Byron Kirkland

A corporate and securities lawyer at Smith Anderson for over 30 years, Byron Kirkland has extensive experience in private equity and venture capital transactions; domestic and international mergers and acquisitions; and general corporate law and securities matters. He represents public and private companies across diverse industry sectors including information technology, clean technology, medical device, biotechnology, pharmaceutical, communications and manufacturing.

Byron also has an active venture capital and private equity fund practice, representing venture capital and private equity funds. He regularly assists funds with their portfolio company investments, acquisitions and fund formation matters.

Additionally, Byron is the leader of the Firm’s Private Equity practice group, Co-Chair of the Firm’s Corporate team and is Chair of the Firm’s Policy and Planning Committee.

Linda Shropshire Eudy

Linda Shropshire Eudy is a North Carolina native, hailing from the Queen City – Charlotte. She came to the Triangle in 1984 to attend North Carolina State University and with the exception of brief stints in Boca Raton, Florida and Atlanta, Georgia, the Triangle area has been home for over 30 years.

Currently, Linda lives in Durham and is the Global Lead for Human Rights at Cisco Systems. When asked how a low-tech person like herself works for one of the largest high-tech companies in the world Linda responds, “There are enough techies to go around. What I bring to the table is an authentic voice, a global perspective, and a clear understanding of the human condition.”

While she is enthused about her work, nothing gives Linda more joy than being mother to amazing daughters, Taylor (21) a graduating senior at Temple University and Sydney (18) a freshman at the University of Pittsburgh. Linda holds a B.A.in International Relations and Business from North Carolina State University and also studied Italian language and culture at the Universita per Stranieri in Perugia, Italy.

She serves on the board of directors for Book Harvest and she is former members of both the North Carolina Childcare Commission and the Durham Public Arts Advisory Committee. When not working, volunteering, and performing the duties of “Mother-in-Chief” Linda enjoys spending time at the ocean, the Durham Farmer’s Market, reading, drinking great coffee, cooking, and walks with her favorite miniature schnauzer, Kobe Jack.

Autrice Campbell-Long

Autrice Campbell Long was most recently the Vice President and Community Development Manager for Truist Bank. She is responsible for CRA and Community Development initiatives in the Triangle and Eastern North Carolina Regions.

Autrice’s career in the Financial Services industry and Economic Development spans more than 40 years. Prior to her move to the Triangle in 2006, she served at the Workforce Development Manager for the Peninsula Council for Workforce Development in Hampton, Virginia.

In addition to her professional responsibilities, Autrice is a member and former Board Chair of the Families Moving Forward and the NC Housing Coalition. Autrice is a graduate of Old Dominion University and a Life Member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. She and her husband Donald live in Durham.

Rahul Pagidipati

Rahul Pagidipati is the Chief Investment Officer at Ayon Capital.

Rahul is an entrepreneur and investor. He co-founded Freedom Health which was the largest Private Health Insurance company in America ($1.8 Billion in annual revenue). Anthem (#29 on the Fortune 5000) acquired Freedom Health in 2018. Rahul and his family have been the lead or founding investor in multiple “Unicorn” Healthcare companies including: Oscar Health, RxAdvance, and Rise (One Medical). In India, the family is the lead investor in eVaidya, United Hospitals, NanoHealth (2014 Recipient of the HULT Prize), and Anion Healthcare Services. He is currently focusing on integrating these firms to build a Social Enterprised Health System in Hyderabad, India. He has a JD/MBA from the Northwestern School of Law and Kellogg School of Management.

Jess George

Jess George is the Government & Community Affairs Manager for Google Fiber in North Carolina. She works with community leaders, organizations, and neighborhoods to advance innovation and address issues of access, opportunity, and digital inclusion. Prior to joining the Google Fiber team, Jess worked on immigrant justice issues, most recently as the Executive Director of the Latin American Coalition. Originally from a tiny town in central New York state, Jess has called North Carolina home for 20 years.

