Governor Cooper Names New Appointees to North Carolina Boards and Commissions | Eastern North Carolina Now

        •  Rudy Rudisill of Charlotte as an NC resident who is a current or retired member of the NC National Guard. Major General Rudisill is assistant to the chair of the joint chiefs of staff for national guard matters for the Pentagon. He is a recipient of the Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit, and the Bronze Star Medal.

        •  Matt Scott of Pembroke as an NC resident who is a current or retired member of a reserve component of the Air Force, Army, or Navy. Scott is the district attorney for Robeson County District Attorney's Office. He is a member of the Wisconsin and North Carolina State Bar and is a recipient of the Bronze Star and Iraq Campaign Medal.

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

        •  Hilary Cooper of Raleigh as the Governor's designee. Cooper is senior legal counsel at SAS Institute. She previously served as assistant counsel for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina and as a senior attorney at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Cooper formally served as a member of the Orange County Rape Crisis Center board of directors and co-chaired their development committee.


    Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the North Carolina Council on Educational Services for Exceptional Children:

        •  Selene Johnson of Winston-Salem as a representative of a private school. Johnson is the executive director of ABC of NC Child Development Center. She is a board-certified behavior analyst and is the president of the North Carolina Association for Behavior Analysis.

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

        •  Sheriff Paula Dance of Greenville as a sheriff. Dance is the first African-American woman sheriff in North Carolina, serving Pitt County. Prior, she served with the Martin County Sheriff's Office.

    Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Commission:

        •  Jamilla T. Hawkins of Tarboro as a member at-large. Hawkins is currently the senior program manager of the NC Rural Center. She is a recipient of the 2016 Young Rural Leader of the Year and the R.E. Jones Award. Additionally, Hawkins serves on the board of the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, the Edgecombe Charitable Foundation, and the Conetoe Family Life Center.

    Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the North Carolina State Board of Barber Examiners:

        •  David L. Williams of Hickory as a licensed barber. Williams is the owner and operator of Plush Kutz Barbershop. Prior, he worked as a barber at Clemons Barbershop and received his Barber certification from the Hairstyling Institute of Charlotte.

    Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the North Carolina State Board of Refrigeration Examiners:

        •  Tom Backman of Morehead City as a licensed refrigeration contractor. Backman is currently President of BMIL Technologies, LLC, a refrigeration supplier. He is a Certified Test & Balance Engineer, EEC. Backman is a member of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers and of the Refrigeration Service Engineers Society.

    Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the Beaufort County Community College:

        •  Wali Saleem of Washington as a member at-large. Saleem is the owner and manager of Professional Tax Service. Previously, he was a teacher, principal and director of mathematics and science for Beaufort County Schools. Saleem serves as an Advisory Board member of the Boy & Girls Club of the Coastal Plain and NC Association of Educators.

    Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the North Carolina Gasoline and Oil Inspection Board:

        •  Rohit Shetty of Waxhaw as a member at-large. Shetty is principal engineer of Geological Resources, Inc. He is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers and the National Groundwater Association.

    Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the North Carolina Commission on Volunteerism and Community Service:

        •  Travis B. Broadhurst of Weaverville as an individual between the ages of 16 and 25 who is a supervisor or recipient in a volunteer or service program. Broadhurst graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill with a B.S. in Geological Sciences and Physics. He was on the UNC Student Union Board of Directors and served as vice president of programming for the Activities Board. Broadhurst was a Buckley Public Service Scholar.

        •  Ellen D. Whitlock of Greensboro as a representative of a national service program described in Section 122(a) of the US Public Law 103-82. Whitlock serves as executive director of Senior Resources of Guilford. She previously served as the director of the Mental Health Association in High Point.

    Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individual to the Vance-Granville Community College Board of Trustees:

        •  Andrea Harris of Henderson as a member at-large. She is a co-founder of the North Carolina Institute of Minority Economic Development. Harris was executive director of a Community Action Agency in Henderson and worked throughout the southeast through the regional Office of Community Services.

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

        •  Terry Hales of Advance as a representative of the 13th congressional district. Hales retired at the rank of colonel in the US Army. Hales was a teacher and is a current member of the Davie County Board of Education. He serves on the Advisory Board for the North Carolina State Employees Credit Union.

    Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individuals to the North Carolina Interagency Coordinating Council for Children from Birth to Five with Disabilities:

        •  Jody Miller of Whittier as a provider of early intervention services. Miller is the community engagement coordinator at Region A Partnership for Children. She is the chair of the Smart Start teams for the Interagency Coordinating Council of Graham, Haywood, and Macon Counties and the Qualla Boundary.

        •  Martika Harrington of High Point as a local early intervention agency representative. She is the owner, educational therapist, and early interventionist for Stepping Stones. She previously worked as a program supervisor and educational therapist for Easterseals UCP.

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

        •  Tracy Blackmon of Goldsboro as a substance abuse services prevention specialist. Blackmon is a clinician at the Waynesboro Family Clinic. She provides individual therapy, se x offender therapy, and substance use therapy for clients.


    Gov. Cooper has appointed the following individuals to the North Carolina Museum of History Associates, Inc. Board of Directors:

        •  Winston Kirby of Raleigh as a member at-large. Kirby is an attorney with Edwards Kirby, LLP. He is a member of the North Carolina Advocates for Justice. Kirby volunteers with the NC Bar Legal Feeding Frenzy Food Drive.

        •  Gareth Evans of Wilmington as a member at-large. Evans has been executive director of the Bellamy Mansion Museum. Previously, he was the associate director of the Historic Wilmington Foundation.

        •  Jennifer Bowden of Greensboro as a member at-large. Bowden is an attorney with R. Steve Bowden & Associates PC. She is a member of the Greensboro YMCA Metro Board, Communities in Schools Board, and the Junior League of Greensboro.

• Contact: Ford Porter
•     govpress@nc.gov