Governor Stein Announces Boards and Commissions Appointments

Today, Governor Josh Stein announced appointments to boards and commissions.

Governor Stein has appointed the following new member to the Equal Access to Justice Commission:

• David Webb of Nash County as Governor of North Carolina or designee. Webb serves as the Director of Intergovernmental Affairs in the Office of Governor Josh Stein. Previously, he was political director of then-Attorney General Stein’s campaign for Governor, regional director for U.S. Congressman Don Davis, and deputy political director for Cheri Beasley’s campaign for U.S. Senate. Webb previously worked as a high school social studies and social justice teacher for Southwest Guilford High.

Governor Stein has appointed the following to the North Carolina Council for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing:

• Jessica West of Durham County as a person who is hard of hearing. West has served as a Faculty Research Scholar at Duke University since 2024. Holder of a doctorate and a Master of Public Health, she previously worked as a research fellow in otology, laryngology, and human development for Harvard Medical School and Duke University. She also served as a medical instructor for the Duke University School of Medicine. 

Governor Stein has appointed the following to the North Carolina Interagency Council for Coordinating Homeless Programs:

• Brett Altman of Durham County as a State Budget Director of the Office of State Budget and Management or designee. Altman has served as an assistant state budget officer with the NC Office of State Budget and Management, where he leads work with state agencies on performance management and program improvement initiatives as well as evidence-based budget proposals. His previous roles include work on housing policy with the NC Department of Health and Human Services and with rural development projects across the state.
• Carla West of Johnston County as Deputy Secretary for Opportunity and Well-Being for the NC Department of Health and Human Services or designee. West serves as the division director for human services for NCDHHS. In this role, she leads efforts to integrate and enhance access to person-centered services that support individuals and families in achieving self-sufficiency and overall well-being. West provides leadership to a broad range of programs within a complex, integrated service delivery system – including economic assistance programs within the Division of Social Services and programs in the Division of Aging that encompass housing and homelessness.
• Debra C. Farrington of Orange County as Deputy Secretary for Health, North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services or designee. Farrington, MSW, LCSW, is the Deputy Secretary for Health, serving on the NC Department of Health and Human Services executive leadership team responsible for overseeing offices supporting and delivering health services for all North Carolinians. The portfolio consists of the Division of Public Health; Division of Mental Health, Development Disabilities and Substance Use Services; and the Offices of Minority Health, Rural Health, and Olmstead/TCL. Farrington is a licensed clinical social worker with more than 30 years of experience in community-based services for children and adults with behavioral health needs.
• Ashley Nicole Jarrett of Burke County as a member of local government. Jarrett, BSN, RN, serves as assistant health director for Burke County Public Health, where she blends front-line nursing insight with systems-level leadership to design solutions that resonate from clinic to boardroom. She drives data-informed, community partnerships that tackle social determinants of health for marginalized residents – most notably through Burke County’s innovative backpack street-medicine primary-care model – and her leadership has secured major grant funding, strengthened cross-sector collaboration, and advanced systems change for health equity across western North Carolina. A proud alumna of the Foundation for Health Leadership & Innovation’s Jim Bernstein Fellowship and a current Doctor of Nursing Practice candidate at AdventHealth University, Jarrett will continue to channel this expertise into her role on the North Carolina Interagency Council for Coordinating Homeless Programs.
• Amy Modlin of Pitt County as a member from a nonprofit providing services to people experiencing homelessness; or at risk; representing victim services and/or permanent supportive housing. Modlin has more than 20 years of experience developing housing resources with a focus on identifying and increasing a community’s capacity to welcome citizens with disabilities, specifically individuals with mental health issues, substance use issues, and/or intellectual and developmental disabilities. Before joining Trillium Health Resources, Modlin was a housing coordinator for several LME/MCOs in the eastern part of the state, served as the assistant finance officer for Martin County and an employment specialist with the NC Employment Security Commission.
• Deronda Metz of Mecklenburg County as a member from a nonprofit providing services to people experiencing homelessness; or at risk; representing faith-based service providers. Metz worked in homeless services for more than 30 years and has been recognized nationally for implementing best practices with creating homeless solutions. She received the Order of the Long Leaf Pine Award from then-Governor Roy Cooper on May 4, 2024. She has a master’s degree in social work and is a licensed clinician (LCSW) as well as a licensed addiction specialist. She has been a consistent partner in compiling the community’s HUD Continuum of Care grant for more than 20 years, and she continues to be a constant voice for people who are homeless locally and across the country.
• Samuel Gunter of Durham County as a member from the North Carolina Housing Coalition. Gunter is the executive director of the NC Housing Coalition and has more than a decade of affordable housing policy experience in North Carolina, serving on the Interagency Council for Coordinating Homeless Programs (ICCHP) and as the chair of the Housing Recovery Support Function of the State Disaster Recovery Task Force under Governor Roy Cooper. The Baptist minister has also served on the boards of Habitat for Humanity of North Carolina and was a founding board member of the Council of Independent State Housing Associations. . 
