Governor Cooper Announces State Boards and Commissions Appointments

Today, Governor Roy Cooper announced appointments to boards and commissions.

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

• Mark Kuhn of Durham as a public member. Kuhn is the President of Kuhn Advisors, Inc. and previously spent 20 years with the Duke Management Company.

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

• Samantha M. Holmes of Morrisville as a public member. Holmes has 30 years of experience in leadership within higher education for the University of North Carolina System. Holmes is a Vice Chancellor and the Chief of Staff at Fayetteville State University.

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the North Carolina Biotechnology Center Board of Directors:

• Shaylah Nunn Jones of Durham as a member involved in the fields of biotechnology or life sciences. Jones is the Government and Public Affairs lead for Novo Nordisk Pharmaceutical Industries, LP. Prior to joining Novo Nordisk, Jones was the Senior Policy Analyst for the Governor of Virginia, serving as the Governor’s liaison before members of Congress, federal agencies, and Virginia-based businesses.

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute Board of Trustees:

• James M. Bradshaw of Lenoir as a member at-large. Bradshaw is an adjunct professor and supervisor of student teachers for the Reich College of Education at Appalachian State University. He received the Principal of the Year award in 2000 by the Caldwell County Educational Assistants Association. He also received the 2004 Wachovia Principal of the Year Award from Caldwell County Schools.

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

• Brandon Lofton of Charlotte as a member of the general assembly who is an attorney and as chair. Lofton represents District 104 in the North Carolina House of Representatives and is an attorney at Robinson Bradshaw in Charlotte.

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

• Debra C. Farrington of Chapel Hill as the designee for the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. Farrington is the Department of Health and Human Services Deputy Secretary/Chief Health Equity Officer, focusing on addressing health disparities and the health needs of North Carolina’s most vulnerable citizens. 

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

• Donovan Grant of Charlotte as the representative of the North Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence. Grant is the Social Services Program Supervisor for Mecklenburg County’s NOVA Program, a state-certified batterer intervention program providing psychoeducation and case management services to domestic violence offenders.

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

• Dr. Emily M. Klein of Durham as a public member. Dr. Klein is a Duke University Distinguished Service Professor of Earth Sciences. She serves as the Chair of Earth and Ocean Sciences at the Nicholas School of the Environment.

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the North Carolina Hearing Aid Dealers and Fitters Licensing Board:

• Mitchell Hunter Parker of Charlotte as a hearing aid specialist licensed for at least three years prior to appointment. Parker is a Hearing Instrument Specialist at Hearing Healthcare Centers.

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

• Cecil Hollomon, Jr. of Ahoskie as a member at-large. Hollomon was a middle school teacher and counselor for 38 years.

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the North Carolina Human Relations Commission:

• Elizabeth T. Trosch of Charlotte as a member at-large. Judge Trosch was appointed by former Chief Justice Cheri Beasley as the Chief District Court Judge for Mecklenburg County and has been a district court judge since 2008.

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individuals to the North Carolina Interagency Council for Coordinating Homeless Programs:

• Karen Wade of Raleigh as the designee for the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. Wade is the Policy Director for the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.
• Mark Thomas Benton of Raleigh as the Chief Deputy Secretary for Health for the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. Benton has been with the Department since 2017 and has been the Chief Deputy Secretary for Health since 2022.
• Dr. James W. Kelley of Asheboro as a member of the North Carolina Community College System. Kelley is the Associate Vice President for Student Services for the North Carolina Community College System Office, a role he has held since 2016.
• Dr. Jerry L. Oates of Bolivia as the designee for the Superintendent of Public Instruction. Oates is the Deputy State Superintendent of North Carolina Schools and was previously the Superintendent of Brunswick County Schools.

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

• Kearston Page Freeman of Holly Springs as a former intern. Freeman completed her internship in the North Carolina Department of Administration’s Secretary’s Office. She is the Quality Assurance Specialist for the American Indian Workforce Innovations and Opportunities (WIOA) Program at the North Carolina Commission on Indian Affairs.
• Nicolas MacGregor of Charlotte as a former intern. MacGregor completed his internship with the North Carolina Department of Administration. He was also an Indian Child Welfare Committee Intern for the North Carolina Commission on Indian Affairs.
• Christopher Chan of Cary as a former intern. Chan was a Communications and Vendor Capacity and Development Services Intern at the North Carolina Office for Historically Underutilized Businesses. He is a Member Engagement Intern at the Greensboro Chamber of Commerce.
• Dr. Tiffany Watts of Fayetteville as a community colleges representative. Dr. Watts is the Chief of Staff and Vice President for Strategic Initiatives at Fayetteville Technical Community College. Dr. Watts is also an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the School of Education at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individuals to the North Carolina State Council for Interstate Adult Offender Supervision:

• Elizabeth Musto of Raleigh as Member of the Executive Branch. Musto is a Policy and Planning Analyst for the North Carolina Department of Public Safety’s Office of Policy and Strategic Planning.
• Elizabeth Wexler Watson of Raleigh as Member of Victim’s Assistance Group. Watson is the Associate Director of the North Carolina Victims Assistance Network and the Project Director for the Homicide Victim Services Program.

