For Immediate Release 5/10/2010

Contact: Garnet Bass, director of communications, 919-250-4314 

During his keynote address, Keith Crisco, secretary of the N.C. Department of Commerce, stressed the importance of capable leaders to help rural North Carolina weather the recession.

“Leadership is the only way out of the hole,” he said. “Strategically it is the only thing that will move our country out of bad economic times.”

He also expressed confidence that rural communities will emerge stronger and with a greater sense of unity. “People say this is the Great Depression. It’s not,” he said. “It’s the depression that will make us great.”

The class of 2010 brings the total number of institute graduates to 837. Several dozen alumni returned to the Rural Center for the homecoming event, which celebrated the center’s 20-plus years of leadership development.

Sponsored annually by the Rural Center, the institute offers an opportunity for leaders in business, government, economic development, civic groups and grassroots organizations to broaden their understanding of rural community and economic development and to hone their personal leadership skills. Participants attend three sessions over the course of three months.

The new graduates are, by county: Anson, Anna Baucom; Ashe, Debbie Sexton; Avery, John Mejaski; Bertie, Collins Cooper; Buncombe, Matthew Raker and Brett Sculthorp; Burke, Ed Hallyburton; Cabarrus, Randy Wall; Columbus, Monte Herring; Cumberland, Monita McLaurin; Duplin, Randall Tyndall; Franklin, Mary Johnson; Johnston, Nicole Jones; Jones, Franky Howard; Lee, Angela Rivera; Macon, Linda Schlott; Northampton, Ray Harrell and Deborah Morrison; Onslow, Mark Sutherland; Perquimans, Steven Lambert; Randolph, Kelley Woodley; Robeson, Kim Pevia; Surry, Chris Knopf and Leslie Schlender; Tyrrell, Helen Craddock; Wake, Melody Adams and Tony Hayes; Washington, Henry Burdick; and Yadkin, Tyler Beardsley and Bonnie Lasky.

The N.C. Rural Economic Development Center is a private, nonprofit organization whose mission is to develop sound economic strategies that improve the quality of life in rural North Carolina, with a special focus on individuals with low to moderate incomes and communities with limited resources. The center operates a multifaceted program that includes conducting research into rural issues; testing promising rural development strategies; advocating for policy and program innovations; and building the productive capacity of rural leaders, entrepreneurs and community organizations.

Leadership graduate biographies

Melody Adams is director of the Building Reuse and Restoration Grants Program at the N.C. Rural Economic Development Center. Previously, she served as economic development director for Graham County.

Anna Baucom serves as chair of the Anson County Board of Commissioners. She is a member of the N.C. Association of County Commissioners’ Risk Management Pools Board of Trustees, Anson County’s Partnership for Children and the Anson County Tourism Development Authority.

Tyler Beardsley is one of four members of the Local Government Service Corps, which provides small towns with administrative support to strengthen economic development initiatives. He received a bachelor’s degree in community and regional planning and a master’s in public administration from Appalachian State University.

Henry Burdick is priest in charge of Grace Episcopal Church in Plymouth. A native of Connecticut, he was responsible for establishing the Connecticut Youth Service Association in Branford, the Connecticut AIDS Residence program and the Branford Interfaith Housing Corp.

Collins Cooper is executive director of the Windsor Bertie Chamber of Commerce. He also serves as a town commissioner, president of the Windsor Rotary Club, vice chair of the Mid-East Housing Authority and a member of the county economic development committee.

Helen Craddock has worked with Partnership for the Sounds for 11 years and is the facility manager for the Tyrrell County Visitors Center and Columbia Theater Cultural Resources Center. She sits on planning committees for the Scuppernong River Festival, River Town Christmas and Ride to a Wish.

Ed Hallyburton is president of Major Electric Inc. and sits on the board of directors for the Burke County Chamber of Commerce, Valdese Economic Development and Incentive Corp. and the Burke County Planning Board. He also is a member of the Valdese Rotary Club.

Ray Harrell is manager of housing services with the Choanoke Area Development Association, which serves Northampton, Halifax, Hertford and Bertie counties. He also has worked in insurance, real estate and development.

