Our Members
Board Members
John R. Belk
PRESIDENT (RETIRED), BELK, INC.
“BEST NC is helping lead a movement towards excellence in education for all students in North Carolina. Collaboration throughout our state is critical to making the bold improvements in policy we need, and I am honored to a part of BEST NC and their work to focus leaders on our students for the future of our state.”
Brenda Berg
CEO, BEST NC
“As an entrepreneur and mother of two North Carolina public school students, I understand the importance of providing our North Carolina students with the best education in the nation. More than any other state, North Carolina has the history, capacity and the will to transform education and BEST NC provides the vision and continuity to make it happen.”
Charles Bowman
MARKET PRESIDENT FOR NORTH CAROLINA AND CHARLOTTE, BANK OF AMERICA
“BEST NC has been a credible voice for the North Carolina business community as we continue strengthening our public education system and provide the foundation for long-term economic growth.”
Ann B. Goodnight
DIRECTOR, COMMUNITY RELATIONS, SAS
“A strong public education system is the foundation of a prosperous economy. Our students need and deserve a quality education from early learning experiences through higher education. Members of BEST NC are keenly focused on this goal, and we will work together for the benefit of our state-wide community.”
Kelly King
CHAIRMAN & CEO, Truist
“Growing up, I attended public school in eastern North Carolina and was blessed to have teachers impress upon me the importance of a solid education, which continues to have a profound impact on my life. And as a board member of BEST NC, I want to work with others to ensure education remains a top priority for our state. Not only do our children depend on it, the success of our communities, industries, state and national economies do, as well. There is no greater investment in North Carolina than that of our children’s education.”
Walter McDowell
CHAIRMAN, BEST NC
“I am proud to serve as the Board Chair for BEST NC because I know that the North Carolina education system can be the best in the country and can produce the most talented labor force in the nation. Developing a productive, driven, and educated citizenry should be a priority for all business owners, and BEST NC is exactly what North Carolina needs to link dedicated business leaders to high quality education reform and practice.”
Art Pope
CHAIRMAN AND CEO, VARIETY WHOLESALERS, INC.
“One of my top priorities is reforming teacher pay, so that all teachers receive better compensation while providing opportunities for additional earnings for teachers who take on the greatest challenges.”
Chuck Purvis
CEO, COASTAL FEDERAL CREDIT UNION
“Having spent my entire career in credit unions, I’ve seen first-hand the difference even a small change in someone’s earning potential can make on their overall financial outlook. I also know that the key to unlocking that potential is solid educational foundation. As their future employers, it’s in our best interest to ensure North Carolina’s students have the opportunity and the resources to succeed in the classroom and beyond. As their fellow North Carolinians… their family, friends, and neighbors… it’s our duty. That’s why I’m proud to support BEST NC and serve with people who share in that vision.”
John Replogle
Partner, One Better Ventures, LLC
“I believe public education is the key to unlocking the full potential of every individual and the cornerstone to building a stronger, more innovative and competitive nation”
Pat Riley
PRESIDENT & CEO, ALLEN TATE COMPANIES
“The value of a residential home and appreciation of that home is in direct proportion to the perceived value of the education received at the school at the end of the street.’ For my 44 year real estate career, this is all I hear and heard in all five states that I worked in. Families and business have the same goal…. to raise the bar and better prepare students for the jobs of the future!”
Thomas Vaidhyan
CEO, ATEN, INC.
“A good education is unquestionably the best instrument that contributes to the success of an individual or a society, a state or a nation. NC is now at a crucial juncture in the development of the nation, since it has the potential to capitalize on its inherent strength in education and business, so as to make it one of the leading states in the fast growing globally competitive 21st century economy. I believe BEST NC with its non-partisan representatives from the vast majority of businesses in NC and its pragmatic and socially beneficial best practices-driven approach, makes it the pivotal link in the enhancement of NC public education.”
Paul Wiles
CEO (RETIRED), NOVANT HEALTH SYSTEM
“I spent my entire working career in healthcare leadership. It became more and more apparent to me that there are direct and strong correlations between the health status of many people and their literacy levels. A well educated populace is able to better understand their health issues, and work in good jobs which keep them well above poverty levels and provides them with insurance for when they have unavoidable health care needs. I believe our public education system in North Carolina is failing to meet the educational needs of many of our citizens and thus leaving them vulnerable to diminished health and lower economic achievements. With more free time as a retiree, I joined the BEST NC efforts to encourage our elected leaders that we must do a better job of educating our citizenry.”
Board Advisors
Anna Spangler Nelson
Chairman, Spangler Companies, Inc.
