
Frank Abrams, Immediate Past President

Dale Cousins, President: Dale Cousins is a Past President of the North Carolina Library Association (NCLA). Before retiring, she worked in various capacities for 40+ years with Wake County Public Libraries. She retired as Senior Library Manager on the Director’s Administrative Team. She managed the Cary Public Library in the mid-1980’s and was the system’s Coordinator of Adult Services in the early 1990’s. Dale returned to work at the Cameron Village (now Oberlin) Regional Library in 1995 and was the library’s coordinator of a major renovation in 2006. She was named Wake County Employee of the Year in 1999. In 2011, she received the (NCLA-WILR)’s Marilyn Miller Award for Professional Commitment as well as the Triangle Literacy Council’s Volunteer of the Year Award. She is a Past Board Chair and long-time advocate for Wake County Smart Start. In addition to being active on the Board for the Friends of the NC State University Libraries, she currently serves on the Board for the League of Women Voters of Wake County. A native of Wake County, she received her Bachelor’s Degree at NC State University and her Master’s Degree of Library and Information Science from NC Central University. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, gardening, and trips to the NC coast.

Chris Carson, Vice President: Chris Carson is Founder/President at STEMbrite Learning, an e-learning start-up that creates digital course material for higher education, K-12, governments and corporations. Chris's vision is to create engaging, effective instructional videos with a "wow" factor. STEMbrite launched in the NC State Technology Incubator and graduated into studio space on Centennial Campus. Now the company is focused on growing its leading position in lightboard technology through customer acquisition, instructional design, and product strategy. Passionate about lifelong learning, Chris’ own background includes the Toronto French School, University of Toronto (M.A., Art History) and University of Western Ontario (MBA). Prior to starting STEMbrite, he managed a global Engineering publisher and directed global product/marketing teams at Cengage Learning. In his spare time, he enjoys tennis, cooking, architecture, and photography.
Frank Abrams, Immediate Past President: Abrams, a three-time NC State University alum, became a member of the faculty in Biological and Agricultural Engineering (BAE) in 1972 after serving on the Agricultural Engineering faculty at the University of Kentucky. He retired as professor emeritus in 2006 as a member of the faculty in the BAE department, in which he served as director of graduate programs and interim head, and the joint NCSU/UNC-CH Department of Biomedical Engineering, of which he was a founding faculty member and director of graduate programs. His teaching and research included biomechanics, engineering design, and agricultural mechanization. He served as a member of the Provost's Staff from 1994-2003, first as associate provost for undergraduate programs and then as senior vice provost and chief of staff. A registered professional engineer in North Carolina, his consulting includes mechanical design and patent development. Board service has included Sigma Xi Honorary Research Society, Chatham County Board of Health--Engineer Seat, and the NCSU Association of Retired Faculty. He was honored in 2005 by the NCSU Board of Trustees with the Alexander Q. Holladay Medal.
Greg Raschke, Secretary: Raschke is the Senior Vice Provost and Director of the NC State University Libraries.