Jay Irby

Jay Irby is Triangle Area Executive for First Citizens Bank. He manages a network of 31 branches in Wake, Durham, Orange, and Chatham counties and the bank’s business and retail banking efforts in those markets. He previously served as the bank’s Triangle area manager of business banking and is based in Raleigh.

A Raleigh native, Jay graduated with a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He joined First Citizens in late 2014 and has more than 20 years of banking experience.

In the community, Irby is active in the Greater Raleigh Chamber and has served as chair for the First Citizens United Way campaign. He recently served as treasurer and as a board member for the Triangle Aphasia Project. In addition, he is a member of the Regional Transportation Alliance and serves as the chair of its rapid research committee. He is also an active volunteer with Habitat for Humanity.

David Haines

Dave serves as the Raleigh Managing Partner and is responsible for the oversight of more than 750 professionals in the Research Triangle Region.  He drives client and business growth to enhance the strategic direction and delivery of the full breadth of Deloitte services to the North Carolina market.

Dave has been with Deloitte & Touche since 1995, working in the San Diego, New York, and Charlotte offices before relocating to Raleigh. In addition to his leadership role, he provides audit and risk services to top life sciences and healthcare clients, and has extensive experience leading engagement teams in all aspects of integrated financial statement and internal controls audits, including the coordination of foreign member firms involved in the audits of public companies with global operations. He also has significant experience with carve-out financial statements, private equity buy-outs, predecessor/successor accounting and reporting issues, and spin-offs. He currently serves as the lead partner for Syneos Health, PPD, PAREXEL International, and the US operations of GlaxoSmithKline.

Outside of Deloitte, Dave is a trustee of the North Carolina Symphony and is a board member of the Council for Entrepreneurial Development. He previously was a board member of the Community Building Initiative, a non-profit organization in Charlotte, NC focused on equity and inclusion. He is a graduate of San Diego State University, is a registered CPA in California and North Carolina, and is married with two teenage boys.

Anne Howard

Anne Howard was most recently a Director in the Grant Thornton National Financial Services practice with significant regulatory compliance, operational, internal audit, and risk management experience for financial institutions and non-bank financial institutions.  Previously, she served as an Experience Manager within Grant Thornton.

Anne has more than 30 years of internal audit and regulatory compliance experience, including extensive BSA/AML/OFAC experience. She has held various compliance and internal audit positions in small, moderate, and large financial services organizations and has provided compliance and advisory services in the governance, risk, and compliance space.

Anthony Fassino

Anthony (Tony) Fassino is a vice president of Caterpillar Inc. with responsibility for the Building Construction Products Division. In this role he provides global leadership over Caterpillar’s line of small, versatile construction machines and work tools. The Building Construction Products Division’s footprint spans 8 countries today with a workforce of more than 7,000.

Fassino joined Caterpillar in 1996 and has held a variety of positions around the world, including several sales and technical field assignments in the U.S. and Canada. Following roles as a 6 Sigma Black Belt in the North America Commercial Division, he became the New Product Introduction (NPI) manager for the excavator product line in Akashi, Japan. In more recent roles, Fassino led the Eastern U.S. Region Distribution Services team and then served as director of Caterpillar’s global Forest Products business.

Fassino currently serves as a Caterpillar representative on the Future Farmers of America (FFA) Sponsors Board and the Association of Equipment Manufacturers Construction Equipment Sector Board. Fassino earned a bachelor’s and master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Bradley University and is a graduate of Caterpillar’s “Digging Deep” executive development program offered through Duke University.

Bradley Retzlaff

Bradley is an Assurance Partner in the Raleigh, NC office. He has served audits of both public and private companies in the industrial products, technology, health care, and mining industries. He spent his first 6 years in EY’s Atlanta office and the last 10 years in the Raleigh office.

He has experience serving multi-national clients and have assisted clients in transactions including IPOs, secondary offerings, debt offerings, divestitures, and business combinations. He’s also assisted clients in implementing Sarbanes-Oxley section 404 requirements, including a secondment in Dublin, Ireland where he assisted in implementation of 404 for a large foreign private issuer.

He has experience in various technical issues including accounting for derivatives, business combinations, stock compensation, restructuring, asset impairment, goodwill impairment, debt amendments/modifications, amongst others.

