Governor Cooper makes appointments to state boards and commissions

RALEIGH: Governor Roy Cooper announced new appointments and nominations to state boards and commissions today.

Gov. Cooper has nominated the following individual to serve on the North Carolina Utilities Commission:

• Karen Kemerait of Raleigh as a member at-large. Kemerait is a Partner at Fox Rothschild LLP, where she specializes in the areas of utilities, zoning and land use, and administrative law. She has served as the Chair of the Board of Adjustment for the City of Raleigh and the Vice Chair of WakeUP Wake County.

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

• Christy Davis Stoner of Albemarle as a practical banker. Stoner is the CEO of Uwharrie Investment Advisors, Inc. and has been an investment professional since 1987. Stoner has also served as the Executive Vice President of Marketing for Uwharrie Capital Corp and its subsidiaries.

• Cynthia L. Wallace of Charlotte as a public member. Wallace has more than 17 years of experience in the credit field. In that time, Wallace has worked for Synchrony (formerly GE Capital) and Belk and Modell’s Retail Partners. Wallace is also a Strategic Advisor for the Charlotte Future 2040 Comprehensive Plan.

• Alexander J. Wilson of Raleigh as a public member. Wilson is an attorney for Wyrick, Robbins, Yates, & Ponton in Raleigh, where he represents corporate clients in acquisition and sale transactions across industries with a primary focus on middle market companies.

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

• Cathy Robbins of Blowing Rock as member. Robbins is the Vice President and Marketing Director for Tweetsie Railroad. She has served as the President of Southern Highland Attractions, High Country Host, and the Blowing Rock Chamber of Commerce. Currently, Robbins serves on the Board of Directors of Piedmont Federal Savings Bank.

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

• Renee Johnson of Charlotte as a family member of a person with a brain injury. Johnson represents District 4 on the Charlotte City Council. Johnson is the Founder and Executive Director of Triumph Services, which provides services for survivors of brain trauma. She is also the founder and facilitator of the Loved Ones of Brained Injury Survivors monthly support group.

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

• Will Farris of Wilson as a practicing attorney. Farris is a Partner at Farris and Thomas Law. He is also the former Chair of the Wilson Chamber of Commerce. The National Trial Lawyers has named him a “Top 40 under 40” trial lawyer, and he has also been named a Five-Time Rising Star for Personal Injury Cases by Super Lawyers.

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

• Christine G. Farrelly of Wake Forest as responsible party for programs related to financial education or services or representative from State Treasurer. Farrelly serves as the Communications Manager in the Retirement Systems Division of the Department of State Treasurer for North Carolina. In this role, she oversees all internal and external communications and marketing for Defined Benefit Plans, Supplemental Retirement Plans, the NC ABLE Program, and North Carolina’s supplemental retiree insurance products.

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the Justus-Warren Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Task Force:

• Lindsey Haynes-Maslow of Chapel Hill as N. C. Cooperative Extension Service Representative. Haynes-Maslow is an Associate Professor and Extension Specialist for North Carolina State University’s Department of Agriculture and Human Sciences. She is also an Adjunct Assistant Professor for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Department of Nutrition. Haynes-Maslow was awarded the Family Health and Wellness Award from the North Carolina Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences in 2019.

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

• Valerie Ann Johnson of Oxford as a member at-large. Johnson is the Dean of Arts, Sciences, and Humanities and a Professor of Cociology at Shaw University. She is also the co-director of Shaw University’s Center for Racial and Social Justice. Johnson is also the chair of the North Carolina African American Heritage Commission.

• David C. Dennard of Greenville as a professor of history. Dennard is an Associate Professor of History at East Carolina University. Dennard is also the Chair of the African American Advisory Committee for Tryon Palace in New Bern.

• Newell Clark of Lexington as a member at-large. Clark is serving his fifth term as the Mayor of Lexington, where he was the youngest to ever hold the position when he was originally elected in 2011. Clark was recently the chairman for the ElectriCities Board of Directors. Clark has been named one of the Most Influential People in the Triad by the Triad Business Journal and Distinguished Citizen of the Year by the Lexington Chamber of Commerce.

