Chairman

A Raleigh native, York is Chairman of the Board of The York Companies: York Properties, York Simpson Underwood and McDonald-York Construction.  Through these three companies, York is very diversified serving most aspects of real estate and construction.  The headquarters is in Raleigh, NC.  In addition to serving the Triangle area, recent initiatives include Eastern North Carolina to the coast. 

After graduation from Broughton High School in Raleigh, North Carolina, he received a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering degree from North Carolina State University, and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  He played on the basketball team at NC State under Everett Case.

From 1964-1966, he served as Lieutenant in the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers, receiving an Army Commendation medal in 1966 for his service in South Korea.  He also spent time in elective office as Raleigh City Councilman (District E) from 1977 to 1979, and as Mayor of the City of Raleigh for two terms, from 1979 to 1983.  In 2007, Smedes was inducted into the Raleigh Hall of Fame for his commitment and service to the community.

He has spent his professional career in real estate and construction.  He has served in a leadership capacity in many organizations, including past chairman of the North Carolina Citizens for Business and Industry, the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce, the Urban Land Institute, and the Trustees at NC State University.  Current positions include the Board of Directors of the Research Triangle Park Foundation, YMCA of the Triangle, Vice Chair of Triangle Tomorrow, and Chairman of Triangle United Way.  Smedes also serves on the Board of SCANA, a major public corporation.

Vice Chair

Ken Eudy spent six years as a TV news correspondent for stations in Raleigh and Charlotte, and six years as a chief political writer for The Charlotte Observer. 

In 1987-1988, he was executive director of the N.C. Democratic Party.  From there, Ken went to FGI Marketing, where he was vice president of public relations.  One of the founders of Capstrat, Ken now provides communications counsel to a variety of clients, including Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, the North Carolina Health and Wellness Trust Fund, RBC Centura and the University of North Carolina.  

Ken has been ranked among the 20 most influential lobbyists in North Carolina.  In 2002, he was inducted into the North Carolina Public Relations Hall of Fame. 

He received a BA in journalism from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and for 10 years taught Writing for the Media as a visiting lecturer at Duke University.  Ken also serves in numerous civic local and state civic roles.

Immediate Past Chairman

Roger is president of East West Partners Management Company, Inc., a North Carolina real estate development company. 

Roger is a member of the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill Board of Trustees.  He served on the Board of Visitors at University of North Carolina and serves on the National Development Council at UNC, past chairman of fundraising for UNC’s new golf facility, served on the Executive Committee of the Center for Real Estate at University of North Carolina Kenan Flagler School.  He is active in the Urban Land Institute and is a past member of the Young Presidents’ Organization.  Roger was the chairman of the Orange County United Way, and served on the Orange County United Way Board of Trustees. He is a past member of  Chapel Hill Chamber of Commerce Board, Triangle Board of Centura Bank, NC Progress Board, and past Chair of Triangle United Way.

Ms. Andrews has been in the pharmaceutical industry for 28 years where she has worked in organic chemistry and human resources prior to her current position in community partnerships.  She is also a former banker and teacher.

Ms. Andrews received her bachelor degree from Ohio University and completed management training at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Graduate School of Business Administration and the London Business School.

Ms. Andrews serves on several executive committees and boards including:

• Conference Board’s Contributions Council II
• North Carolina Business Committee for Education
• North Carolina Public School Forum
• North Carolina New High Schools Project
• North Carolina Communities in Schools
• North Carolina Museum of Life and Science
• Durham Public Education Network
• Durham Triangle United Way
• Durham Council for Senior Citizens
• Philadelphia Education Fund – Math and Science Coalition

Patricia Healy is CFO of ParkingCarma, a parking guidance service matching motorists with available parking spaces facilitating the ability to reserve a space with either a mobile phone or via the internet.

Ms. Healy has served on the advisory board of Precept Corporation; the Board of Friends of San Francisco Recreation and Park; Larkin Street Youth Center and California Community Development Corporation. In addition, Ms. Healy and her husband have been actively involved in the development of various educational and mentoring programs for incarcerated and “at risk” youths in the Napa Valley.