Mark Bailey: Mark Bailey grew up in Raleigh’s Brentwood community. After gaining an undergraduate degree in Special Education at UNC-Chapel Hill in 1978, he taught elementary learning-disabled students in Wake County for 7 years. While teaching, he attended NC State School of Education evening and summer classes until achieving an M.Ed. in Learning Disabilities in 1982; quickly followed by a Certificate in Education Supervision in 1984. While attending NC State, Mark worked summers in the University Housing Dept. He can even show you the dorm that once housed a 1950’s era nuclear fallout shelter in its underground basement. In 1986, he left education and found employment at a newly formed In Vitro Medical Device company. This French-based company gave Mark the opportunity to work with production sites around the world and manage an international team at one point. Mark worked for this company for 35 years. As a result, he has a passion for seeking opportunities for students desiring as diverse an experience as possible. He adamantly believes that education has a role to expand the student’s understanding and appreciation of all the beauty of our multicultural world. Mark and his husband Steve live 2 blocks from DH Hill and are avid gardeners, collectors of art, and lovers of all places on earth where water meets the land, the very origins of the diversity of life.
Lawrence Bivins: Lawrence Bivins, principal of Evensong Communications, Ltd., is a Raleigh-based writer and consultant with more than 20 years of experience with economic development organizations at the local, regional, state and multi-state levels. Since 2017, he has been managing director for policy and public affairs at the NC Economic Development Association. From 2015 to 2017, he was deputy communications director at the NC Department of Commerce. Through the years, he has contributed features on entrepreneurship, small business, franchising, real estate and other business topics to North Carolina, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, Area Development, and Site Selection. Mr. Bivins is the author of North Carolina: A State of Minds, published in 2004 by Cherbo Publishing Group. He holds a B.A. from Louisiana State University and graduate degrees from American University and the London School of Economics. In 2004, he completed the Economic Development Basic Course (UNC--Chapel Hill) and is a 2006 graduate of the Direct Marketing Institute in Chicago. Prior to founding Evensong Communications, Mr. Bivins worked for IBM Corporation in RTP as a program coordinator at the Institute for Academic Technology. Mr. Bivins resides in downtown Raleigh with his wife, Lori.
James Branigan: James Branigan is the VP of Engineering at Artificial Inc., a software startup revolutionizing the use of automation in the Life Sciences industry. James is passionate about helping young companies get started and has strong connections to the entrepreneurial ecosystem in the Triangle from the founding of his previous company Bright Wolf (sold to Cognizant in 2020). When not at work, James enjoys running, hiking and coaching his daughter’s soccer team. James is an NC State Alum, with degrees in Computer and Electrical Engineering and has previously taught in the ECE department as an Adjunct Instructor.
Rachel Clarke: Rachel Clarke was born and raised in Raleigh. She received her degree from ECU, but she comes from a family with very strong NC State connections -- Rachel’s father, Lewis, was a faculty member in the College of Design and her mother, brother, and sister all attended NC State. Rachel currently works with the Department of Environmental Quality as a Compliance Officer in the Waste Management Section. Rachel is very active in the community, and volunteers prolifically. She loves being outdoors year-round and especially enjoys hiking. In the past several years, she hiked the Grand Canyon, visited a winery on Mount Vesuvius, and hiked the Path of the Gods along cliffs on the Amalfi coast in Italy. Rachel is a lifelong learner and credits her father for inspiring her, saying that the only way to live a fulfilling life is to be physically active and to learn something new every day.
Douglas Edwards: Douglas serves as Senior Vice President of Enterprise Associate & Business Solutions as part of a distinguished tenure with Humana where he directs comprehensive oversight for all human resources and workplace operations, which encompasses leading an organization of 1000+ professionals. Douglas also serves as a Board Director for DIRTT, a public construction company. Previously, he acted as Senior Vice President, Workplace Experience, administering all operational leadership for a talented, diverse team catalyzing human resources, enterprise business services, and the physical workplace.
Douglas is an accomplished executive leader, board director, and general manager with education and experience in leading and developing talent, optimizing organizational processes, keeping customers as the focus of business, and driving operational excellence across a myriad of industries. He has a proven record in leading cross functional teams, establishing customer-centric innovative strategies, and enhancing productivity to achieve corporate goals and objectives.
John Gant: John is the Director of Sustainability at Glen Raven, the maker of Sunbrella Fabrics and other textile products. He has been with Glen Raven for 30 years, working in manufacturing construction and management, and product development. With a special interest is sustainable architecture, John has been an active in the US Green Building Council, Window Covering Manufacturers Association, Awning Manufacturers Association, and industry programs lead by the Department of Energy Efficient Buildings and Berkeley National Lab.
John is an alum of North Carolina State University, BS Mechanical Engineering, 1988 and Duke University, Fuqua School of Business MBA, 1994.
John and his wife Sheri have two children, Ben and Weston (CALS 2027), and live in Orange County, NC.
Barbara Griggs: Barbara Griggs is a Raleigh native. Though a graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill, she has been surrounded by the Wolfpack her entire life. Her father, William A. Jackson, received his PhD from NC State and was a professor in the Soil Science department for over forty years. She often accompanied him to work in the summers, which included trips to D.H. Hill and being a (free) lab worker for various experiments. Her husband, Sam, and son Simon are both graduates of the College of Engineering, and daughter Clara is currently majoring in microbiology in the College of Sciences. Barbara’s family values generational giving and believes that the success of a university is dependent on the health of its library system. Her parents created the Arnold Addison and Mildred Barner Jackson Library Endowment in 1999, in memory of her grandparents, to support the Libraries’ collections; recently, Barbara, Sam, Simon and Clara set up the Griggs Family Libraries Student Scholarship Endowment to provide support for library student workers. Currently, Barbara is employed in the NC State Transportation Department and enjoys hiking and traveling with her family.

