New and reappointed App State trustees begin new terms, board selects 2023–24 officers
Student Body President J.P. Neri sworn in for one-year term
By J. Todd Coates and Anna Oakes Edited by Jessica Stump
Posted Sep. 29, 2023 at 2:28 p.m.
BOONE, N.C. — Five members of the Appalachian State University Board of Trustees have been reappointed to new four-year terms, effective July 1. The board welcomed its newest member, alumna Tamela Winker Everett ’79, at its Sept. 29 meeting, and also elected new officers, who will begin their roles in December.
The University of North Carolina System Board of Governors approved the reappointments of trustees Mark Ricks, Thomas Sofield, James K. Reaves and Anita Greene at its May 25 meeting, with trustee Kimberly Shepherd reappointed by the North Carolina General Assembly. Everett, whose four-year term became effective July 1, was also appointed by the state legislature.
North Carolina District Court Judge Rebecca Eggers-Gryder ’83, who presides over the state’s 24th Judicial District, administered the oath of office to Ricks, Sofield, Reaves, Greene and Everett at the board’s September quarterly meeting.
The board approved the following trustees as officers for the 2023–24 academic year: Ricks as chair; Sofield as vice chair; and James E. Harris as secretary.
At the board’s June 23 meeting, App State Student Body President J.P. Neri was sworn in to a one-year term on the board. Neri is a junior history major from Raleigh and a Chancellor’s Scholar.
About the trustees
Mark E. Ricks
Ricks is a 1989 graduate of App State and holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from the university’s College of Arts and Sciences. Ricks had a 28-year career in the protective service industry, including his work as director of global protective operations at Mars Inc. in the Washington, D.C., metro area from 2005 to 2017. He is the owner of Double Wood Farm, an equestrian sanctuary for retired show horses, in Bluemont, Virginia.
Thomas Sofield
Sofield is a 1976 graduate of App State with a degree in physical education. He was captain of the 1975 Mountaineers football team, became a captain of industry and is a champion for his teammates, students and alma mater. Sofield and his family recently committed a gift in support of App State athletics facilities enhancements, including a new multipurpose indoor practice facility. The university’s current indoor athletic practice facility was supported by a lead gift made by the Sofield family in 2007. He has served the local community as a board member of the Watauga County Economic Development Commission and the Board of Directors with First Citizens Bank.
James E. Harris
Harris graduated from App State in 1984 with a Bachelor of Science in business administration in accounting. He is currently the chief financial officer at RXO, a leading provider of asset-light transportation solutions. As a student-athlete at App State, he played baseball for the Mountaineers and was a member of the 1984 Southern Conference Championship team. He was also named to the All-Southern Conference and NCAA Academic All-America teams. Harris delivered the 64th Harlan E. Boyles Distinguished Lecture in April.
Tamela Winker Everett
Everett has served App State in previous years as chair of the Yosef Club Advisory Board and as president of the App State Alumni Association. She and her husband, David Everett, own and operate two General Motors automotive dealerships in the Catawba Valley. Their children, Dave Everett II ’09 and Alexis Everett ’15, also attended App State. Additionally, the Everett family has established an endowment in the Beaver College of Health Sciences to honor Tamela’s daughter, a registered nurse, and her late mother, Maria Price Winkler-Hyams, who had a 46-year career in health care.
Anita Greene
Greene graduated from the University of South Carolina with a degree in mechanical engineering. She owns Artisanal Restaurant in Banner Elk, opened in 2005, and Peppervine in Charlotte, opened in 2019. Before owning restaurants, Greene had a career as an engineer in Charlotte. This will be the first full term for Greene, who was appointed in 2022 to fill the remainder of a term vacated by John Blackburn, who was selected by Gov. Roy Cooper to fill a vacant seat on the State Board of Education.
