Speaker Bios for Reaching Across NC

AARP Livable Communities Challenge Grant Panel Discussion

Michelle Hepler, born and raised in Iredell County, Hepler has over 24 years of experience in the Parks and Recreation industry. She has served as a Challenge Course Facilitator, Recreation Programmer, Outdoor Education Program Director, Assistant Parks and Recreation Director and was named Parks and Recreation Director of Iredell County in July
2016.

She is a graduate of Western Carolina University, where she received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Parks and Recreation Management, with a core concentration in Outdoor Recreation. The first 20 years of her tenure in Iredell County were dedicated to the development of an extensive Outdoor Education Division, including a ropes challenge course with multiple zip lines, overnight adventure camps for teens, environmental education programming and more.

As the Parks and Recreation Director, she has developed new park projects, renovated property donations into community parks, and been responsible for the addition of more than 189 acres of parkland in the last 5 years.

Sara Lewis currently serves as the Director of Community Engagement and Foundation Relations at the United Way of Iredell County. She has become active within the community locally including completion of the Leadership Statesville program in 2019. Additionally, Sara has served on the Girls on The Run board and currently is on the board of the Drug- Alcohol Coalition of Iredell County.

Sarah was raised in western Maryland, and attended college at Elizabethtown College in Pennsylvania. She completed her Masters of Social Work with a concentration in Social Action and Community Organization at the University of Maryland, Baltimore. Since graduating college, Sara founded the Pennsylvania Asthma Partnership, which is a state-wide asthma coalition. Sara recently received the Young Professional’s Scholarship for the Rotary Club of Greater Statesville.

Tom Warshauer is Assistant Director, Community Engagement for the City of Charlotte Housing & Neighborhood Services Department. In his 30 years in city government, he has managed community engagement and revitalization projects in neighborhoods and business districts.

He developed the City’s Facade, Infrastructure, and Security Grant programs to help revitalize distressed urban business districts. He developed the City's Brownfield Redevelopment Program and was part of the team that developed the Neighborhood Matching Grant program and the City’s Quality of Life Explorer.

Now managing a 20 person staff in Community Engagement, he connects city and community resources to neighborhoods, youth and immigrant communities. His team was awarded a Knight Cities Challenge Grant to install porch style swings at bus stops on Central Avenue. He is also leading a team exploring the city’s role in enhancing the Charlotte area food system.

He is an architect emeritus, with a Bachelor Arts and Bachelor of Architecture from Rice University and a Masters of Real Estate from MIT.

Blake Strayhorn has served as President/Executive Director of Habitat of Humanity of Durham since April, 2012. Through partnerships, Durham Habitat builds and sells between 20-25 homes per year and partners with 80-90 more families to provide critical and urgent home repairs.

Blake and his team are constantly inspired by the families who work two or three jobs to make ends meet, and in the case of Habitat partner families, find time in their busy schedules to build their Habitat homes.

Prior to Habitat, Blake worked for Wachovia Bank, Eurosport Soccer and Lacrosse and Cherokee Investment Partners. A native of Nashville, TN, Blake earned his MBA from Kenan-Flagler Business School at UNC and a BA in Economics from UNC. He and his wife, Dell, live in Old North Durham and their two boys, Will and Thomas, 27 and 25, also live in Durham. Thomas served a year with AmeriCorps working for Denver Habitat before moving back to Durham.

Achieving Livable Communities Through Complete Streets:

Aldea Coleman is the Policy Director for North Carolina’s Department of Transportation (NCDOT). She is responsible for improving strategic initiatives and planning processes that impact transportation divisions within the agency.

Aldea joined NCDOT after more than 18 years of transportation and urban planning work in communities throughout the United States. She has extensive experience with municipal planning, community advocacy, education and outreach. Aldea received her Master’s in Geography from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science from North Carolina A&T State University.

Dan Gelinne joined the University of North Carolina (UNC) Highway Safety Research Center (HSRC) in 2006, and currently serves as the program manager for the Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center (PBIC), where he performs research, web management, project oversight and technical support services. He also manages the Road Safety Academy, the training arm of HSRC.

Roger Henderson is a consulting engineer and planner, instructor and a contributor to street design manuals. Over the span of three decades, he has served clients across the country in the areas of transportation policy, planning and street design.

He is the Director of Planning for Ramey Kemp & Associates, an 80-person employee-owned consulting firm serving the Southeast. Since 2008, he has been a key member of the National Complete Streets Coalition team, having worked with 50 communities in 25 states to help devise strategies to broaden their base of transportation options.