Ms. Healy has recently been elected incoming chair of ArtSpace in Raleigh; chaired the 150th Anniversary Celebration of Old St. Mary’s, the oldest cathedral in California, and Chaired the 25th Anniversary celebration of USCF’s Rosalind Russell Center for Arthritis Research.

Membership in professional associations include: Lambda Alpha; the American Society of Real Estate Councilors (CRE) and the Urban Land Institute (ULI), in which she is a Trustee and Governor. Within ULI Ms.Healy has chaired two different product councils; the Inclusivity Initiative; the Annual Fund and serves on the Executive Committee of her District Council.

Ms. Healy has undergraduate (BA) from Tulane University and graduate degrees from Southern Methodist University (MBA) and The American Graduate School of International Management (MIM).

Sig Hutchinson has been on the front lines of making communities healthy and livable for more than a decade.

Starting his career in communications with the Dale Carnegie® organization, Sig became a senior instructor for the Dale Carnegie Sales Course® for more than eight years before forming his own company to concentrate on professional speaking and consulting.

Later, Sig used his expertise in communication and public speaking to transform the region by leading four bond referendums in Wake County and the City of Raleigh totaling $140 Million for open space preservation, parks and greenways.

He continues to be politically active in the region where he sits on numerous boards and committees including Chair of the Open Space & Parks Advisory Committee for Wake County, Chair of the Triangle Transit Authority and has chaired the Bicycle Pedestrian Task Force for the region’s Metropolitan Planning Organization.

Sig has also been the driving force behind the creation of 180 miles of interconnected greenways currently underway within the Triangle region of North Carolina. Known locally as “Mr. Greenjeans,” Sig has been honored as “Tarheel of the Week” by the News & Observer and “Volunteer of the Year” by Wake County.

Sig continues his professional speaking and consulting career and supports a vibrant and growing downtown where until recently he was the Publisher of The Raleigh Downtowner. Sig’s current interests include open space preservation, transportation, land use and the environment.  Sig has a B.A from Texas Tech University; M.Ed. from the University of South Carolina and makes is home living next to a greenway in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Michael Lemanski has over 10 years experience in redeveloping environmentally contaminated and neglected properties, including manufacturing, residential, commercial, and warehouse space.

Mr. Lemanski has managed over $12 million in property acquisitions and redevelopment over the last 18 months. Prior to founding Greenfire Development, Mr. Lemanski worked for Kimberly Clark Corporation and Converse, Inc. Mr. Lemanski serves on the board of Downtown Durham Inc. and Big Brothers/Big Sisters of the Triangle. He has also been a volunteer with and major sponsor of the Historic Preservation Society of Durham and Durham Central Park.

Mr. Lemanski grew up in Durham and graduated with honors from North Carolina State University with degrees in Chemical Engineering and Environmental Science. He also holds a Master’s of Business Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

John McAdams created The John R. McAdams Company in 1979. Twenty-nine years later, the land development design and consulting firm has 140 employees with offices in Research Triangle Park, Charlotte and Wilmington. The firm has had a hand in the success of some of the largest developments in the state including The Streets of Southpoint, North Hills, North Hills East, Briar Chapel, Brier Creek, Landfall, The Club at Longview, Bedford at Falls River, Meadowmont, Renaissance Center and Renaissance Village.

With a Bachelors degree in Civil Engineering and a Masters in Business Administration, both from Duke University, John holds professional engineer registrations in North Carolina and four other states. John is also a registered professional land surveyor in North Carolina. 

John’s community involvement includes:

• Board Member - American Council of Engineering Companies – NC Chapter
• Board Member – Harrington Bank
• Board Member – Hoops for Dreams (Non-profit organization focused on children)
• Past Board Chair – Triangle Land Conservancy
• Past Board Chair – Carol Woods Retirement Community

John McKinney joined BellSouth in 1991 and has held several supervisory and management positions. He is currently the Regional Director of Regulatory & External Affairs.

