State Advisory Council Member Biographies 2009-2010
Ireni Autry, Treasurer, South Central District
Ireni’s parents immigrated from Greece and owned a restaurant business. She retired in 1985 after teaching in the classroom and then as a media specialist. She has an ME degree in library science from UNC-G. After retiring, Ireni concentrated on volunteer work, primarily with Cooperative Extension. She has served as Extension Community Association member for 50 years and also as president of the state organization (1993). Ireni’s leadership roles also include being Chairman of the Hoke County Library Board and serving on the regional library board. She serves as Chair of the Hoke County Advisory Board and serves on the Region H Council of Aging Board which consists of 5 counties.
Ireni and husband, Raz, have been married 58 years and have one son, George, who is Cumberland County Extension Director. Ireni’s hobbies include helping Raz with the peach crop of 2,100 trees and her volunteer work with Seniors, Extension and public libraries. Her grandchildren are “significant others” to Ireni.
Steva Allgood, North Central District
Steva is proud to call North Carolina home. She is the daughter of Benjamin and Margaret Roark and along with her two sisters Peggy Thorburn and Sarah Coley (her twin), she was raised in Kinston (Lenoir County) as a member of St. Mary’s Episcopal Church. After graduation from Grainger High School, she attended Woman’s College now known as UNC-G. Her first employment after graduating in business came with the accounting department of GMAC in Raleigh during which time she met and married Younger Snead, Jr. from Raeford.
When Steva relocated to Greensboro, she married a long time friend, Larry Allgood, and secured a position in 1985 with the Greensboro Area Convention and Visitors Bureau as the Director of Services/Administrative Manager. Steva is now Director of Services/Visitor Information Center Manager. Because of her interest and love of people, this was a perfect fit for her personality. She enjoys being around and working with positive people who are involved.
V. Mac Baldwin, North Central District
Mac brings a lot of experience to the table by being in the industrial side of things with the AT&T Company for 34 years as a Senior Engineer. He helped the Extension Service host Congressman Brad Miller's Bach home visits and is an advocate for promoting different functions of the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service. Mac is on the local Farm Bureau Board, as well as church boards andother committees. he has designed his own website for direct marketing pasture-based beef, which has added value to his farming enterprise. Mac even sells fresh beef to one of the restaurants in Myrtle Beach, SC. he is expanding his cattle herd to 500 brood cows. he also has four 30,000 layer chicken houses contracted with Allen's hatcheries. Mac is a self-starter in getting things done and making things happen.
Charles Boyd, West District
Charles is a Farmhouse fraternity brother and an NC State graduate two times in the Agricultural Education curriculum. He taught vocational agriculture in Columbus, Davidson and Haywood counties and horticultural technology at Blue Ridge and Haywood Community Colleges. His special interest is horticulture. He has had a part-time landscape contracting and maintenance business for 27 years. Now in retirement, he concentrates full time on landscape contracting. His customers range from private homeowners to major corporations, county government and businesses. He also has an ornamental nursery and raises Angus cattle and Christmas trees on his family farm. He brings an understanding of what advisory leadership can accomplish for Cooperative Extension and a wealth of knowledge and expertise around the advocacy role. Charles serves as a board member of the Jonathan Creek Fire Dept., the Haywood County Agricultural Fair board, the Haywood County Cooperative Extension Advisory Board, the Haywood County Home Builders Association Board, the Haywood Rotary Board. Charles is also a member of Congressman Heath Schuler Agricultural Advisory Council. He is a member of the Haywood County Cooperative Extension Service Horticulture Advisory Council and the Haywood Community College Board of Trustees.
Charles was a 4-H'er growing up and his family has excelled in
4-H. Both his sons were state 4-H officers and his wife was a 4-H leader. His daughter was also an outstanding 4-Her.
Sam Brake, Southeast District
Sam grew up in 4-H in Edgecombe County. Sam began his career as a 4-H agent in Carteret county. After four years he was giventhe opportunity to help develop the 44,000 acre Open Grounds Farm. That farming opportunity lasted 27 1/2 years. A short stint selling farm chemicals (that was not his "cup of tea") led to managing the Grain Growers Cooperative. during those two years, Sam promoted specialty soybeans and biodiesel. Sam now recruits farmers to grow canola which isused by Red Birch Energy to make meal for livestock feed and process the oil into biodiesel. Sam says this project encompasses skills acquired through Extension, farming, selling and promoting and that he is now in his "Tea Pot".
Update 01/26/2009: Sam has just recently been appointed as Director of the Biofuel Center of North Carolina.
