Governor Stein Announces Boards and Commissions Appointments

Raleigh, NC

Sep 30, 2025

Today Governor Josh Stein announced appointments to boards and commissions.

Governor Stein has appointed the following new member to the Board of Directors of the Golden L.E.A.F. Inc:

• William R. Webb of Richmond County as the Chair of the Rural Infrastructure Authority. Webb is currently a partner at Kitchin, Neal, Webb, Webb & Futrell PA and previously served on the North Carolina Local Government Commission

Governor Stein has appointed the following new member to the Justus-Warren Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Task Force:

• Dr. Joel Schneider of Carteret County as an at-large member. Dr. Schneider is currently the Physician Lead of Clinical Research and Innovation at Carteret Health Care and has more than 30 years of experience in cardiovascular medicine.

Governor Stein has appointed the following to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Commission:

• Patricia Levitin of Guilford County as an at-large member. Levitin is an advocate for voting rights and has taught high school history and economics in North Carolina public schools.
• Walter Ferguson of Lee County as an at-large member. Ferguson is a current member of the Sanford City Council and is an active reserve deputy with the Lee County Sheriff's Office. He is also a veteran of the first Gulf War and was previously a law enforcement officer with the Siler City Police Department.

Governor Stein has appointed the following new member to the North Carolina Alarm Systems Licensing Board:

• Allison Deal Adams of Iredell County as an Alarm System Licensee. Adams is the President and owner of Deal's Electronics LLC, a multigenerational family business founded by her father in 1972. She has more than 30 years of experience in designing, installing, and maintaining advanced security systems.

Governor Stein has appointed the following new member to the North Carolina Awards Committee:

• Margaret Abrams of Wake County as an at-large member. Abrams is a partner in Abrams & Abrams P.A. She previously served as President of the North Carolina Advocates for Justice for 2008-2009 and before that served on the Executive Committee as President-Elect and Vice President for Education.

Governor Stein has appointed the following to the North Carolina Board of Massage and Bodywork Therapy:

• Tawanda Lashone Carpenter of Forsyth County as a licensed massage therapist for at least five of past seven years. Carpenter is the Chief Executive Officer at TLC Massage and Mobile Spa and Executive Consultant and Vice President at the Truist Leadership Institute.
• Maj. Gen. Michael R. Taheri of Wake County as a public member, not licensed or spouse of licensed person, or having financial interest in this profession. Taheri is currently the Director of Staff of the National Guard Bureau at the Pentagon. He joined the North Carolina Air National Guard in 1999, serving as a C-130 evaluator pilot and Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System aircraft commander.
• Dr. Brian Keogh of Wake County as a physician recommended by NC Medical Society. Keogh is currently a Partner and an Interventional Pain Management Physician at East Carolina Anesthesia Associates.

Governor Stein has appointed the following new member to the North Carolina Child Fatality Task Force:

• Dr. Erica Smith of Wake County as a representative of NC Child, recommended by the President of NC Child. Smith is currently the Executive Director of NC Child, a nonprofit that advocates for policies that improve the lives of all North Carolina children.

Governor Stein has appointed the following new member to the North Carolina Education and Workforce Innovation Commission:

• Dr. DeSandra W. Washington of Cumberland County as an Experience in Education member. Washington currently serves as the Associate Vice President for Academic Support and Civic Engagement at Fayetteville Technical Community College.

Governor Stein has appointed the following to the North Carolina Environmental Management Commission:

• Dr. Ann Chelminski of Orange County as a physician member. Dr. Chelminski has worked for the North Carolina Division of Public Health and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, specializing in environmental public health. She was also a primary care physician in a rural health care center and a college health clinic.
• Dr. Jennifer Orme-Zavaleta of Durham County as a member with special training in freshwater, estuarine, marine biological, or ecological sciences. Before retiring in 2021, Dr. Omre-Zavaleta served as Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator for Science and a Science Advisor at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
• Ilona Jaspers of Orange County as a member with special training or scientific expertise in air pollution control. Jaspers is an Adjunct Professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the Departments of Pediatrics, Environmental Sciences and Engineering, and Otolaryngology. She previously served as the Chief of the Center for Climate Change and Health at the National Institutes of Health.