• Marsha Basloe of Durham County as a member with expertise in services for young children under age six in families experiencing homelessness. Basloe is the principal of MRB Connects and has spent more than 30 years working with local, state, and national early childhood programs. She has a passion for early childhood education and public education, along with building supports for vulnerable populations, especially young children experiencing homelessness. Previously, Basloe was senior advisor for the Office of Early Childhood Development, reporting to the deputy assistant secretary for the Office of Early Childhood Development at the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Department of Health and Human Services, where she was responsible for coordinating early childhood workforce and early childhood homelessness areas.
• Pamela Suggs Story of Cumberland County as a member with expertise in services for public school students in families experiencing homelessness. Story currently serves as the social work coordinator and homeless liaison for Cumberland County Schools. She has held this role for 12 years and has a deep passion for serving homeless students and families, especially children, who are often the most vulnerable and overlooked. She is a strong advocate within her school district and community, particularly in light of the recent closure of the local Salvation Army shelter, which had served many students. She was named the North Carolina Homeless Liaison of the Year and subsequently the National Homeless Liaison of the Year by the National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth in 1992, an honor she considers a highlight of her career.
• Fred G. Mills, Sr. of Wake County as a member from the business community who develops affordable housing. Mills is a seasoned real estate developer with nearly six decades of experience in construction and affordable housing. He has developed, managed, or owned 53 multifamily communities comprising 3,517 affordable rental units, and he currently oversees 2,731 units across 32 properties. As founder of the real estate development firm FGM Development, he has played a pivotal role in expanding access to quality, income-restricted housing throughout North Carolina and the Southeast. His work has had a measurable impact on housing affordability, supported by deep engagement in civic and professional organizations dedicated to building resilient, inclusive communities.
• Karon McKinney of Forsyth County as a member representing homeless continuums of care. McKinney is a strategic leader and community advocate with extensive experience in housing stability, trauma-informed systems, and nonprofit development. She currently serves as the Strategic Housing Initiatives Program Officer at United Way of Forsyth County, where she leads cross-sector collaborations to promote resilience and equitable access to housing. A certified trauma-informed trainer and graduate of Wake Forest University, McKinney is recognized for her ability to drive systems change, facilitate high-impact training, and manage multimillion-dollar initiatives that improve outcomes for vulnerable populations.
• Maria Perez of Wake County as a Deputy Secretary for Medicaid for the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services or designee. Perez serves as a program manager for the NC Medicaid Healthy Opportunities Pilot program. Before joining NC HOP, she led the implementation of NC DHHS’s COVID-19 Support Services Program. She previously worked with Legal Aid of North Carolina, where she represented clients in public benefits appeals.
• Dr. Torry Reynolds of Forsyth County as a member from the NC Community College System. Reynolds is a developmental educator and a higher education professional who is dedicated to the personal and professional success of college students. Reynolds earned her doctorate in Higher Education Administration from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
• Katrina Knight of New Hanover County as any other member or members demonstrating a commitment to reducing homelessness or assisting those at risk of homelessness in NC. Knight holds a Master of Social Work from Washington University. She served for five years as executive director of the St. Louis Housing Resource Center, which annually served 10,000 households experiencing homelessness and other housing crises. She moved to Wilmington, NC, in 2004 to become executive director of Good Shepherd Center. In this role, she oversees fundraising efforts, program development, and service delivery of Good Shepherd’s many programs, including a soup kitchen, day and night shelters, medical clinic, Rapid Rehousing program, housing center for homeless veterans, and permanent supportive housing for chronically homeless persons.
• Jefferey Rawlings of Johnston County as representing someone with lived experience of homelessness. Rawlings attended NC State University and later Phillips College, receiving a degree in Computer Science. He worked for more than 20 years in the IT support field. Rawlings’ deescalation technique and excellent customer skills were rewarded with multiple advancements and professional awards. Having been previously homeless, he left the field to pursue a career that aligned his skills with his passions. He worked with a local church nonprofit with people experiencing poverty and homelessness. He worked to provide food and volunteered at the local shelter.
• Emila Sutton of Durham County as a member representing Public Housing Authorities. Sutton currently serves as the Housing & Neighborhoods Director for the City of Raleigh, overseeing initiatives in affordable housing, homelessness, small business development, and code enforcement programs. Sutton proposed, designed, and will lead the implementation of the Bringing Neighbors Home Pilot initiative, which provides direct housing assistance, case management, and follow-along services for people experiencing unsheltered homelessness in Raleigh. She is also leading a collaborative and community-wide planning process to develop a strategy to address and end unsheltered homelessness using evidence-based practices.