Richard "Stick" Williams
President (Retired), Duke Energy Foundation
Trustees
Jack Bailey
US President, Glaxo Smith Kline
John Belk
President (Retired), Belk Stores
Erskine Bowles
Charles Bowman
Market President for North Carolina and Charlotte, Bank of America
Richard Brenner
Vice Chairman, Amarr
John Burress
(Retired), Business Owner
Gerald Petkau
CEO (Interim), BCBSNC
Tom Darden
CEO , Cherokee Fund
Frank Dowd
Chairman, Charlotte Pipe and Foundry
Don Flow
CEO, Flow Auto
David Fountain
Senior Vice President, Duke Energy
Allen Gant
Chairman & CEO, Glen Raven, Inc.
James (Jim) F. Goodmon
President & CEO, Capitol Broadcasting Company
Ann B. Goodnight
Director, Community Relations, SAS
Redge Hanes
Chairman, James G. Hanes Foundation
Nelle Hotchkiss
Senior Vice President, North Carolina's Energy Cooperatives
Stan Kelly
Carolinas CEO, Wells Fargo
Kelly King
Chairman & CEO, Truist
James S. Mahan
Chairman & CEO, Live Oak Bank
James Maynard
Chairman & CEO, Golden Corral
Walter McDowell
Chairman, BEST NC
Jim Melvin
Chairman, Bryan Foundation
Allison Moss
President, Stephen L Cornwell Foundation
Katie Morris
CEO, Belk Foundation
David Neill
Business Owner
Tom Nelson
President & CEO, National Gypsum Company
Robert Niblock
CEO (Retired), Lowe's Companies
Ward Nye
Chairman, President & CEO, Martin Marietta Materials, Inc.
Ricardo Oberlander
President & CEO, Reynolds American, Inc.
Laney Orr
Managing Director, The Orr Group, LLC
Art Pope
Chairman, CEO & President, Variety Wholesalers Inc.
Chuck Purvis
President & CEO, Coastal Federal Credit Union
Rick Redden
Executive Vice President, Wells Fargo
John Replogle
Partner, One Better Ventures
Pat Riley
President & CEO, Allen Tate Real Estate
Temple Sloan, Jr.
Executive Vice President, Spangler Companies, Inc.
David Stevens
Mid-South Division President, Truist
John Whitaker
Director, Triad Opportunity I, LLC
Riley Fields
Director of Community Relations, Carolina Panthers
Paul Wiles
President & CEO, Novant Health (Retired)
Ken Gill
President & CEO, CPI Security
Ed Pearce
President, Tencarva Machinery Company
Business Council
Terry Akin
CEO, Cone Health
Greg Alcorn
CEO, Global Contract Services
Marth Ann McConnell
Vice President of Government Relations, Carolinas HealthCare System
Jim Anthony
CEO, Colliers International
Carl Armato
CEO, Novant Health System
John Atkins
CEO, O'Brian Atkins
L.M. Baker
CEO, Wachovia (Retired)
Rye Barcott
Managing Partner, Double Time Capital
Doug Bassett
President, Vaughan-Bassett Furniture Company
Emma Battle
President & CEO, Higher Education Works
Graham Bennett
CEO, Quality Oil Company
Virginia Bowman
General Partner, Northgate Associates
Peter Bristow
President, First Citizens Bank
Mollie Brugh
CEO, Marsh Furniture Company
Steve Burris
President, UNC REX Healthcare
Michelle Butt
General Manager, Hearst
Lida Calvert Hayes
President & CEO, S+L Painting & Decorating, Inc.
Jim Cherry
CEO, Park Sterling Bank
Hudnall Christopher
EVP, Reynolds Tobacco (Retired)
Jack Clayton
Regional President, Wells Fargo
Zach Clayton
CEO, Three Ships, LLC
Derick Close
CEO, The Cotton Factory
Jeff Clark
CEO, Hometown Auto Credit
Sue Cole
Managing Partner, Sage
Rountree Collett, Jr.
President & COO, Bernhardt Furniture
Ned Curran
President & CEO, Bissell Companies
Don Curtis
CEO, Curtis Media Group
Nancy Dunn
Retired CEO
David Falk
Managing Director, Drucker & Falk Real Estate
Christopher Fox
Hanesbrands
Frank Daniels, Jr.
CEO, News & Observer (Retired)
Richard Daugherty
Retired CEO
Susan DeVore
President & CEO, Premier, Inc.
