Officers and Five New Members Elected
Raleigh, NC – The Board of Directors of Special Olympics North Carolina elected officers and five new members for 2014, according to Keith L. Fishburne, president/CEO Special Olympics North Carolina (SONC).
Allen Oliver of High Point was elected to serve as the Special Olympics NC board chair. Tim Taft of Chapel Hill was elected to serve as vice chair. Leslie Packer of Raleigh was elected to serve as secretary and Bill Richardson of Raleigh was elected the treasurer. All officers will serve in their roles for 2014 and 2015. Ron Henries of Boone will serve as immediate past chair.
Beginning new terms on the SONC Board of Directors are Roy Forrest of Whitsett, Jason Godwin of Knightdale, Sean Halleran of Charlotte, and Bill Richardson of Raleigh and Jim Triandiflou of Cary. All members will serve a three-year term from Jan. 1, 2014 through Dec. 31, 2016.
Roy Forrest of Whitsett is a retired captain from the Guilford County Sheriff’s office and recently completed several terms on the International Council for the Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics. He has been involved in the Torch Run for 24 years, five of those years as an employee of SONC responsible for the NC Law Enforcement Torch Run (NC LETR). He has raised tens of thousands of dollars for SONC through the NC LETR and established a national relationship with Winston-Salem-based Krispy Kreme Doughnuts. Forrest has a BA in Justice and Policy from Guilford College in Greensboro.
Jason P. Godwin of Knightdale has been the Chief of Police of the Knightdale Police Department since 2010. He is active in the NC Association of Chiefs of Police, which is among the founding supporters of the NC Law Enforcement Torch Run for SONC at the encouragement of the International Association of Chiefs of Police. Godwin has a BS and Master of Science in Criminal Justice from East Carolina University in Greenville. Before becoming a chief, Godwin was the director of law enforcement training at Johnston Community College for seven years and director of campus security for two years. He also spent six years as an agent of the NC Alcohol Law Enforcement during his career. Since 2008, the Knightdale Police Dept has raised more than $106,000 for Special Olympics through the NC LETR.
Sean Halleran of Charlotte is an event security and operations consultant. He has been active in Leadership Charlotte, the Charlotte Mecklenburg Crime Stoppers, and the NC Crime Stoppers Association. In 2013, he chaired a statewide conference hosted in Charlotte for the Crime Stoppers organizations from throughout the state. He served on the staff of the Games Organizing Committees for the 1999 Special Olympics World Summer Games held in North Carolina and the 2001 Special Olympics World Winter Games held in Alaska. He has volunteered at many local and state-level Special Olympics events during his lifetime.
Bill Richardson of Raleigh returns to the Special Olympics NC Board after being off the Board for a year while he served as the Governor of Civitan District East. Richardson served as the SONC Board Chairman in 2010 and 2011. He is with Capital Investment Companies based in Raleigh. The company handles asset management for retirement plans. Richardson served SONC for 11 years as the volunteer Summer Games Director and serves as a liaison in the sponsor relationship between SONC and Civitan District East. He has served on the SONC finance committee for almost a decade as well. Richarson is retired from the US Army as a colonel in the infantry.
Jim Triandiflou of Cary is the CEO of Relias Learning based in Cary. The company provides online training for personnel working in the fields of senior care, mental health, and intellectual& developmental
disabilities. Triandiflou has a BS in marketing from State University of New York at Oswego and a MBA from Arizona State University. He has had past experience volunteering with Special Olympics when he was in high school and college. In 2013, Relias Learning became a sponsor of Over the Edge Raleigh raising more than $6,000. Additionally, their employees volunteered during the 2013 SONC Bowling Tournament in Durham.
SONC Board members Mary Ann Brown of Lexington, Mark Evans of Winston-Salem, Jim Farrell of Cary, John Gouldie of Raleigh, Phil Gruber of Raleigh, Ken Smith of Raleigh and Tim Taft of Chapel Hill were elected for their second three-year terms, from 2014 to 2016.
“These new members have exhibited great dedication and devotion to Special Olympics,” said Fishburne. “I feel strongly each will contribute and enhance our efforts to fulfill the Special Olympics mission and serve the athletes in our state.”
Full listing of officers and members of the 2014 SONC Board of Directors are:
Allen Oliver of High Point, (Chair) assistant city manager, City of High Point
Dr. Tim Taft of Chapel Hill, (Vice Chair) professor of Orthopedics and Sports Medicine, UNC Chapel Hill Leslie Packer of Raleigh, (Secretary) partner, Ellis & Winters, LLP
Bill Richardson of Raleigh (Treasurer), registered representative, Capital Investment Companies
Ron Henries of Boone, (Immediate Past Chair) instructor, Appalachian State University
Mary Ann Brown of Lexington, coordinator, Special Olympics Davidson Co. in the Davidson Co Parks & Recreation Dept.
Jim Bullard of Mooresville, retired from Wachovia
Jason Godwin of Knightdale, Chief, Knightdale Police Department
Zach Commander of Elizabeth City, athlete, Special Olympics North Carolina
Mark Evans of Winston-Salem, senior vice president, First Community Bank
Jim Farrell of Cary, director, Credit Suisse
Roy Forrest, of Whittset, retired Captain, Guilford County Sheriff’s Office
John Gouldie of Raleigh, past State Deputy, Knights of Columbus
Phil Gruber Jr. of Raleigh, president, RPG Solutions
Sean Halleran, of Charlotte, consultant, event security and operations
Lewis McLean, of Stanly, support services professional, Hughes Behavioral Care
Katie Nordeen of High Point, news anchor, WGHP Fox 8
Janet Presson of Waynesville, president, A Small Miracle Inc.
Ken Smith of Raleigh, news reporter/anchor, WRAL- TV 5
Jim Triandiflou of Cary, CEO, Relias Learning
Amy Wurst of North Kansas City, Missouri, vice president, Henry Wurst Inc.
Special Olympics North Carolina offers year-round sports training and competition for more than 38,000 children and adults with intellectual disabilities. These athletes inspire greatness through their success and provide motivation to the thousands of coaches, sports officials, local program committee members and event organizers involved in Special Olympics statewide. SONC offers Olympic-type competition in 19 sports on local and state levels. Visit Special Olympics North Carolina at www.specialolympicsnc.com. Engage with us on http://twitter.com/sonc_beafan; http://www.facebook.com/SpecialOlympicsNC and http://www.youtube.com/BeAFanSONC.
