Raleigh, NC– On Thursday, May 9, 2019, Leadership North Carolina held a graduation ceremony for its 26^thclass.  Fifty-six civic and community leaders from across the state celebrated their completion of this prestigious program in the Old House Chamber of the North Carolina State Capitol.

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 XXVI comprises top leaders from the government, business, nonprofit, and education sectors. A full list of participants follows.

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. The Leadership North Carolina Program cultivates a network of individuals with diverse backgrounds and experiences who share a deep commitment to their state. There are more than 1200 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 XXVI learned about issues critical to the state through discussions with top officials and professionals, field trips, and experiential learning activities. LNC’s sessions focused on five key areas: economic development, education, environment, government, and health and human services.

LNC sessions are held around the state, highlighting the social, geographic, and economic diversity of North Carolina. The members of Class XXVI 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 XXVII (2019 – 2020) opens May 20 and will remain open through June 28. To find out more about Leadership North Carolina, please visit: www.leadershipnc.org.

LNC Class XXVI

• Bradley Ballou, Chief of Staff, The University of North Carolina at Wilmington, Wilmington
• Jennifer Bell, Director of Educational Partnerships, North Carolina,SAS, Cary
• Cort Bennett, Financial Advisor, RW Baird, Chapel Hill
• Steve Biggs, Executive Director of Economic Development, Bertie County, Windsor
• Ricky Brown, Retired Executive, BB&T, Sparta
• Schumata Brown, Town Manager, Town of Maysville, Maysville
• Tara Campbell, Senior Vice President – Lending & Investments, NC Community Development Initiative, Raleigh
• Cheryl Cherry, Business Development Director – Eastern NC, Self Help Credit Union, Greenville
• Marshall Cherry,Chief Operating Officer, Roanoke Electric Cooperative, Aulander
• Shelley Curran, General Counsel, GoTriangle, Durham
• Fatima Dean, Chief Underwriting Officer, The Redwoods Group, Morrisville
• Joe Deehan, Director, Financial Compliance, Martin Marietta,Raleigh
• Daniel Dent, Senior Vice President, Retail Banking Executive,Capital Bank, Charlotte
• RobertDoreauk, Regional Director, External Affairs, AT&T – North Carolina, Raleigh
• Laura Early, Ordained Elder, United Methodist Church, Aulander
• Aimee Forehand, Client Manager, State Health Plan, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, Durham
• Brian Franklin, Director, Regulatory Affairs – North Carolina, Duke Energy, Charlotte
• Emily Gangi, Engagement Director, ncIMPACT, UNC School of Government, Chapel Hill
• Haley Haynes, Deputy Secretary of State, Office of the North Carolina Secretary of State, Raleigh
• Sharon Hirsch, President and Chief Executive Officer, Prevent Child Abuse North Carolina, Raleigh
• McGregor Holmes, Controller, Biltmore Farms LLC, Asheville
• Wendy John, Senior Vice President, Managing Director, Fidelity Investments, Durham
• Tia Jones, Director, Operations and Provider Networks, Delta Dental of North Carolina, Raleigh
• Josh Lassiter, Vice Chancellor for Business and Finance, Elizabeth City State University, Elizabeth City
• Kevin Leonard, Executive Director, NC Association of County Commissioners, Raleigh
• Catherine Liao, Assistant Vice President, Government Relations,Duke Health, Durham
• Mike Mazzola, Executive Director of EPIC, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte
• Mark McIntire, Director, Carolinas Energy Affairs and Stakeholder Engagement, Duke Energy, Raleigh
• Catherine Moga Bryant, Chief Impact Officer, Communities In Schools of North Carolina, Raleigh
• Kathy Morris, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer,Gregory Poole Equipment Company, Raleigh
• Amy Murphy Curlis, Director, Communications and Media Relations, Moore & Van Allen Public Affairs, Charlotte
• Michelle Neal, Director, Citrix, Raleigh
• Maria Ochoa, Owner, Maria M. Ochoa Financial and Insurance Services, Charlotte
• Christian Overton, Agronomist, Perdue Agribusiness, Shiloh
• Jim Parker, Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer, North Carolina Community College System, Raleigh
• Vicki Lee Parker, Executive Director, North Carolina Business Council, Raleigh
• Cheryl Parquet, Director, Community and Diversity Engagement, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, Durham
• Michelle Ries, Project Director, North Carolina Institute of Medicine, Morrisville
• Mike Riley, President,Novant Health Huntersville Medical Center, Huntersville
• Anne Marie Robertson, Director of Operations, Coastal Connect HIE, Coastal Carolinas Health Alliance, Wilmington
• Jinky Rosselli, Vice President, Global Business Analysis and Operations, BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Durham
• Kristen Rosselli, Chief Strategy Officer, TROSA, Inc., Durham
• Arthur Salido, Executive Director, Community and Economic Engagement and Innovation, Western Carolina University, Cullowhee
• Ryan Schwiebert, Vice President for Information Technology Services, Wake Technical Community College, Raleigh
• Carmen Shaw, Director, Nursing Practice & Policy, Atrium Health, Charlotte
• Carol Shields, Executive Director, Roanoke River Partners, Scotland Neck
• Venetia Skahen, Executive Director, The Cannon Foundation, Concord
• Julie Smith, Assistant Vice Chancellor for External Affairs, Partnerships, and Economic Development, North Carolina State University, Raleigh
• Drew Steel, Tax Manager, DMJ & Co., PLLC, Durham
• Meredith Switzer, Executive Director, Homeward Bound Western NC, Weaverville
• Kevin Utsey, Principal, Clark Nexsen, Charlotte
• Kyle Villemain, Freelance Writer, Carrboro
• Weyling White, Practice Administrator, Roanoke Chowan Community Health Center, Ahoskie
• Sherri Yerk-Zwickl, Associate Vice President for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer, Campbell University, Buies Creek
• Michael Youth, Government and Regulatory Affairs Counsel, North Carolina Electric Membership Corporation, Raleigh
• Tracy Zimmerman, Director of External Affairs, North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Raleigh