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the North Carolina Grievance Resolution Board:

• Harvey Clay of Spring Lake as a representative knowledgeable about corrections. Clay retired in 2020 after serving as Warden at the Lumberton Correctional Institution. He also served on the Prison Emergency Response Team, Special Operations Response Team, and on the NCDPS Honor Guard.

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the Landscape Architect Board:

• Dr. Benjamin O. Uwakweh of Greensboro as a public member. Uwakweh served as Dean of the former School of Technology at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. Uwakweh is an active member of the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro (CFGG) committee on affordable housing.

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

• Ryan Estes of Wilmington as a mental health professional. Estes is a professor at UNC-Wilmington in the Master of Social Work program, and he is the Treatment Operations Director of Coastal Horizons Center, Inc. for Pender County. Estes is also on the National and North Carolina State Board of Directors for the National Association of Social Workers.

• Keith Henry of Lexington as a developmental disability professional. Henry is the Chief Operating Officer of Baptist Children’s Homes of N.C., Inc., which provides services for children, teen mothers, single mothers, developmentally disabled adults, and aging adults. He has received the Governor’s Award for Outstanding Training Programs serving Individuals with Multiple Barriers and the Governor’s Award for Outstanding Workforce Development Professional in Policy and Management.

• Charles Blackwood of Chapel Hill as a representative experienced in controlled substances. Blackwood is a 40-year Veteran of the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, where he currently serves as Sheriff. Blackwood also serves on the Orange County Behavioral Health Task Force, the Orange County Racial Justice Task Force, and as vice chair of the Governor’s Crime Commission.

• Simms P. Doster of Charlotte as a substance abuse services consumer. Doster is a Client Representative at the McLeod Center of Charlotte, a non-profit organization that provides behavioral health services for adults struggling with substance use disorder. Doster is a certified Peer Support Specialist and a member of Addiction Professionals of North Carolina.

• Marilyn T. Carter of Chapel Hill as a mental health family member. Carter is the Vice President of the County Chairs Association. She is also a founding member of the UNC-Chapel Hill Persian Studies Advisory Group and a member of the Chapel Hill Carrboro NAACP.

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

• Robby Collins of Wilmington as a member at-large. Collins is a Founding Partner at Collins & Collins Law Offices, PLLC, which focuses on real estate law. He is a member of the Cape Fear Community College Board of Trustees.

• Andrew G. Zoutewelle of Charlotte as a land surveyor. Zoutewelle is President of A.G. Zoutewelle Surveyors. He serves on the National Council of Examiners for Engineers and Surveyors, North Carolina Board of Examiners for Engineers and Surveyors, and the Civil Engineering and Geomatics Advisory Committee of Central Piedmont Community College.

• Gary W. Thompson of Raleigh as a member at-large. Thompson is the Chief of the North Carolina Emergency Management/Geodetic Survey, where he leads the effort to utilize Unmanned Aircraft Systems for North Carolina Emergency Management. He is also the team lead for the development of the North Carolina Guidelines for Global Navigation Satellite System Data Collection and Documentation Standards.

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the North Carolina Private Protective Services Board:

• Assata K. Buffaloe of Kelford as a non-licensee of board. Buffaloe is a managing attorney at Buffaloe Law Office in Ahoskie. She is also an Instructor for the Basic Law Enforcement Training Program at the College of the Albemarle.

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

• Lee M. McKinney of Huntersville as the department of labor representative. McKinney is an Occupational Safety and Health Industrial Hygiene Consultant for the North Carolina Department of Labor. He is also a past president of the Carolina Section of the American Industrial Hygiene Association.

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

• Nathaniel Hall of Yanceyville as a NC Resident who resides within the NC portion of the Basin. Hall is a retired accountant and small business owner. He currently serves on the Caswell County Board of Commissioners, the Piedmont Triad Regional Council of Governments, the Caswell County Partnership for Children, EPIC Caswell, Inc. and the Board of Directors of the NC State Capitol Foundation.

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

• Alexandra Ingersoll of Raleigh as an individual with a disability. Ingersoll is a day trader, consultant, disability advocate, writer, blogger, editor, and public speaker. Ingersoll is passionate about coaching people with disabilities on how to best improve their quality of life through self-advocacy.