Newly sworn-in members grow COA trustee board to 25

Seven new members officially joined the College of The Albemarle Board of Trustees during trustee meetings earlier this month, increasing the size of the college’s governing board from 19 to 25 members.

State legislation taking effect through approval of the state budget last year significantly changed the makeup of the trustee boards at the state’s 58 community colleges, including COA.

The changes included stripping the power to appoint trustee members from both the governor and local boards of education and giving a majority of the appointments to lawmakers in both the House and Senate and a smaller number to county commissioners in the counties where the college has campuses.

The changes also increased the size of community college trustee boards from 19 to 25.

The seven new appointees to COA’s board included Gerry Anderson and Will Norrell of Pasquotank County; Dr. Ellis Lawrence of Chowan County; Tom White of Camden County; Perquimans County Schools Superintendent Dr. Tanya Turner; Lola Nowell-Rountree of Gates County; and Da’Shanalynn Miller, the student government association president at COA who is an ex officio member. Norrell is a Senate appointee.

Six other trustee board members were reappointed to new terms. They included Pasquotank residents Dr. Travis Burke, a member since 2011, and Dr. Denauvo Robinson, a trustee since 2021; Currituck residents Selina Jarvis, a county commissioner and member since 2020, and Dr. Emily Walker, a member since 2021; Robert “Bob” Woodard, a trustee from Dare County since 2017; and Graham Twine, a Gates County resident who’s served on the board since 2012.

During the board’s regular meeting on Aug. 13, Tommy Fulcher, formerly the board’s vice chair, was elected the new chair and Jarvis was elected the new vice chair. Trustees also paid tribute to David Harris, the immediate past chair of the board and member since 2016, who left the board.

“We are incredibly grateful for the commitment and dedication of our Board of Trustees,”

COA President Dr. Jack Bagwell said in a press release. “This year, we are especially excited to welcome a broader representation of our service area, bringing even more diverse expertise, backgrounds, and perspectives to our board.”