Age-Friendly Forsyth: Building the Foundation for Systems Change &
Collaborative Research: Age-Friendly Forsyth

Theresa Hoffman-Makar joined the Forsyth Futures team in July 2016. She currently serves as the Project Manager for Age-Friendly Forsyth, a collective impact initiative that focuses on addressing issue and need areas of adults aged 60 and older in Forsyth County.

Prior to her role with Forsyth Futures, she has held positions within two major health systems, Cone Health and Novant Health. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in communication studies with a nutrition minor from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG), as well as a Master of Public Health degree with a concentration in community health education from UNCG. Additionally, she is a Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) and a Certified Health Coach (CHC).

T. Lee Covington currently serves as President and CEO of Senior Services, Inc. in Winston-Salem, NC. Lee has been involved in various nonprofit leadership positions for more than 29 years. In addition to his successful management of local nonprofits, Lee has served as President of the NC Association on Aging (NCAOA) and Meals on Wheels NC, and currently serves on two national committees for Meals on Wheels America. Additionally, he serves locally on the Leadership Team for Age-Friendly Forsyth.

Lee majored in business administration and finance, with a minor in music, at Elon University and has a master’s in public administration from UNC-Greensboro with a concentration in nonprofit management. He also holds an Executive Certificate in Nonprofit Leadership from Duke University. Lee and his wife Carol have three boys and live in Pfafftown.

Aging Gracefully In Place: A National Demonstration Project

Gene Brown is the President & Executive Director of Community Housing Solutions, a nonprofit organization that repairs homes for low-income homeowners who can’t physically or financially afford these services.

Community Housing Solutions leverages donations from the community and their staff leads volunteer groups to complete the repair projects restoring hope and dignity for families in need in Guilford County. Prior to joining Community Housing Solutions, Gene had a 22-year career in the group health insurance industry working with United Healthcare, PHP and The Travelers.

Jay Smith was born and raised in Louisville, KY, and earned his Bachelor's of Science in Occupational Therapy from Eastern Kentucky University and Masters of Health Administration from Pfeiffer University.

His professional career in Greensboro and surrounding communities, began as an occupational therapist on the inpatient rehab unit of Moses Cone Hospital. He became a Supervisor at Wesley Long Hospital on the acute care rehab team and Director of the Cone Health Acute Care Rehab Team .

Jay was promoted to Executive Director of Cone Health Rehab Services in 2016 where he currently oversees all operations for acute care, inpatient rehab and outpatient rehab departments. He was one of the leaders from Cone Health in the Aging Gracefully demonstration project providing occupational therapy services to the older adults clients enrolled in the program.

Brain Health, Music Therapy, Active Living

Christina Tsoules Soriano is the Associate Provost for the Arts and Interdisciplinary Initiatives at Wake Forest University and an associate professor of dance. At Wake, she regularly teaches Improvisation, Dance Composition, Modern Dance technique and a course she co-teaches with chemistry colleague Rebecca Alexander entitled Movement and the Molecular.

Since 2012, Christina has regularly taught a community dance class in Winston-Salem for people living with Parkinson’s disease and their caregivers, and has been involved in three scientific studies that look at the ways improvisational dance can help the mobility and balance of people living with neurodegenerative disease.

She has received funding from the National Parkinson Foundation, Blue Cross Blue Shield of NC, and most recently the NIH to conduct a randomized clinical trial, testing her improvisational dance method in a community of adults living with Mild Cognitive Impairment and their carepartners. . In her role as an associate provost, she is working with colleagues across the university to enhance the visibility of the arts at and beyond Wake Forest, and help forge interdisciplinary connections with many community partners.

Christina received her MFA in dance from Smith College and has danced for many inspiring choreographers, including Alexandra Beller and Heidi Henderson.

Bringing the Community Together to Become "Age-Friendly:" Orange County, NC

Janice Tyler is the Director of the Orange County Department on Aging and serves on the NC Coalition on Aging’s Board of Directors. She has served on the N.C. Association on Aging Board since 2011, including a term as President from 2014-2016.

Janice served two terms as the Chair of the N.C. Senior Center Alliance and remains an ex-officio member of the steering committee. She is also a member of the Southern Gerontological Society, the American Society on Aging, the National Council on Aging and the National Institute of Senior Centers.

