Emerging Leader of the Year Award

Josh Hallingse is Vice President of Small Business Development and Business Retention at the Wilmington Chamber of Commerce. He was named to the position in 2021 after serving as Executive Director of Transylvania Economic Alliance in Brevard for 6 years. Prior, he worked for the Charlotte Regional Partnership and the Henderson County Partnership for Economic Development. Josh is a 2006 graduate of UNC Charlotte, where he majored in political science and religious studies. He also holds an MPA from Appalachian State University and is a graduate of the Economic Development Institute at the University of Oklahoma, where he was a Governor James Holshouser Scholar. Josh and his wife, Christy, have two young children and reside in Wilmington.

Joanna Helms is Economic Development Director for the Town of Apex, a post she’s held since 2014. She began her economic development career in 1993 as Vice President of the Wayne County Economic Development Commission in Goldsboro, rising to led that organization in 2000 and continuing her service as President after the organization was reconstituted as the Wayne County Development Alliance Inc. in 2006. Joanna served on NCEDA’s board from 2008 to 2011, chairing the Professional Development Committee and editing the 2009 revision to the North Carolina Economic Development Handbook.  The organization named Joanna Economic Developer of the Year in 2008. She is also active in the Apex Rotary Club and Meals on Wheels, and chairs the Business Alliance Advisory Board of Apex Friendship High School. Joanna is a 1984 graduate of Western Carolina University, where she earned a BS in geography planning. She and her husband Tim have two adult sons.

Andrew Tate is the vice president of real estate for the North Carolina Railroad Company. He previously was president and CEO of the Henderson County Partnership for Economic Development, leading the recruitment of business and industry to the area, including Raumedic, GF Linamar, Demmel, Norafin and Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. Andrew joined the North Carolina Economic Development Association board of directors in 2011 and was the association’s president in 2016-17. He is a graduate of UNC Chapel Hill and Leadership North Carolina. Andrew and his wife, Brooke, are in the process of moving from Hendersonville to Raleigh with their three young sons.

Randall Johnson joined NCEDA’s board of directors in 2013. He is executive director of the North Carolina Biotechnology Center’s Southeastern Office in Wilmington. The office strengthens the region’s life science economy through the development of jobs, businesses and investment in clinical research, renewable energy, and marine, agricultural and industrial biotechnology. Randall is a cum laude graduate of Wake Forest University, where he studied psychology. He holds an MBA from WFU’s Babcock Graduate School of Management and has completed numerous International Economic Development Council courses. He is also a graduate of Leadership North Carolina. In addition to his service to NCEDA, Randall has voluntary leadership roles with the Southeastern Economic Development Commission, the North Carolina Sustainable Energy Association, the Institute for Emerging Issues’ Environmental Council and the Advisory Committee for Biotechnology in Southeastern North Carolina, which he co-founded. Randall resides in Wilmington with his wife, Leigh, and their young son, Ace.

Julie Roper is Economic Development and Government Relations Manager at Dominion Energy North Carolina, overseeing communication with city and county officials and managing the company’s community engagement. Nearly 7.5 million customers in 18 states energize their homes and businesses with electricity or natural gas from Dominion Energy, headquartered in Richmond, VA. The company is committed to safe, sustainable, reliable and affordable energy, and is one of the nation’s largest producers and transporters of energy with about $100 billion of assets providing electric generation, transmission and distribution, as well as natural gas storage, transmission, distribution and import/export services. Julie currently serves on the boards of the Schiele Museum, Montcross Chamber, NC Heroes Fund and Gaston County EDC. She holds a BS in business administration from Belmont Abbey College and earned her MPA from Appalachian State University. Julie and her husband Don reside in Mount Holly.