Bradley is married with two sons and enjoys playing golf with his two boys and spending time on Lake Gaston with his family.

Clayton Dorn

Upon earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration, Clayton began his tenure in management at UPS. In his 33 years as an UPSer, he has held various management positions. Currently, he is the Carolina Transportation Training Manager for North and South Carolina. Clayton has a passion for helping others and serves the community at the ground level and through board memberships. He is an active board member of the following organizations: United Way of the Greater Triangle, Junior Achievement of Eastern North Carolina, The American Red Cross, Big Brothers and Big Sisters, School to Career, Global Health Connections International and various committees like Millbrook High School and Wake Forest High School Business Alliance Committees. Additionally, Clayton enjoys volunteering at several nonprofits, including The Assistance League of the Triangle, Habitat for Humanity, Raleigh Rescue Mission and the Raleigh Food Bank.

Creighton Blackwell

Creighton P. Blackwell is an accomplished, award winning, dynamic executive who has served as a community and business leader for over 28 years on a local as well as national level. He currently serves as the Chief Community & Public Affairs Officer (CCPAO) after successfully holding the position of Chief Culture and Impact Officer, Vice President of Corporate Affairs and Community Engagement and VP of Retail Banking at Coastal Credit Union. He has also held upper level management positions at RBC Bank such as U.S. Director of Sales Communications and Marketing, Founder of the Sales Solutions Center (inside consulting firm) and Managing Director of Business Banking Strategy for North America. He has also served as Market Executive for multiple cities.

Creighton also has extensive community service experience serving on non- profit Executive boards throughout the nation. He currently serves as the Executive Board Chairperson for the North Carolina Council on Economic Education, the Coastal Credit Union Foundation, The Greater Chapel Hill Chamber of Commerce’s Partnership for a Sustainable Community Foundation and the Founding Chairperson for the Morrisville Innovation Foundation. He also currently serves on the Executive Board of Directors of the Triangle Community Foundation, United Way of the Greater Triangle, The National Credit Union Foundation, The Carolinas Credit Union Foundation, Wake Technical College Foundation, Wake Medical Foundation, the Kenan Fellows Advisory Education Board,  the NC Business Committee for Education hosted out of the Governor’s office and the Triangle Martin Luther King Leadership Committee. Creighton has also been appointed by the Governor of North Carolina to serve on the North Carolina Museum Advisory Commission as well as the DRIVE Education Taskforce focused on increasing diversity within education for the state of North Carolina. His recent past Executive Board service at Habitat for Humanity and the YMCA and others has led to various awards and the creation of impactful programs that still thrives today.

Crystal Wilson

Crystal Wilson is a Personal Lines Sales Manager, National Sales Team- Central Region at Nationwide Insurance.  She has twenty years of experience in the Insurance industry and has been a part of the Nationwide family for nine and a half years. Crystal currently serves as the All Women ARG Virtual Liaison along with the 2020-2021 Co-Chair of the Community Giving Campaign.

She received her B.A. in Communication Studies from The University of Michigan and earned her M.B.A. from the School of Business and Economics at Winston Salem State University.

Crystal is a mother of three beautiful girls, Bella (5), Victoria (7) and stepdaughter Sydni (20) and wife of Vinson Wilson for fourteen years.  In her spare time, she teaches Zumba classes and enjoys promoting health and fitness.  She is the founder of her own health and fitness company, Hurricane Chris Fitness.  Crystal is also the Program Director of Jack & Jill of America – Burlington Graham Chapter, Former Board Member of the Bethesda Center for the Homeless and the YWCA.

David Ellis

The Wake County Board of Commissioners named David Ellis county manager on Feb. 12, 2018. In this role, he oversees a $1.47 million budget and manages county departments that serve Wake’s 1.1 million residents. Ellis started his tenure with Wake County in February 2015 when he accepted a deputy county manager position. In that role, he oversaw several departments, including Human Services, Community Services and Environmental Services. He most recently served as interim county manager.

