, NC - The Office of Governor Pat McCrory has announced the following appointments:
Rural Infrastructure Authority
Governor Pat McCrory's appointees
• Thomas S. Hester Jr. (Vance County) - Hester is the president of Prim Residential Rentals, Inc. He is the chairman of the Vance County Commissioners. He studied accounting at Campbell University. Hester will hold an at-large seat on the board.
• Kevin Corbin (Macon County) - Corbin is the owner of Corbin Insurance Agency. He is the chairman of the Macon County Board of Commissioners. He studied marketing and business management at Appalachian State University. Corbin will hold an at-large seat on the board.
• Celo Faucette (Alamance County) - Faucette is retired from LabCorp after 36 years of service. He is a councilmember of the Burlington City Council. Faucette will hold an at-large seat on the board.
• Steven Wangerin (Onslow County) - Wangerin is the chief executive officer for W.T. Humphrey Group. He is the vice chairman of the Jacksonville/Onslow Chamber of Commerce. He studied finance and economics at UNC-Charlotte. Wangerin will hold an at-large seat on the board.
• Garry Terry (Bertie County) - Terry is a regional ag services field supervisor with the North Carolina Department of Commerce. He has experience as a firefighter and farmer. He studied instrumentation technology at Roanoke Chowan Technical Institute. Terry will hold an at-large seat on the board.
Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Berger's appointees
• Jeff Etheridge Jr. (Columbus County) - Etheridge is a retired group president for BB&T. He has also served on the Board of Trustees for UNC at Wilmington and was also once the chairman.
• Charles DeVane Jr. (Bladen County) - DeVane is the owner of DeVane Builders. He is also chairman of the Elizabethtown ABC Board.
• Pamela Cundiff (Rockingham County) - Cundiff is the vice president of Travel Consultants Inc. and also serves as the chair of the Rockingham County Partnership for Economic Development & Tourism.
• The Honorable Theodore Westmoreland (Cleveland County) - Westmoreland is the president of Westmoreland Printers Inc. and is also the vice chair of the Pinnacle Classical Academy.
• Tracy Philbeck (Gaston County) - Philbeck is the president of Treescape, Inc. He has served as the Gaston County commissioner of the Dallas Township since 2009. Philbeck is a member of the National Association of Counties Community & Economic Development Steering Committee.
Speaker of the House Thom Tillis' appointees
• Lige Daughtridge (Nash County) - Daughtridge is the principal of Daughtridge Sales Co. Inc. He is a past board member and president of the Tar River Kiwanis and is the current vice chair of the Boys & Girls Club of Nash/Edgecombe counties.
• The Honorable Darrell McCormick (Yadkin County) - McCormick is a former member of the State House of Representatives. He owns a real estate company and served on the House Commerce and Job Development Committee in 2011-12.
• Lee Grantham (Robeson County) - Grantham is the managing partner at NurserySouth. Prior to this position, Grantham was president of Grantham Farms & Nursery. He has served on the Board of Directors for the Lumberton Area Chamber of Commerce.
• Beth Foster (Washington County) - Foster runs two farming operations with her husband Bryan. She is the secretary and treasurer of the Blackland Farm Managers Association and a member of the Commissioner's Circle along with Commissioner of Agriculture Steve Troxler.
• Brady Dickson (Montgomery County) - Dickson started a printing and packaging business in Mt. Gilead, North Carolina. He is the director of the Montgomery Fund, an affiliate of the NC Community Foundation. He also served as county commissioner of Montgomery County for 12 years.
The authority reviews and authorizes grants and loans for rural areas within the state. Members formulate policies for making these loans and grants and create ways for the Rural Economic Development Division of the North Carolina Department of Commerce to effectively aid local governments in meeting preliminary project planning costs, as well providing insight into the application and review process.
The group also reviews the efficacy of these loan and grant programs and submits its ideas for improvement by September 1 of each year.
The authority will meet Friday, December 6 from 1 p.m.to 4 p.m. in the 4th floor boardroom of the Education Building, 301 North Wilmington Street, in downtown Raleigh.