Alan Wood has been President and CEO of Burke Development Inc. since 2015. The public-private partnership promotes economic growth, innovation and sustainability in Burke County. From 2009 until 2015, he was director of the Stokes County Economic Development Commission, where he led efforts to expand broadband deployment, diversify regional agribusiness and provide digital marketing opportunities for small businesses. As senior development manager at the Caldwell County Economic Development Commission, Alan helped recruit the Google Data Center, as well as important projects in the biopharma, consumer foods and composites industries. He worked in the furniture manufacturing and local banking earlier in his career. Alan serves on the board of directors of the Burke County Chamber of Commerce and on the Advisory Committee of the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina. He holds a CEcD designation from the International Economic Development Council (IEDC). Alan is a graduate of UNC Chapel Hill, where he received a BS in business administration with a concentration in marketing. He and his wife, Kelly, live in Morganton.

NCEDA President Mark Pope joined the organization’s board of directors in 2011 and previously served as vice president and secretary-treasurer. In August 2018, he was named president of the Wayne County Development Alliance, Inc. Prior to that, Mark served as executive director of Lenoir County Economic Development for 13 years. While there, his leadership helped facilitate the arrival and expansion of numerous companies in Lenoir County, including Spirit AeroSystems, Sanderson Farms, West Pharmaceuticals and Moen. Mark joined the economic development profession in 2005 after a 20-year career in banking. He was named North Carolina Economic Developer of the Year by NCEDA in 2010-2011. A Kinston native, Mark holds an AA in arts from Lenoir Community College and a BS in business administration from East Carolina University. In addition to numerous voluntary leadership roles, he is active in Westminster United Methodist Church and has coached little league baseball, soccer and basketball.

Chris Kouri has worked as an attorney with the firm of Nexsen Pruet PLLC in Charlotte since 2015. From 2011 to 2015, he practiced economic development and corporate law at the firm of Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice. He was General Counsel and Director of Government Affairs for the Charlotte Motor Speedway for the prior six years. Chris was a member of the Charlotte Regional Partnership’s executive committee from 2008 to 2018, serving also as the organization’s general counsel from 2015-2018. He was a candidate for the US House of Representatives (8^th District) in 2002. Chris is a 1992 graduate of Yale University, where he earned a BA in African American Studies and excelled athletically as Varsity Captain on the Yale football team. He also holds a Master of Public Policy from Duke University and a JD from UNC’s School of Law in Chapel Hill.

John Nelms has been a member of the NCEDA board since 2015. He is senior economic development manager for Duke Energy, where he supports the recruitment and expansion of businesses in the company’s service area. The nation’s largest utility, Duke Energy, has facilitated the development of traditional industries such as textiles and furniture, as well as others such as bio-manufacturing and data centers that have emerged more recently. John joined the Duke team by way of Progress Energy’s economic development staff, where he had worked since 2005. His career has also included experience with the NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the NC Department of Commerce and the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce. In addition to his voluntary service to NCEDA, John is on the boards of the North Carolina Rural Center, the North Carolina Military Foundation and North Carolina’s Southeast. He holds a BA in business management and economics from NC State University and an MBA from Campbell University. John and his wife, Autney, live in Raleigh with their two teenage children.

Ryan Wetherington joined the board in 2018. In September of that year he was named vice president at Armstrong Relocation in Charlotte. Prior to that, Ryan served as vice president of corporate services at the Allen Tate Companies, where he provided relocation assistance to clients in the manufacturing, office, professional sports, commercial real-estate, I/T and other industries. He also spent two years as director of marketing, public relations and research at the Lancaster County (SC) Economic Development Corporation and has held economic development and policy positions at the Charlotte Regional Partnership, the City of Wilmington and the Cape Fear Council of Governments. Ryan joined NCEDA in 2013 and co-founded the organization’s Emerging Executives Program, which he co-chaired from 2016 to 2018. He is on the executive committee of the University City Partners, a group that promotes economic vitality in and around Charlotte’s University Research Park and 2nd Vice Chair of the Charlotte Chamber Metro Chapter. A native of Wilson, Ryan graduated from Campbell University with a degree in government and history before earning his MPA from UNC Wilmington. An Eagle Scout, he lives is Charlotte with his wife, Keri, and their two children.