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual vice-chair of the North Carolina Marine Industrial Park Authority:

• Theresa S. Judge of Kitty Hawk as vice-chair. Judge recently retired from over 46 years in hospitality and property management. Judge has served on the Authority since 2021. 

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the Morehead City Navigation and Pilotage Commission:

• Bryan Gillikin of Beaufort as a Carteret County resident. Gillikin is a co-owner of Barbour’s Marine Supply Co. and has been with the company for 40 years.

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individuals to the North Carolina State Board of Examiners for Nursing Home Administrators:

• Nicole Outlaw of Windsor as a public member. Outlaw is a Senior Program Manager at NCGrowth, a national economic development center based at the Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise at UNC Chapel Hill.
• Kenneth Lee Burgess of Whitakers as a public member. Burgess is a health care attorney with more than 35 years of experience advising clients on a wide range of regulatory, litigation, compliance, and operations issues. Burgess previously served as the Senior Director of Legal Services and Facility Operations of the American Health Care Association and as the General Counsel of the North Carolina Health Care Facilities Association.
• Roxanne Thompson of Emerald Isle as a licensed nursing home administrator. Thompson is the Regional Vice-President of Operations at Liberty Healthcare Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Services.

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the North Carolina State Board of Examiners for Plumbing, Heating and Fire Sprinkler Contractors:

• Don Hunter Edwards of Charlotte as an air conditioning contractor. Edwards is the Chief Executive Officer of MSS Solutions in Charlotte.

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the North Carolina Public Librarian Certification Commission:

• Dr. Lisa O’Connor of Greensboro as a member who is the dean of a state or regionally accredited graduate school of library science. Dr. O’Connor is an Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Information, Library, and Research Sciences at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the North Carolina Rural Infrastructure Authority:

• Joe Sam Queen of Waynesville as a representative of a tier 1 or tier 2 county. Queen previously served in both the North Carolina House and the North Carolina Senate where he represented various counties in Western North Carolina.

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

• Steven Wilson Quick of Raleigh as a member at-large. Quick is a partner at Brooks Pierce in Raleigh.
• Manwell Bynum of Harrisburg as a member at-large. Bynum is the Head of Business Acceleration at Atrium Health.
• Antwan J. Thornton of Morrisville as a member at-large. Thornton is a partner at Brooks, Cameron & Huebsch in Raleigh.

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individuals to the North Carolina Council on Sickle Cell Syndrome:

• Dr. Beng Richard Fuh of Winterville as a member at-large. Fuh is a Professor of Pediatrics at East Carolina University and is also the Director of their comprehensive sickle cell program.
• Dr. Todd L. Savitt of Greenville as a member at-large and chair. Savitt has been a Professor at the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University for over 35 years.

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

• David D. Oberhart of Durham as an individual with a disability. Oberhart is a Call Center Specialist for United Way of North Carolina.
• Patricia McGinnis of Marion as an individual with a disability. McGinnis is a Vaya Health CFAC Member and serves in one of the four seats on the Vaya Health Board of Directors.
• Gerecka Tate of Charlotte as a parent of an individual with a disability. Tate is disabled herself and the parent of a disabled young adult and works to advocate for herself and her child to thrive as independent adults.
• John Edgar McDaniel of Morganton as an individual with a disability. McDaniel is a retired Psychologist and last practiced at the Irene Wortham Center and the Black Mountain Neuro-Medical Treatment Center.
• Samantha Nevins of Charlotte as a Center for Independent Living Director. Nevins is the Executive Director of Disability Rights & Resources in Charlotte.

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the Board of Trustees of the State Health Plan for Teachers and State Employees:

• Melanie Bush of Raleigh as a member at-large. Bush is the Deputy Medicaid Director for the North Carolina Division of Health Benefits at the Department of Health and Human Services. Previously, Bush was the Medicaid Fiscal Analyst for the Fiscal Research Division of the North Carolina General Assembly, serving as the lead of the Health and Human Services budget team for four years.

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

• Robert Hillman of Charlotte as a member with experience in finance and investments. Hillman is a Director at Virtus from FIS Fund Services. Prior to FIS, Hillman was a Financial Advisor for Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, an Investment Banker for Bank of America Merrill Lynch, and an Economics Research Analyst for Barclays Capital.

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

• Marcus Koontz of Salisbury as a representative from a natural gas company. Koontz is the Managing Director of Customer Field Operations for Carolinas East at Duke Energy. Koontz has been with Duke Energy/Piedmont Natural Gas for more than 23 years.

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the North Carolina Veterans Affairs Commission:

• John P. Scherer II of Wilmington as vice-chair. Scherer is the General Counsel for the University of North Carolina Wilmington. Scherer has served on the Commission since 2018.

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