Prior to being appointed the Director of the Orange County Department on Aging in 2011, she worked 24 years as the Senior Center's Administrator. In March 2019 she celebrated 32 years of service with Orange County Government.

She is a graduate of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology with honors, has completed advanced study in aging and is a graduate of the N.C. Division of Aging’s Ann Johnson Senior Center Institute.

Janice loves cooking and traveling to music festivals with her husband and son. When she is not working she can be found walking and playing with her rescued cocker spaniels, Charlee and Barklee, a father and son duo.

Dr. Cherie Rosemond brings almost three decades of experience working on the social, physical, and political aspects of aging in the United States. Cherie views later life as a time for continued growth, contribution, and vitality. As such, she is a champion of interdisciplinary, intergenerational, community engagement as a way to ensure our homes and neighborhoods are great places for people of all ages to live.

Dr. Rosemond also focuses attention on the arts and humanities as a way to expand and re-imagine new possibilities for later life. She completed her PhD in Health Behavior at UNC’s Gillings School of Global Public Health and holds a master’s degree in physical therapy from Duke University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in biology from Wake Forest University.

She has worked as a geriatric physical therapist within many practice settings, including large health systems, senior centers, nursing homes, and retirement communities. Since 2012, Dr. Rosemond has served as a consultant to the Orange County Department on Aging. In this capacity, she has worked with a team of aging services providers, UNC students, and community members to develop and implement Orange County’s Master Aging Plan. Her focus areas include senior housing, transportation, and caregiving. In her free time, Cherie loves to dance, bike, and make beauty out of second-hand “stuff.”

Collaborating with Nurses to Create a Culture of Health

Catherine Sevier, DrPH, RN is the state president for AARP North Carolina and Co-Chair of the NC Future of Nursing Action Coalition. She has a background in clinical nursing, hospital administration, and health policy. She holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in nursing and a doctorate in Health Administration and Policy. She was founding Executive Director/COO of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) and later served as Executive Vice President (Community Programs and Publications) for the American Diabetes Association (ADA) in Washington, DC. Currently, she is co-director of a Duke Endowment Grant focused on planning for care in advance.

Dr. Sevier is passionate about creating healthy communities and encouraging people to care for themselves and each other.

Donna Lake, PhD. M Ed, RN, board certified, Nurse Executive, Advance, and currently holds the rank of Professor at East Carolina University (ECU), College of Nursing, Advanced Nursing Practice and Education, North Carolina and teaches in the Brody School of Medicine. In addition, she teaches workforce strategies, inter-professional practice, and global health.

She has held numerous state-wide leadership positions, including Co-Leader of the North Carolina Future of Nursing Action Coalition. Dr Lake has taught over 600 ECU graduate and doctoral students, medical faculty, and medical students in the area of leadership, financial management, patient safety, and population health.

Dr Lake has extensive international experience leading healthcare and academic teams within the Middle East, Europe, Latin America, and Africa.

Prior to ECU, she had a career in the US Air Force serving as chief nurse executive, clinical operations officer, and was promoted to Colonel. She received two Department of Defense Bronze Star Medals for meritorious military service (USAF) during multiple combat tours.

Currently, she is the senior consultant on the HRSA Advanced Nursing Education Workforce Grant building Advanced Practice Registered Nurse academic-practice partnerships in Eastern NC. She is also a candidate for NC Senate District 7.

Helen M. Mack, EdS, completed her undergraduate work at Wilkes University in Wilkes-Barre, PA, and MS in elementary education at Nazareth College in Rochester, NY. After retiring as an elementary school principal, Helen returned to the University of North Carolina at Greensboro to complete a Gerontological Counseling degree along with a gerontology certificate.

Mack is a National Writing Project fellow, and a fellow of the Senior Leadership Initiative at the UNC-Chapel Hill Institute on Aging. She is a master trainer for the Powerful Tools for Caregivers workshops and conducts online workshops for caregivers of veterans for the VA and NCOA. She is certified in MOST and in assisting with writing of advanced directives.

Mack is a member of the Forsyth County Aging Planning Committee, serving on several committees including the Senior Power Think Tank and serves as the secretary for Forsyth County Home Community Care Block Grant Committee. She also serves on the Leadership Team of Age Friendly Forsyth. '

She is also a member of the Volunteer Facilitating and Training Team (VFTT) for the national AARP. The VFTT work includes working with states across the US on local and national initiatives.