Haihui Huang: Haihui Huang has extensive work experience in the technology industry. Haihui began their career as a Software Engineer at Atmel in 2001 and worked there until 2005. Haihui then joined DataDirect Technologies (now Progress Software) as a Software Engineer and worked there from 2005 to 2008. In 2008, Haihui became the President & CEO of iPearl Inc, a company that specializes in designing, manufacturing, and marketing accessories for various electronic devices. Haihui has played a crucial role in the success of iPearl, particularly for their mCover® products which are highly popular among Mac, PC, Chromebook, Surface, Kindle, and Nook owners worldwide.
Haihui obtained a Masters degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from North Carolina State University from 1999 to 2001. Prior to that, He also completed a Masters degree in Computer Science from Fudan University between 1995 and 1998 and a Bachelor degree in Mechanical Engineering from China University of Geosciences between 1991 and 1995.
Cy King: Cy King played tennis for NC State and received a Bachelor’s Degree. He has been involved in tennis for over 50 years. At NC State he worked as a tennis professional, college tennis coach, tennis director, and club manager. Cy served for 30 years as the Tennis Director for the City of Raleigh Parks and Recreation Department, and held roles as General Manager of the Raleigh Racquet Club and head tennis coach at Peace College. Cy was selected as North Carolina USPTA Pro of the Year in 1996 and was inducted into the NC Tennis Hall of Fame in 2004. Cy has a rich family history at NC State. His father, Cyrus B. King, Sr. worked at the Libraries for over twenty years and was active in a wide variety of efforts to promote civil rights and social justice. Cy’s grandfather, Edward S. King served as the Secretary of the NC State campus YMCA for four decades and the E.S. King Village is named in his honor.

Christina Kuhl: Christina LaCanfora Kuhl graduated from NC State in 2007 with degrees in Communication – Public Relations and Sociology. During her time at State, she was president of the Lambda Pi Eta communication honor society, as well as the recipient of the Nancy and Melinda Snow Scholarship. She went on to earn her M.A. in Mass Communication from the University of Florida and later completed an MBA. Despite moving to Texas in 2009, she has remained involved with NC State, serving on the College of Humanities and Social Sciences Advisory Board and the Friends of the Library Young Alumni Leadership Council. Her corporate communications career spans more than 15 years and includes roles with both public and private companies, including Fortune 500s. Christina currently lives in Houston, Texas, with her husband and two kids, and they try to travel every chance they get.

Walker Mabe: Walker Mabe served for many years on the Friends of the Library board at Duke University, her alma mater. Her career began many years ago when she worked at NCSU in community and press relations. Walker worked in marketing and communications for engineering consulting firms (very NCSU-oriented!), served as a partner at a regional management consulting firm, and was executive director for the NC Museum of History Associates. She continued in non-profit administration and development communications for several other organizations before retiring last year. In addition to the library work for Duke, her volunteer experience has included membership on numerous boards, including past president roles at Artspace, the Junior League of Raleigh, and SAFEchild.