Governor Stein has appointed the following to the North Carolina State Banking Commission:

• Yolanda McGill of Wake County as a public member. McGill is a former Consumer Financial Protection Bureau deputy assistant director. She is an experienced attorney licensed in three jurisdictions, and she has worked in the private sector, non-governmental organizations, and the federal government.
• Mike Conlon of Wake County as a public member. He is president and CEO of Affordable Communities Group LLC, based in Cary, NC. Also an author, he wrote a book titled “Unconventional Wealth.”
• Alex Funderburg of Mecklenburg County as a public member. Funderburg is a former managing director at Bank of America in Charlotte. He has extensive experience in complex financial transactions, organizational restructurings, and portfolio analysis. His business board positions have included serving with a Bank of America public lease finance subsidiary as well as a privately held agriculture and real estate development concern. 

Governor Stein has appointed the following to the North Carolina State Social Services Commission:

• Brandon Williams of Guilford County as a 9th Congressional District Representative. Williams has used his expertise to benefit communities through holistic intervention. He has served as a mental health clinic psychotherapist (MHC) clinical social worker, where he implemented treatments for mental health patients. Williams previously worked as a psychotherapist, counselor, and clinician, further working to improve mental health care accessibility. 

Governor Stein has appointed the following to the North Carolina Advisory Council on Cannabis:

• Dan Hirschman of Chatham County as a representative of the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality. Hirschman serves as NCDEQ’s general counsel. He previously served as the senior deputy attorney general for the Environmental Division at the NC Department of Justice.
• Kris Gardner of Wake County as an at-large member. Gardner is the executive director of the North Carolina Beer & Wine Wholesalers Association. He has served as the NCBWWA’s general counsel for more than 20 years.
• Patrick Chandler Brown of Warren County as an at-large member. Brown is a fourth-generation farmer and the winner of NC A&T’s 2024 Small Farmer of the Year Award, growing row crops, vegetables, and industrial hemp.
• Brian Harris of Catawba County as an at-large member. Harris is the Chief of the Catawba Indian Nation, a role he has served in since 2023.