The NCEast Alliance board of directors recently elected two additional representatives to its ranks by unanimous decision. The board additions, elected from the corporation’s membership, bring the total representation on the board to nine, with the expectation for others to be added in the near future.
December 5, 2014 – Eastern NC – The NCEast Alliance board of directors recently elected two additional representatives to its ranks by unanimous decision. The Alliance, currently chaired by Mr. Paul Buchanan from Swansboro, is a private, not-for-profit regional economic development organization that provides community capacity-building, actively promotes and markets eastern NC to expanding and relocating businesses, and assists companies with site location and expansion evaluations. The board additions, elected from the corporation’s membership, bring the total representation on the board to nine, with the expectation for others to be added in the near future.
New to the board is Mr. Todd Hickey, Senior Vice President of Hospital Operations at Vidant Medical Center, representing Vidant Health Systems. Hickey is a graduate of Purdue University where he received his Batchelor of Science degree and from Western Kentucky University where he graduated with a Masters in Health Care Administration. Hickey is also a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE) and has served as the Board Chair for Uptown Greenville. Hickey has lived in North Carolina for 6 years.
“I am proud to be a part of the health care team in eastern North Carolina that includes more than a dozen hospitals, outpatient facilities, home health and hospice, wellness centers and hundreds of physician practices across the region,” said Todd Hickey, Senior Vice President at Vidant Medical Center. “People that live and work here know that they can rely on our doctors and health care providers to take great care of them, close to home, and if they need it, Vidant Medical Center, in Greenville, is the flagship teaching hospital for the nationally ranked Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University, and one of four academic medical centers in North Carolina.” Vidant Health serves 29 counties in eastern North Carolina from the Virginia to South Carolina borders.
Also elected to the board of directors was Dr. Ron Mitchelson. Mitchelson is currently the Interim Provost at East Carolina University (ECU), serving as the chief academic officer with oversight of academic programming, enrollment management, institutional planning, research, equity and diversity. Dr. Mitchelson has served at ECU since 1999, has chaired the department of Geography and served as the interim Vice Chancellor for Research & Graduate Studies. Dr. Mitchelson holds an undergraduate degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo in Geography with a minor in Economics and a MA and PhD in Geography from The Ohio State University.
“Regional approaches to economic development are essential to success so I’m very pleased to be part of the Alliance,” said Mitchelson. “I look forward to working with colleagues in the region as we assist with economic development efforts and the region’s prosperity,” Mitchelson added. ECU is a Research II university with approximately 28,000 students and is the only public university in North Carolina that offers degrees in medicine, dental medicine, allied health, nursing, business and engineering. It is also the leading North Carolina university in the production of highly qualified teachers.
“We are excited about our new board members and greatly appreciate the support of their respective organizations. Both have a strong understanding of what it takes to be successful and will be an asset to our board. With the support of Vidant and ECU, as well as other likeminded organizations, we are confident about the potential for economic growth in eastern NC,” said John D. Chaffee, NCEast Alliance President & CEO.
Organizations contributing at the Regional Executive Membership level of $25,000 per year or greater are eligible to have a representative elected to the board. Support for the NCEast Alliance continues to grow. A number of organizations have also recently committed to provide substantial support to the Alliance, including Transportation Impact, a fourth party logistics company based in Emerald Isle, ECS Carolinas (an environmental engineering firm), PNC Bank (all at the Regional Champion level), and Piedmont Natural Gas.
For more about the NCEast Alliance, please visit us online at www.nceast.org or contact us at (252) 522-2400.