Scott Mabry: Scott Mabry serves as Deputy Commissioner for the NC Department of Labor and Director of its Occupational Safety and Health Division. His earlier roles with the Department include Chief of Staff as well as a variety of positions in both compliance and consultative services. In addition to his work at Labor, Scott served as Director of Safety and Risk Management with the NC Department of Transportation and a career highlight was the opportunity to return to NCSU as an Industrial Hygienist and subsequently Manager of Occupational Safety in the Environmental Health and Safety Department. Overall, his experience in the health and safety field includes more than thirty-five years working in both public and private settings. Scott currently serves on the federal Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health and is active in the Occupational Safety and Health State Plan Association. He is a native of Norwood, NC and moved to Raleigh to attend NC State University, graduating with a B.S. in Forestry in 1989. As a student, Scott enjoyed working in both the Forest Resources Library and DH Hill Library while also serving in Student Government. He and his wife, Barbara, live in Raleigh.
Selena Mau: Selena Mau graduated from NC State with a B.A. in International Studies in 2015. While at NC State, Selena was a Park Scholar, a founding member of the NC State Rotaract Chapter, and supported university recruiting. Selena’s affinity for the NC State libraries began with many hours spent studying at DH Hill.
Selena currently works as a program manager at SAS leading strategic corporate programs on the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion team. Prior to her current role, she worked on SAS's Social Innovation team managing Data for Good partnerships and the Federal Sales Team supporting the US Treasury.
Selena and her husband Rusty met on the Park Scholarships freshman retreat at NC State. They live in High Point, NC with 2 children and their dog, Bojangles. Their love for the Wolfpack runs deep as lifetime members of the NC State Alumni Association and lifetime members of the Friends of the Library. Selena is a volunteer with the Guilford County Animal Shelter and a supporter of children’s literacy programs.

Carolyn R. Miller: Carolyn R. Miller retired from NC State as SAS Institute Distinguished Professor of Rhetoric and Technical Communication in 2015, having taught in the Department of English for over 42 years. She received her Ph.D. in Communication and Rhetoric from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1980. At NC State, she served as the founding director of the Ph.D. program in Communication, Rhetoric, and Digital Media, established in 2005 as a collaboration between the Departments of Communication and English; she also served as founding director of the M.S. in Technical Communication. She has been a member of the University’s Academy of Outstanding Teachers since 1984 and was named Alumni Distinguished Graduate Professor in 1999. Her university service includes terms on the University Library Committee. She was named a Fellow of the Rhetoric Society of America in 2010 and Fellow of the Association of Teachers of Technical Writing in 1995. Carolyn is a Life Member of Friends of the Libraries. She remembers with no great fondness the old card catalog, microfilm readers, and the basement periodicals room in D. H. Hill Jr., and is very glad these have all been replaced by newer technologies. She has lived in Raleigh with her husband, Carl Blackman, since 1973.

Karlie Marlowe: Karlie Marlowe graduated from NC State in 2008 with a B.A. in Communications and Public Relations and minors in Journalism and Business Management. After eight years at the North Carolina Museum of Art, where she served as Director of Marketing and Communications, she launched her communications consulting company, KWM Strategy. Prior to that role, she oversaw marketing for Yep Roc Music Group’s collection of indie record labels and served in the press office of the NC State Fair and NC Department of Agriculture. After 20 years in Raleigh, she now lives in Hendersonville, NC, with her husband Ben, a fellow Wolfpack alum, and son Whitley.

Mitchell Moravec: Mitchell Moravec is a three-time NC State alumnus. He graduated with a B.S. in Materials Sciences Engineering and a B.A. in Psychology in 2018, and followed that up with a Master of Public Administration in 2020. Since graduation, Mitchell has volunteered and served in the Triangle nonprofit sector, currently serving as coordinator for the North Carolina Central University Campus Pantry in Durham. While at NC State, Mitchell served on the University Libraries Committee for 6 years while holding progressive leadership roles in Student Government. Mitchell is a Life Member with Friends of the Libraries and currently lives in Raleigh.