Ben Teague joined NCEDA’s board of directors in 2017. He is vice president of strategic development at Biltmore Farms LLC, where he crafts and executes strategies for attracting capital investment and jobs to Western North Carolina. Ben previously served as executive director of the Economic Development Coalition of Asheville-Buncombe County and chief operations officer of the Asheville Chamber of Commerce. His professional background includes extensive regional economic development work in Mississippi. In January 2017, he was named one of the economic development profession’s “40 Under 40,” a national citation awarded at IEDC’s Leadership Summit. Ben holds a B.S. degree in Business Administration from Mississippi College and earned an MBA from the University of Mississippi, where he was a John N. Palmer Fellow and president of the campus MBA Association. He is a graduate of the Economic Development Institute at Oklahoma University and earned the designation of Economic Development Finance Professional (EDFP). Ben resides in Buncombe County with his wife, Haley, and their two sons, Campbell and Coleman.

Maureen Little joined the NCEDA board of directors in 2015. She is vice president of economic development at the North Carolina Community College System. The system and its 58 campuses serve approximately 720,000 learners across their academic, technical, continuing education and customized training programs. Maureen began her economic development career in 1987 as director of business and industry services at Stanly Community College. A Union County native, she is an honors graduate of UNC Charlotte, where she earned a BA. Maureen also is a graduate of Leadership North Carolina and a recipient of the Stanley Frank Class Award. A competitive shag dancer, she and her husband, Rick, are both members of the Beach Shaggers National Hall of Fame. Maureen serves as an officer of the North Myrtle Beach-based organization. The couple lives in Monroe.

Jessica Martin-Lane joined NCEDA’s board of directors in 2016. She is the president of Asheville-based WR-Martin (formerly Martin-McGill, Inc.), a women-owned business that provides management consulting services to North Carolina government clients and private businesses throughout the United States. The firm’s more than 30-year expertise helps communities and private clients embrace opportunities in strategy, operations, planning, funding, communications, real estate, and financial management. Before joining WR-Martin in 2007, Jessica began her career as a management consultant for Ernst & Young, and later directed client solutions for Hewitt Associates / Exult. In addition to her NCEDA leadership role, Jessica serves on the board of Eliada Homes, an organization that provides housing, therapy and social services to children and families in need. Jessica holds BS and MS degrees in Industrial Engineering and an MBA from the University of Tennessee – Knoxville. Jessica and her husband, Alan, are the parents of two young sons and live on a blueberry farm in Western North Carolina.

Gary Lanier has served on NCEDA’s board of directors since 2014. He is executive director of the Columbus County Economic Development Commission, a position he has held since 2010. Since 2014, Gary has also served as the county’s planning director. His entry into the economic development profession came after a 30-year career in engineering and manufacturing with Black & Decker, Eaton Corp. and Hubbell Power Systems. Gary holds a BS in engineering operations from NC State University, where his outstanding scholarship earned him the JW Joseph Award. He also holds an MBA from Western Carolina University and an Ed.D in adult and community college education from NC State. In addition to his service to NCEDA, Gary is on the board of directors of North Carolina’s Southeast. A longtime scout Leader, he is on the executive board of the Cape Fear Council of the Boy Scouts of America and is a Vigil Honor member of the Klahican Lodge of the Order of the Arrow. In 2012, Gary was honored with the Silver Beaver Award. A resident of Tabor City, he and his wife, Emily, have two grown sons.

Adrienne Cole began serving as an NCEDA board member in 2016. She is president and CEO of the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce, the Research Triangle Region’s largest business association, with over 2,300 members. Prior to assuming her current position in 2017, Adrienne was executive director of Wake County Economic Development, a program of the chamber. She and her team worked with the county’s 12 municipalities, the Research Triangle Park, county and community leaders, and state and regional partners to market Wake County and region as a global destination for jobs, companies, people and investment. Adrienne’s professional background includes experience as business development director at the global construction giant Lend Lease and economic development leadership roles in Carteret and Pamlico counties. Adrienne is a 1993 graduate of Meredith College, where she majored in American civilization and political science. She also holds an MPA from Appalachian State University. Along with her NCEDA service, she is a member of the boards of directors of the RDU Airport Authority, Marbles Kids Museum and Research Triangle Regional Partnership. Adrienne, her husband, Walt, and their three children are residents of Raleigh.