Prior to coming to Wake County, Ellis served as assistant city manager in Charlottesville, Virginia, for three years. He also held positions in Fairfax County, Virginia, including assistant to the county executive, assistant director of Human Services, and manager of the Redevelopment and Housing Authority and the Department of Code Compliance.
Ellis holds a bachelor’s degree from James Madison University and a master’s degree in public administration from George Mason University. He also holds the distinction of credentialed manager through the International City/County Management Association. In addition, Ellis successfully completed the Harvard Kennedy School Senior Executives in State and Local Government program in 2017.

Ellis is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc., and serves on the National Forum for Black Public Administrators Board as well as the Board of the United Way of the Greater Triangle.

David Haines

Dave serves as the Raleigh Managing Partner and is responsible for the oversight of more than 750 professionals in the Research Triangle Region.  He drives client and business growth to enhance the strategic direction and delivery of the full breadth of Deloitte services to the North Carolina market.

Dave has been with Deloitte & Touche since 1995, working in the San Diego, New York, and Charlotte offices before relocating to Raleigh. In addition to his leadership role, he provides audit and risk services to top life sciences and healthcare clients, and has extensive experience leading engagement teams in all aspects of integrated financial statement and internal controls audits, including the coordination of foreign member firms involved in the audits of public companies with global operations. He also has significant experience with carve-out financial statements, private equity buy-outs, predecessor/successor accounting and reporting issues, and spin-offs. He currently serves as the lead partner for Syneos Health, PPD, PAREXEL International, and the US operations of GlaxoSmithKline.

Outside of Deloitte, Dave is a trustee of the North Carolina Symphony and is a board member of the Council for Entrepreneurial Development. He previously was a board member of the Community Building Initiative, a non-profit organization in Charlotte, NC focused on equity and inclusion. He is a graduate of San Diego State University, is a registered CPA in California and North Carolina, and is married with two teenage boys.

David Reese

David Reese, MBA, has over 25 years of experience in non-profit operations and leadership development, with particular expertise in community development and aligning systems and partners to improve outcomes for families and children and youth. Throughout his career, David has been passionate about creating opportunities for low-wealth families and developing ecosystems in which families, children, and youth can thrive. He believes that complex issues such as poverty, health, social mobility, and food security require holistic, collective, and community-based solutions. David has led the Durham Children’s Initiative (DCI) through incredible growth since he joined the organization as its first (and only) President and CEO in 2010. Under his leadership, the Durham Children’s Initiative has raised nearly $15 million dollars in support of families and children in Durham, expanded from a team of 2 to 25 (with over 50 staff seasonally), and has served over 2,000 young people.

Delores Bailey

Delores joined the EmPOWERment, Inc. staff as Community Organizer in 2002. She soon became Associate Director in charge of organizing, rental properties, and marketing. In May 2005 she became Executive Director. During her time in this role, Ms. Bailey has provided oversight of EmPOWERment Inc. as it has become one of the largest nonprofit property owners of affordable rental units in Orange County, NC.  In January 2019, the Triangle Martin Luther King, Jr. Committee recognized Ms. Bailey for her consistent and powerful impact on the community she serves by naming her as their first King Leader Award recipient.

Dr. Peter Morris

Dr. Peter J. Morris is the Executive Director of Urban Ministries of Wake County, a nondenominational nonprofit with programs providing healthcare for the uninsured, nutritious food for adults, children and families facing food insecurity, and assisting homeless women on their path from the streets to a signed lease. Board certified in Pediatrics and Preventive Medicine, Dr. Morris served for over 25 years as Wake County’s Medical Director and Deputy Human Services Director before coming to the nonprofit sector. He believes Urban Ministries provides hospitality, a platform and a space where neighbors in need partner in health, shop for the foods their families need, and seek their own paths out of homelessness, using their own skills and agency to succeed. He describes his “business” as believing in the possibilities of people and letting them succeed.  In addition to the MD, he has an MPH in Epidemiology, both from UNC Chapel Hill, and a MDiv from Duke. He lives in Fuquay Varina with his wife Sara Ann and multiple cats.