Deanna Nelson: Deanna Nelson is a scientist by training. She was awarded a Bachelor of Science degree with majors in chemistry and mathematics, and went on to attain a Doctor of Philosophy degree in organic chemistry at Indiana University, Bloomington, IN. She has done post-doctoral research in photochemistry at the University of New Orleans (LA) and in radiation chemistry at Leicester University (Leicester, England) and Argonne National Laboratories (Argonne, IL).
In the career that followed her postdoctoral appointments, she held teaching appointments at Texas Women’s University (Denton, TX) and Indiana University of Pennsylvania (Indiana, PA). She enjoyed working with students to explore and develop career opportunities. When her teaching was restricted to classroom interactions only (due to unionization), she joined Baxter Healthcare. At Baxter, she was a “firefighter” and solved problems anywhere in the world where local talent was insufficient.
Her problem-solving abilities induced Baxter management to support her becoming a U.S. Patent Agent. In this role, she drafted U.S. and foreign patent applications related to her discoveries and inventions. She has maintained this role to this date.
The Company Deanna founded in 2001 and currently owns, BioLink Life Sciences, Inc., is a pharmaceutical technology incubator that is developing a number of drug therapies, including treatments for hyperphosphatemia of chronic kidney disease, anemia, and osteoporosis of aging. She has used her expertise, leadership, and motivation to successfully carry out research and development that has resulted in numerous publications and patents. Today, BioLink is a financially sound, fully equipped small business. She is responsible for business development, finances, internal affairs, quality assurance, compliance with local, State and Federal regulations, and all related operations. This business acumen provides a solid foundation for insights as a Board member.
In summary, Deanna brings a strong background in working with people of all ages and backgrounds. She has widely diverse interests and can bring insightful perspectives to concepts and concerns that are considered by the Board. She uses the library regularly and understands the importance of maintaining and growing this resource. Deanna continues to work with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the National Institutes of Health and the Food and Drug Administration and can bring knowledge about current trends and concerns in these areas. Above all, she am a team member who relishes making things work better.
Deborah Winslow Nutter: Deborah Winslow Nutter is an international political historian who taught international affairs, security studies, and political leadership for over forty years at Bowdoin College, Simmons College, and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. Most recently as Senior Associate Dean and Professor of Practice at the Fletcher School, Dr. Nutter founded the Global Master of Arts Program for top international policy professionals around the globe and taught the program’s capstone course, Foreign Policy Leadership, which, along with other historically significant leaders, focused on Winston Churchill. She also was head of strategic development for the school and executed their communications and executive education departments.
Dr. Nutter earned her Ph.D. in Political Science from Columbia University, where she held several fellowships, including an Honorary Presidential Fellowship. She holds her A.B., Phi Beta Kappa from Colby College and studied at Oxford University. Dr. Nutter has been a Fellow at Harvard University at both the Center for International Affairs and the Center for Science and International Affairs and spent one year as an American Council on Education (ACE) Fellow.
Dr. Nutter’s research interests focus on how historic and current leaders confront changing geopolitical situations as well as their relationships with key advisers, including spouses. Her publications include Soviet Foreign Policy in Transition (edited) with Cambridge University Press and journal and newspaper articles on security studies, transatlantic relations, and international political leadership.
She is currently writing a biography of Pamela Plowden, Winston Churchill’s first great love, and later the Countess of Lytton. Dr. Nutter’s personal interests are international research and travel and historic gardens in eastern New England, where she and her sister Susan Keene Nutter grew up. She is married to Alan Huntington Rutan, a retired physicist, and has two children—one in Paris and one in Florida—and four grandchildren. Dr. Nutter and her husband live in Padanaram Village on the south coast of Massachusetts. She and Alan feel privileged to be a part of her sister’s momentous legacy at North Carolina State.
Susan Osborne: Susan Osborne joined the College of Education faculty at NC State in 1990 where she focused on research and teaching in the area of Special Education with emphasis on Learning Disabilities and related disorders. She worked closely with school districts providing instruction and support for teachers in Virginia, Michigan, Illinois, and North Carolina, where she worked to enhance the role of research-supported instruction for students, especially for those who experience challenges in learning, She has been active in national and international organizations that promote research on effective instructional practice and have been honored to serve on a number of editorial boards for education journals. She served as President of the Division for Learning Disabilities of the International Council for Exceptional Children and helped to create the Division for Research, which she later served as President.

Walda Powell: Walda Powell is currently a professor of Chemistry at Meredith College and is completing her 28th year. She attended NC State University and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry and continued on at NCSU to complete a Masters and Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry. Following a postdoc at UNC in the Biochemistry Department, Walda worked for Boron, Inc, a Biotech Company as a Senior Research Chemist for 6 years before coming to Meredith as an Assistant Professor of Chemistry where she has been actively involved in efforts to broaden the interest and participation of girls in science activities. Walda chaired the Department of Chemistry, Physics and Geoscience at Meredith from 2007-2010, serving as Associate Dean and Acting Dean of the School of Natural and Mathematical Sciences from 2010-2013. Walda chaired the Department of Chemistry, Physics and Geoscience again starting July 2013 – July, 2022.