John C. Fox
Mi-Atlantic Chairman, First Tennessee Bank
Stuart Frantz
President & CEO, Investors Management Corporation
Ed Fritsch
President & CEO, Highwoods
Paul Fulton
Chairman, Bassett Furniture
Hannah Gage
Retired CEO
James Gibson
Executive VP & COO, RTI International
Phil Kirk
CEO (Retired), NC Chamber
Leroy Lail
Chairman & CEO, Hickory Furniture
Mike Lamach
Chairman & CEO, Ingersoll Rand
Andy Brown
President, Twin City Warehouses
Hal Kaplan
CEO, Kaplan Early Learning Company
Dave Katz
President & COO, Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated
Dale Jenkins
Chairman & CEO, Curi Insurance
Burney Jennings
CEO, Biscuitville
Douglas Kahn
Principal, Mistdoda Capital, LLC
Wayne Holden
CEO, RTI International
David Howard
Partner, Windsor Investments, LLC
Robert Ingram
General Partner, Hatteras Venture Partners
Barnes Hauptfuhrer
Chairman, Chapter IV Investors
Jack Hawn
CEO, Zenith Freight Lines
John Hayes
President, Cape Fear World Trade Organization
Wendell H. Murphy
Murphy Family Ventures
Jim Hansen
Regional President, PNC Financial
John W. Davis
Managing Director, Deutsche Bank
Patti Gillenwater
CEO, Elinvar
Bob Greczyn
CEO, BCBSNC (Retired)
Clay Grubb
President, Grubb Properties
Kel Landis
Principal, Plexus Capital
Geoff Lang
VP & General Manager of Global Technology & Operations, MetLife
Scott Levitan
CEO, Research Triangle Foundation
Jane Lewis-Raymond
Partner, Parker Poe
Al Lineberry, Jr.
President, Gainesberry, LLC
Norman Samet
CEO (Retired)
Gregg McAllister
VP of Development, Vision Ventures
Gray McCaskill
CEO, Senn Dunn
John McConnell
CEO, Wake Forest Baptist Health
Dan McCready
Managing Partner, Double Time Capital
DL McMichael, Jr.
CEO, McMichael Mills
Leigh McNairy
Director, McNairy Foundation
Jim Morgan
CEO (Retired), Krispy Kreme Doughnut Company
Chester H. Brown III
President, Brown Investment Properties, Inc.
Reid Murchison
Managing Director, Wells Fargo Advisors
Lynn Murphy
President, Premium 2000
Jim Phillips
Brooks, Pierce, McLendon, Humphrey & Leonard LLP
Ed Pleasants
Retired CEO
Steve Pond
CEO, The Education Center
E. Ashton Poole
President, Triangle Capital Corporation
Crawford Pounds
Managing Partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers
Billy Prim
Prim Water Corporation
Orage Quarles III
President & Publisher, News & Observer (Retired)
Lewis Quinn
CEO, Aym Technologies, LLC
Julian "Bubba" Rawl
Owner, Preston Development
Billie Redmond
Founder, TradeMark Properties
Donna Rhode
Vaco
Bob Rippy
Owner, Jungle Rapids
Arthur Samet
CEO, Samet Corporation
Frank Saxon
President, Culp, Inc.
J.R. Shearin
Managing Director, Deloitte
Tom Skains
Retired CEO
Sherwood Smith
Retired CEO
Malbert Smith
President, CEO & Co-Founder, MetaMetrics
John Snider
President & CEO, Snider Fleet Solutions
Robert Spilman, Jr.
CEO, Bassett Furniture Industries
Ben Sutton
Founder & Chairman, Teall Capital
Senator James T. Broyhill
Chairman, James T. and Louise R. Broyhill Foundation
Sean Patrick Tario
CEO & Catalyst, Open Spectrum
Pam Townsend
Senior Vice President, Dewberry
Kevin Trapani
President & CEO, The Redwoods Group
Thomas Vaidhyan
CEO, Aten, Inc.
Thomas W. Dickson
Vice President, The Dickson Foundation
Leslie Walden
Fidelity Investments
David Ward, Jr.
Attorney, Ward and Smith, P.A.
William Warden
Retired CEO
Ed Weisiger, Jr.
President & CEO, Carolina CAT
Jordan Whichard
Retired CEO
Paul Cormier
CEO, Red Hat, Inc.
Smedes York
Chairman, York Properties
Charlie Zeigler, Jr.
CEO (Retired), PSNC Energy, Inc.
Larry Shaheen
Attorney At Law. The McIntosh Law Firm
Francisco Alvarado
President & CEO, Marand Builders
Brian Reid
Triangle President, TowneBank
Joe Budd
CEO, The Budd Group