PEMBROKE — Four new people joined The University of North Carolina at Pembroke’s board of trustees on Thursday, and Kellie Hunt Blue was elected chair of the board.

New members are Larry H. Stone and Jarrett L. Sampson, who were appointed by Gov. Pat McCrory, and Alphonzo McRae of Proctorville, who was appointed by the UNC Board of Governors. They will each serve four-year terms.

Candace B. Locklear, UNCP Student Government Association president, was sworn in as an ex-officio member of the board for 2015-2016. Patrick Corso, of Pinehurst, was also appointed to the board of trustees by the Board of Governors and will be sworn in at a later date.

Michael L. Holmes was elected vice chair and Don E. Metzger will serve as secretary for 2015-2016.

Outgoing Chairman Wiley G. Barrett served as chair of the recent Chancellor Search Committee and has served as a trustee since 2012.

“It has been an intense several years on the board with the retirement of a chancellor and the election of Chancellor (Robin) Cummings,” Barrett said. “It was an adventure, and I enjoyed getting to know many people better.”

From Pembroke, Blue is a UNCP graduate and the finance director for Robeson County. She will lead the 13-member board during the 2015-2016 academic year. Blue, a trustee since 2011, was secretary of the board last year and a member of the 2010 and 2015 Chancellor Search Committees.

Metzger, who serves on the Lumberton City Council, is a retired businessman and Lumberton resident. He has been a trustee since 2013.

Holmes is a retired rear admiral of the U.S. Navy and lives in Florida. A Robeson County native and UNCP graduate, Holmes has served as a trustee since 2013.

Corso is the executive director of Moore County Partners in Progress, the county’s economic development office. He came to the county in 1986 to manage Pinehurst Resorts and helped make it one of the world’s great golf destinations and host of two U.S. Open Championships.

Locklear is a Pembroke native and a senior chemistry major. She is a member of the Esther G. Maynor Honors College and an Early Assurance Scholar with guaranteed admission to East Carolina University’s Brody School of Medicine.

McRae is vice president for institutional services for Robeson Community College. An educator with 40 years experience, he is a UNCP alumnus and a 1981 inductee into the UNCP Athletic Hall of Fame following a stellar basketball career.

Sampson grew up in the Five Forks community near Rowland and is a UNCP graduate. He is vice president and general manager of insurance agencies in Pembroke, Lumberton and Fayetteville.

Stone is president and owner of Pawn Plus Inc. in Lumberton. He is a UNCP graduate, engaged in farming, real estate and insurance businesses.

Kellie Hunt Blue
https://www.robesonian.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/web1_BOT-Blue-Kellie.jpgKellie Hunt Blue

Jarrett Sampson
https://www.robesonian.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/web1_BOT-Jarrett-Sampson.jpgJarrett Sampson

Al McRae
https://www.robesonian.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/web1_BOT-Al-McRae.jpgAl McRae

Candace Locklear
https://www.robesonian.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/web1_BOT-Candace-Locklear.jpgCandace Locklear

Larry Stone
https://www.robesonian.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/web1_BOT-Larry-Stone.jpgLarry Stone

By Scott Bigelow

 

Scott Bigelow is the public information officer for The University of North Carolina at Pembroke.