Governor Cooper Announces State Boards and Commissions Appointments

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

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

• Michael H. Wray of Gaston as a member who is a legislator. Wray is a member of the North Carolina House of Representatives representing Halifax, Northampton, and Warren counties. He has represented the area since 2005.

Gov. Cooper is appointing the following individuals to the newly created North Carolina Board of Barber and Electrolysis Examiners effective January 1, 2023:

• David L. Williams of Hickory as a member who is a licensed barber. Williams has twenty-five years of experience as a professional barber and nearly twenty years of experience as a barbershop owner. He is also a Hickory City Councilman and is the lead instructor of Plush Kutz Barber College.
• Michael Tyrone Swinney of Fayetteville as a member who is a licensed barber. Swinney has been in the barbering industry for 16 years. Swinney is the franchise owner and operator of One Stop Barbershop and is the current Director of Education at One Stop Academy School of Barbering.
• Sherod A. Holloway of Wake Forest as a member who is a licensed barber. Holloway has more than fifteen years of service in the hair care industry as a professional multi-state Master Barber, Stylist, Instructor, and School Campus Director.
• Kristina Elizabeth Proctor of Canton as a public member. Proctor is a communications professional and ADHD parenting coach. Proctor is also on the Town of Canton Board of Alderman, where she has served since 2017.

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

• Grayson Lane Barnette of Lenoir as a member at-large. Barnette is the Marketing and Communications Coordinator for Foothills Conservancy in Morganton, a nonprofit land trust and environmental conservation organization.

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individuals to the North Carolina Brain Injury Advisory Council:

• Dr. Glenn Edward Johnson of Winterville as a member who is a survivor of a brain injury from Eastern North Carolina. Johnson is a retired corrections officer.
• Dr. Kevin E. Burroughs of Concord as a brain injury service provider in the private sector. Dr. Burroughs is a Sports Medicine Specialist providing musculoskeletal and sports medicine care for all ages and skill levels.

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the North Carolina State Building Commission:

• Dene' V. Alexander of Clayton as a public member. Alexander is an Assistant City Attorney with the City of Greenville and her local government practice areas include procurement and contracting, engineering, economic development, property acquisition and disposition, recreation and parks, and planning and development services.

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

• Chaz Beasley of Charlotte as a member at-large. Beasley is Counsel on the Structured Finance team at Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP, a law firm in Charlotte. Beasley previously served two terms in the North Carolina House of Representatives representing part of Mecklenburg County in District 92.

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individuals to the North Carolina Council for Women:

• Dr. Michelle Meggs of Charlotte as a member at-large. Meggs is the Executive Director of the UNC-Charlotte Women + Girls Research Alliance, a community-based organization integrated into the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
• Pamela Young Jacobs of Bolton as a member at-large. Jacobs is the Assistant Chief and Chairwoman of the Waccamaw Siouan Tribe and Secretary for American Indian Women of Proud Nations. She is also the Executive Director of the Small Business Center at Southeastern Community College.
• Tara Romano of Raleigh as a member at-large. Romano is the Executive Director of Pro-Choice North Carolina of Durham – a statewide organization that works exclusively to protect and advance the reproductive rights of all North Carolinians.
• Chavi K. Koneru of Raleigh as a member at-large. Koneru is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of North Carolina Asian Americans Together, an organization that assists Asian Americans in North Carolina become more engaged in the political process.

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individuals to the North Carolina Council on Developmental Disabilities:

• Bethany Dawn Smith of Greenville as a person with developmental disabilities or a parent/guardian of a child with developmental disabilities or immediate relative/guardian of an adult with mentally impairing developmental disabilities. Smith is a pre-law student serving as Secretary of the Protection and Advocacy for Individuals with Mental Illness Advisory Council for Disability Rights North Carolina.
• Tocarra E. Osborne of Bladenboro as a parent/guardian of a child with developmental disabilities or immediate relative/guardian of an adult with mentally impairing developmental disabilities. Osborne is the Partnership Engagement Coordinator of Resilient Bladen in Elizabethtown.
• Keith B. Carney of Maple Hill as a parent/guardian of a child with developmental disabilities. Carney works for the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services for the Department of Health and Human Services.

