Directors

Board of Directors

Officers

Hunter Jenkins, chair
Brian Dangler, vice chair
Jennifer Piercy, president
Sam Cook, vice president
Dana Harris, treasurer
Erin Delehanty, assistant treasurer
Erin Elliott, secretary

Directors

Gary Allred
Newport, Rhode Island
Term: 2027
Committee: Forest Management
Gary Allred is the experience director of acquisition and principal at Cardinal Guidance, LLC. Allred formerly worked as the director of acquisitions at Timberland Investment Resources, LLC. As a founding partner, he developed and led the timberland acquisition effort from its formation in 2003 to 2018, and was responsible for the strategic placement of client investments in the United States and abroad. Allred’s experience includes more than 40 years in the forest products and timberland investment management field. He earned an MBA from the University of North Florida and bachelor’s degrees in forestry and wildlife biology from NC State University.

Blas Arroyo
Charlotte, North Carolina
Term: 2024
Committee: Audit and Finance
Blas Arroyo, senior counsel with Alston & Bird’s Intellectual Property Litigation Group, has a practice with a particular emphasis on contested matters involving patent rights. Arroyo has been engaged in the field of intellectual property litigation for more than 30 years. His experience includes trials in various federal courts throughout the U.S. and before the International Trade Commission (ITC) in Section 337 Investigations involving issues of patent validity, infringement and enforceability, and related antitrust and unfair competition claims in a wide variety of technical fields. He earned his B.S. degree in pulp and paper science from NC State University in 1978 and his J.D. from Washington and Lee University in 1981.

Georgia Brown
Nashville, North Carolina
Term: 2025
Committee: Audit and Finance
Georgia Brown is the director of athletic business operations at NC State University. Prior to coming to NC State University, Brown worked at the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) office. She began there in August 2008 as administrative assistant for the women’s basketball department before being promoted to assistant director for women’s basketball and assistant senior woman administrator. She also served as a director of championships at the ACC. Brown ran track and field and cross-country for the Wolfpack and was a recipient of the prestigious Park Scholarship as an undergraduate student. She earned her bachelor’s degree in parks, recreation and tourism management in 2006 and went on to earn her master’s degree in the same program.

F. Gray Carter
Collierville, Tennessee
Term: 2025
Committee: Advancement
F. Gray Carter is the owner of The Carter Firm. Prior to opening his company in 2013, Gray worked at Buckeye Technologies for nearly 30 years before leaving as vice president of purchasing and logistics. He graduated from NC State University with B.S. degrees in pulp and paper technology and chemical engineering.

Joann Cox
Todd, North Carolina
Term: 2026
Committee: Forest Management
Joann Cox is the principal of Meyer-Cox Forestry Consultants, PLLC, a science-based forestry consulting firm committed to providing high-quality services with the utmost ethical and safety standards possible. In 1976, Cox became one of the first two women to graduate from Texas A&M University with a B.S. in forestry. She was the first female forester hired by Champion International in the Texas region. In 2021, Cox was the recipient of the Society of American Foresters Diversity Leadership Award. Cox is a fellow in the Society of American Foresters (SAF) and served as president of the organization in 2013, the second woman to hold this position. 

Brian Dangler
Kennesaw, Georgia
Term: 2024
Committee: Forest Management
Brian Dangler holds an MBA from Thomas College and is the director of The Conservation Fund’s Working Forest Fund. He directs the Fund’s sustainably managed forest operations and leads the strategy, financing and design of its portfolio of conservation-based timberland transactions across the U.S. Having previously worked for International Paper and as a field forester with Boise Cascade in Maine, Dangler brings more than 25 years of experience in forest management, pulp and paper operations and fiber supply.

Miles Daniels
Kitty Hawk, North Carolina
Term: 2025
Committee: Advancement
Miles Daniels currently leads the communication team at Twiddy & Company, a hospitality and real estate firm located on North Carolina’s Outer Banks. He majored in film studies at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and is a journalist, video and television producer and communications executive. As a producer, Daniels worked on a wide range of television and film projects including City of Churches, an Emmy-winning documentary series. His news and feature articles have appeared in more than 100 publications including the San Francisco Chronicle, Seattle Times, The News and Observer, Atlanta-Journal Constitution and St. Petersburg Times. Daniels previously served as senior vice president of media strategy and executive communications at a global communications agency.

