Governor Cooper Announces Appointments to State Boards and Commissions

Governor Roy Cooper announced nominations and appointments to North Carolina boards and commissions today.

Gov. Cooper has nominated the following individuals to the North Carolina State Board of Agriculture:

• D. Reid Smith III of Lexington as a dairy farmer. Smith is the owner of Red Acres Farm LLC, a third-generation dairy farm in Davidson County. He is also the President of the North Carolina Dairy Producers Association.
• Donald James Lambeth of Ellerbe as a poultry farmer. Lambeth is the owner of Triple L Farms, Inc. as well as Jim Lambeth Farm, Inc. Lambeth has been involved in farming since 1974. Lambeth was originally appointed to the board in 2016 and this nomination is for his second term.
• Faylene W. Whitaker of Climax as a representative of a nursey business. Whitaker is a partner of Whitaker Farms LLC, which she and her husband started in 1975. Today, her family farms over 1,000 acres of land, where they grow tobacco, grains, fruits, and vegetables. Whitaker was originally appointed to the board in 2016 and this nomination is for her second term.
• Ada Draughon Beatty of Harrells as a general farmer. Beatty is the co-owner and secretary/treasurer of A A & S Farms, Inc. Beatty has been a leader for the North Carolina Minority Farmers and Landowners, Inc. for 16 years.

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

• Nathan Angus Baskerville of Henderson as a representative of employees. Baskerville currently practices law at his own law firm Baskerville and Baskerville, PLLC. He is the Chairman for the Vance County Indigent Defense Committee, where he is responsible for the administration of the court appointed attorney system and indigent defendants. Baskerville also volunteers for the Vance County Teen Court.

Gov. Cooper has nominated the following individuals to the North Carolina Oil and Gas Commission:

• John D. White II of Greensboro as a representative of a publicly traded natural gas company. White is the chief state and local government affairs manager for Dominion Energy. He serves as an expert in infrastructure policy and the intersection between development and state government issues.
• Karen A. Howard of Chapel-Hill as a member of a county board of commissioners of a county located in a region of North Carolina that has oil and gas potential. Howard serves as county commissioner of Chatham County and is a former attorney. She has served on the Chatham County Schools Academically and Intellectually Gifted Advisory Committee and the Chatham County Schools district accreditation committee.

Gov. Cooper has nominated the following individual to the North Carolina Industrial Commission:

• Myra L. Griffin of Durham as the commissioner representing employers. Griffin currently serves as Commissioner and Vice-Chair of the North Carolina Industrial Commission. Previously, Griffin served as an Assistant Attorney General assigned to the Industrial Commission and as an Agency Legal Counsel in the Office of the North Carolina Attorney General.

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the North Carolina Alarm Systems Licensing Board:

• Mary L. Wood of Fayetteville as an alarm system licensee. Wood is the compliance manager at Custom Home IQ Solutions. She also previously worked as a compliance manager for Power Home Technologies, LLC.

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

• Mark Matheny of Clyde as a municipal or county building inspector. Matheny is the Chief Building Official for the City of Asheville. Matheny serves on the board for the International Code Council Foundation and is also a building code instructor.

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the Cancer Coordination and Control Commission:

• Dr. Rebecca A. Snyder of Greenville as ECU School of Medicine Cancer Control Program Representative. Snyder is the Assistant Professor of Surgery and Adjunct Assistant Professor of Public Health at East Carolina University. She has served as the Affiliate Faculty Member for the Center for Health Disparities at East Carolina University’s Brody School of Medicine.

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the Commission on Children with Special Health Care Needs:

• Tracey Vann Hawkins of Durham as a parent of a special needs child with a developmental disability or behavioral disorder. Hawkins is the Founder & CEO of Thriving on the Spectrum, a technological startup tailored to address the unique needs of neurodivergent individuals. Hawkins is also a Clinical Trials Project Leader II for at the Duke Clinical Research Institute.

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the North Carolina Coastal Resources Commission:

• Sheila C. Holman of Durham as a person with experience in engineering in the coastal area or a marine-related science. Holman recently retired after more than 33 years of experience in the environmental regulatory arena at the state and federal level. Holman served most recently as the Assistant Secretary for the Environment for the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality.

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

• Jada L. Brooks of Pembroke as a member of medical community. Brooks is an Associate Professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She previously worked as a staff nurse at Southeastern Health and UNC Healthcare.

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the Economic Development Partnership:

• James R. Jordan of Charlotte as an expert in the military or defense. Jordan is the Executive Vice President of Operations for Hornets Sports & Entertainment. Jordan retired from the United States Army in 2006 after 31 years of service. His last position in the Army was as the 35^th Signal Brigade Airborne Command Sergeant Major as a part of the 18^th Airborne Corps Task Force, supporting combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the Edenton Historical Commission:

• Gloria Wadsworth of Edenton as a member at large. Wadsworth retired after more than 30 years of service in the Edenton-Chowan School System. She is the President of a non-profit organization, The Sisters of Strength, an organization dedicated furthering the wellness of Chowan County.