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individuals to the North Carolina Domestic Violence Commission:

• LaKiera Grimes of Durham as a representative from a victim service program. Grimes is the Associate Director of Stability Programs for the Compass Center for Women and Families in Chapel Hill.
• Dr. Angelia Riggsbee of Charlotte as a member. Riggsbee is Business manager for Youth and Family Services for the Mecklenburg County Department of Social Services.

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individuals to the North Carolina Education and Workforce Commission:

• Jonah A. Garson of Chapel Hill as a member with experience working in education. Garson is an attorney with experience representing individuals, non-profits, and businesses.
• Jairo McMican of Fuquay Varina as a member with experience in education. Jairo spent the last 16+ years working in higher education split between academic and student services at two different universities and two community colleges. McMican previously served in a split role serving as the Dean of College Access Services at Central Carolina Community College (CCCC) and The Director of Equity and Pathways for the North Carolina Student Success Center.

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the Energy Policy Council:

• Susan Munroe of Fuquay Varina as a member knowledgeable of alternative and renewable sources of energy. Munroe is the Community Engagement Manager at TotalEnergies. Previously she served as Deputy Director at Chambers for Innovation and Clean Energy.

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the North Carolina Board of Examiners for Engineers and Surveyors:

• Toynia E. S. Gibbs of Cary as a registered land surveyor. Gibbs is a Survey Department Manager for ESP Associates, Inc. in Raleigh, where she has worked for 20 years.

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the Financial Literacy Council:

• Erin Wilson of Raleigh as a representative from the North Carolina Department of Labor. Wilson is the Director of Communications for the North Carolina Department of Labor. She oversees the department’s social media platforms, media inquiries, website content and the production of the department’s free statewide news publication, the Labor Ledger.

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

• William Harris of Hillsborough as a member at-large. Harris served 20 years in the Marine Corps and 16 years of federal service as a civilian employee with the Department of Defense.
• Jaquelin Liggins of Mebane as a member at-large. Liggins is a Customer Service Technician for the City of Durham. Liggins has also been commissioned to create large abstract paintings in Downtown Hillsborough.
• Adam Warren Cheshire of Hillsborough as a member at-large. Cheshire is the Business Manager for Orange Family Medical Group. 

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the North Carolina State Historical Records Advisory Board:

• Scarlett Hargis of Garner as a member at large. Hargis is the Paralegal to the General Counsel in the Office of the Governor, a role she has held since 2017. Hargis has more than 25 years of experience as a public servant in state government, and her duties have included serving as the Chief Records Officer for the Governor’s Office and the North Carolina Department of Justice over the past 15 years.

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individuals to the Juvenile Justice Planning Committee:

• Samuel James Highsmith of Wilmington as a representative of a private non-profit agency working with children and families. Highsmith is the Co-Founder and Wilmington Area Events Coordinator for the Alex Highsmith Family Foundation.
• Barbara Parker of Sylva as an American Indian tribal representative or other individual with significant expertise in tribal law enforcement and juvenile justice in the American Indian tribal communities. Parker is an Associate Judge in the Cherokee Court where she serves on the trial court level which includes juvenile court and has worked on initiatives like the Juvenile Healing to Wellness Court.
• Tyrone Ruffin of Aulander as a County Sheriff Department representative. Ruffin was recently elected Sheriff of Bertie County. Ruffin has more than 14 years of experience in law enforcement.

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individuals to the North Carolina Lottery Commission:

• Ripley E. Rand of Raleigh as chair. Rand was originally appointed to the commission in September of 2021. Rand is a partner at Womble Bond Dickinson LLP in Raleigh, and has previously served as a US Attorney and Superior Court Judge in North Carolina.
• Cari Boyce of Raleigh as a member at-large. Boyce has more than thirty years of management experience in the public and private sectors. She recently retired from Duke Energy as Senior Vice President for Enterprise, Strategy and Planning. Boyce is currently serving as an advisor in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina.

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

• Dr. David Crisler Mayer of Chapel Hill as a member at large. Mayer is a Professor of Anesthesiology and Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology for the University of North Carolina School of Medicine and previously served as the school’s Division Chief of Obstetric Anesthesia. Mayer has been with the school for more than 30 years.