Dwight Morris

Dwight Morris in his 11^th year as Executive Director of Partnership for Children of Johnston County.  He previously erved as the Executive Director of the Yadkin County Partnership for Children for 7 years prior.

Outside of his full-time role, Dwight pursues opportunities related to his strong interests in economic development and community collaborations. He most recently completed a term as the local Chamber of Commerce Board Chair and has been elected to two terms on the Florence School District II Board.

Dwight is a native of Greensboro, NC and has two grown children and two grandchildren. He earned a BA from Campbell College, Dual Masters from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, and a Doctorate from Erskine College with a focus on Social Justice.

In addition to enjoying working with children and families, Dwight loves to travel, is a Drone Pilot, learning to fly a powered paraplane, and enjoys a relaxing motorcycle ride.

Evan Sitton

Evan is Senior Vice President, CRA & Community Development for Pacific Western Bank (“PWB”). In this role, Evan manages PWB’s community development investment, lending, and service activity for North Carolina and Colorado. Rooted in the banking industry’s focus on the Community Reinvestment Act (“CRA”), this work seeks to improve availability and access to affordable housing, community services for low- to- moderate-income households, and sources of capital and technical assistance for small businesses.

Evan currently serves on the Board of Directors for Durham Children’s Initiative and Voyager Academy, as well as on DPS Foundation’s Corporate Leaders for Public Education Advisory Group. He is a past board chair of Partners for Youth Opportunity, a non-profit connecting Durham youth to economic, educational, and social assets needed to experience a self determined and sustainable life. Evan received his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from UNC-CH’s Kenan-Flagler Business School.

Gayle Cabrera

Gayle Cabrera is the Market President of Cary for Truist. Prior to accepting the position of Market President, she was the Business Banking Leader for the Northern Georgia region. She began her career in 2007 with BB&T, now Truist, in its Leadership Development Program and gained experience in Commercial Lending in different roles throughout her career.

She was born and raised in Riverdale, Georgia. Gayle is a proud graduate of the University of Georgia where she received her BBA in International Business with an emphasis on Risk Management and Insurance.

Gayle was active in the Atlanta Metropolitan community serving as the Immediate Past Chair of Cole Women United for United Way of Greater Atlanta. Under her leadership, United Way of Greater Atlanta launched the Women’s Initiative Fund which directs donations in the agency’s General Impact Fund to specifically aid efforts that enrich the lives of women and children in our community. She is currently a Trustee for The Clayton State University Foundation serving on its Development Committee. She is also a board member for the Cary Rotary Foundation and is a member of the Cary Rotary Club. Gayle also serves of the Cary Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and on the Executive Committee. Gayle has also served on the Big Kidz Foundation Board of Directors. The foundation’s mission is for provide cultural experiences in art and music for underprivileged children. She is excited to become involved in the community in Cary.

Gayle, her husband and two children are elated to be joining the Cary community. She enjoys traveling and exploring with her family and being able to give her children different experiences. She also enjoys doing community service projects as a family to instill philanthropy in her children at a young age.

Greg Winkler

Greg Winkler is an area manager for the commercial banking team at Pinnacle Financial Partners based in Raleigh.

Winkler began his banking career in 1990 with nearly 30 years spent at Wells Fargo. Before joining Pinnacle in 2019, he served as a business banking manager and as a market president in the Triangle.

Winkler specializes in helping integrate acquired banks and leading change management efforts to improve production and performance. He helped lead two successful integrations in California before coming to Raleigh in 2011 to help integrate Wachovia into Wells Fargo. Much of his success in that work was centered on recruiting, coaching and retaining top talent and helping drive market expansions.

Winkler earned his bachelor’s degree from Indiana University and master’s degree from Taylor University. He is also licensed as a CPA in North Carolina. He is a past board chair of the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce and serves as the current board chair for United Way of the Greater Triangle. He also serves on the Triangle Family Services Advisory Board.