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individuals to the Education Commission of the States:

• Catherine Truitt of Raleigh as a state education agency representative. Truitt serves as the North Carolina State Superintendent. Truitt began her career as a high school English teacher. She then joined the International Center for Leadership in Education, where she worked to turn around underperforming schools. Most recently, she served as chancellor of non-profit Western Governors University North Carolina (WGU NC). 
• Peter D. Hans of Raleigh as a member at-large. Hans is the seventh president of University of North Carolina System. He previously served as President of the North Carolina Community College System. Hans also served as senior policy advisor to three members of the United States Senate and counseled the private sector on public affairs at one of the state’s largest law firms.
• Thomas A. Stith III of Durham as a member at-large. Stith is the President of the North Carolina Community College System. He served as a three-term city council member in Durham. Stith was chief executive of several businesses and consulting firms, including the Michael Thomas Group in Durham and LJP Lab, a toxicology lab and health care consulting company in Kernersville.
• Eric C. Davis of Charlotte as a state education agency representative. Davis serves as Chair on the North Carolina State Board of Education. He served as an Airborne Ranger combat engineer officer in the US Army and is a professional engineer in North Carolina.  

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

• LeShekia Hines Coleman of Gastonia as a licensee not affiliated with any funeral service trade association. Coleman is a Funeral Service Licensee for Alexander Funeral Home, Inc. in Charlotte.

 Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the Hispanic/Latino Affairs Advisory Commission:

• Cuauhtemoc Herrejon of Yadkinville as a member at large. Herrejon is the Director of Religious Education and Catechesis for Saint John Baptist de la Salle in North Wilkesboro and previously worked for the Diocese of Charlotte in Hispanic Ministry.

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individuals to the Historic Bath Commission:

• Dr. Warren E. Milteer, Jr. of Burlington as a member at large. Milteer is an assistant professor of history at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, who has published multiple historical texts. He was awarded the Historical Society of North Carolina’s R.D.W. Connor Award in 2014 and 2016 for the best journal article in the North Carolina Historical Review.
• Carolyn Elizabeth Moore of Washington as a member at large. Moore is the District Deputy Grand Matron of the Order of the Eastern Star Rite of Adoption for the State of North Carolina. She has dedicated over 30 years to the improvement of North Carolina infrastructure and her local community.
• Esther M. Hardin of New Bern as a member at large. Hardin served her community for over a decade on the National Membership Services Committee, a part of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. until 2021. 
• Judith H. Edwards of Bath as a member at large. Edwards retired from the Department of Social Services as a social worker. She is also a Charter Member for the Historic Bath Garden Club. 

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the North Carolina Medical Care Commission:

• Dr. Lisa A. Tolnitch of Raleigh as a member at large. Tolnitch is an active staff member at both Rex Healthcare and Duke Raleigh Hospital. She is also a physician at her own practice, Tolnitch Surgical Associates. Tolnitch is an Associate Professor at Duke University Hospital where her articles have been published in medical journals.

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individuals to the North Carolina Commission for Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Substance Abuse Services:

• Kelli Cater Knapp of Jacksonville as a substance abuse services prevention specialist. Knapp has 21 years of experience working with individuals with mental health and substance abuse issues. She is a licensed clinical mental health counselor and clinical addictions specialist, as well as a certified counselor and prevention specialist.
• Laura Parnell of Hickory as a Mental Health Family Member. Parnell is the Middle School Career Development Coordinator for the Gaston County School System and has well over 20 years of teaching experience.

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to serve as chair of the North Carolina Mining Commission:

• Travis K. Morehead of Albemarle as the chair. Morehead has served as the Executive Director of Three Rivers Land Trust since 2016. Previously, he worked with the Catawba Lands Conservancy as the Operations Director of the Carolina Thread Trail.

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individuals to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Commission:

• Dr. Rodney Harris of Youngsville as chair. Harris is a licensed clinical mental health counselor supervisor. Harris was originally appointed to the commission in November of 2020.
• Stan K. Holt of Durham as a member at large. Holt is the Co-Owner and Senior Advisor of Partners for Impact, where he provides a diverse set of consulting services for public organizations and non-profits. He has also served in various leadership positions for the United Way of the Greater Triangle.

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the North Carolina Occupational Safety & Health Review Commission:

• William David Rowe of Raleigh as a member at large. Rowe is the General Counsel and Director of Advocacy of the N.C. Justice Center. He has been practicing law for over 30 years, where he has advocated for more equitable housing and employment laws.

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the North Carolina Sentencing and Policy Advisory Commission:

• Arthur F. Beeler, Jr. of Franklinton as the public member not licensed to practice law. Beeler is an adjunct professor in the Criminal Justice Department at North Carolina Central University. In 2019, he received the Distinguished Alumni Award from the Department of Social Work at East Carolina University.

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the North Carolina Board for Licensing of Soil Scientists:

• Karen Davis Wallace of Weaverville as a soil scientist employed by a federal or state agency. Wallace is the regional soil scientist for the NC Department of Health and Human Services and NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources. She also serves as Chair on the Soil Science Society of North Carolina and Vice President of the Western NC Public Heath Association.   

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

• Amy L. Barron of Shallotte as a surveyor licensed under Chapter 89C of the General Statutes. Barron is a Geographic Information Specialist Professional and a Licensed Professional Land Surveyor and is currently the GIS Manager II for Duke Energy responsible for centralized design and residential development.
• Michael Keith Holden of Huntersville as a representative from the telecommunications industry. Holden is the CEO and General Manager at ATMC. Holden has been with ATMC since 2000, where he is worked to improve communications services in rural portions of North Carolina.

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