Leadership North Carolina Celebrates Graduation of 30th Class

Raleigh, NC – On Wednesday, May 10, 2023, Leadership North Carolina held the graduation ceremony for its 30^th class. Fifty-five leaders from across the state celebrated completion of this prestigious program at the North Carolina Museum of History.

Each year, through a rigorous selection process, LNC chooses a class of established and emerging leaders from across the state to participate in its acclaimed program. Leadership North Carolina’s Class 30 comprises top leaders from the government, business, nonprofit, and education sectors. A full list of participants follows.

During the ceremony, special recognition was shared for the following:

• Dr. Bahby Banks of Pillar Consulting, elected by her classmates as the class graduation speaker
• Prudencio IV Martínez-Mengel of Lenoir Community College, chosen by his classmates as recipient of the Stanley Frank Class Award
• Dr. Shakira Lita Ismay Henderson of University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, UNC School of Medicine, and UNC Health, honored for her leadership as the Class 30 Program Chair

Leadership North Carolina’s mission is to inform, develop, and engage committed leaders by broadening their understanding of and involvement in issues and opportunities facing North Carolina. Leadership North Carolina’s core program cultivates a network of individuals with diverse backgrounds and experiences who share a deep commitment to their state. There are more than 1,400 graduates of the program whose continued ties to LNC and to one another provide them with rich opportunities for serving North Carolina.

Over the course of six two-and-a-half day sessions the members of LNC Class 30 learned about issues critical to the state through discussions with top officials and professionals, intentional dialogue, and experiential learning activities. LNC’s sessions focus on five key areas: government, education, health and human services, economic development, and the environment.

LNC sessions are held in locations around the state, highlighting the social, geographic, and economic diversity of North Carolina. The members of LNC Class 30 visited Boone, Raleigh, Greensboro, Charlotte, Wilmington, and Asheville. Through LNC’s program, participants gained new insight into North Carolina’s strengths and challenges and developed their own priorities for ways they can improve and empower their communities and the state as a whole.

The application period for LNC Class 31 (2023-2024) opens June 1 and will remain open through June 22. To find out more about Leadership North Carolina, please visit: www.leadershipnc.org.

LNC Class 30

• Crystal Adams, Director, North Carolina Oral Health Collaborative, Foundation for Health Leadership and Innovation, Alexander
• Natasha Austin, Chief Operating Officer, Dogwood State Bank, Iredell
• Bahby Banks, Chief Executive Officer, Pillar Consulting, Durham
• Ron Barnes, Assistant Vice President, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, Mecklenburg
• Quynh Bowman, Director – Rates & Regulatory, Duke Energy, Mecklenburg
• Erin Brewer, Executive Director of Corporate and Community Outreach, Barnhill Contracting Company, Nash
• Amanda Bryant, Executive Director, Asheville Museum of Science (AMOS), and Owner, Red Tree Builders, Buncombe
• Monica Carpenter, Associate Vice President of Workforce Development, Mayland Community College, Yancey
• Dana Chavis, Executive Director of CTE, Hoke County Schools, Hoke
• Lonnie Cockerham, Executive Director, Forge Greensboro Community Makerspace, Guilford
• Allyson Colaco, VP, Customer and Applicant Experience, E4E Relief, Mecklenburg
• Veronica Creech, Chief Economic Development and External Relations Officer, Advance Community Health, Wake
• Cameron Cremeens, Director, Strategic and Business Planning, Novant Health, Wake
• Katy Crosby, Town Manager, Town of Apex, Wake
• Christine Reed Davis, Associate Vice Chancellor and Dean of Students, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Cabarrus
• Tim Dodge, Regulatory Counsel, North Carolina Electric Membership Corporation, Durham
• Latasha Ellis, Owner, AHSAT Counseling and Consulting, PLLC, and Founder/CEO, Couple Alliance Leadership Mission, Mecklenburg
• Jason Flynn, Vice President, Strategic Finance, Procurement, and Supply Chain, Martin Marietta, Wake
• Kristian Forslin, GIS and Survey Manager, North Carolina Railroad Company, Johnston
• Chakana Fowler, Vice President, Senior Relationship Manager, Bank of America, Mecklenburg
• Moses Fox III, Executive Director, Campus Affairs, Central Piedmont Community College, Mecklenburg
• Kim Green, Manager of Retail Banking, First Citizens Bank, Iredell
• Ed Hunt, Sustainable Agriculture Coordinator, The University of North Carolina at Pembroke, Robeson
• Sara Imhof, Senior Director, North Carolina Biotechnology Center, Wake
• DJ Jones, President & Chief Executive Officer, Boys & Girls Clubs of North Central North Carolina, Johnston
• Jason King, Senior Manager, DMJPS PLLC, Pender
• Justin Kurkiewicz, Senior Vice President, Corporate Relationship Manager, PNC Bank, Wake
• LaVie Leasure, Associate Dean of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, Winston-Salem State University, Guilford
• Ray Levy, Executive Director, Data Science Academy, North Carolina State University, Wake
• Jade Manley, Manager, Community Relations, Fidelity Investments, Wake
• Prudencio IV Martínez-Mengel, Workforce Development Coordinator, Lenoir Community College, Lenoir
• Ryan McAward, Principal Strategy & Planning Manager, Duke Energy, Wake
• Christina McNally, Chief Strategy Officer, Carolina Caring, Catawba
• Carmella Melton, AVP, Head of Internal Communications & Employment Brand, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, Durham
• Randy Mirador, Director, Governance, Risk and Compliance, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, Wake
• Jeremy Moseley, Associate Vice President, FaithHealth Division, Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist, Forsyth
• Allison Owen, Deputy Director, Office of Rural Health, North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Wake
• Kelly Perry, Assistant General Counsel – Global Legal Initiatives, SAS Institute Inc., Wake
• Julie Roper, Economic Development and External Affairs Manager, Dominion Energy, Gaston
• Candice Roth, Executive Director of Ambulatory Services, Oncology & Infusion, MUSC Health, Mecklenburg
• Ashley Ruffin, Chief Impact Officer, Civic Federal Credit Union / Local Government Federal Credit Union, Wake
• Dawn Russell, Downtown Development Manager, Town of Fuquay Varina and Executive Director, Fuquay-Varina Downtown Association, Wake
• Cynthia Satterfield, State Director, Sierra Club-North Carolina, Durham
• Lisa Sheppard, Lead Operational Risk Officer, Wells Fargo, Mecklenburg
• Lisa Shock, Chief Population Health Officer – Medicaid Plan, UnitedHealthcare, Wake
• Kathie Sidner, Director of Military Partnerships, University of North Carolina System Office, Wake
• Rachel Pence Smith, Director of Strategic Initiatives, The News Reporter, Columbus
• Malenia Swinton, Vice President of Community Engagement, Youth Mentoring Collaborative, Durham
• Sarah Tomlinson, Senior Dental Consultant, NC Medicaid Division, Division of Health Benefits, North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Durham
• Mike Walker, Regional Director – External Affairs, AT&T, Guilford
• Jason Walls, Director, North Carolina Infrastructure Engagement, Duke Energy, Buncombe
• Tracy Webb, State Human Resources Commissioner (SHRC) and Regional Trainer/Content Developer, North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Johnston
• Frank Williams, President, Pioneer Strategies, and Brunswick County Commissioner, Brunswick
• Miles Wobbleton, Founder, Chairman, CEO, and President, Gen KIND, Inc., Wake
• Deb Wojcik, Executive Director, Research Triangle Cleantech Cluster, Orange