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

• Dr. Regina S. Dickens of Littleton as a mental health professional. Dickens has 45 years of human resource practice in both the public and private business world. She previously served as the Area Director of RiverStone, the local Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Substance Abuse Services agency Halifax County.

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individuals to the North Carolina State Museum of Natural Sciences Advisory Commission:

• June A. Blotnick of Charlotte as a member at-large. Blotnick is an environmental consultant who has more than 38 years of experience working for nonprofit organizations advocating for community economic development, affordable housing, racial equity, and environmental protection.
• Emily S. Burkhart of Concord as a member at-large. Burkhart is the Director of Tourism and Operations at Southern Grace Distilleries. Burkhart is also a board member of the Cabarrus Arts Council and the Concord Downtown Development Corporation.
• Bob Gale of Asheville as a member at-large. Gale has spent more than 24 years providing scientific input on issues related to environmental protection of Southern Appalachian Mountain forest communities.
• Catherine Mattesich Taylor of Raleigh as a member at-large. Taylor is an attorney with a history and passion for public service. She has experience at both regional and national law firms and has advised major trade associations on key legislative and regulatory matters.

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individuals to the North Carolina Partnership for Children, Incorporated:

• Francesca Gary of Durham as a member at-large. Gary is the Senior Vice President of Government Markets for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina. In her role, she leads work in the Government market segments, including Medicare, FEP and Medicaid, through Healthy Blue.
• Rosa Maria Matthews of Lillington as a member of the party other than the Governor's party. Matthews is a Stylist Consultant at ETCETERA LLC in Lillington and also has years of experience in early childhood education.
• Ashley Neal of Charlotte as a member of the party other than the Governor's party. Neal previously worked with the Council for Children's Rights as the Director of the Custody Advocacy Program, overseeing the legal team and representing children in high conflict custody cases. Neal now continues to support children through her work with preschools in her area.
• Channah VanRegenmorter of Asheville as a member representing a philanthropic agency. VanRegenmorter is an Officer for Health and Wellness at Dogwood Health Trust. Prior to joining Dogwood, she was a quality leader at Eleanor Health.

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the North Carolina Radiation Protection Commission:

• Dr. Alfonso Anthony Haro, III of Pinehurst as a member with knowledge in the clinical application of radiation and is a practicing licensed podiatrist. Haro is a podiatric foot and ankle surgeon for Ankle & Foot Surgical Podiatry Clinic of Westend North Carolina. He is an active member of American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons Association, American Podiatric Medical Association, and the North Carolina Foot & Ankle Society.

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the North Carolina Recreational Therapy Licensure Board:

• Joan Langella Sutton of Davidson as a therapeutic recreation specialist engaged in training. Sutton is a Health Center Recreational Therapy Supervisor for The Pines at Davidson, and has more than 12 years of experience as a recreational therapist.

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the North Carolina Board of Science, Technology, and Innovation:

• Janet R. Cowell of Raleigh as the Governor’s designee and chair. Cowell is the Chief Executive Officer of Dix Park Conservancy. Cowell has previously served on the Raleigh City Council, the North Carolina State Senate, and served two terms as the North Carolina State Treasurer.

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the North Carolina Sedimentation Control Commission:

• David Beck of Charlotte as a utility company representative. Beck is the General Manger of Coal Combustion Products Engineering for the Duke Energy Corporation. Beck’s team is responsible for design and development of all of Duke Energy’s CCP projects including ash basin closures, landfill expansions, station cooling ponds, and other CCP projects. Beck has worked for Duke and its predecessor companies since 1989.

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individuals to the Statewide Independent Living Council:

• Lindsay Dozier of Greensboro as an individual with a disability. Dozier is the Health Promotions Coordinator for the Rockingham County Department of Health and Human Services.
• Jordan Franklin Slade of Clayton as an individual with a disability. Slade is a traumatic brain injury and stroke survivor. Slade is an advocate for brain injury survivors and also serves on the North Carolina Brain Injury Advisory Council.