Mack has received AARP's highest award for community service the Andrus Award and serves on the AARPNC Executive Council.

Creating and Sustaining Walk-Friendly Communities
Dan Gelinne - listed above

Engaging Livability in a Diverse Neighborhood; National Night Out, Streetscapes, and Academia

David Sevier Throughout a successful US Navy career, David developed health policy for the Secretary of Defense and the US Congress. In the mid-90s he directed the Defense Health Resources Study Center and created the US military's health system, TRICARE, a $15B healthcare system serving over 9 million service members, retirees, and their families, worldwide.

Following his Navy career, David established and led a US State Department program to assist developing countries build capable national health systems. He then spent four years directing international programs for the non-profit organization Mercy Ships, and led their European base in Rotterdam.

David subsequently created a Washington, DC “think tank,” the US Medicine Institute, which conducted national policy research, trained leaders and recommended change to federal health programs. He also co-established and directed a federal Commission setting a 20-year health system plan for the US Department of Veterans Affairs.

David is currently adjunct faculty and serves on UNC Greensboro’s HHS Board of Visitors. Over the past three years, he also created and chairs the City of Greensboro’s Criminal Justice Advisory Commission.

David and his wife, Catherine, served in 2014 as faculty at the Leadership Retreat Center in Malaga, Spain, and they currently manage a $1+ million Duke Endowment grant to develop an online platform for individuals to “own their own health, while planning for care in advance.” David serves on the NC Institute of Medicine Task Force on Serious Illness Care.

Dan Curry is a community planner focused on building stronger and more resilient communities through resident engagement and capacity building. During his career with the City of Greensboro, he managed development teams and activities responsible for over $200 million in urban reinvestment in low-wealth neighborhoods.

As the City’s first Community Sustainability Manager, he led the City’s effort to land a US Dept. of Energy Better Buildings Grant that leveraged over $20 million of energy efficiency improvements to public and private buildings. In addition to his public-sector experience, Dan has provided strategic direction and leadership in the non-profit sector in both Executive Director and Board Chairmanship positions.

Dan has a degree in Environmental Design in Landscape Architecture from North Carolina State University and resides in Greensboro, NC where he is the owner of Dan Curry Consulting, providing urban planning and community engagement services to public and private sector clients.

Nikki Baker has spent her career in public service at the intersection of government and community with specific attention to building healthy relationships and fostering linkage between people and policy. As the Director of Federal & External Affairs at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, she is responsible for advocating on behalf of the University at the Federal and local government levels as well as connecting with the neighborhoods and residents adjacent to the University.

Nikki also serves on a variety of committees dedicated to creating and advancing community initiatives including the 2020 Census/Guilford County Complete Count Committee, the Greensboro Chamber of Commerce Governmental Affairs Committee, and Vision Zero Greensboro. In May 2019, she completed the Level I Certification in Town-Gown Relations from the International Town & Gown Association.

Prior to joining UNCG in 2012, Nikki spent 10 years working for a NC member of the U.S. House of Representatives spanning a variety of roles from policy advising to community outreach in both the district and Capitol Hill offices. Born and raised in Greensboro and educated at UNCG, Nikki is an avid fan of her hometown where she resides with her husband, daughter and lab mix.

How Does Co-housing Support Livable Communities?

Anne P. Glass, Ph.D., is a professor and the Gerontology Program Coordinator at UNCW. She is a leading researcher in the field of elder cohousing and other innovative senior housing options.

Dr. Glass has collected data at six of the pioneering elder cohousing communities in the U.S. and completed a longitudinal study at one community from 2006-2016.

She especially focuses on the potential for older adults to provide mutual support to each other. She is also interested in ways that communities can facilitate this process and be more age friendly, and in how older adults decide to age in place or make a move.

Her recent publications include, A conceptual model for aging better together intentionally, Resident-managed elder intentional neighborhoods: Do they promote social resources for older adults? and Innovative seniors housing and care models: What we can learn from the Netherlands. She has presented her research at several national and international conferences, and she received the CHHS Distinguished Researcher 2018 award. Her work reflects her global perspective.

Suzanne LaFollette-Black has been a gerontologist for the past 35+ years. She is the AARP NC Associate State Director of Advocacy and Community Outreach for the past eighteen years.