Cathy Stuart: Cathy Stuart has been a corporate and business lawyer in Raleigh for over 40 years and is a principal at Stuart Law Firm, PLLC. Originally from Chevy Chase, Maryland, she moved to North Carolina to attend UNC-Chapel Hill and later graduated from Tulane University Law School. She was a law clerk for Chief Judge Franklin T. Dupree of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina. Cathy has served as counsel, advisor, and board member for numerous major events and nonprofits, including the 1987 U.S. Olympic Festival, the 1999 Special Olympics World Games, and the Triangle Sports Commission. She was an adjunct instructor at the UNC School of Law and has previously held positions with organizations such as the UNC Board of Visitors and the Madeira School Board of Trustees. Her extensive community involvement includes service with the North Carolina Symphony, the North Carolina Museum of Art, and the Raleigh Rotary Club. She is a past recipient of the Triangle Business Journal Women in Business Award for Community Support. Cathy’s long-standing dedication to public service reflects her deep commitment to education, the arts, and youth development.

Anderson Shumate: Anderson first became interested in volunteering with the Friends of the Libraries as a volunteer for the Frank B. Armstrong Memorial Book Sale. After graduating from NC State University, he joined the FoL Young Alumni Leadership Council, and served two terms on the University Library Committee as a graduate student. He was inspired to do more after a brief but memorable conversation with Susan Nutter at a dinner in 2017, shortly before she retired. Anderson currently works for the NC State University Central Development office.

Hersh Tapadia: Hersh is an entrepreneur, mentor, consultant and most recently co-founder and CEO of Allstacks, an outcome-driven software intelligence and predictive forecasting company based out of Raleigh, N.C. After formal training as an engineer, Tapadia founded multiple healthcare startups leveraging machine learning for infectious disease diagnostics and anti-counterfeiting technology where he led the engineering and product organizations before leveraging those experiences to co-found Allstacks.
He’s actively involved in the local entrepreneurship community, working with early-stage companies and students as an advisor/mentor, including DukeGEN and the NC State Engineering Entrepreneurs Program. He also serves on the board of NC State Entrepreneurship.

Chandler Thompson Boyle : Chandler Thompson Boyle graduated from NC State with a B.S. in Economics in 2012. While at NC State, Chandler served as the 91st student body president and 6th female president; she was also honored as Leader of the Pack in 2010 and a recipient of the Mathews Medal in 2012. Chandler served on the University Libraries Standing Committee from 2009-2011 and appreciated the libraries' outstanding responsiveness to student needs and ideas. Chandler earned her master's degree in College Student Affairs Administration at the University of Georgia and currently works as Regional Director of Development for UGA. Chandler and her husband Joe, also an NC State alumnus, live in Greensboro, NC. Chandler has served on the Park Scholarships selection committee since 2014. Active in her community, Chandler previously co-chaired the Women's Forum at Elon University, is a sustainer member of the Junior League of Greensboro and serves as a board member for the Kellin Foundation, promoting mental health and resilience. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling, concerts, running, and going to the local farmer's market.

Erkang Zheng: Erkang Zheng is an entrepreneur and product leader who builds technology that solves real problems. He founded JupiterOne, a cybersecurity platform that helps organizations better understand and protect their digital environments. Currently, Erkang is working on a stealth startup, leveraging AI to help individuals and organizations unlock their full potential through intelligent, personalized insights and collaboration.
With a background in cybersecurity and data engineering, Erkang approaches complex challenges with practical solutions. Previously, he served as CISO of LifeOmic and Head of Software Security at Fidelity Investments Personal Investing, and held security leadership and practitioner roles at IBM Security. His philosophy (#KnowMoreFearLess) is simple: make decisions based on facts, not fear. Erkang holds Bachelor's and Master's degrees in computer science from North Carolina State University, five patents, and multiple industry certifications.