Governor Cooper Announces Boards and Commissions Appointments

RALEIGH

Nov 27, 2024

Today, Governor Roy Cooper announced Boards and Commissions appointments.

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the Advanced Energy Board of Directors:

• Amy E. Pickle of Morrisville as a member at-large. Pickle serves as Senior Attorney for state policy at Duke University's Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions. Previously, Pickle served for five years as a Senior Attorney at the Southern Environmental Law Center focusing on water and coastal issues. She also served as Chair for the Environment, Natural Resources, and Energy Section of the N.C. Bar Association.

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the Governor's Advisory Council on Aging:

• William E. Lamb of Raleigh as a member at-large. Lamb previously served as the Associate Director for Public Service at the U.N.C. Institute on Aging. Lamb also has experience working as the Chief of Planning Section for the North Carolina Division of Aging of the Department of Health and Human Services.

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

• Vantoinette Savage of Charlotte as a for-profit family child care home provider. Savage is the CEO and Founder of Savage Academy. Savage is an Early Childhood Professional Educator who also serves as the North Carolina State Representative for the National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC).
• Bregenia Hill-White of Charlotte as a public member. Hill-White is the owner of Hill's Little Angels Daycare. Hill-White has thirty-three years of experience as a childcare educator along with professional membership of the National Association for the Education of Young Children.

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

• Essence B. Scott of Goldsboro as a member with a developmental disability. Scott is a writer whose works have been published in The Kelsey Review, Drumbeat, Open, The Streetlight, and The Wall. She is a former Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) Peer Supporter of Alliance Health collaborating with members, family members, guardians, and colleagues to share her lived experience with IDD and better serve individuals living with IDD and/or mental illnesses.
• Sherif Elgindi of Durham as a member with a developmental disability. Elgindi is a disabilities rights advocate who served as a policy intern for Disability Rights North Carolina. He also served as a special needs business support supervisor at the Qatar Foundation, where he assisted with administrative duties for the Ability Friendly Program which provided swimming and football lessons for people with special needs.

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

• Rabbi Eric Solomon of Raleigh as a member at-large. Rabbi Solomon serves as clergy at Beth Meyer Synagogue and Co-Founder of the North Carolina Jewish Clergy Association (NCJCA). He is the former Vice Chair of the Mayor of Raleigh's Commission for Compassion and as a member of the City of Raleigh's Human Relations Commission.

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

• Ashley Nicole Jarrett of Morganton as a member from local government. Jarrett works in Burke County's Public Health Department as the Assistant Health Director. Jarrett has ample experience with outreach and intervention programs for people experiencing homelessness.
• Dr. Latonya L. Agard of Fuquay-Varina as a member of the North Carolina Coalition to End Homelessness. Dr. Agard is the Executive Director at the NC Coalition to End Homelessness. She is CEO and Founder of BeSpeak Solutions, Inc. as well as Pastoral Counselor Associate and Transformational Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Specialist.
• Katrina R. Knight of Wilmington as a member of a non-profit agency providing services to people experiencing homelessness or at risk; representing emergency shelters and/or rapid re-housing. Knight is the Executive Director of Good Shepherd Center. Knight advocates for affordable housing, effective homelessness interventions, and practices like Housing First and Rapid Rehousing. She is also the former Director of the Housing Resource Center in St. Louis. Missouri.
• Dr. Torry L. Reynolds of Winston-Salem as a member of the North Carolina Community College System. Dr. Reynolds is the Associate Vice President of Student Services for the North Carolina Community College System. She served as Dean of the Arts and Science Division and as the Associate Vice President of Student Success Services for Forsyth Technical Community College.
• Emila J. Sutton of Durham as a member representing public housing authorities. Sutton is the new Housing and Neighborhoods Director for the City of Raleigh. She also serves as senior associate with the Technical Assistance Collaborative, a non-profit providing guidance, policy leadership, and consulting services to support the nation's affordable housing, homelessness, human services, and health care systems.

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

• Morgan B. Ray of Raleigh as the college or university representative with less than 5000 students. Ray is the Director of Experiential Learning and Career Development at Shaw University. She is an executive member of the North Carolina Career Development Association and previously served as a career and exploration coach at Wake Technical Community College.

