Board of Trustees

Mark Copeland |  Vice Chair; Reappointed in 2023 by the N.C. Senate; term ends 2027 

Kimberly Bullock Gatling | Appointed in 2023 by the B.O.G.; term ends 2027

Gatling is a partner and the Chief Cultural Engagement Officer with the law firm of Fox Rothschild LLP. She is U.S. Registered Patent Attorney and North Carolina Board Certified Trademark Specialist. She practices in the areas of patents, trademarks, copyrights, software, and related licensing and litigation matters. 

Gatling grew up in Hampton, Virginia. She graduated cum laude from North Carolina A&T State University in 1996 with a BS in electrical engineering and received her JD from George Washington University Law School in 1999. Gatling is licensed to practice law in North Carolina, before the United States Patent and Trademark Office, and before the United States Supreme Court. 

Gatling is past Chair of the North Carolina A&T State University Board of Trustees, and she also serves on the Boards of Directors for Truliant Federal Credit Union, Culp, Inc., the Greensboro Chamber of Commerce, and the Cone Health Foundation. She is a former Chair of the Board of Visitors for North Carolina A&T State University. Gatling formerly served on the Boards of Directors for United Way of Greater Greensboro, the Gateway University Research Park, and the North Carolina A&T State University Real Estate Foundation, the North Carolina Bar Association, Habitat for Humanity of Greater Greensboro, Triad Stage, and the Women’s Resource Center. She is also a member of Providence Baptist Church, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., the Links Incorporated, and Jack and Jill of America, Inc. 

Gatling is very busy at home with being a wife and mother to three sons. She enjoys spending time with her family and swimming.

Kathy R. Hairston | Appointed in 2025 by the B.O.G.; term ends 2029

Hairston is a distinguished business leader, philanthropist, and proud alumna of North Carolina A&T State University, where she earned her degree in social service in 1975. A Greensboro native and Dudley High School graduate, she met her husband, John R. Hairston, at N.C. A&T, and together they built a successful career in business, owning and operating 11 McDonald’s franchises over four decades. Their entrepreneurial success earned them numerous accolades, including the Golden Arch Award and the Ronald Award from McDonald’s Corp. Committed to giving back, the Hairstons have been longtime supporters of their alma mater, making transformative contributions that led to the naming of the John R. and Kathy R. Hairston College of Health and Human Sciences at N.C. A&T. Their multimillion-dollar pledge established scholarships, endowed professorships, and program funding, ensuring future generations of students have access to educational opportunities. Kathy’s dedication to service was recognized with the 2013 Alumni Achievement Award, honoring her excellence in career achievement and contributions to the university. Now retired, she remains committed to philanthropy, living by the philosophy: “Never forget where you came from, and always reach back to help others.”
 

Latisha Hamilton-Williams | Appointed in 2025 by the B.O.G.; term ends 2029

Hamilton-Williams is the Senior Vice President and Chief People Officer at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (Blue Cross NC). Latisha leads the human resources division and oversees the company’s People Strategies, Total Rewards and Shared Services, People Analytics and HR Technology, Enterprise Learning and Development, and Employment Brand and Talent Management. A North Carolina native, Hamilton-Williams returned to Blue Cross NC November 2022 from Bridgestone Americas, Inc., where she served as the Senior Vice President of Total Rewards and HR Operations, leading design, development, implementation, administration, and continuous improvement of Total Rewards and HR Operations.

In this role, Hamilton-Williams  influenced key investments and initiatives that supported the attraction, engagement, and retention of employees, while ensuring compensation and benefits offerings are cost-effective and aligned with business strategy. Prior to her position at Bridgestone, she oversaw the Total Rewards, HR Operations, and HR M&A for all employees at Amedisys, Inc. as Senior Vice President, Total Rewards. Hamilton-Williams worked at Blue Cross NC for nearly 11 years from 2004 until 2015 in roles including the Director of Human Resources Operations and Analytics, Vice President of Human Resources Support Services, and Vice President of Total Rewards and People Services. Hamilton-Williams holds a degree in accounting from North Carolina A&T State University.

Jim Kee  | Appointed in 2025 by the N.C. Legislature; term ends 2029

Kee is President and CEO of Kee Development Corp. and is developing 144 units for seniors and veterans, and a commercial urban farm all powered by 1MW of solar energy located in Greensboro, NC. Kee has been an entrepreneur and businessman since 1981. He has over forty years’ combined experience in the real estate, airline and the medical industries. His housing management portfolio includes rental properties located in Greensboro and Garysburg, North Carolina. In 2004, his project management experience began with Phase I land development of Knottingham Forest Sub-division.

He worked closely with the City of Greensboro in the preliminary stage and throughout the project’s completion. Kee coordinated and subcontracted services in surveying, engineering, land clearing and development including infrastructure development and construction. Jim partnered with contractors, financial brokers, and real estate agents to provide a turnkey service to homebuyers. When the housing market began to slowdown, Kee’s housing strategy enabled him to presale homes before construction began, leaving no inventory of homes on the books.

