RALEIGH — A Robeson County resident and former state senator has been elected chairman of the North Carolina Railroad Company’s board of directors.
Michael Walters was elected chairman during the board’s September meeting. He succeeds Franklin Rouse, of Leland. Rouse was elected chairman in 2014 and will remain on the board.
“I’m honored to serve as chairman of the North Carolina Railroad Company’s board of directors,” Walters said. “This company was created nearly 170 years ago for economic development and continues to fulfill that mission today. I’m excited to work with my fellow directors, NCRR President Scott Saylor and the staff of this historic company as we manage the North Carolina Railroad, make strategic investments in freight rail infrastructure and spur job growth for our state.”
Walters has served on the North Carolina Railroad Company’s board of directors since 2015 and was chairman of the Audit and Finance Committee from 2015 to 2017. In addition to his service on the North Carolina Railroad board of Directors, Walters is a member of the board of directors of the Forestry Mutual Insurance Company and the North Carolina Forestry Association. He was appointed to the District 13 seat in the North Carolina Senate in 2009 and twice won election to keep the seat. He did not seek re-election in 2014.
The North Carolina Railroad Company is a private corporation whose stock is owned by the state of North Carolina. The board of directors is comprised of 13 members, seven of whom are elected by the governor and three each elected by the Senate and House of Representatives. The company manages the use of 317 miles of track stretching from Charlotte to the Port of Morehead City.
