Profiles Of Gov.-Elect McCrory's New Cabinet Secretarties: Anthony Tata, Sharon Decker, Bill Daughtridge

By Administrator Thursday, 03 January 2013 17:11 - Last Updated Thursday, 03 January 2013 17:12

RALEIGH, (SGRToday.com) - Below are profiles of Gov.-Elect Pat McCrory's final three selections for his Cabinet. The biographies were provided by the Gov.-Elect's transition office.

Anthony Tata, Secretary of Transportation Brigadier General Anthony J. Tata (U.S. Army, Retired) will serve as North Carolina’s next Secretary of Transportation. General Tata brings to his position over three decades of public service as a military officer and public school system leader. Tony has a history of successfully leading and transforming large, complex organizations with vast responsibilities.

Most recently he served as the Superintendent of Wake County Public School System, leading the state’s largest school district of 18,000 employees and 150,000 students to record academic heights. During his time in the military, General Tata’s last combat tour was in Afghanistan where he served as the Deputy Commanding General of U.S. forces in 2006-2007. Throughout his career, General Tata planned and implemented multiple operations involving complex transportation and infrastructure challenges ranging from multi-mode operations involving ports, airfields, rail, and highways to designing and implementing extensive infrastructure plans in developing countries. In the last five years General Tata has successfully managed large budgets ranging from $4.5 billion in the Department of Defense’s counter-roadside bomb program to $1.25 billion in the Wake County Public School System.

Among his many military assignments, General Tata served two tours of duty in the at Fort Bragg. He also served as a brigade commander in the and as the Deputy Commanding General of the 10th Mountain Division. Among his military decorations, he has been awarded the Combat Action Badge and Bronze Star, served as a Master Parachutist and graduated from the U.S. Army's Ranger School. He is listed as a distinguished member of the 502nd, 504th, and 505th Parachute Infantry Regiments.

General Tata graduated from the Military Academy in 1981. During his career, he served as a National Security Fellow at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government, earned a Master’s of Arts in International Relations from the Catholic University of America and has a Master’s of Military Art and Science from the Army's School of Advanced Military Studies.

General Tata is married to his wife Jodi Amanda Tata and has two children, Brooke and Zachary.

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By Administrator Thursday, 03 January 2013 17:11 - Last Updated Thursday, 03 January 2013 17:12

Sharon Decker, Secretary Of Commerce

After graduating summa cum laude from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Decker spent more than 17 years with Duke Power Company, now Duke Energy. She began with the company in consumer services and moved rapidly through the ranks to become the youngest and first female vice president in Duke Power’s history. Her work at Duke Power led to the creation of its 24-hour customer service center, an organization that still serves as a model for the industry.

Decker left Duke Power as Chief Communications Officer to become the founding president of The Lynnwood Foundation, which was created to restore the Duke Mansion in Charlotte as a conference center, and to begin the William States Lee Leadership Institute. While at Lynnwood in 1998, she also served as the chair of the Charlotte Chamber and was named Charlotte Woman of the Year. She moved to Rutherfordton, NC in 1999 to serve as president of the Doncaster division of Tanner Companies. In 2004, she created the Tapestry Group, a non-profit that helps individuals lead healthy lives in body, mind and spirit.

In addition to her work with Tapestry, Decker is wife to her husband, Bob, a mother of four, a lay pastor in the Presbyterian Church (USA) and a student at the Christopher White School of Divinity, completing her Master of Divinity Degree with a concentration in Spiritual Formation. She completed an internship last year as Director of Graduate Ministries for the Center for Christian Study in Charlottesville, Virginia where she served as chaplain to students at the Darden School of Business and the UVA School of Law. She remains a member of the Board of the Center for Christian Study. Decker has served on the boards of three Fortune 500 companies.

Bill Daughtridge, Secretary of Administration

Bill Daughtridge brings experience in both the private and public sectors to the McCrory Administration. Currently, he serves as President of Daughtridge Gas & Oil Company, the fuel

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By Administrator Thursday, 03 January 2013 17:11 - Last Updated Thursday, 03 January 2013 17:12 oil company his grandfather began in 1929 based in Rocky Mount. Also, Daughtridge currently sits on the UNC Board of Governors, where he chairs the Governance Committee. Daughtridge is also a former President Area Seven (VA and NC) on the Southern Region Board of Directors for the Boy Scouts of America.

From 2002-2008, Daughtridge served in the North Carolina House of Representatives, where he chaired the Commerce Committee and focused his efforts on promoting economic growth and development in Eastern North Carolina. He also served on the Agriculture, Education, Environment and Natural Resources, Finance and Transportation committees during his time in the North Carolina House of Representatives.

Daughtridge is an accomplished businessman, owning and operating businesses throughout eastern North Carolina.

He is a past member of the North Carolina Economic Development Board, the Travel and Tourism Boards for Nash County and North Carolina, has served on the Board of Directors for the Rocky Mount Area Chamber of Commerce, treasurer for Tri-County Industries, Board of Trustees for Rocky Mount Academy, president of the Rocky Mount Area United Way and the Eastern Carolina Chamber of Commerce. He continues to serve on the Wachovia Bank Advisory Board, Rocky Mount Civic Club, the Rocky Mount Community Foundation and several professional industry organizations.

Daughtridge holds a B.A. and an M.B.A. from the University of North Carolina. He is married to Partha Daughtridge and has two children, William and Meredith.

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