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individuals to the Marine Fisheries Commission:

• Samuel J. Corbett III of Hampstead as Chair. Corbett is a fulltime commercial fisherman with over forty years of experience within the fishing industry. He is a dedicated member serving on multiple committees under North Carolina's Division of Marine Fisheries.
• William Spencer Service of Raleigh as a recreational sports fisherman. Service is a former environmental toxicologist of Mid-Atlantic Associates; Incorporated. He provided clients with Brownfields project management, risk assessment, vapor intrusion assessment, and mitigation/remediation services.

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the North Carolina Marine Industrial Park Authority:

• Kevin Brinkley of Manteo as a resident of an area where a park is located. Brinkley is a United States Coast Guard for the Retriever Marine Services (Tow Boat US). Brinkley is an experienced range facilitator for the Navy Dare Bombing Range and served as Police Chief for the Nags Head Police Department.

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

• Thomas Freeman of Spruce Pine as Chair. Freeman is an Environmental Consultant and Manager at Freeman Environmental Consulting LLC and works with The Quartz Corp in Spruce Pine. Freeman has well over 40 years of mining industry experience.

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the NCWorks Commission:

• James Burton Hartman of Linden as a business representative of the agriculture, forestry and food industries. Hartman is the CEO and Founder of Secret Garden Bees, an upscale honey and jelly farm in Cumberland County, NC. Hartman volunteers his spare time with the county's Boots to Agriculture and Veterans Farm of NC programs.

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

• Farah Lisa Whitley-Sebti of Charlotte as a public member. Whitley-Sebti is a Proprietor at Sebti Law. She has experience working as a former Senior Associate for a financial services litigation group.

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

• Dolly Ann Williams of Charlotte as a practicing therapeutic recreation specialist. Williams is the Director of Recreational Therapy at New Hope Carolinas Treatment Center and serves as the Adjunct Professor and Mental Health Counselor at Winston-Salem State University.
• Dr. Nadyah Janine John of Greenville as a physician licensed per Article 1 of Chapter 90. Dr. John is a Staff Psychiatrist at Walter B. Jones Alcohol and Drug Abuse Treatment Center. Dr. John is also an Affiliate Faculty Member for the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine for the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University.

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

• Vijendra Nalamothu of Raleigh as a member representing private industry. Nalamothu is the CEO and Co-Founder of Tergus Pharma with over two decades of experience in topical pharmaceutical development. Previously, Nalamothu served as the Global Head of Dermatology R&D at Promius Pharma, where he led the development of specialty branded dermatological products from concept to commercialization.

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

• Kimberly S. Jones of Danville as a member at-large. Jones is an English and AP African American Studies Teacher at Chapel Hill High School. Jones has experience working as an Education Advisor for the North Carolina State Board of Education and she serves on several Advisory and Teaching Committees.

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

• Ricole Wicks of Greensboro as an individual with a disability. Wicks is the shoe brand owner and CEO of COLEMIND. Wicks is also a video editor and published author of "Heartfelt Words: I Walked Straight into Love" and "A Hope Deferred: The Poetic Guide to Overcome Discouragement."

Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individuals to the Tryon Palace Commission:

• James W. Norment of New Bern as Chair. Norment is a Lawyer for Ward and Smith. He is a former member of the Tryon Palace Foundation Board of Directors where he served on the executive, finance, audit, and nominating committees.
• Monica Perry Minus of New Bern as a member at-large. Minus is a Learning Specialist for Euna Solution's Software. She is the former Director of Grants and Strategic Partnerships at Craven Community College and has ample experience working as a grant writer.

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

• Mary Tiger of Pittsboro as a director of utilities, water superintendent, or equivalent position with a NC municipality. Tiger is the Director of Community Relations for Orange Water and Sewer. She has over eighteen years of experience in utilities.
• Matthew R. Zapp of Stella as a manager of a North Carolina municipality using a treated groundwater supply. Zapp is the Town Manager of Emerald Isle. He has experience working as a Parks, Recreation, and Lands Manager as well as a Village Administrator for Madison Village.

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Jordan Monaghan

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