Governor Stein Announces Boards and Commissions Appointments

Today Governor Josh Stein announced appointments to boards and commissions.

Governor Stein has appointed the following to the North Carolina State Licensing Board for General Contractors:

• Adam J. Zinn of Orange County as a residential construction expert. Zinn has owned and managed a land development and building company for 30 years, focusing primarily on single-family housing.

Governor Stein has appointed the following to the North Carolina Board of Occupational Therapy:

• Zulena Staton of Pitt County as a licensed counselor, educator, or school-based professional. Staton is licensed clinical mental health counselor serving as a school counselor at Pitt Academy in Greenville. She was selected as the inaugural 2025-2026 Pitt County Schools School Counselor of the Year and previously served as president of the North Carolina School Counselor Association.

Governor Stein has appointed the following to the Governor's Crime Commission:

• Chief Roberto E. Bryan Jr. of Cumberland County as a police executive. Bryan serves as the chief of police for the Fayetteville Police Department with more than 32 years of experience in law enforcement. Before joining the Fayetteville Police Department, Chief Bryan served as associate vice chancellor and chief of police at Fayetteville State University.
• Chief Lawrence Capps of Wake County as a police executive. Chief Capps serves as chief of police for the Knightdale Police Department and previously served as captain, overseeing the Patrol and Support Services divisions. Chief Capps is a graduate of the 257th session of the FBI National Academy, the UNC School of Government's Municipal Administration course, and the Public Executive Leadership Academy.
• Michael S. O'Connor of Wake County as a representative of the Private Juvenile Delinquency Program. O'Connor serves as vice president of business development and marketing at New Hope Treatment Centers and facility director at Eckerd Youth Alternatives.
• Michael Yaniero of Onslow County as a municipal government official. Yaniero is a Jacksonville city councilman and former director of public safety and chief of police for the Jacksonville Department of Public Safety. He brings more than four decades of public service experience and was a recipient of the 2025 North Carolina Chief Association Lifetime Achievement Award. He also was a recipient of the 2019 North Carolina Attorney General Dogwood Award, and he was inducted into The Order of the Long Leaf Pine.

Governor Stein has appointed the following to the Historic Hillsborough Commission:

• Sally Greene of Orange County as an at-large member. Greene serves as commissioner-at-large for the Orange County Board of Commissioners and previously served as a Chapel Hill Town Council member. Greene brings two decades of experience in local elected office with demonstrated results in housing policy, homelessness, and rural broadband.
• Marshall Brown of Wake County as an at-large member. Brown is an urban planner with a focus on urban history, historic preservation, and architectural history. He serves on the Alumni Council for the Tulane School of Architecture and Built Environment and the Conservation & Site Preservation Committee of the Archaeological Institute of America.

Governor Stein has appointed the following to the Global TransPark Authority:

• Jordan Whichard IV of Wake County as a representative of the economic development industry. Whichard serves as vice president at NP Strategy and previously served as chief deputy secretary of the North Carolina Department of Commerce. He has served on the Board of Directors for the North Carolina Railroad Company and North Carolina Global TransPark Authority.

Governor Stein has appointed the following to the Juvenile Justice Planning Committee:

• Alvarys Santana of Cabarrus County as an elected official representing general purpose local government. Santana is a Concord City Council member and chair of the Cabarrus County Juvenile Crime Prevention Council. Santana is a small business owner and founder and principal consultant for AS Strategy.

Governor Stein has appointed the following to the North Carolina State Board of Examiners for Plumbing, Heating and Fire Sprinkler Contractors:

• Bernie Leroy Parsons II of Mecklenburg County as a fire sprinkler contractor. Parsons has more than 35 years of experience in fire sprinkler design, sales, and life safety solutions. He has worked in contract sales for Wayne Automatic Fire Sprinklers, Inc. since 2002 and is a member of the North Carolina Fire Sprinkler Association, which awarded him its highest honor, the Calvin B. Morrow Award, in 2023.

Governor Stein has appointed the following to the North Carolina Criminal Justice Information Network Governing Board:

• Chief Lynn Gay of Johnston County as a representative of the North Carolina Association of Chiefs of Police. A former special agent for the State Bureau of Investigation, Gay currently serves as the City of Dunn Police Department's chief of police. Gay served in the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation for nearly three decades, retiring in February 2024 from his most recent role as assistant director of the SBI's Field Operations Division, overseeing the agency's Cold Case Investigative Team.

Governor Stein has appointed the following to the Roanoke River Basin Bi-State Commission:

• Mayor Charlotte Griffin of Martin County as a North Carolina resident who resides within the North Carolina portion of the basin. Griffin has served as mayor of the Town of Bear Grass since 2003 and serves on several community committees across the northeast, including as board chair for Martin General Hospital, Inc.

Governor Stein has appointed the following to the North Carolina Task Force on Child Care and Early Education:

• Kristi L. Snuggs of Johnston County as a child care resource and referral network representative. Snuggs has decades of experience in early childhood educational leadership, serving as president of Early Years and deputy director of the Division of Child Development and Early Education. She holds her doctorate in Educational Leadership from East Carolina University.