James Reaves
Reaves currently serves as senior vice president at Truist Bank. He is a 1993 graduate of App State’s Walker College of Business with a degree in finance and risk management. In 2010, Reaves received the Young Alumni Award from App State Alumni Affairs, and he is a member of the Appalachian State University Foundation Board. Reaves earned his master’s degree in financial services from American College in 2005.
Kimberly Shepherd
Shepherd previously served as chair of App State’s Board of Trustees and is a member of the Appalachian State University Foundation Board. Shepherd is chief executive officer of SkyLine Membership Corp., a telecommunications company headquartered in West Jefferson. She first began with SkyLine working part time in the repair service department and worked her way up to CEO. She graduated from App State in 1997 with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics; Shepherd also holds a Master of Business Administration from Gardner-Webb University.
The Appalachian State University Board of Trustees is a 13-member body that promotes the development of the institution within the functions prescribed by the UNC Board of Governors. The board serves as advisor to the Board of Governors on matters pertaining to the university and also serves as advisor to the chancellor concerning the management and development of Appalachian. The powers and duties of the Board of Trustees are primarily defined and delegated by the Board of Governors. Individuals are appointed to four-year terms by the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the UNC Board of Governors. Included as a voting member of the board is the president of Appalachian’s Student Government Association. The president of Appalachian’s Alumni Council and chairs of the Faculty Senate and Staff Senate serve as ex officio constituency representatives to the board.
Three returning members and three newly appointed members of Appalachian’s Board of Trustees were sworn in by North Carolina District Court Judge Rebecca Eggers-Gryder ’83 during the board’s Sept. 13 meeting on Appalachian’s campus.
The Appalachian State University Board of Trustees is a 13-member body that promotes the development of the institution within the functions prescribed by the UNC Board of Governors. The board serves as advisor to the Board of Governors on matters pertaining to the university and also serves as advisor to the chancellor concerning the management and development of Appalachian. The powers and duties of the Board of Trustees are primarily defined and delegated by the Board of Governors. Individuals are appointed to four-year terms by the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the UNC Board of Governors. Included as a voting member of the board is the president of Appalachian’s Student Government Association. The president of Appalachian’s Alumni Council and chairs of the Faculty Senate and Staff Senate serve as ex officio constituency representatives to the board. Learn more at http://chancellor.appstate.edu/bot.
About Appalachian State University
As a premier public institution, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives. App State is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System, with a national reputation for innovative teaching and opening access to a high-quality, affordable education for all. The university enrolls more than 21,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and 80 graduate majors at its Boone and Hickory campuses and through App State Online. Learn more at https://www.appstate.edu.
The Appalachian State University Board of Trustees is a 13-member body that promotes the development of the institution within the functions prescribed by the UNC Board of Governors. The board serves as advisor to the Board of Governors on matters pertaining to the university and also serves as advisor to the chancellor concerning the management and development of Appalachian. The powers and duties of the Board of Trustees are primarily defined and delegated by the Board of Governors. Individuals are appointed to four-year terms by the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the UNC Board of Governors. Included as a voting member of the board is the president of Appalachian’s Student Government Association. The president of Appalachian’s Alumni Council and chairs of the Faculty Senate and Staff Senate serve as ex officio constituency representatives to the board.
Three returning members and three newly appointed members of Appalachian’s Board of Trustees were sworn in by North Carolina District Court Judge Rebecca Eggers-Gryder ’83 during the board’s Sept. 13 meeting on Appalachian’s campus.
Appalachian Today is an online publication of Appalachian State University. This website consolidates university news, feature stories, events, photo galleries, videos and podcasts.
If you cannot find what you're looking for here, please refer to the following sources:
Stories and press releases published prior to Jan. 1, 2015 may be found in University Communications Records at the Special Collections Research Center.
Appalachian Today is an online publication of Appalachian State University. This website consolidates university news, feature stories, events, photo galleries, videos and podcasts.
If you cannot find what you're looking for here, please refer to the following sources:
Stories and press releases published prior to Jan. 1, 2015 may be found in University Communications Records at the Special Collections Research Center.