Suzanne’s career has been in the aging network as a non-profit nursing home administrator, Area Agency on Aging Director and Executive Director of Moore County Department of Aging. Suzanne is originally from Window Rock, Arizona (Navajo Indian reservation). Suzanne has a BS in Sociology and minor in Zoology/ Music from NAU and graduate studies at USC Ethel Andrus Percy Gerontology program and MASA from University of North Texas, Denton, Texas.

She presently serves as the NCAOA (NC Association on Aging, Inc.) President from 2018-2020; Rotary; NCIOM Deaf and Hearing committee; Governor’s Highway Safety Executive Committee; and other community organizations.

Intergenerational Engagement Opportunities in Public Spaces

Tracy McGinnis, Director of Philanthropy at Southminster, is responsible for expanding her organization's philanthropic reach into Charlotte and Mecklenburg County with initiatives that support intergenerational engagement related to community health, creative aging, and education.

Most recently, Tracy has led projects related to decreasing social isolation among elders in low-income housing communities, expanding the Cycling Without Age initiative, as well as spearheading research and interventions, in partnership with UNC Charlotte, with the Meck60+ Study and Grandparents Raising Grandchildren.

Meaningful and Effective Engagement for Community Change

Liliana Burbano is a social communicator with 19 years of experience in designing and implementing communication strategies for social change. Currently, she serves as a Public Health Planner for the Knox County Health Department in Knoxville, TN.

She graduated from the Xaverian University in Bogotá, Colombia, with a bachelor’s degree in Social Communication with an emphasis in Education. After graduating, she moved to Mexico City where she obtained her Master’s Degree in Sociology. Ms. Burbano has wide experience in community engagement, partnership facilitation, and active living-related initiatives.

She served as the Program Coordinator for the Healthy Kids Healthy Communities Program, a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation initiative to promote changes to local policies, systems, and environments that foster healthy living and prevent childhood obesity.

Currently, she develops and coordinates the Active Transportation and Built Environment initiatives for the Knox County Health Department.

Before moving to the United States from her native Colombia, Ms. Burbano worked for the United Nations’ International Program on the Elimination of Child Labour as communications strategists. She is passionate about the relationship between health and place, and its effects on the population’s health.

Don Lindsey retired in 2016 from AAA in Tennessee after more than 39 years conducting traffic safety, public affairs and public relations efforts, many of those in cooperation with other local, state and national groups.

For his work at AAA, Don earned the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Volunteer Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America and the Director’s Award from the Tennessee Highway Safety Office.

Don lives in Knoxville and continues to volunteer with AARP, CarFit, the Knox County Senior Safety Task Force, Bike Walk Knoxville, Active Knox, Safe Routes to School, The Front Page Foundation, Safe Kids, Volunteer Assisted Transportation, Metro Drug Coalition, Optimist Club of Knoxville, Tennessee Strategic Highway Safety Plan Steering Committee and the Tennessee Commissioner of Health's Council on Injury Prevention.

Needs Assessment of the Aging Population in Charlotte

Dr. Julian Montoro-Rodriguez is a sociologist with a teaching and research background in the area of aging, health, human development and family studies. Most of his research in the past 20 years examined the interrelations between formal and informal support systems and optimal adaptation and adjustment to developmental changes for older adults.

Jennifer Ramsey has a Ph.D. in Lifespan Developmental Psychology from North Carolina State University. She is the project coordinator for the Gerontology Program at UNC Charlotte and manages Meck 60+, the Grandparents Raising Grandchildren program and the Engage With Age program.

She is also the Social Science Research Assistant for the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology at UNC Charlotte. Dr. Ramsey also teaches courses in Psychology of Aging, Emotions, and Dementia at UNC Charlotte. Her research interests and background focus on providing the community with information and tools that will enable them to better understand and mitigate the effects of factors such as age, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, education, stress and coping, and access to resources on health and well-being outcomes across the lifespan.

Open Space, Trails and Active Living Panel: Financial and Technical Resources Available for Your Community

Will Summer is the Deputy Director of the NC Clean Water Management Trust Fund, where he has worked for over eleven years. He is a trained forest hydrologist, and has leveraged his experience to promote land conservation for the protection of water quality. His organization awards grants to non-profit and governmental organizations to protect land for natural, historical and cultural benefit, limit encroachment on military installations, restore degraded streams, and develop and improve storm water treatment technology.

The Fund often partners with other state and local agencies to secure land that protects their resources of interest and offers passive recreational opportunities, such as greenways and hiking trails.