Tony Hayes is tribal chairman of North Carolina’s Occaneechi Indians and chief executive officer of the N.C. Indian Economic Development Initiative, a statewide agency serving all eight tribes and four tribal organizations in North Carolina. He serves on the boards of the Carolina Minority Supplier Diversity Council, United Minority Contractors of North Carolina and the N.C. Minority Support Center.

Monte Herring has worked more than 30 years in the operations division of Brunswick Electric Membership Corp. He also sits on the Columbus County Board of Education, which he served as chair last year.

Franky Howard was appointed Jones County manager in October 2007. He earned a bachelor’s degree in agricultural business management from N.C. State University and previously served as a Cooperative Extension agent for Jones County.

Mary Johnson is a member of the town council of Louisburg, where she served three terms as mayor pro tem. She also served two terms on the board of directors of the N.C. League of Municipalities and was in the U.S. Army for nearly 23 years.

Chris Knopf is assistant manager of Surry County, where he is responsible for economic development, tourism development, water and sewer project management, and grant writing. He previously served as the county’s planning director.

Nicole Jones has worked for the past nine years as family services senior counselor and supervisor with Johnston-Lee-Harnett Community Action. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, the National Association of University Women’s Smithfield branch and the National Association of Social Workers.

Steven Lambert is planning director for the Albemarle Commission in Hertford. He is a member of the N.C. Association of Rural Planning Organizations and the American Planning Association, including its N.C. chapter.

Bonnie Lasky was recently appointed mayor pro tem of Boonville, where she has served as town commissioner since 2007. She is a consultant for the U.S. Department of Energy, serves as chair of the town’s NC STEP leadership team and volunteers with several community groups.

Monita McLaurin is the chief community planner for the 16-county Southeastern Regional Office of the N.C. Department of Commerce Division of Community Assistance. Previously, she worked with the Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority, the Library of Congress and the City of Alexandria, Va.

John Mejaski is town manager of Banner Elk, which has a year-round population of 1,000 and 2,500 additional summertime residents.

Deborah Morrison is job developer for an American Recovery and Reinvestment Act program administered by the Choanoke Area Development Association. She also worked and volunteered with various organizations during her 20 years in Chattanooga, Tenn.

Kim Pevia serves as regional coordinator for the Southeast Entrepreneurial Alliance, a Rural Center-supported initiative at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke. She works with the Robeson County Tourism Group, American Indian Women of Proud Nations, Pembroke Chamber of Commerce and several other organizations.

Matthew Raker administers grant activities and directs the AdvantageGreen program for AdvantageWest Economic Development Group. He serves as chair of the Sustainability Advisory Committee for the Asheville City Council and director of the board of the Western North Carolina Alliance.

Angela Rivera is director of grants and sponsored programs for Central Carolina Community College and is working toward certification as a fundraising executive. She belongs to several professional organizations, including the Association of Professional Fundraisers and the Council of Officers of Resource Development.

Leslie Schlender works part-time as the Elkin economic development director while also serving as adviser to the Elkin Tourism Development Authority and financial officer for the Tourism Partnership of Surry County. She has worked in tourism and business development in New Zealand, France and the United States.

Linda Schlott is executive director of the Main Street Program in Franklin. She has served as president and secretary of the Franklin Board of Realtors and volunteered with the local downtown merchants association.

Brett Sculthorp works as prevention coordinator for Addiction Recovery Prevention, a subsidiary of RHA Health Services. The nonprofit provides behavioral health and developmental disability services across the state.

Debbie Sexton works as an area technician with USDA Rural Development in Jefferson. She has been with Rural Development for 26 years.

Mark Sutherland is executive director of the N.C. Eastern Region Military Growth Task Force in Swansboro. After a career in the U.S. Marine Corps, he worked as a commercial builder and developer.

Randall Tyndall is county planner and section manager for Duplin County, where he managed the Hurricane Floyd recovery program. He spent more than 27 years in the N.C. National Guard, the last 17 on Army active duty. He was named Soldier of the Year in 1989 at the state level and in 1991 at the regional level.

Randy Wall is pastor of Cold Springs United Methodist Church in Concord. He serves within the United Methodist Church as an advocate and educator on rural issues and on issues related to small membership churches.

Kelley Woodley is an area specialist for USDA Rural Development in Rocky Mount. He earned an associate’s degree in agricultural business management from N.C. State University and bachelor’s and master’s in agricultural education from N.C. A&T State University.