The following individuals were appointed by Gov. Cooper to the North Carolina Task Force for Racial Equity in Criminal Justice:

• Anita Earls of Durham as Co-Chair and as a North Carolina Judicial Branch representative. Earls is an associate justice of the Supreme Court. She founded and is the past executive director of the Southern Coalition of Social Justice where she litigated civil rights and voting rights cases. Previously, Earls served as deputy assistant attorney general for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Justice in the Clinton administration. Earls has also served on the Equal Access to Justice Commission and the N.C. Board of Elections.
• Eddie M. Buffaloe, Jr. of Elizabeth City as Co-Chair and as a North Carolina Department of Public Safety representative. Buffaloe is the Secretary for the North Carolina Department of Public Safety. Prior to his appointment, he worked a dual role as Elizabeth City’s interim city manager and director of the Elizabeth City Department of Public Safety. Buffaloe also served as president of the North Carolina Association of Chiefs of Police.
• Alan Thornburg of Asheville as a District and Superior Court Judges representative. Thornburg currently serves as the senior resident Superior Court Judge for Buncombe County and presides over Buncombe County’s Adult Drug Treatment Court. Thornburg previously served as a North Carolina Court of Appeals Judge. 
• Josh Stein of Raleigh as a North Carolina Department of Justice Representative. Stein is the Attorney General of North Carolina and served in the State Senate between 2009 and 2016. He previously served as senior deputy attorney general for consumer protection in the NC Department of Justice.
• Billy Gartin of Garner as an appropriate representative from local and state government, academic institutions, research or advocacy groups. Gartin is a Sergeant for the Raleigh Police Department and has spent much of his career as a trainer. Gartin is a Marine Corps veteran.
• Henderson Hill of Charlotte as a representative of organizations that represent or advocate with communities of color. Hill is the Senior Counsel of the ACLU Capital Punishment Project. Hill previously served as Executive Director of Center of Death Penalty Litigation.
• Deb D. Maxwell of Wilmington as a representative of organizations that represent or advocate with communities of color. Maxwell is the current President of the North Carolina NAACP. She previously served as a Care Coordinator for Children at the Brunswick County Health Department.
• Mujtaba Mohammed of Charlotte as a public defender and North Carolina General Assembly representative. Mohammed serves in the North Carolina State Senate, representing District 38. Mohammed is an Assistant Public Defender in Charlotte and previously worked as a child advocate at the Council for Children’s Rights. 
• Marcia Morey of Durham as an appropriate representative from local and state government. Morey serves as a Representative for House District 30. She previously served and worked as an Assistant District Attorney in Durham, and as a District Court Judge. She was also the Executive Director of the Governor’s Commission on Juvenile Crime and Delinquency Prevention. 
• Kerwin Pittman of Raleigh as a justice involved individual representative. Pittman serves as the Founder and Executive Director of Recidivism Reduction Education Program Services. He also serves on the state re-entry council collaborative. 
• Talley Wells of Chapel Hill as an appropriate representative from local and state government. Wells is the Executive Director of the North Carolina Council on Developmental Disabilities. He previously led the Georgia Appleseed Center of Law and Justice and the Disability Integration Project at the Atlanta Legal Aid Society, and also founded the Olmstead Disability Rights Clinic at Georgia State School of Law. 
• Jeffrey Smythe of Burlington as a North Carolina Department of Justice representative. Smythe was previously the Chief of Police in Burlington for over seven years, where he led an agency of more than 150 staff. He has been a police officer for over 34 years and has a master’s degree from Northern Arizona University in Educational Leadership.  
• April G. Dawson of Haw River as an appropriate representative from local and state government, academic institutions, research or advocacy groups. Dawson is an Associate Dean of Academic Affairs and Professor of Law at North Carolina Central University School of Law. She teaches, among other classes, Constitutional Law, a Supreme Court seminar, and legal technology courses, and has been voted Professor of the Year multiple times.
• Clarence F. Birkhead of Durham as a Sheriff representative. Birkhead serves as the Durham County Sheriff where he brings 37 years of experience. Birkhead is an active member of the North Carolina Sheriffs’ Associations, Major County Sheriffs of America, National Sheriffs Association, and the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE).
• Quentin E. Miller of Asheville as a Sheriff representative. Miller was elected to serve as Sheriff of Buncombe County in 2018. Miller joined the U.S. Army in 1983 where he served as a Military Policeman for 11 years. He later joined the Asheville Police Department serving as a member of the Asheville Police Department’s original community policing unit "PACT", where he received Officer of the Year and the Overall Regional Award for initiating a street ministry and midnight basketball program for at risk youth.