Governor Stein has appointed the following new member to the North Carolina Human Resources Commission:

• Veronica Patterson of Wake County as an at-large member. Patterson is a public servant with more than 30 years of experience in roles at the North Carolina Department of Transportation, the North Carolina Office of State Budget and Management, and the North Carolina Department of Commerce's Division of Community Revitalization.

Governor Stein has appointed the following to the North Carolina Institute of Medicine:

• Dr. J. Keith Smith of Lee County as an at-large member. Dr. Smith is a professor of Neuroradiology and Director of Faculty Advancement for the Department of Radiology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is a fellow of the American College of Radiology.

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

• Joshua A. Walker of Wake County as a Manager of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Strategic Housing Plan. Walker currently serves as the Olmstead Housing Director in the NCDHHS Office of the Secretary. He previously served as a Clinical Director at a community based Critical Access Behavioral Health Agency, overseeing behavioral based enhanced services in the Medicaid area.

Governor Stein has appointed the following new member to the North Carolina Land and Water Fund:

• Dr. Lydia Olander of Durham County as an at-large member. Olander is the Program Director for the Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability at Duke University and an Adjunct Professor at the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University.

Governor Stein has appointed the following new member to the North Carolina Local Government Commission:

• Tracey A. Johnson of Washington County as a current or former County Commissioner. Johnson has more than 25 years of experience in public service and has served as Chair of the Board of Washington County Commissioners, Chair of the Albemarle Commission, President of the Board of Directors of the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners, and member of the Board of Directors of the National Association of Counties.
• Scott Hughes of Buncombe County as a public member who is not licensed or the spouse of a licensed person, or having financial interest in this profession. Hughes is a lifelong resident of Buncombe County and worked as an accountant for local governments for 40 years.

Governor Stein has appointed the following to the North Carolina Military Affairs Commission:

• Capt. George G. Bonner of Dare County as a retired military from the Coast Guard Member. Bonner serves as North Carolina's Director of Renewable Ocean Energy leading research and development of marine energy solutions across the University of North Carolina system. He served in the U.S. Coast Guard for 30 years.
• Jamie L. Lowery of Robeson County as a public member. Lowery is a U.S. Army Veteran who serves as a Program Manager for Lumbee Tribe Enterprises in Pembroke, NC.
• Lt. Gen.Kevin Vereen of Cumberland County as a retired military member residing near Fort Bragg. Vereen served in the U.S. Army for 36 years, working on complex strategic challenges and programs serving soldiers and families.
• Brian Thomas Graybill of Cumberland County as a public member. Graybill served in the North Carolina National Guard and currently serves as the founder and CEO of Graybill Hospitality Co. He has also served as Vice President of Veteran's Farm of North Carolina, a program creating pathways for veterans to transition to agricultural careers, since 2021.
• Carolyn Rose Closs of Franklin County as a public member. Closs is a retired career Army officer now serving as the Founder and President of Closs Global Solutions. She has served in all three components of the Army: Active Duty, Army National Guard, and Army Reserve.
• David L. Hayden of Wake County as the Chair and public member. Hayden is a veteran and retired colonel of the U.S. Army and now works as an attorney at Smith Anderson Law Firm. Previously, Hayden served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina.
• Jimmy E. McMillian of Cumberland County as a public member. McMillian has more than 40 years of experience in planning, organizing, and providing security for the U.S. Air Force. Most recently, he worked for the U.S. Department of Energy as a member of the Senior Executive Service, assessing the effectiveness and resilience of security operations.
• The Honorable Dante Pittman of Wilson County as a North Carolina resident who is a current or retired member of the NC National Guard. Pittman is a captain in the North Carolina National Guard and currently represents North Carolina's 24th District in the State House of Representatives.
• Dr. Jimmie Riggins of New Hanover County as a North Carolina resident who is a current or retired member of a reserve component of the Air Force, Army, or Navy. Dr. Riggins served as a colonel in the U.S. Army Medical Corps and is currently an ophthalmologist at Cape Fear Eye Associates.