Josh Bridges, West Central District
Erik Brinke, West District
Erik, from Murphy, is a UNC-Chapel Hill graduate who has committed 16 years to workforce and economic development. He currently serves as Director of Economic Development for Blue Ridge Mountain EMC, an electric cooperative with customers in both North Carolina and Georgia.
Erik is a graduate of the UNC-Institute of Government County Administration program, and serves as Secretary of the Smoky Mountain Development Corporation. Erik serves locally on the Board of Directors of Appalachian Community Bank, FSB, the Cherokee County Economic Development Commission, as Vice-Chairman of the United Way of Cherokee and Clay Counties, and on the Cherokee County Board of Education.
Erik, his wife Paige, their 6 year old son, Asher, and 2 and ½ year old daughter, Anna, reside in Murphy, NC.
Erik was active in 4-H while growing up. He believes in the mission of Cooperative Extension and the critical services it provides to our communities.
Connie Buckner, West District
Joseph (Joey) Bullock, West Central District
Joey has served on the Rowan County Advisory Council from 2005-2007, and as president in 2006-2007. He is co-leader of the 4-H Vaqueros horse club in Rowan County. He is a member of the Rowan Advisory Committee for Equestrian 4-H Clubs (RACE), and West Central District Horse Advisory Committee.
Laree Cherry, SPC Liasion
Sylvia Churchwell, South Central District
Sylvia spent her school years in Chatham County, her early career in Guilford County and her final years of employment in Lee County. Her education includes a B.S. degree in Business from East Carolina University and a Master’s degree in Guidance and Counseling from UNC-G. Sylvia’s avid support of North Carolina Cooperative Extension began in 1997 shortly after her retirement from the NC Public schools. She joined the Lee County Extension Community Association, and it took only a couple of years for her to recognize the large number of citizens impacted by the Cooperative Extension programs in the areas of education and service. She became a supportive volunteer and advocate for Extension.
Her service in numerous leadership roles including the president of Lemon Springs ECA, Lee County council president and secretary, the Community Outreach Coordinator for both South Central District and the State Association, the North Carolina Extension Community Association Budget Coordinator, member of the State Strategic Planning Committee, and currently as the State Association’s Parliamentarian has helped Sylvia grow in her understanding of how NC Cooperative Extension seeks to improve the lives of citizens across the state. She has been a member of the Extension Advisory Council in Lee County since 2000 and co-chaired the Council for two years.
Sylvia’s other activities in her community have involved serving on the Advisory Council of the Tool & Die Department of Central Carolina Community College, Treasurer of Lemon Springs United Methodist Church, Legislative Chairperson of the Lee County Retired Personnel and participant in the Lee County Highway to Healing Program.
Moncie "Punk" Daniels, Northeast District
Moncie "Punk" Daniels is a former Dare County Commissioner, an avid supporter of the community, a long time supporter of Extension and he works with the fund development for the 4-H Eastern Center. Mr. Daniels is married to Wanda Burrus and has three children and four grandchildren. He is a retired Lt. Colonel, Navy Pilot from the United States Air Force. He reitred as a high school teacher/coach in 1995 from Manteo High School.
Paul Farris, Southeast District
Brenda Gilbert, South Central District
Brenda Gilbert is a retired educator, having worked as the Director of School-Community Relations for the Scotland County School System for 27 years. A native of Kinston, NC, Brenda has lived in Laurinburg for 40 years. She has served on the Extension Advisory Council in Scotland County for 30 years and currently is the council chair.
Much of Brenda’s time is spent volunteering for various community organizations. She has been board chair for the Laurinburg/Scotland County Area Chamber of Commerce, the Arts Council, Habitat for Humanity, Encore! Community Theatre, the Red Cross and the Partnership for Families and Children.
Brenda has a background in music and theatre and has been a storyteller for thirty years.
She is currently the board chair of the Storytelling Arts Center of the Southeast, a non-profit that produces the annual Storytelling Festival of Carolina.
Brenda and her husband, Gray, have four children and nine grandchildren. She attends St. Mary Catholic Church, where she directs the choir and serves as a lector
Marshall Wood Grant, Northeast District
Marshall Grant has been a recognized leader in agriculture in our state. He has represented agriculture at the national level also. His present service includes; Chairman of the NC Boll Weevil Eradication Foundation, Inc.; Advisor to Carolina Cotton Growers Cooperative Foundation, Inc.; Advisor to the Carolina Cotton Growers Cooperative Board; Roanoke Rapids Union Mission Board of Directors. his past service includes: chairman, NC FSA Committee 1980-2007 (except 92-02); Chairman, Beltwide Boll Weevil Eradication Committee of National Cotton Council 1985-2000, he is still a Board member; Advisory Council for Cotton Council 1985-2000, he is still a board member; Advisory Council for NCSU School of Agriculture and Life Sciences; vice President, NC Farm Bureau - resigned to take state FSA committee; director National Cotton Council; governor's Advisory Committee on Agriculture, Forestry, and Seafood; Member National Commission on Agriculture Trade and Export Policy.
