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Mr. Robert A. Farris, Jr.
Chair - Term Expires August 31, 2013 - Appointed by Gov. Mike Easley
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Robert A. Farris is an attorney with Farris and Farris, P. A. in Wilson. He received
his license from the State of North Carolina and practices before all N. C. State
Courts, the U. S. District Courts, the 4th Circuit U. S. Court of Appeals, the U.
S. Supreme Court, and the U. S. Tax Court. Farris received his bachelor of arts
degree in history from the University of North Carolina and his law degree from
the University of North Carolina School of Law. He is a member of the N. C. Bar
Association, the American Bar Association, the N. C. Academy of Trial Lawyers, and
the American Trial Lawyers Association. Farris is a former president of the Wilson
County Bar Association and former president of the seventh judicial district bar.
He lives in Wilson with his wife Nancy. They have three children and seven grandchildren.
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Mr. Courtney A. Crowder
Term Expires August 31, 2017 - Appointed by Gov. Beverly Perdue
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Courtney Crowder is the owner of Crowder Consulting Co., L.L.C. in Raleigh. He is an alumnus
of North Carolina Central University and Duke University. He also studied at Oxford University
in England. Beginning in 2009, Crowder served for four years as Legislative Director
for Gov. Beverly E. Perdue. His civic contributions include service on the Board of Advisors
to the Alexander Family YMCA, and to the Downtown Housing Improvement Corporation and the
North Carolina Center for Voter Education. A native of Raleigh, Crowder lives there with
his wife and daughter.
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Ms. Alice G. Underhill
Term Expires August 31, 2016 - Appointed by Gov. Beverly Perdue
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Alice G. Underhill is a former state House member from New Bern. She was elected four times to
the N.C. House of Representatives, representing Pamlico County and part of Craven County.
A native North Carolinian, Underhill earned her bachelor’s in education and her master’s in history
from UNC-Chapel Hill. She also earned her law degree from the Campbell University School of Law.
Previously, Underhill served on the Craven County Board of Education, was an instructor of business
law at Craven Community College, and worked as a law librarian at the firm of Ward & Smith, PA.
She also serves on the Tryon Palace Commission. Underhill lives in New Bern with her husband, Reed.
The Underhills belong to Christ Episcopal Church. They have three adult children and four grandchildren.
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Judge J. Marlene Hyatt
Term Expires August 31, 2013 - Appointed by Speaker of the House Joe Hackney
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J. Marlene Hyatt is the retired Senior Resident Superior Court Judge of Judicial
District 30B. serving in that position from January 1985, until February 2009. Prior
to becoming a judge, she practiced law in Waynesville. Hyatt graduated from Wake
Forest University magna cum laude in 1976. She was a Carswell Scholar as well as
Phi Beta Kappa. She earned her law degree at Wake Forest University School of Law
in 1980. Hyatt is a past member of the North Carolina Supreme Court Dispute Resolution
Committee, and a past member of the Dispute Resolution Commission. She served as
Secretary of the N. C. Conference of Superior Court Judges and as a Vice-President
of the N. C. Bar Association. She is a member of the N. C. Bar Association, the
N. C. State Bar, and the 30th Judicial District Bar Association. She is a member
of Long’s Chapel United Methodist Church. She is also active as a soprano soloist
and sings with the Haywood Women’s Chorus.
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Mr. Barry Z. Dodson
Term Expires August 31, 2013 - Appointed by Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger
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Barry Z. Dodson is a self-employed CPA in Madison, NC. He is a member of the board
of directors and vice chairman of NewBridge Bancorp headquartered in Greensboro,
NC and is a member of the board of trustees of Cone Health in Greensboro, NC. He
chairs the finance and audit committees of each organization and serves on their
executive committees as well.
Barry is a graduate of High Point College (now High Point University) and has served
as a member of the board of visitors at High Point University. He is a member of
AICPA and a NCACPA. He and his wife Robbin have two daughters and reside in Stoneville,
NC.
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Mr. David F. Kirby
Term Expires August 31, 2016 - Appointed by Gov. Beverly Perdue
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David F. Kirby is an attorney with Kirby & Holt, L.L.P., in Raleigh. He practices before all North Carolina state courts, the U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of North Carolina, the U.S. District Court in the Middle District of North Carolina, the Fourth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court. Kirby received his Bachelor of Arts degree in history from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and his law degree from the UNC-CH School of Law. He is a member of the Wake County Bar Association, the N.C. Bar Association, the American Bar Association, N.C. Advocates for Justice, and the American Board of Trial Advocates. He is a fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers, a fellow in the International Society of Barristers and a member of the Inner Circle of Advocates, an organization of the top plaintiff’s lawyers from around the country.
In 1996, Kirby was named one of the Lawyers of the Year by the national publication Lawyers Weekly USA and he received the national Steven J. Sharp Public Service Award from the American Trial Lawyers Association. In 2005, Kirby and his law partner were honored by Easter Seals/United Cerebral Palsy as the “Philanthropists of the Year” for their support of programs for children suffering from cerebral palsy. He is an active member of the Edenton St. United Methodist Church. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Wade Edwards Foundation. He is a lifetime inductee of the William Horne Battle Society, which recognizes outstanding service to the UNC School of Law. Kirby has endowed scholarships at UNC-Chapel Hill to honor his father, the late Sen. J. Russell Kirby, and his mother, Rebekah Fulghum Kirby. He lives in Raleigh with his wife, Lyn, and has three grown children, Emily, James and Winston.
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Mr. Jody Tyson
Term Expires August 31, 2017. Appointed by Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger
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Jody C. Tyson is the managing partner of Taylor-Tyson Funeral Service in Snow Hill. He completed secondary education at Fayetteville Technical Institute’s School of Funeral Service Education and Mount Olive College. He received his Funeral Service License in 1996. In 2005, Tyson was a gubernatorial appointee to serve a term on the N.C. Board of Funeral Service. Tyson also served as a liaison and adviser to state Sen. Louis Pate responding to tornado damage in Greene County in the spring of 2011. He is a former board member of the N.C. Funeral Directors Association and also was a member of the Greene County Board of Elections. A native of Snow Hill, Tyson lives today on the family farm in the Arba community of Greene County where he grew up. He is a member of Hull Road Free Will Baptist Church.
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Mr. Keith Ballentine
Term Expires August 31, 2017. Appointed by Speaker of the House Thom Tillis.
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W. Keith Ballentine is vice president of Daughtridge Gas & Oil Company in Rocky Mount. He received his bachelor’s of science in business administration from UNC-Chapel Hill. Upon graduation he was associated with Belk Department Stores in Eastern North Carolina before moving to Daughtridge Gas & Oil Company. He is a member of the board and a past president of the North Carolina Petroleum & Convenience Marketers. Other past civic and professional associations include service as chairman of the Rocky Mount Chamber, president of the Tar River Kiwanis, member of the Rocky Mount Planning Board, member of the Eagle Scout Board of Review, president of Southern Purchasing Association and a member of the Advisory Board of the Governor’s Institute for Responsible Alcohol Sales and Service. A native of Rocky Mount, Ballentine lives there with his wife, Susan, and two children.
Unless otherwise specified, meetings will be held at the North Carolina Education Lottery Headquarters at a time to be designated by the Chair.