Governor Stein has appointed the following to the North Carolina Real Estate Commission:

• Jonathan Barfield, Jr. of New Hanover County as a licensed real estate broker. Barfield has been a licensed REALTOR® since 1997 and is broker and owner of Barfield and Associates Realty. He served on the New Hanover County Commission from 2008 to 2024.

Governor Stein has appointed the following to the North Carolina Rural Infrastructure Authority:

• Charles Ralph Hodge of Johnston County as a Representative of a Tier 1 or Tier 2 county. Hodge is president and owner of Ralph Hodge Construction and has been a general contractor in the state of North Carolina since 1979.

Governor Stein has appointed the following to the North Carolina Sheriffs' Education and Training Standards Commission:

• Wayne Branch of Duplin County as a County Commissioner recommended from three nominees from the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners. Branch is currently serving as the County Commissioner for District 5 in Duplin County. He is also the Law Office Manager at the Law Office of Attorney Anita R. Powers.

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

• Miriam Dobson Tripp of Chatham County as an employee of the university system currently involved in the capital facilities development process nominated by the UNC Board of Governors. Miriam is currently the Director of Planning for the University of North Carolina System.

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

• Dr. Stacey Sowell of Johnston County as an at-large member. Dr. Sowell serves as Vice President of Enrollment Management at Shaw University in Raleigh.

Governor Stein has appointed the following to the North Carolina Symphony Society Incorporated Board of Trustees:

• Dr. Dorothy C. Browne of Durham County as an at-large member. Browne is a Senior Research Scientist at the Shaw University School of Arts, Sciences, and Humanities and an Adjunct Professor at the Gillings School of Global Public Health at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is also a Faculty Consultant at the Center for Health Equity Research Institute at the University of California at Long Beach.
• Spencer Shaheen Meymandi of Wake County as an at-large member. Meymandi works in advertising and promotions with Ads Infinitum, a promotional products company founded in Raleigh 37 years ago. He recently completed his second term on the Board of Advisors of the YMCA of the Triangle's Central Y, as well as his second term on the Board of Directors of the NC Master Chorale

Governor Stein has appointed the following to the Southern Regional Education Board Legislative Advisory Council:

• Representative Brian Biggs of Randolph County as a State Legislator. Biggs represents North Carolina's 70th District in the State House of Representatives. He served on the Randolph County Board of Education from 2014 to 2022.
• Representative Gloristine Brown of Pitt County as a State Legislator. Brown represents North Carolina's 8th District in the State House of Representatives. She serves on the North Carolina Association of Community College Trustees executive board.
• Senator Kevin Corbin of Wake County as a State Legislator. Corbin represents North Carolina's 50th District in the State Senate. Previously, he served as the Chairman of the Macon County School Board for 20 years.
• Senator Robert Hanig of Currituck County as a State Legislator. Hanig represents North Carolina's 1st District in the State Senate. He is a veteran of the U.S. Army.
• Representative Frances Jackson of Wake County as a State Legislator. Jackson represents North Carolina's 45th District in the State House of Representatives. Previously, Jackson worked as a transportation and community planner for Cumberland County and served as a transit analyst for the City of Fayetteville.
• Representative Brandon Lofton of Wake County as a State Legislator. Lofton represents North Carolina's 104th District in the State House of Representatives. He is a public finance attorney and former chair of the Council for Children's Rights.
• Representative Heather Rhyne of Wake County as a State Legislator. Rhyne represents North Carolina's 97th District in the State House of Representatives. She previously worked as a pharmacist and served on her local Board of Education, including as chair for three years.
• Senator Gladys Robinson of Wake County as a State Legislator. Robinson represents North Carolina's 28th District in the State Senate. She also serves as a Deputy Minority Leader. Robinson became the executive director of the Piedmont Health Services and Sickle Cell Agency in 1982. She is a member of the University of North Carolina Board of Governors and is a former trustee of Bennett College

Governor Stein has appointed the following to the Tryon Palace Commission:

• Alicia Alford of Craven County as an at-large member. Alford has previous experience in communications, development, and parent-adolescent coaching. She now devotes her time to nonprofit board service and after school tutoring.
• Dr. Antwain Hunter of Durham County as an at-large member. Hunter is an Associate Professor of History at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

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