Ron Joyner, West Central District
Ron was born as a “military brat” at Tyndall Air Force Base in Panama City, Florida, but has called North Carolina home since his father retired from the military in 1969 and settled in the eastern part of the state. Ron graduated from North Carolina State University in 1980 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Wildlife Biology. After graduation, he worked for eight years at NCSU as a Research Technician in the Department of Botany studying the effects of air pollutants on plant ecosystems. Ron now resides in Ashe County, NC, where he and his wife, Suzanne, own and operate a small farm, orchard and nursery business known as Big Horse Creek Farm. Their specialty is the collection and propagation of heirloom apple trees. They created and designed their website (www.BigHorseCreekFarm.com) through which they have sold thousands of apple trees nationwide since 1999. Their home and business has received regional and nationwide recognition for being totally energy independent, satisfying all of their electrical energy requirements through the power of the wind and sun. Ron is an active participant in the Ashe County Farmers Market and has served as volunteer Market Manager for five years. The Farmers Market has been a great resource that allows Ron and Suzanne to sell their apple trees, fresh fruit and vegetables and high-quality, gourmet garlic. Ron has served as Chairman of the Ashe County Extension Advisory Council for the last two years and was recently re-elected to a second two-year term. He acts as the Farmers Market representative to the West Jefferson Partnership Committee, a group dedicated to the revitalization of downtown West Jefferson. In addition, he volunteers with several environmental organizations, including The Nature Conservancy and the National Committee for the New River.
Jackie Lewis, Southeast District
Jackie entered the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Services through the Brunswick County Master Gardener Association. She later served on the Brunswick County Cooperative Extension Advisory Council. Each of these experiences have brought her closer to the mission of Extension in her community. Having retired from the IBM Corporation where her career of 32 years included many transferrable skills from her jobs in management, computer software development and hardware marketing, Jackie is willing to do whatever can be done to extend the reach of Extension across the state.
She also serves on several other boards in her community: Brunswick County Community Foundation and the Thalian HallTrustee Board. Jackie resides in Southport, NC with her husband, Ed. They have three daughters, a niece, and three grandchildren, all living in other states and North Carolina areas.
Mary Ann Lumpkins, North Central District
Mary Ann has served as the president of the county Extension Family and Community Association and has served in Leadership roles on the district level of this Association. She has been an active member on the local level having served as the president of the county Association, which is now the Extension Volunteer Association, and she has served several terms as president and secretary of her local club. She is a former member of the Extension Advisory Leadership Council and is a valuable volunteer and mentor for children. She is also an advocate for recruiting volunteers and does an excellent job of selling people on why they should volunteer, especially to help children. While most of Mary Ann's professional career has been on the grade school level, she does have a degree in Home Economics. She is truly an advocate for families and all that she does focuses on strengthening families and the community. Mary Ann has always been an advocate for the children in the two group homes in Granville County and she has worked with children at the Oxford Housing Authority.
Pete Miller, Southeast District
Pete Miller is a native of Snow Hill and Greene County. He attended Duke University before going home to help run the family retail furniture business. In 1990 he and the family sold the furniture company and Pete became the Community Penalties Director of the Neuse River Council of Government in New Bern. Later he served as the Green County Economic Development Director and Interim County Manager. He also served on the Green County Board of Commissioners from 1866-1977. Pete also has interest in farming where they grow tobacco, cotton and corn.
The Miller family are staunch NC State fans. Both his daughters graduated from State and he enjoys coming to football games. His wife Patty is a retired music teacher. They also enjoy spending time at their beach house in Moorehead City.
Charles Moseley, West Central District
Chuck is a North Carolina native and lives in Valdese, NC, where he continues to work part-time as Community Affairs Director for the Town. He is a 1959 graduate of Carson-Newman College. Chuck worked in broadcasting for 25 years and still helps out when needed at the local radio station. He is an avid sports fan and worked for ten years as color analyst with the late Charlie Harville broadcasting Appalachian State University football. For eleven years, he did play-by-play for basketball and football for Gardner-Webb University and he still stays involved in sports, broadcasting the games for East Burke High School on WSVM in Valdese.
