The government of North Carolina ushered in a new era as Governor Josh Stein welcomed his freshly inducted cabinet members, all charged with steering the state towards reinforced security and prosperity. According to a release from the Governor's office, Stein expressed his enthusiasm for the team's readiness to serve North Carolina's citizens: "My cabinet secretaries are ready to hit the ground running to make North Carolina safer and stronger," he said, affirming his trust in their capabilities and his eagerness to collaborate in fostering a better environment for living, working, and raising families.
The swearing-in ceremony saw a diverse group of individuals taking oaths for various cabinet positions, like Leslie Cooley Dismukes stepping in as Secretary of the Department of Adult Correction – Dismukes comes from a tenure as Criminal Bureau Chief at the North Carolina Department of Justice leading and Lee Lilley taking the reins of the Department of Commerce after directing economic and pandemic recovery efforts in the state. The Department of Environmental Quality will now be led by D. Reid Wilson, lauded for his dual experience as Secretary of North Carolina's Department of Natural and Cultural Resources and Chief of Staff at the EPA, Teena Piccione, ascending to the Department of Information Technology, comes with an impressive background from Google, RTI, Fidelity, and AT&T.
Jocelyn Mitnaul Mallette, an Air Force veteran and once an international law firm partner, steps into the role of Secretary for the Department of Military and Veteran Affairs, Eddie Buffaloe Jr. remains at the helm of the Department of Public Safety bringing three decades of law enforcement experience, McKinley Wooten Jr. is set to direct the Department of Revenue with his 30-year public service history, and Kristin Walker maintains her position guiding the Office of State Budget and Management. Staci Meyer, with her deep ties to both the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources and the North Carolina Department of Justice, will oversee the Office of State Human Resources, and the Department of Transportation holds onto Joey Hopkins, who has already dedicated over three decades to the department in various roles, as mentioning details obtained from the Governor's official announcement.
Completing the cabinet, we have Gabe Esparza slated for the Department of Administration, bringing with him a vast well of leadership experience from public and private sector positions, such as his tenure as Associate Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration, he’ll be sworn in on Saturday. Dev Sangvai, awaiting his Sunday oath, brings a potent blend of academia and administrative expertise to the Department of Health and Human Services from his time as a professor and his role as president at Duke Regional Hospital. Finally, Pam Cashwell, with past roles scattered across secretarial, deputy, and assistant director positions within the state, assumes leadership for the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, having taken her oath last Friday.