His community involvement includes:

• Appointed Wake County Economic Development Commission
• Board of Directors - Raleigh Chamber of Commerce
• Board of Directors - Downtown Raleigh Alliance
• Board of Directors - Wake Education Partnership
• Board of Directors – North Carolina Business Committee for Education
• Board of Directors - Wake Technical Community College Foundation
• Board of Directors – Chapel Hill/Carrboro Chamber of Commerce
• Board of Directors – Poe Center
• Board of Directors – Triangle Tomorrow

Mr. McKinney earned a B.A. in Business Administration with a concentration in Computer Science from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

Harvey Schmitt has been president of the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce since February 1, 1994.

He is a graduate of Loras College, Dubuque, Iowa. He is also a graduate of the U. S. Chamber of Commerce Institute for Organizational Management and the Academy for Advanced Management at the University of Notre Dame.

Prior to joining the Raleigh Chamber, his 34-year career included chamber leadership positions in Dubuque (IA) Chamber of Commerce, Jacksonville (FL) Chamber of Commerce, Greenville (SC) Chamber of Commerce and the Greater Tampa (FL) Chamber of Commerce.

He is a former member of the boards of the Southern Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives, South Carolina Chamber of Commerce Executives, Florida Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives and Carolina Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives. In addition, he served as president of South Carolina Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives.

During his time with the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce, the Chamber budget and program have grown by over 200%. Mr. Schmitt has played a leadership role in coalescing support for the RBC Center, recruiting the NHL Carolina Hurricanes and launching the Sports Council and the Regional Transportation Alliance. He serves on the Boards of several regional initiatives including the Research Triangle Regional Partnership, World Trade Center of North Carolina, The United Way of the Triangle and the Regional Transportation Alliance. He is a Trustee for the Wake Education Partnership, and a board member of the 200 Club of Wake County, Carolina Hurricanes Kids N’ Community Foundation, and the Downtown Raleigh Alliance. He also serves on the International Affairs Council Advisory Council. He received the 2002 Business Leader of the Year Award for the Triangle Area from Business Leader Magazine.

On Oct. 15, 2003, Wake Technical Community College welcomed the third president in the college’s 40-year history: Dr. Steve Scott. His personal focus at Wake Tech is on value added education and on leadership development for faculty, staff and students.

With a career spanning nearly 30 years, Dr. Scott has served as president of Lenoir Community College (2002–2003, Kinston, N.C.) and Southeastern Community College (1988–1999, Whiteville, N.C.). He has also served as executive vice president and chief operating officer of the North Carolina Community College System (1999–2002).

Dr. Scott began his career in South Carolina, teaching high school mathematics and physics. He served in several administrative positions for community colleges in South Carolina before moving to North Carolina in 1988.

A native of Liberty, S.C., Dr. Scott worked in his family’s restaurant as a young man. He played football for the University of Tennessee and earned his bachelor’s degree (economics), master’s degree (administration) and doctoral degree (education) at Clemson University.

Dr. Scott and his wife, Patsy, have two children and two grandchildren.

David W. Strong is the President of Rex Healthcare in June, a position he has held since June, 2004.

Strong began his health care career at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center in Baton Rouge, La., where he had served as an administrative resident. He held various positions at Our Lady of the Lake, serving as both vice president of Operations and Ambulatory Care and executive vice president. He joined Mercy Health Center in Oklahoma City as chief operating officer in 2000.

Other leadership positions Strong has held include chair of the Oklahoma Hospital Association Communication Council, member of the Oklahoma Heart Hospital Board of Directors, member of the Oklahoma Community Healthcare Alliance and member of the Metropolitan Hospitals Governing Council of the American Hospital Association. He received the Up & Comer award in 2003 from Modern Healthcare magazine and earned the Oklahoma City 40 Under 40 Award and the Baton Rouge 40 Under 40 award in 2002 and 1999, respectively. He also served on the Baton Rouge YMCA Board of Directors, as Regional Hospital Division chair of the Baton Rouge Capital Area United Way and was recognized by the Baton Rouge Jaycees with the Outstanding Young Man Award in 1998.

Strong received his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management from Southern Nazarene University in Bethany, Oklahoma and a Master of Hospital and Health Administration degree from Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Dr. Jesse L. White, Jr., is Director of the Office of Economic and Business Development at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  He also is an Adjunct Professor in the School of Government. Prior to coming to UNC-Chapel Hill in January 2003, he served for almost nine years as Federal Co-Chairman of the Appalachian Regional Commission, the longest tenure in the history of the agency.  Appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate, Dr. White led in the revitalization of the agency, securing its first full reauthorization by Congress in almost two decades and in record level funding.

