd Bazemore of Aulander as a member of the Senate. Bazemore represents District 3 in the NC State Senate. Previously, she served on the Bertie County Board of Commissioners and served as District 2 Director of the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners.

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to Supplemental Retirement Board of Trustees:

• Wyndon A. Hibler of Concord as member with experience in finance & investments. Hibler is the Vice President, Business Risk and Control Officer at Wells Fargo Wealth and Investment Management in Charlotte, North Carolina. Formerly, he worked as the Director of Enterprise Risk Management for Federal Student Aid in the Department of Education in Washington, D.C.

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to serve as chair on the Tryon Palace Commission:

• Katherine C. Haroldson of New Bern as chair. Haroldson retired from Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. as Vice President in the Municipal Sales and Trading department. She has been serving as the chair of the Finance Committee on the Tryon Palace Commission, and she also served on the Investment Committee of the Board of Chatham Hall. She is a past board member of the Tryon Palace Foundation, New Bern Preservation Foundation, New Bern Public Library and the ECU Friends of the School of Music.

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the University of North Carolina Center for Public Television Board of Trustees:

• Patricia A. Rodgers of Charlotte as member at-large. Rodgers is the President and CEO of Rodgers, a construction company based in Charlotte. She also serves on the Charlotte Executive Leadership Council, the Executive Board of the Architecture Construction Engineering Mentor Program of America, Inc., the President’s Advisory Council for Johnson and Wales University, and the Charlotte Executive Board for Wake Forest University. She is the past Chair of the Foundation for the Mint Museums, the Construction Industry Round Table (CIRT), the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce and the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra Board of Directors.

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the Underground Damage Prevention Review Board:

• Tony Konsul of Charlotte as a representative from an investor-owned water system. Konsul is the regional director for the Western Division of Carolina Water Service, Inc., of North Carolina. With over 31 years of service in water and wastewater operations, he leads and directs a team of 50 staff members in 23 counties.

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individuals to the North Carolina Commission on Volunteerism and Community Service:

• Rev. Dr. Joseph Blosser of High Point as a representative of the service-learning community. Blosser is the director of the service-learning program at High Point University and is also an associate professor of religion and philosophy. He is a founding director of High Point’s Bonner Leader Program, the HPU AmeriCorps Vista Program, and the Civic Responsibility and Social Innovation Degree.
• Tammy R. Cobb of Burlington as a member selected among local educators. Cobb is the associate director for community partnerships for the Kernodle Center for Civic Life at Elon University, where she has worked since 2001.

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