As an active Rotarian, he has served in numerous offices in the Valdese Club and is past Assistant Governor for the district. He is a former member of the Advisory Board for the Burke County Cooperative Extension Service.
Chuck has three children: Debbi, a banker in Hendersonville, Alan, an environmental engineer in Matthews, and Deanna, a veterinarian, in Shelby.
Jack Parker, Northeast District
Jack Parker is a native of Lasker and Northampton Counties. He graduated in Animal Science from NC State University with BS and MS degrees in Animal Nutrition. His first job was managing a livestock farm in Robeson County. In 1960 he joined Extension as Livestock Agent in Beaufort County and in 1962 transferred to Halifax County. After graduate school he served as Livestock Specialist in the Animal Science Department until retirement in 1992. He worked for AKEY Animal Nutrition until 2000. Jack also owns a farm in Northampton County.
As an active Lion, he has served as president and numerous other duties in the Edenton Lions Club. He is a member of the Albemarle Sounds Barbershop Chorus and sings in The Albermarle Echoes Quartet. As a member of Edenton United Methodist Church he serves as Chairman of the Trustees.
Jack and his wife Trudy have three married children; Jacqueline, UNC graduate; Johnny, NCSU graduate; and Alan, UNC graduate. They have six grandchildren.
Jim Parlier, West District
Jim has been an active Advisory Council Member for a number of years, knows and supports Cooperative Extension. He serves as Chair of Farm-City Week activities, which recognizes outstanding citizens in Yancey County for their efforts at an annual breakfast. Jim is a member of the Lions Club, and has served as president of the organization. He is a member of the First Baptist church of Burnsville, is married and has 3 daughters. He received the Honor Agency Manager Award for Outstanding Sales Management in Yancey County from Farm Bureau. He has a Bachelor Of Philosophy from UNCC.
George Quigley, South Central District
George Quigley retired from the military at Fort Bragg after thirty-four years of service. He worked in Saudi Arabia for five years before really retiring. He is a parishioner of St. Ann Church and is a member of its’ Parish Council. He has lived in Cumberland County for twenty-six years. He is a North Carolina Master Gardener Volunteer and is Past-President of the North Carolina Master Gardener Volunteer Association. He is on the Board of Directors of the Raleigh Diocese Catholic Social Ministries. He is currently Chairman of the Second Harvest Food Bank of Southeastern North Carolina.
He is a member of the Cumberland County North Carolina Cooperative Extension Advisory Council and is currently its chairman. He is on the Board of Directors of the Cape Fear Botanical Garden and was president for 2005/2006. He is a committee member of the Cross Creek Linear Park Commission and is Past- Chairman of the Board of the Cumberland County United Way.
In his spare time he is an avid gardener, teaches a landscaping class at Fayetteville Technical Community College and is a Volunteer Income Tax Assistor at the Fort Bragg Tax Center. He creates WEB pages and maintains two sites. He is married with 4 children and eight granddaughters and one grandson.
John Schnautz, West District
John has been a Master Gardener Volunteer since 1992, Master Food Preserver Volunteer since 1993, member of Buncombe County Cooperative Extension Advisory Council since 1996 and Chair of that organization from 1999 to 2006.
John holds a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering, M.S. in Food Science and B.S. in Chemistry. John’s professional career was in international energy. John has been a staunch supporter of North Carolina Cooperative Extension advocacy since retiring and moving to Asheville in 1990. John has also been an active leader in Asheville SCORE, Counselors to America’s Small Business for more than 15 years.
John and his wife Barbara ‘toy’ with raising apples, blueberries, grapes and other fruits as well as tomatoes, corn, beans and other vegetables all of which are processed into tasty specialty products for enjoyment as well as for exhibiting at the Western North Carolina Mountain State Fair.
B.A. Smith, South Central District
B.A. is serving his first term with the Advisory Council and comes to us from Stanly County. B.A. already had ties with the University because he was a graduate of N.C. State and received a degree in Ag. Education. B.A. also attended the USAF Pilot School, Squadron Officers School, Command and Staff college, Air War College and numerous other schools.
B.A. is a retired USAF Colonel Base Commander USAF. He served on the staff of the Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff. He is a decorated combat pilot from the Vietnam War. B.A. now operates a large cow/calf farm business and owns/manages numerous residential rentals.
Jo Ann Stroud, Southeast District
Jo Ann is living within 6 miles of where she was raised. She has always lived on a farm. Jo Ann and her husband have raised turkeys, pigs, and cows for many years and leased two other farms out.