His management positions in sales include Account Manager with US Airways, where he managed a seventy million dollar territory and posted an increase in sales for eleven consecutive years. He was a Territory Business Manager with Bristol-Myers Squibb, managed a thirty-three million dollar territory, and received the excellence award for top sales in 1999. He was a Territory Manager for TheraSense, Inc., managed a seventy-five million dollar territory, and was ranked in top ten percent of sales managers. He was assistant personnel director for San Diego RETC for the Pete Wilson administration. Pete was mayor of San Diego, Ca and later became Governor of Ca. Jim also was employed as a Federal Auditor for the US Treasury Dept., Office of the Comptroller of the Currency.
Jim served on the Greensboro City Council from 2009 through 2013 where he devised policy to manage and allocate a four hundred and twenty million dollar budget. He led the effort on city council to redevelop a shopping center in the heart of his district that had remained dilapidated for seventeen years by convincing council to allocate $2.6 million dollars toward this project. Today a beautiful new shopping center stands. He also led the effort to infrastructure development in his district of $15M.

Kee brought a group of investors to Greensboro in 2023. These investors committed to purchasing two tracks of land totaling $18.5 million dollars in Districts 2 and 3. Total investment upon completion of projects was estimated to be $500 million dollars. Jim also brought investors to District 1 that included a total investment of $40M.

Kee grew up on a family farm in eastern North Carolina where he learned the basics of construction, raising livestock and growing fruits and vegetables. Jim was indoctrinated into public service by watching his dad, granddad and great granddad work in the community. Jim is a graduate of North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University.
 

 

Gina Loften | Chair; Appointed in 2023 by the B.O.G.; term ends 2027

Gina Loften is a Fortune 100 board director and the recently retired Chief Technology Officer of Microsoft U.S., widely recognized for her leadership in driving innovation, scaling businesses, and delivering shareholder value. With prior roles as Chief Technology Officer and Chief Innovation Officer at both IBM and Microsoft, she brings deep expertise in mergers and acquisitions, research, technical strategy and emerging technology adoption. She currently serves on the boards of TIAA, TTEC, Thoughtworks, Foursquare, and RTI International. A proud alumna of North Carolina A&T State University, Gina is also a champion for STEM education, an angel investor, and an influential thought leader. She was appointed to the N.C. A&T Board of Trustees in 2023.
 

Gregg Lowe | Appointed in 2023 by the B.O.G.; term ends 2027

McLean is a retired Caswell County, North Carolina Chief Deputy and is currently serving as the Mayor Pro Tem of the Town of Yanceyville. He represents the Town of Yanceyville as a member of both the Caswell Juvenile Crime Prevention Council and the Caswell County Partnership for Children. 

McLean graduated from the Danville, Virginia’s George Washington High School during June of 1984. He is a 1984 graduate of the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music and earned a Bachelors’ degree in the field of Music Education. Mclean has experience as a Music Educator teaching Elementary, Junior High and High School Band and Orchestra in the Cincinnati Public School System. He relocated to Danville, Virginia during the summer of 1993 and decided forgo a career in education and sought employment in law enforcement.

During August of 1993, he was hired by the Caswell County Sheriffs’ Office and was encouraged to attend a School Resource Officer training course that was offered by the NC Criminal Justice Academy during the summer of 1994. Working as a SRO, McLean enjoyed the interaction with High School students and eventually began a Huskins Bill Instructor of Criminal Justice Technology. A friend encouraged him to apply for admission to the NC A&T University Graduate School of Education. McLean graduated during December of 2006 earning a Masters of Science in Adult Education. The time that he spent attending classes at NC A&T State was a great experience and the motivation for his desire to apply for appointment as a member of the NC A&T Board of Trustees.

George W. Ragsdale | Appointed in 2023 by the N.C. Legislature; term ends 2027 

George Ragsdale has three decades of experience in Banking, Real Estate and business leadership.  This expertise has served him well in a variety of roles. After graduating from NC State, he served as a Vice President at BB&T in many positions within his 10 year tenure. Following time at two Community Banks, George became principal at B.R. Foxx and Company in Jamestown, North Carolina.  As Principal of both B.R. Foxx and The Wrennovation Companies George has expanded the company’s Real Estate Portfolio to include substantial holdings throughout The Carolinas, Virginia, Georgia, and Tennessee. Today, George serves as the Director of Business Development for Wells Fargo covering the Carolinas. In addition to that leadership role, George serves on the Guilford Technical Community College Trustees where he is the Immediate Past Chair as well as a Director on the North Carolina Textile Foundation. Prior service includes the NC Outdoor Heritage Advisory Council, Family Service of the Piedmont(Past Chair), YMCA of Greater Greensboro, Hospice of the Piedmont and many others. He is a proud supporter and advocate of education in North Carolina. Through his generosity and foresight, George is playing a vital role in securing the future of education for all North Carolinians.  In his leisure time George enjoys Family, Golf, Fishing and the Outdoors.  George and His wife Jenny live in Jamestown with their son Wrenn (15) and daughter Katherine (14). 