Heidi Chan

Heidi Chan was named the market president for AmeriHealth Caritas North Carolina in October 2019. North Carolina is one of the newest markets for the AmeriHealth Caritas Family of Companies, which operates in 12 states and the District of Columbia, serving more than 5 million Medicaid, Medicare, and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) members. In her role, Chan is the plan’s primary point of contact with the State of North Carolina and is responsible for strategic direction and general oversight of all of the plan’s day to day operations, including medical affairs, quality, provider network management, marketing and community outreach, growth and leadership.

Chan has been with AmeriHealth Caritas since 2006. Before coming to North Carolina, Chan served as market president of Blue Cross Complete of Michigan, a joint venture between Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and AmeriHealth Caritas. Under her stewardship, Blue Cross Complete of Michigan was the state’s fastest growing Medicaid managed care plan. Previously, Chan was the director of regulatory affairs, member communications and compliance for AmeriHealth Caritas in Pennsylvania. Chan holds a bachelor’s degree in Public Policy from The Pennsylvania State University and a Master of Business Administration degree in Health Care Management from Regis University.

Joan Nelson

With more than three decades of industry experience, Joan currently serves as IBM’s Vice President, Quote-to-Cash Operations supporting North American and Latin America. In this role, Joan leads a global team of 2500+ employees providing quote-to-cash enterprise services to IBM Sellers, Business Partners and IBM Business Units. Our goal is to leverage new ways of working, such as cognitive and data analytics, to provide exceptional Stakeholder and Client experiences.

Joan has held several leadership and executive roles during her tenure at IBM supporting Hardware, Software and
Services.  Areas of expertise include Process Transformation, Acquisitions and Divestitures, Supply Chain Management,
Business Development and Finance and Accounting.

Joan holds a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Management from Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia and a Juris Doctorate from North Carolina Central University School of Law in Durham, North Carolina.

She’s very active in her local community currently serving as Board Chairman for Coastal Credit Union; Board Member, Dress for Success of the Triangle; Co-Lead, Triangle Women in Stem; Member,North Carolina State Bar; and Member, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., Durham Alumnae Chapter.

Michael DePaolis

As a senior vice president of sales at Weatherby Healthcare, Michael DePaolis is driven by the company’s purpose of making a difference in the lives of our people, our customers, and our communities.
He joined Weatherby Healthcare in 2007 after 15 years in the staffing industry. A chief contributor to overall company strategy and operations, Michael measures much of his success in that of his people.
With a natural rapport and passion for helping each person recognize his or her talents and developing their strengths, Michael has been able to grow Weatherby’s Durham, North Carolina office from 16 to more than 200 people – leading the division year after year in revenue growth and budget.
From a young age, Michael knew leadership was the path he wanted to take in life. While joining his father on sales calls, Michael was inspired by the way his father could connect, motivate and inspire others.
These teaching moments formed Michael’s ability to relate and communicate effectively across generations of people. It also was the impetus for his business degree.
Upon entering the staffing industry, Michael quickly solidified his reputation as a trustworthy and loyal leader.
Aside from being an exceptional leader, Michael is a proud father of two. He’s passionate about empowering his children to become contributing members of society who not only have a positive impact on their own lives but the lives of those they touch.
In his latest stage in life, Michael’s children are off to college and a piece of him has been awakened to do even more with his time to give back to his community. He sees his core values aligning with the United Way of Greater Triangle’s mission to help those across North Carolina overcome poverty and increase their social mobility.

Michael Goodmon

Michael Goodmon is Senior Vice President for Capitol Broadcasting Company (CBC), a diversified media company based in the Research Triangle region of North Carolina. Working with their father, Jim, he and his brother Jimmy, are the fourth generation of his family helping to lead this forward-thinking company.

Michael leads both the real estate and baseball divisions of CBC, with locations in Durham, Rocky Mount and Holly Springs, NC. Real estate developments and holdings include both urban and rural mixed-use developments with the American Tobacco Historic District in Durham, NC and Rocky Mount Mills in Rocky Mount, NC respectively.

The baseball division includes the Durham Bulls in Durham, NC and the Holly Springs Salamanders in Holly Springs, NC. Additionally, Michael has helped lead the charge for the American Underground startup hub as well as multiple alternative investments including solar/alternative energy, passive real estate investments and breweries.