Dana Harris
Raleigh, North Carolina
Term: N/A
Committee: Audit and Finance
Dana Harris is the associate vice chancellor for finance and business and university treasurer at NC State University. She holds a degree in business administration with finance emphasis from Elon University and is a certified public accountant, certified internal auditor and certified fraud examiner. Harris brings more than 18 years of public higher education experience to NC State University. Before joining NC State University, she was the associate vice chancellor for finance at UNC-Wilmington. Her past UNC-Wilmington roles also included senior associate athletic director for internal operations and director of internal audit. Prior to UNC-Wilmington, Harris served as assistant state auditor for the state of North Carolina for 14 years.

Tom Hines
Raleigh, North Carolina
Term: 2027
Committee: Audit and Finance
Tom Hines’ spent seven years in the U.S. Navy before transitioning into a career as a project manager for ABB Corporate Research – the first corporate tenant to occupy Centennial Campus at NC State University. Hines also served as coordinator of the Centennial Campus Planning Team and served on the NC State University Design School Advisory Board. He has strong family ties to NC State University and earned a B.S. in recreation and park administration from the College of Natural Resources. He also holds a M.S. in recreation administration from the University of North Carolina; an MBA from the University of North Carolina; and a M.A. from Duke University.

Ronnie Hise
Covington, VA
Term: 2027
Committee: Audit and Finance

Ronnie Hise, Ph.D., brings a wealth of experience in forest product industry innovation and business development. With a B.S. from Texas A&M and advanced degrees from NC State, Hise led new business development at MeadWestvaco Corporation for nearly three decades before retiring in 2013. He then joined Bonanza Associates LLC as senior vice president, driving technical development until 2019. A past president of the Pulp and Paper Advisory Board, Hise has a notable record in strategy execution and fostering industry partnerships.

Hunter Jenkins
Richmond, Virginia
Term: 2024
Committee: Advancement
Hunter Jenkins, managing director at The Forestland Group, LLC, is one of two senior executives of the nation’s largest hardwood landowner. He holds a B.A. from the University of Virginia and a M.S. in management from NC State University, with a focus in forest economics and timberland investments. Jenkins is a member of numerous conservation organizations and has served on the boards of various nonprofit institutions.

Larry Perkins
Raleigh, North Carolina
Term: 2024
Committee: Advancement
Larry Perkins holds a B.A. from John Jay College of Criminal Justice. As a 46-year veteran of the public assembly industry, he has acquired a broad range of expertise in venue management. He served 24 years as vice president of the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority (Meadowlands Sports Complex), which is home to the New York Giants, New York Jets, Izod Center and Meadowlands Racetrack. He is the author of “Buck Seventy-Two: A Destiny of Will,” “Crowd Safety and Survival,” and “Eight Point Crowd and Event Planning Model.” He has also written numerous articles for IAVM Facility Manager Magazine and other publications.

Dale Threatt-Taylor
Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina
Term: 2026
Committee: Forest Management
Dale Threatt-Taylor is the executive director of The Nature Conservancy South Carolina Chapter. Her career began as a soil conservationist with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, and she later joined the Wake Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD). In 2008, she was selected as district director of Wake SWCD and the Wake County Soil and Water Conservation Department. In 2012, she was selected as one of 30 agriculturalists in North Carolina to participate in the Agricultural Leadership Development Program at NC State University. Threatt-Taylor made history in 2020 when she was elected to serve as chair of the Soil and Water Conservation Society’s national board of directors. In 2021, she was accepted as a fellow in the inaugural class of the Sustainability Leadership Initiative in South Carolina. Threatt-Taylor has received many awards throughout her career, including the Order of the Long Leaf Pine from North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper for her dedicated work in conservation. 