 He earned his bachelor’s degree in textile and apparel management in 1999 from the Wilson College of Textile at NC State University and completed the Graduate School of Banking at Louisiana State University. 

Michael Regan | Appointed in 2025 by the BOG; Term ends 2029
 
Regan is the founder and CEO of M4 Strategies, LLC, sits on the board of Strata Clean Energy and Environmental Defense Action Fund and serves as a Polis Distinguished Fellow for the Duke University Sanford School of Public Policy where he is actively involved with the Civil Discourse Project.
 
As EPA administrator, Regan was CEO of a federal regulatory agency with more than 16,000 employees and an annual operating budget north of $10 billion designing investment strategies toward healthy and equitable communities. He traveled across the country and around the world meeting face-to-face with communities hardest hit by environmental pollution and threats to public health. In his first year in this role, he established the EPA’s Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights, the first national program office in the agency’s history dedicated to solving environmental challenges in economically distressed and frontline communities.
 
As state DEQ secretary, Regan led complex negotiations and spearheaded the development and implementation of North Carolina’s seminal plan to address climate change and transition the state to a clean energy economy. In addition, he established North Carolina's first-of-its-kind Environmental Justice and Equity Advisory Board to better align social inequities, environmental protection, and community empowerment.
 
Regan’s commitment to excellence has been acknowledged through several awards including Time Magazine TIME100 Next, Time Magazine TIME100 Health, the HBCU Honors Distinguished Public Service Award, Boys and Girls Club of America Alumni Hall of Fame, Keystone Policy Center Leadership Award, and the NNPA National Legacy Award.
 
With his B.S. in earth and environmental science from A&T, Regan is the first EPA administrator to have graduated from a historically Black college or university. He earned a master’s degree in public administration from The George Washington University and received an honorary doctorate from A&T in 2021.
 

Corey Smith II | Ex-Officio, Term ends 2026

Smith is a senior Criminal Justice student with a pre-law concentration at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University and a proud native of Charlotte, North Carolina. He currently serves as the 2025–2026 Student Government Association President, where he leads initiatives aimed at amplifying student voices, improving campus life, and fostering collaboration between students and university administration.

In addition to his role as president, Smith served as the Community Service Chair for the Beta Epsilon Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., organizing service initiatives and managing volunteer hour documentation. His previous leadership roles include Sophomore Class President (2023–2024) and SGA Presidential Intern (2022–2023), positions in which he advocated for student engagement, civic awareness, and resource accessibility.

In 2024, Smith was selected as a Fellow for the Duke PreLaw Fellowship Program, where he gained hands-on experience with legal coursework, participated in mock trials, and built relationships with legal professionals and law school admissions representatives.

Smith’s commitment to leadership and service has earned him several honors, including SGA Intern of the Year and the Leonard Cortez Leadership Award from the Association of North Carolina Alphamen. Following graduation, Smith plans to attend law school and pursue a career as a criminal defense attorney. Outside the classroom, he enjoys staying active through fitness, watching YouTube content, exploring new cuisines, and enjoying the outdoors. 

William Thomas Stanley | Appointed in 2025 by the B.O.G.; term ends 2029

W. Thomas Stanley is Founder and Owner of BTS Ventures. Most recently, Thomas served as both CEO of Chainalysis US Gov. and President & CRO of its global businesses. He is a seasoned executive with over 20 years of experience in strategic governance, financial oversight, and revenue leadership. With a proven track record of driving growth and transformation, he has excelled across industries such as IT services, SaaS, financial services, and healthcare.

Mr. Stanley serves as an Independent Board Director for organizations like Sprout Social and Nasuni, where he oversees governance, market strategy, and executive compensation. He is also the Vice Chairman of North Carolina A&T State University’s Foundation Board, where he leads fundraising campaigns and institutional partnerships.

As the CEO of Chainalysis Government Solutions, he spearheaded a business expansion, doubling ARR to $200M and leading the transformation to government-centric operations. His leadership at Tanium and NetApp delivered multimillion-dollar revenue growth through strategic realignment and global market expansion.

Mr. Stanley holds an MBA from the University of Minnesota and a BS in Computer Science from North Carolina A&T State University. A dedicated advocate for education and philanthropy, he has established multiple endowments supporting STEM, arts, and business scholarships.
 

Thornton is the founder and CEO of Envision Business Management Group, a boutique firm that provides a full range of accounting and money management services for clients exclusively in the entertainment industry. Her A-list clientele encompasses artists, producers, songwriters, actors, record labels, and talent management companies.

For over 20 years, Thornton has been the go-to financial expert for Radio One. She is currently the financial expert on the nationally syndicated “Rickey Smiley Morning Show,” “The Willie Moore Jr. Show,” and “Get Up! Mornings With Erica Campbell.” You can tune in weekly and hear her in over 90 cities nationwide.

Thornton is also the founder of Thank Me Later, a financial education platform, that empowers Black women to create, build, and transfer wealth. As the host of her weekly podcast, The Thank Me Later Show with Jini, she teaches her listeners how to master their money so they can transform their lives.

Thornton received a Master of Science in Taxation from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University.