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Andy Anderson, Whiteville — Chairperson

Andy Anderson, an Investigator at Disability Rights North Carolina, assures that the financial assets of people with disabilities are being used properly. He has more than 25 years of experience in the behavioral health industry, most recently as Director of Development for Community Based Care. Andy is a community pastor and both a William Friday and American Marshall Fellow. He serves on the N.C. Social Services Commission, is a board member of the Columbus County Partnership for Children, and is Vice Chair of the NC Rural Center.

 

Al Bass, Durham

Al Bass retired in 2019 after more than 47 years’ experience in commercial lending and community development. Most recently he was Executive Vice President at Self-Help Credit Union and Ventures Fund, where he directed the leaders of teams responsible for managing the organization’s commercial and mortgage assets, lending to large commercial businesses, supporting Self-Help’s information technology needs, and handling fund-raising and development activities. Prior to Self-Help, Al worked at Mutual Community Saving Bank and Mechanics and Farmers Bank. Currently he serves as board chair of UDI Community Development Corporation and board chair of St. Joseph’s Elderly Center. Al is a graduate of North Carolina AT&T State University and the Carolina School of Banking at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill.

 

Grant Godwin, Raleigh

Grant Godwin retired in 2011 from Martin Marietta Materials after a distinguished career in advanced manufacturing. He began his career in North Carolina state government, working for the state budget office and the Ports Authority. Most recently he is the immediate past board chair of NC Rural Center and is former chair of the NC Community Colleges Foundation. He is a native of Sampson County.

 

Kim Graham, Charlotte — Secretary

Kim M. Graham, Vice President, Pinnacle Financial Partners, is the community development manager for the bank’s Mid-Atlantic Region, which includes locations in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia. A native of High Point, N.C., and a graduate of Johnson C. Smith University, she serves on the board of directors for South Carolina Association of Community Economic Development, SC Community Capital Alliance, the Board of Visitors for Johnson C. Smith University, Canopy Housing Foundation, Mosaic Development Group, and is involved with Carolinas CRA Resource Collaborative.

 

Juvencio Rocha-Peralta, Greenville

Juvencio Rocha-Peralta is executive director of the Association of Mexicans in North Carolina (AMEXCAN). A native of Veracruz, Mexico, he has lived in North Carolina since 1980. He has served on a number of task forces and boards, particularly those focused on social justice for migrant workers and families, including NCRC and the East Coast Migrant Head Start Project and the Eastern North Carolina Latin-American Coalition, Inc. (ENCLACO) which he founded and led until 2017.

 

Joseph Stanley, Shallotte — Treasurer

Joseph K. Stanley is vice president of Joe & Moe’s Automotive and owner of Joe’s Photography, both in Shallotte. He serves on the South Brunswick Islands Committee of 100, the Advisory Boards for both the N.C. Cooperative Extension and BB&T, and the FOR ENC Board of Directors. Previously, Mr. Stanley was a branch manager for United Community Bank and is a past Board of Transportation member and Parent Advisory Council County President. In 2001, he was presented the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, one of the most prestigious awards presented by the Governor of North Carolina, for his proven record of extraordinary service to the state.

 

John Stokes, Charlotte

John Stokes, SVP, Director of Philanthropy at Truist, leads the strategy and implementation of leadership development for the company’s community partners. Prior to that he was Senior Vice President, is the Community Development Manager for the Metrolina and Triad Regions, serving as a liaison between the community and the bank to facilitate community development loans, investments and service opportunities. A Goldsboro, N.C. native, John serves on the board of the Charlotte Community Capital Fund. Previously he served on the City of Charlotte Housing Advisory Council, the Charlotte Housing Partnership, the North Carolina Association on Community Development Corporations, the South Carolina Association for Community Economic Development Advisory Board and the South Carolina Community Capital Alliance.

 

Brittany Bennett Weston, Durham

Brittany Bennett Weston is the founding Executive Director of ResilNC, an organization that seeks to positively influence the ecosystem of available capital and support for Black entrepreneurs. She is also a thought partner consultant and facilitator for strategy and culture change at Bennett/Weston Consulting, LLC. Brittany was a Commercial Lending Sector Leader at Self-Help, for seven years, where she led the national lending program for public charter schools and was part of the commercial lending leadership committee. Additionally, she is active in her community through service on the boards of the Pauli Murray Center for History and Social Justice and Village of Wisdom. Brittany has a B.S. in anthropology and human biology from Emory University and a graduate degree in public administration from UNC-Chapel Hill.

 

Patrick Woodie, Piney Creek — NC Rural Center President

Patrick Woodie is president of the NC Rural Center. Patrick has previously served as the executive director of the Alleghany County Chamber of Commerce and the Blue Ridge Development Center. Patrick was also the first director of New River Community Partners, the lead organization responsible for coordinating the basin-wide implementation of a sustainable economic development plan encompassing counties across North Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia. In 2006, he joined the Rural Center as vice president of programs and became president in 2013. A native of Piney Creek, he is a graduate of Wake Forest University and the Wake Forest University School of Law.