Charlynne Smith is the Director of Recreation Resources Service (RRS), a technical advisory program created to assist North Carolina communities in developing parks, recreation and leisure services. RRS provides services through a partnership of the North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation (DPR) and the Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism Management at NC State University.

With DPR, the RRS Team leads field administration of the Parks and Recreation Trust Fund (PARTF) and Land & Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) grant programs for NC. Charlynne’s education is in recreation administration, natural and cultural resource management with additional training in supervision, leadership and geospatial sciences.

In her current position, she brings 30 years of experience in the field of natural resource and park management having served as a park ranger, environmental educator, historic interpreter, recreation consultant, educator and researcher.

Nathaniel Halubka is the Manager of Grants and Outreach of NC Division of Parks and Recreation. He manages the North Carolina Parks and Recreation Trust Fund and Federal Land and Water Conservation Fund, which entails overseeing over $20 million dollars annually in parks related land protection, capital projects and managing contracts for over 900 local grant projects across all 100 North Carolina counties.

Throughout his career he has worked with private, non-profit, local, state and federal agencies in the US and abroad to better utilize Parks and Recreation offerings to improve quality of life for all ages.

Planning for Health & Walkability in Small Communities

Lori Phillips is the Director of the Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity Prevention at the SC Department of Health and Environmental Control. In this role, she and her team focus on creating environments that promote healthy eating and active living. She has over 20 years of experience in community-based chronic disease prevention and education.

Phillips received her Bachelor of Science degree from Clemson University in Health Science and her Master of Public Health degree in Health Policy and Administration from the University of NC at Chapel Hill. She is a Master Certified Health Education Specialist, a Certified Grants Writing Specialist, and a Certified Grants Administrator. She is a South Carolina native and enjoys making the state a better place to call home.

Shawn Putnam is the City Planner for the City of Camden, SC, a position he has held since August 2007. His duties include implementing the Land Development Regulations, maintaining and updating the zoning ordinance, and maintaining the comprehensive plan.

He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Geography from the University of South Carolina. Shawn is member of the American Institute of Certified Planners and a Certified Floodplain Manager. He is a member of the Kershaw County Eat Smart Move More chapter.

John Cock is a planner and Vice President for Alta Planning + Design. He served as Alta’s Principal in Charge for the SCDHEC-funded pedestrian planning project.

With experience in local government, private, and nonprofit sectors, John has developed expertise in the areas of planning and design for walking and bicycling as well as long range land use and transportation planning; Smart Growth policy, regulatory, and urban design standards; streetscape and roadway design principles for walkability/bike-ability; regulatory and policy tools for parking management and transit station area planning; project management; and group facilitation. He is one of Alta’s regional managers for the southeastern U.S. and manages Alta’s Charlotte, NC office.

Rural Livable Communities Panel Discussion

Fred Fontana has enjoyed a career in public transportation in the state of North Carolina that has lasted over 42 years. As Deputy Transit Manager for the City of High Point, he oversaw transportation for the High Point International Furniture Market for 15 years. He was then appointed as the first director of the newly formed Guilford County Transportation department.

From Guilford County, he moved to the Raleigh area to oversee several contracts as a general manager for the largest American transportation management firm, MV Transportation. Fred was recruited out of his second retirement to work as the Executive Director of the Goldsboro-Wayne Transportation Authority. He was tasked with recommending and implementing changes and improvements, including grant opportunities and rebranding efforts, for the system's paratransit and fixed route services. Fred retired for the third and final time in August 2018.

He has been involved in the North Carolina Public Transportation Association since its inception and served as president of that association for three years. He has been awarded the North Carolina Governor's Public Transportation Award and the North Carolina Public Transportation Association Distinguished Service Award. Fred graduated from Cornell University, with a Bachelor's and a Master's in Civil Engineering. He currently serves as President of the Onslow United Transportation Services (OUTS) Board of Directors and as a volunteer for AARP.

Anne P. Glass, (listed above)

Mary Penny Kelley currently serves as Director of Operations and Rural Engagement to Hometown Strong, the Governor's initiative to better connect state government with rural communities. In this role, she works to bring state support to rural priorities such as broadband, transportation, water and sewer, downtown revitalization, access to health, outdoor recreation, education, disaster recovery, and economic/community development.

Her past experience includes several executive roles in the NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources, a litigator in the NC Attorney General’s Office, and a private sector attorney in Spring Hope, NC. She currently enjoys rural life at her micro-farm just outside of Spring Hope in Nash County.

T. Lee Covington (listed above).