Michael is a passionate advocate for the Durham and Triangle communities and serves on several boards to encourage growth, entrepreneurship and community development. His board service includes: AJ Fletcher Foundation; The Fletcher Academy; East Durham Children’s Initiative; Triangle Community Foundation; United Way of the Greater Triangle and Leadership Triangle. In addition, he was recently named as chair by Governor Roy Cooper of the Governor’s Entrepreneurial Council for North Carolina.

He earned a B.S. in Mathematical Economics from Hampden-Sydney College in HampdenSydney, VA and a Masters in Trust and Investment Management from Campbell University in Buies Creek, NC. He and his wife Liz live in Durham with their four children.

Phillip Graham

Phillip W. Graham directs the Center for Behavioral Health Epidemiology, Implementation, and Evaluation Research in the Community Health Research Division. Dr. Graham has more than 25 years of experience conducting community-based research and evaluation. His research focuses on evaluating preventive interventions developed to reduce and prevent adolescent interpersonal violence and substance use. Currently he serves as the principal investigator for the NIDA-funded HEAL Prevention Coordinating Center that supports effort to prevent opioid misuse and the principal investigator on a CDC-funded study to evaluate a community-level intervention developed to prevent youth violence. Dr. Graham has also investigated the effects of witnessing community violence on perpetration, the development of ethnic identity among African American male adolescents as a protective factor, and the impact of comprehensive school-based interventions and services to promote healthy child development. His other research efforts have included examining the relation between social capital and community violence, developing an evaluation toolkit to measure collective impact, and collaborating with foundations to address the impact of social determinants of health on community health and well-being. His methodological focus includes the use of mixed-methods approaches and his research emphasizes the importance of culture, community context, systems change, and place-based strategies. Dr. Graham is a former board member of the Society for Prevention Research (SPR), a current founding board member for the National Prevention Science Coalition (NPSC), and a current board member on the Consortium of Social Science Associations (COSSA).

Roger Kemble

Dr. Roger Kemble is President of Kemble Advisors LLC and serves on the board of directors and/or advisory boards of AgBiome LLC, AgriMetis LLC, AgTech Accelerator Corp, Boragen Inc, GroundTruth Ag Inc, and Vindara Inc. Dr. Kemble served in a number of leadership roles for Syngenta including President of Syngenta Biotechnology Inc., Global Head of Crop Genetics Research and Global Head of Technology Strategy and Integration from 2002, retiring in 2012. Prior to this, he held management positions at Pioneer Hi-Bred International, a DuPont Company (1991-2002), Allelix Crop Technologies, and Allelix Inc (1983-1991). In parallel, he also had an academic career as a professor at the University of Toronto with an adjunct professorship at the University of Waterloo, after an assistant professorship at Kansas State University. Dr. Kemble conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Florida and the Plant Breeding Institute, Cambridge, UK following receipt of a PH.D. degree from King’s College, University of London.

Ron Pringle

Over the course of 20 years, Ron has built a successful career in Non-Profit Leadership. Through his budget control responsibilities and extensive experience in warehouse management, development and fundraising, he has helped to develop budgets and financial planning activities which helped streamline processes to enhance overall productivity and customer satisfaction.

L. Ron Pringle is a graduate of Cross High School and later, received his Bachelor’s of Arts degree in Human Services from Springfield College .  After high school, he served his country during Desert Storm as a Chaplain’s Assistant in the United States Air Force.  Ron joined the Second Harvest Food Bank of Southeast North Carolina (SHFB SENC) in April of 2012 as the Operations Manager after serving over 12 years at the Lowcountry Food Bank in Charleston, South Carolina. Starting out as a Warehouse Associate, he worked many diverse positions within the Food Bank including Agency Relations Director and Director of Operations. It was here he achieved many accommodations, assisted in the development of new partnerships on local and national levels, and established innovative ways of providing services to those underserved. In November 2013, he was named the Food Bank Director of the SHFB of SENC, where he lead the recovery efforts of two major hurricanes that devastated much of his service area.

