Governor McCrory Announces Appointments | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Raleigh, N.C. -The Office of Governor Pat McCrory announced the following appointments today:

• Dr. Joseph Oliver Richardson (Warren County) - Dr. Richardson is a retired educator and Tribal Administrator of the Haliwa-Saponi Tribal Council. He has been employed in the education instruction industry for more than 30 years and is the former president of Bethlehem Recreation and Education, Inc. He has also assisted in land development and fund-raising to renovate schools for the Haliwa-Saponi Indian tribe. He is a reappointment to the board.

    The board is responsible for providing decent, safe, sanitary housing for low-income Indian families.

• Jessica L. Keith (Wake County) - Keith is Special Advisor to the Secretary on Americans with Disabilities Act and Olmstead for the Department of Health and Human Services. She has been working in the human services field for 15 years. She began working in a state hospital in Pennsylvania and progressed into leadership positions that oversaw over $100 million of housing development prior to moving to North Carolina to accept a position with the Department of Health and Human Services.

    The council shall advise the governor and the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services on issues related to the problems of persons who are homeless or at the risk of becoming homeless; identify and help secure available resources throughout the state and nation; and provide recommendations for joint and cooperative efforts and policy initiatives in carrying out programs to meet the needs of our homeless.

• Dr. Johnathan Brownlee (Cleveland County) - Dr. Brownlee is the Chairman and Medical Director of Safe Kids Cleveland County. He previously served as the Chairman of Pediatrics Department at Cleveland Regional Medical Center. He is a reappointment to the commission.
• John Z. Everhart (Craven County) - Everhart is the owner of Excel Learning Centers, a daycare provider that has several locations around the eastern N.C. region. He is a reappointment to the commission.
• Laurie Morin (Henderson County) - Morin is the owner of a childcare center in Flat Rock, N.C. with level 2 early childhood credentials. She is the President of the Family Child Care providers support group called CHAOS for the past three years. She is a reappointment to the commission.
• Linda K. Vandevender (Cumberland County) - Vandevender is the Director of Education for Trinity Christian Child Care and Elementary School in Fayetteville. She has been with the program since August 1990. Additionally, she serves as a board member of the Cumberland County Partnership for Children. She is a reappointment to the commission.

    The commission adopts rules for licensing of childcare facilities and registering childcare homes. It sets standards in childcare centers an defines the duties of the abuse/neglect unit. The commission has 15 members, each serving a two-year term. The governor appoints seven members.

• Holly Heath-Shepard (Wake County) - Heath-Shepard would fill the role of a family member of a person with a traumatic brain injury. She worked at New Leaf Behavioral Health as a Contract Outpatient Therapist until January 2013. She is currently involved in the Brain Injury Association of N.C. as a Facilitator for the TBI Caregiver Group. Her interest in the effects of brain injury on survivors, caregivers and family members was sparked when she spent a year at Walter Reed Hospital as her son's non-medical assistant after he sustained a mild TBI and two amputations while serving with the 82nd Airborne on a mission in Iraq in May 2006.

    The purpose of the board is to review how the term "traumatic brain injury" is defined by the state and federal regulations, and to determine whether changes should be made to the state definition to include "acquired brain injury" or other appropriate conditions. It will also promote inter-agency coordination among state agencies responsible for services and support of individuals that have traumatic brain injury. It will make recommendations to the governor, the General Assembly, and the Secretary of Health and Human Services regarding the planning, development, funding, and implementation of a comprehensive statewide service delivery system and it will promote and implement injury prevention strategies across the state.

• Shari M. Graham (Rowan County) - Graham is a former Vice President at NationsBank. She has also been active with various community organizations, including the Pink Ribbons Crusade, the J.F. Hurley YMCA Board, the Salisbury High School PTSA, the Foundation for the Carolinas, the History Salisbury Foundation, and the Novant Hospital Ball.

    The board raises funds for use in preservation, improvement and renovation of the Governor's Executive Mansion and generates educational and promotional materials. The board has 20 members, each serving a two-year term. The governor appoints 17 members.

• Contact: Crystal Feldman
•     govpress@nc.gov