The board serves as the governing body of the 17-campus UNC system. Made up of 32 voting members, it elects the system’s president, oversees tuition and fee levels, approves campus budgets and makes various policy and personnel decisions.
It’s this last power that has garnered widespread public attention in recent months, as the board voted in late February to close three academic centers and also decided in January to force system president Tom Ross to resign.
The N.C. General Assembly selects new board members every two years to four-year terms. They are sworn in during the summer. Eight new board members will be selected by the N.C. House of Representatives, which has nominated six current members and nine new nominees.
Eight will be selected by the N.C. Senate, which has nominated four current members — Chairman John Fennebresque as well as Lou Bissette, Anna Spangler Nelson and Frank Grainger — and the following 11 new nominees.
Robert J. Brown
Robert J. Brown is CEO of B&C Associates Inc., a consulting firm in High Point. He serves on several university boards and is a registered Republican.
Jesse James Cureton
Jesse James Cureton is an executive at Novant Health, a Charlotte hospital system. He’s a registered Democrat who graduated from UNC-CH.
Brenda B. Diggs
Brenda B. Diggs of Winston-Salem is board chairwoman of United Way of North Carolina, as well as a UNC-CH graduate. She’s a registered Democrat.
Ericka M. Ellis-Stewart
Ericka Ellis-Stewart is a nonprofit executive the Charlotte- Mecklenburg school board. She’s a registered Democrat.
Thomas C. Goolsby
Thom Goolsby is an attorney from Wilmington and was a North Carolina senator from 2010 to 2014. He’s a registered Republican.
Benjamin P. Jenkins III
Benjamin P. Jenkins III is a former Wachovia executive. He’s chairman of N.C. State University’s Board of Trustees and is a registered Republican.
Charles Bryan McCurry Jr.
Charles Bryan McCurry Jr. is a real-estate broker from Winston- Salem. He’s also worked for Wake Forest University and is registered at unaffiliated.
O. Temple Sloan III
O. Temple Sloan III is president and CEO of Raleigh-based CARQUEST/ General Parts International, Inc. He’s a registered Republican.
William Webb
William Webb is a senior adviser to Shanahan Law Group and formerly served as a U.S. magistrate judge. He’s a registered Republican.
Terry Kevin Yeargan
Terry Kevin Yeargan of Willow Spring is a construction executive. He’s an East Carolina University trustee and is a registered Republican.
Michael Leighton Williford
Michael Leighton Williford is an attorney from Fayetteville. He’s a registered Republican and was nominated to serve on the board by Sen. Wesley A. Meredith, a Republican who represents Cumberland County.