Nancy Thompson
Raleigh, NC
Term: 2027
Committee: Advancement

Nancy Thompson, with a B.A. in political science and communications from Meredith College, has been a pivotal figure in governmental affairs within the forestry products industry. Since 2017, she has served as Weyerhaeuser’s director of governmental affairs, following a decade as public affairs manager. Her career includes influential roles with the NC Chamber and Manufacturers and Chemical Industry Council of NC. As the current chairman of the North Carolina Forestry Association, Thompson’s expertise in policy, strategic planning, and sustainability makes her an asset to the natural resources sector, where her advocacy and outreach continue to drive positive environmental and economic change.

Michelle Wells
Raleigh, North Carolina
Term: 2026
Committee: Audit and Finance
Michelle Wells joined the North Carolina Recreation & Park Association (NCRPA) in 2012 as an executive director. In her role, she works collaboratively with the board of directors and is responsible for developing and implementing the annual budget and audit, updating policies and procedures, and ensuring compliance with federal and state filing requirements. Previously, Wells was with the NCRPA for nearly 14 years as a membership service coordinator and then a program director. In these positions, she supported and managed organization committees, provided support to the executive director, served as state coordinator for a children’s skills competition offered by the NFL, and authored a weekly newsletter.

Jazmin Varela
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Term: 2025
Committee: Forest Management
Jazmin Varela is the director of landowner relations at Finite Carbon. She previously served as associate director of integrative services for The Conservation Fund, park naturalist at Mt. Mitchell State Park, and outreach specialist as an AmeriCorps Member. She earned her master’s of environmental management from Duke University and her B.S. in geography with a minor in biology from Appalachian State University.

Jennifer Zuckerman
Durham, North Carolina
Term: 2026
Committee: Advancement

Jen Zuckerman is the director of strategic initiatives at Duke University’s World Food Policy Center. Her work focuses on people-first policy development for equitable food policy in the U.S. As a result, Zuckerman has supported research to demonstrate the racialized history of policies that have created the inequities in the food system of today, identifying strategies that shift power and decision making to community leadership. In addition to her position with the World Food Policy Center, she contracts with DEI Works Collective as a racial equity facilitator. Prior to her current work, Zuckerman spent twelve years at the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation, serving as the senior program officer for healthy living and the director of strategic partnerships, focusing on increasing access to safe active environments and on providing sources for healthy, locally-sourced food.

Non-voting Members

Sam Cook
Raleigh, North Carolina
Email
Term: N/A
Committee: Forest Management

Sam Cook is the executive director of forest assets at the College of Natural Resources, overseeing 11 forest properties that support research and teaching while generating more than $3 million annually for the college. Cook is dedicated to mentoring students and expanding educational opportunities for underrepresented groups. He co-manages the Forester of the Future Program, a collaboration between the College of Natural Resources, Tuskegee University and Resource Management Service, which offers an accelerated graduate degree program for students pursuing forestry careers. Cook and his wife, Sherry, also established the Sam and Sherry Lynn Cook Fund for Outreach and Support for Diversity to recruit forestry students from diverse backgrounds. Cook previously worked for the U.S. Forest Service, Duke Power, International Paper, and forestry-related nonprofits in South Carolina. He earned his degree in forestry from NC State in 1984.  

Jennifer Piercy
Raleigh, North Carolina
Email
Term: N/A
Committee: Advancement
Jennifer Piercy currently serves as the assistant dean for College Advancement and president of the NC State Natural Resources Foundation. As executive director of the Pulp and Paper Advisory Board and director of undergraduate student recruiting, retention and development in the Department of Forest Biomaterials, Piercy brings 10 years of board management, fundraising, alumni relations, communications, leadership and management experience to this position. After graduating from NC State University with degrees in pulp and paper technology and chemical engineering, Piercy joined Procter and Gamble as a process engineer, machine manager and operations manager. She also worked for the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business in the MBA Career Services Center.

Myron F. Floyd
Raleigh, North Carolina
Email
Term: N/A
Committee: Audit and Finance
Dr. Myron F. Floyd currently serves as the dean of the College of Natural Resources at NC State University. He first joined the college in 2005 as a professor in the Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management. He went on to become director of graduate programs for the department in 2010. In 2014, Floyd was named the department head.