When Jo Ann’s husband became disabled with rheumatoid arthritis 3 years ago, they sold the hog farm along with the cows. Jo Ann worked in medical records coding diseases and transcribing reports for 30 years. She retired and then became Director of Liberty Hall Restoration where she meets many interesting people from all over the country. Jo Ann has always helped work on the farm as well. She loved tending to the pigs and received North Carolina's Outstanding Pork Producer award in 2002. She also received Duplin County's Melvin Cording award for Agriculture, Jo Ann received the Governor's Award for the most outstanding volunteer, and in 2005 she received the Woodmen of the World's award for Duplin County's Outstanding Citizen. Jo Ann is a certified Lay Speaker for the United Methodist Church and won the Lay Person of the Year for the Goldsboro District which covers several counties.
Jo Ann is the Chairperson for the Boys and Girls Club in Duplin County, Chairperson for the Duplin County Education Foundation, and serves on the Duplin General Hospital Foundation. Jo Ann is the Secretary for the Duplin County Agribusiness Council, Vice President of Duplin County's Historical Society, Chairperson for North Carolina's District 3 Selective Service Board and she is Chief Judge in the Kenansville precinct on Election Day. Jo Ann serves on the Agriculture Advisory Committee for Senator Charlie Albertson and Representative Dewey Hill. She also serves on the Ag Foundation for the College of Agriculture and Life Science at NC State.
Jo Ann has served as a judge for beauty pageants, 4-H cooking contests, talent shows, and floats in a parade. She has done the invocation for a Legislative breakfast, for the North Carolina Pork Conference, and for the Annual North Carolina Agribusiness Council on three different occasions. She has introduced the former Speaker of the House, Jim Black and Senator Marc Basnight.
Jo Ann and her husband have been married 47 years. They have one daughter who lives in Kansas City, Kansas with her husband and young son.
Jo Ann likes history and genealogy because she feels that we are a product of everything that has happened to us up to this point. “I realize that life is short, even if we live to be old, so I like to squeeze in all the living I can while doing all the good that I can for all the people I meet along the way.
Ralph Warren, North Central District
Ralph Warren's professional and business experience include 30 years with IBM corporation, initially in design engineering and then progressing to leadership and management positions from the 1970s through 1995. he returned to iBM for a short term contract leadership position in 1999. In addition to his experience with a very large corporation, mr. Warren established his own small company, Warren partners Inc., through which he and his spouse provided contract services to AT&T and Easy Entry Software. he was also one of three officers in a startup wireless technology company of 35 employees, Integrian Inc., during 2000 and 2001.
Mr. Warren followed his IBM career with school executive positions in Danville, VA and Macon, GA.
Mr. Warren has been an active volunteer and participant in community and state level affairs since beginning school volunteer work in the late 1970s. he was elected to two terms on the Orange County School Board (1988 and 1992), served as a Board officer for four of those years, and was elected by fellow NC school board members to the Board of Directors of the NC School Boards Association in 1994.
Shelly Willingham, North Central District
Shelly Willingham, an Edgecombe County native, has a strong interest in building better communities. While attending Elizabeth City State University he worked one summer as one of the first 100 NC Volunteers in the VISTA program. This began his interest in community development, volunteerism and economic development. He had other community based experiences in West Virginia and then in the Washington, DC police Department. Later he worked for Connecticut General in personnel and then for Ashland Oil Company in Kentucky as a specialist in Personnel. Other areas of work include being a Financial Analyst for Ashland Oil Small Business Investment Corporation. In 1980 he retired and returned home in Edgecombe County.
Shelly's leadership and service to the county are widespread. Shelly is currently a real estate consultant with the "Willingham Group". As a public servant, he has served on the Edgecombe County School Board, the Edgecombe County Commissioners, and one term in as a State Legislator.
Joan Wright, North Central District
Dr. Joan Wright spent 30 years in land grant universities, the last 23 as Extension specialist at NCSU and the University of California-Davis. She is the volunteer manager of local Farmers Market since it started. She is a Master Gardener and has worked on efforts to create public awareness of value of agriculture and on local farmland preservation efforts. Joan was a former 4-H member and later a 4-H leader in New York state.
Lynn Yokley, West Central District
Lynn Yokley, a Davie County native, first learned of Extension through her children's 4-H activities. Lynn is employed by Davie County Schools as their head school Social Worker. Lynn and her husband have two grown children, Elizabeth and Zach.
Lynn is a graduate of ASU and UNC-Greensboro. Lynn is a member of the Davie Extension Advisory Leadership Council and serves on the Facilities committee. Lynn is also a member of the Volunteer Agricultural District Board and serves as a United Way volunteer.