In May 2020, Ron was announced as the President & CEO of the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle in Raleigh, NC.  Here he continues to serve his community, speaking on behalf of those underserved, improving their quality of life through transformational programs and services.
As an experience leader, he is skilled at developing, optimizing, motivating leading highly effective work teams.

He has been honored by the Fayetteville Observer as a “40 Under 40” recipient and the Mountaire “Better Community” award. He is an avid golfer and Rotarian who enjoys spending time with his family.

Scott Byers

Scott Byers is President & CEO of Majestic Kitchen & Bath Creations. Majestic manufacturers and offers among the widest selection of granite, cultured marble, quartz, solid surface, stone and glass products North Carolina servicing locations from Raleigh, Greensboro, Wilmington, Charlotte and coastal South Carolina.

Byers is an accomplished and solutions-focused leader with more than 25 years of business success. His skills include extensive business strategy, merger and acquisition work, operational/process improvement, financial management, and growth strategy leadership to drive profitability. An attorney and finance expert, Byers earlier in his career held executive positions with responsibility for finance, legal, accounting and business strategy for US Airways, American University and Wilkes University

Byers earned his Juris Doctor from American University’s Washington College of Law and an MBA from American University’s Kogod School of Business. He is on the Board of Directors at The Daniel Center for STEM in Raleigh, NC  and has been on various boards in Education, Healthcare and public/private partnerships.

Byers lives in Raleigh, N.C., with his wife, June, and have four children: Elliott, Evan, Benjamin, and Alexandra.

Stelfanie Williams

Stelfanie Williams has served as Duke’s vice president for Durham affairs since August 2018.  In this role, Williams leads and coordinates Duke’s diverse and innovative community efforts in areas such as neighborhood partnerships, community health, education, and workforce development. Her work addresses issues of concern to the community such as affordable housing and infrastructure, early childhood education and school readiness, college and career readiness, food security and nutrition, and nonprofit support.  She builds connections between Duke and Durham Public Schools, Durham Technical Community College and North Carolina Central University, local businesses and nonprofit organizations. And, she oversees the Doing Good in the Neighborhood employee giving campaign.

Prior to Duke, Dr. Williams served as president of Vance-Granville Community College. The college experienced significant growth in academics including technical programs, the arts, and distance education during this period. The institution also set records in fundraising and grant development securing the largest corporate gift and largest grant in the college’s history, established a new facility for continuing education, and expanded partnerships with schools and universities such as North Carolina Central University’s Eagle Voyage program that provides baccalaureate degrees on the VGCC campus. Williams spearheaded the development of the VanGuarantee, a college promise scholarship, and led efforts that resulted in the largest graduating classes ever in 2015 and 2016 and the largest number of associate degrees awarded in the college’s history in 2017.

Williams has more than 20 years of higher education experience and is engaged in professional and civic organizations. She serves on the board of NCIDEA, the board of the College of Education of NC State University, and is a past director on the board of Union Bank. Currently, Williams serves on the corporate Board of Directors for the NC State Employees’ Credit Union and on SECU’s Foundation Board as well as the boards of Durham Children’s Initiative, Durham Public Schools Foundation, GoTriangle Board of Trustees, Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce, Made in Durham, and she is a member of The Rotary Club of Durham and The Fifty Group.

Among other recognitions, Williams was designated Community College President of the Year by the State Board of NC Community Colleges in 2018. She was selected for The White House Community College Summit in 2011, in 2014 she was awarded by N.C. State the I.E. Ready Distinguished Leadership Award, and in 2019 she was selected as a Distinguished Alumna by North Carolina State University. Williams also was appointed to the Governor’s Commission on Sound, Basic Education and to the MyFutureNC Commission focused on educational attainment in North Carolina.

Stelfanie is a Duke alumna, with a dual baccalaureate degree in Public Policy and Spanish, earned a master’s degree in project management from Western Carolina University and a doctorate in education from North Carolina State University. She enjoys travel, reading, gardening, meals with friends, creative conversations with colleagues, and quality time spent with family.