• Michael Hawkins of Brevard as an appropriate representative from local and state government, academic institutions, research or advocacy groups. Hawkins was a Transylvania County Commissioner and is former Chair of the Commission. Hawkins is also the President of Pisgah Enterprises.
• Regina R. Parker of Williamston as a district or superior court judge representative. Parker has served as a District Court Judge in the Second Judicial District since 2001 and has been the Chief District Court Judge for the district since 2018.
• Kim Gourier Scott of Winton as a district attorney representative. Scott has served as an Assistant District Attorney in the Seventh Prosecutorial District representing Bertie, Halifax, Hertford and Northampton Counties. for more than 14 years and was recently elected to serve as the District Attorney. Prior to her service as an Assistant District Attorney, Scott was a Staff Attorney with Legal Aid of North Carolina representing victims of domestic violence.
• Jeff Nieman of Chapel Hill as a district attorney representative. Nieman was recently elected District Attorney for Orange and Chatham Counties after more than 16 years of criminal justice public service in the area.
• Nisha Williams of Durham as a victim advocate representative. Williams is the Legal Director for the North Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence. Before serving as Legal Director, she was a Staff Attorney for the coalition and owned and managed her own law office.
• Johnny Jennings of Charlotte as a chief of police representative. Jennings has served as Police Chief for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department since 2020. Jennings has served in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department since 1992.
• Tracie Campbell of Charlotte as a violence prevention representative. Campbell is the Senior Health Manager in the Office of Violence Prevention for the Mecklenburg County Public Health Department. Previously, she was the Injury and Violence Prevention Program Coordinator for Atrium Health’s Carolinas Medical Center.
• Angela R. Bryant of Rocky Mount as an appropriate representative from local and state government, academic institutions, research or advocacy groups. Bryant is the Assistant Secretary for Equity and Inclusion and Health Equity for the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. Previously, Bryant has previously served as an administrative judge, UNC Board of Governors member, city councilor, and state legislator.
• Emily Coward of Durham as an appropriate representative from local and state government, academic institutions, research or advocacy groups. Coward directs the Inclusive Juries Project within the Center for Criminal Justice and Professional Responsibility at Duke University School of Law. Previously, Coward was an attorney with the UNC School of Government’s Public Defense Education group, serving as Director and Project Attorney of the North Carolina Racial Equity Network.
• Preston Blakely of Fletcher as a local elected official. Blakely was elected mayor of Fletcher in 2021 and became one of the youngest mayors in the country. Blakely previously served on Fletcher’s Town Council. He is Fletcher’s second black mayor and the youngest mayor in the town’s history.
• Ricky Hurtado of Mebane as an appropriate representative from local and state government, academic institutions, research or advocacy groups. Hurtado has served in the North Carolina House of Representatives representing District 63 since 2020. Hurtado is an instructor at UNC Chapel Hill and Co-Executive Director of LatinxEd, helping first-generation college students and immigrant families break down barriers to educational opportunity.

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the North Carolina Certification Commission for Tribal Indian Gaming Compact:

• Zeb L. Smathers of Canton as a member at large. Smathers is the Mayor of the Town of Canton and a lawyer at his own practice in Canton.

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individuals to the North Carolina Water Treatment Facility Operators Certification Board:

• Rani Kay Holland of Hickory as a water treatment facility operator. Holland has close to 20 years of hands on and leadership experience running a water works facility as a trained professional manager.
• La’Meshia Whittington Kaminski of Holly Springs as a member at-large. Kaminski is the Executive Director, Founder, and Advisor for TW2 Inc. – North Carolina, a nonprofit that provides arts education and therapy for youth in need.

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the North Carolina State Youth Advisory Council:

• Dr. Regina Gavin Williams of Knightdale as an adult member. Williams is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Counseling and Higher Education at North Carolina Central University. She is a foster youth advocate with research focusing on the adult self-sufficiency and college and career readiness of adolescents aging out of the foster care system, and support for foster caregivers.

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