Today, N.C. Secretary of Commerce Sharon Decker announced the selection of three members of her leadership team.
Josh Ellis was named the Assistant Secretary for Communications and External Affairs after serving as the department’s public information officer. Timothy D. Mayes was named Human Resources Director and Ashley Jones was named the Director of Legislative Affairs.
Ellis will direct the department’s public affairs team and be responsible for managing communications in the state’s leading economic development agency, including project announcements and media inquiries. Ellis has been with Commerce since 2011 in the role of public information officer. Previously, he served as capitol reporter with Curtis Media Group in Raleigh. Ellis is an honors graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communications.
Mayes will develop and implement department policy on all issues relating to human resources. A 37-year veteran of the City of Charlotte, he served as human resources analyst and deputy director prior to being promoted to the city’s Human Resources Director in 2002. As HR Director, Mayes provided strategic executive leadership for 13 departments and 6,500 public employees, and managed a staff of 35 HR professionals and a $4 million budget. Mayes received two degrees from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte - a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s degree in urban administration. He has been active in numerous HR professional organizations.
Jones will direct the department’s legislative affairs work and advocate for the Department’s initiatives to members of the General Assembly. Jones has extensive government relations experience and was most recently Director of Government and External Affairs for the Biofuels Center of North Carolina. She was also federal liaison for the N.C. Department of Agriculture. Jones is a graduate of Meredith College with a bachelor’s degree in history.