Dr. White is a nationally recognized authority on regional economic development.  He is Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration, recipient of the Phillips Medal for Public Service from Ohio University, and a member of the Cosmos Club of Washington, D.C.  He serves on the boards of Regional Technology Strategies, and Equality North Carolina, and on the advisory boards of Rural LISC, the Appalachian College Association, the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, the Rural Poverty Research Center, and the William F. Winter Institute for Racial Reconciliation.

Tina Valdecanas serves as Vice President of Corporate Strategy at the Research Triangle Foundation of North Carolina. The Research Triangle Foundation of North Carolina owns and operates the well-established Research Triangle Park. In her capacity, Ms. Valdecanas identifies what the Park must do to remain a competitive place for research and development activities – both currently and in future years – and works with the Executive Office to implement strategic initiatives undertaken by the Foundation. She is also responsible for coordinating the Foundation’s marketing, communications, and research functions.

Before coming to the Research Triangle Foundation, Ms. Valdecanas was Vice President for Product Improvement at the Greater Phoenix Economic Council. She has also served in various capacities at the Arizona State University Morrison Institute of Public Policy, the US-ASEAN Business Council, the US Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service, and the US Department of State.

Ms. Valdecanas received her undergraduate degree from the Edmund Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University and her masters’ degree from the Nitze School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University.

Ms. Valdecanas lives in Durham, NC with her husband, daughter and 2 dogs.

Dr. James Zuiches is the Vice Chancellor for Extension, Engagement, and Economic Development at North Carolina State University. In this role, he leads and coordinates all extension, engagement and economic development programs of the university, including:

• the Cooperative Extension Service
• the Industrial Extension Service
• Small Business and Technology Development Center
• Non-credit programs of the Jane S. McKimmon Center for Extension and Continuing Education
• the Economic Development Partnership
• the General H. Hugh Shelton Initiative for Leadership Development

Prior to joining NC State, Zuiches served as dean of the College of Agriculture and Home Economics at Washington State University, 1995-2003, and concurrently as director of Cooperative Extension and the Agricultural Research Center for four years and professor in the Department of Community and Rural Sociology. 

He had previously served as director of the Agricultural Research Center (the State Agricultural Experiment Station), 1986-1994, and associate dean of the college.

As a W. K. Kellogg Foundation program officer in 1994-95, Zuiches funded many community and rural development projects.

The Kellogg Foundation and other foundations are funding his current project to create the National Coalition for Rural Entrepreneurship and increase support for job creation and economic growth in rural areas.

Prior to his appointment at Washington State, Zuiches served at Cornell University (1982-86), the National Science Foundation (1979-82), and Michigan State University (1971-79).

His research specializations include demography, rural sociology and research administration. He has more than 70 publications, including edited books, professional journal articles, book chapters, bulletins and editorials.

He received his Ph.D. and M.S. in sociology from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and his B.A. in philosophy and sociology from the University of Portland, Portland, OR.

Pam Wall was hired as the first Executive Director of Triangle Tomorrow in March, 2000.

She has 27 years management, development, marketing and public relations experience in non-profit organizations. Before relocating to the Research Triangle, Pam served as the executive director of the Asheville-Buncombe VISION, an organization founded to implement that region's community-based strategic plan.

Pam was a facilitator for UNC's Leadership Asheville and supervised the staff of "Let's Talk! Dialogues For Our Future." Previously she served as the Public Relations Director of the Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida, was President of P.J.Cole, Inc. and a marketing executive with Denny Gordon & Associates, both Florida marketing firms.

Pam's current community involvement includes:

• Member of the Community Advisory Board for KB Home
• Member of the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce Community Success Forum Task Force
• Executive Committee, Triangle District Council, Urban Land Institute

She has also served on the Board of Directors of the YMCA of Western North Carolina and Keep Lee County Beautiful in Florida. Pam also served on the Human Relations Committee for then Missouri Governor Christopher "Kit" Bond.