Leadership North Carolina Class XXVII Duke Energy Economic Development Session March 3 – 5, 2020 New Bern Speaker Directory Mr. John Wilson Head of HR Operations BSH Home Appliances Corporation 100 Bosch Boulevard New Bern, NC 28562 (252) 636-4211 [email protected] John is from East Tennessee, where he attended college at Lincoln Memorial University and earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management. John joined BSH in 2008 as Human Resources Manager at the Tennessee factory. In mid-2010, BSH had John relocate to New Bern as the Human Resources Manager. Today, John is Director of HR Operations for BSH Home Appliances. Prior to BSH, John was in Human Resources for Interstate Brands Corporation and also an operations manager for a large retail grocery chain. Mr. Eddie Foster Executive Director, VOLT Training Center and Customized Training Craven Community College 800 College Court New Bern, NC 28562 (252) 638-3919 [email protected] Eddie Foster is from Lynchburg, VA, where he still has a home and family. He graduated from Lynchburg College with a BA in business management. He worked for Babcock & Wilcox Naval Nuclear Fuels Division and retired there as a part of the exempt management team of a 700-acre site with 2,500 employees. His primary responsibility was environmental compliance. While there, he started two companies: Central VA Labs and Consultants and EnviroSafety group. Both companies are still in operation today under new names created when the companies were sold. In 2006, Eddie started with the NC Community College System at Coastal Carolina Community College as a director. In 2010, he joined Craven Community College. He is now the Executive Director of the VOLT Training Center and Customized Training. He directed the safety programs for the three campuses in New Bern until January 2020, when he assumed responsibility for the VOLT Training Center. He retired from the 23rd Reserve Naval Mobile Construction Battalion in December of 2004. Dr. Jonathan Q. Morgan Associate Professor of Public Administration and Government UNC School of Government Campus Box 3330 Chapel Hill, NC 27599 (919) 843-0972 [email protected] Jonathan Q. Morgan is an Associate Professor of Public Administration in the School Government at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he teaches, advises public officials, and conducts applied research on economic development. Jonathan’s research has focused on industry cluster-based development, the role of local government in economic development, business incentives, development impact analysis, and innovative, homegrown approaches to job creation. His research has been published in leading journals such as Economic Development Quarterly, Policy Studies Journal, and Community Development. Jonathan directs the Basic Economic Development Course at UNC, which is accredited by the International Economic Development Council (IEDC). Prior to joining the School of Government in 2003, he worked for Regional Technology Strategies, Inc., an economic and workforce development consulting firm located in Carrboro, NC. He has also served as Director of Economic Policy and Research for the NC Department of Commerce, and Research and Policy Director for the NC Institute of Minority Economic Development. He holds a B.A. in Economics from the University of Virginia, an MPA from Clark Atlanta University, and a Ph.D. in Public Administration from North Carolina State University. Mr. Danny Batten Owner Surf, Wind, and Fire 230 Middle Street New Bern, NC 28560 (252) 288-5823 [email protected] @SurfWindFire Danny Batten is from eastern NC, and he spent his childhood in Hope Mills, NC. He is a product of the NC public school system, attending a small town elementary and middle school and a large, county high school. He completed his undergraduate studies at Western Carolina University and did his graduate studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Following college, he received a commission in the United States Navy after completing the entry program at the United States Naval Officer Candidate School. Assignment to a ship followed his graduation from the Surface Warfare School and Division Officer School. He served one tour active duty on the USS Detroit and then several years as a Naval Reserve Officer on the USS Stump. He become interested in outdoor education while at Western Carolina University and was able to practice recreation management while in the Navy as a Morale, Welfare and Recreation officer. After his short military career, he jumped into outdoor recreation and education feet first. This passion would eventually lead him into the outdoor equipment business. He has worked on the design team for a kayak manufacturer, for a national retail buying group, as a recreation equipment buyer for one of the nation’s largest independently owned retail companies, and on the advisory board for the Professional Paddlesports Association. Eventually Danny decided to open his own business promoting an active, outdoor lifestyle. This started with a retail store 13 years ago and about 7 years ago they decided to start designing clothing and accessories that were outdoor lifestyle oriented. The retail store is located in downtown New Bern and serves as an outlet to purchase active lifestyle clothing and gear and also as a place to gather for yoga, ukulele lessons, music sessions, outdoor/travel education. With the recent addition of a craft beer and wine bar, it is also a place to grab a cold, local brew. Their clothing design company and custom print shop is located in the Five Points area of New Bern, housed in a recently renovated gas station. They design and manufacture outdoor lifestyle clothing and accessories and sell directly to consumers and wholesale through a retail network of about 100+ retail partners. Because they are also a screen print house, they can react to market demands quickly. Years ago, they started designing fundraising shirts and hats to raise awareness and for natural disasters around the world. Within the past five years, they have launched campaigns for hurricane relief in the southeast, flooding in Texas, and most recently the Australian bush fires. Danny has been very passionate about community involvement and investment and for the past several years he has served on the board for the New Bern Area Chamber of Commerce and the executive board for Swiss Bear Economic Development Corp., as well as chairing the Downtown Business Council. Ms. Amanda Ohlensehlen Community and Economic Development Manager City of New Bern 300 Pollock Street New Bern, NC 28560 (252) 639-7580 [email protected] Amanda Ohlensehlen has been the Community & Economic Development Manager for the City of New Bern since May 2018. Her work focuses on managing the City’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program, working with the New Bern Redevelopment Commission, and carrying out the City’s economic and workforce development goals. Since Hurricane Florence in September 2018, Amanda has worked tirelessly on recovery and resiliency initiatives for the City of New Bern. The goal is to build community capacity to prepare for, withstand, recover, and “build back better” after hazard events to help New Bern maintain its unique cultural identity and environmental assets and allow for economic continuity and quick recovery in the future. Prior to her employment with the City of New Bern, Amanda worked for the City of Havelock as Manager of the Havelock Tourist & Event Center and as Economic Development Coordinator. Amanda has a BS in Business Administration with an emphasis in Marketing from the University of Missouri and a MS in Sustainable Tourism from the College of Business at East Carolina University. Amanda was recognized as the 2017 Outstanding Graduate Student for the College of Business for her mentorship and academic pursuits, while remaining employed full-time. In her free time, Amanda enjoys the outdoors, coaching youth athletics, and spending time with her husband, Jacob, and young son, Henry. Ms. Lovay Wallace Singleton Executive Director and Founder Veterans Employment Base Camp and Organic Garden 419 Conner Grant Road New Bern, NC 28562 (252) 637-9350 [email protected] Lovay Wallace-Singleton, a twenty-year Navy veteran, comes from a family that is dedicated to military service. Her father served as a tank driver in World War II, her husband spent 5 years in the Navy, and her two sons are Air Force veterans, serving multiple tours in the Middle East. Lovay holds a degree in Business Administration and is a certified Master Gardener, but she attributes much of her agricultural knowledge to the sixteen years she spent growing up on a farm in Mississippi. In February of 2012, Lovay founded Veterans Employment Base Camp and Organic Garden in New Bern, NC. VEBCOG provides temporary employment for post-war veterans transitioning back to civilian life and teaches urban farming and entrepreneurial skills. Lovay received the Veteran Lifetime Achievement Award for her successes with employing veterans and their dependents and spouses, along with transitioning them to permanent employment while growing fruits and vegetables as a peaceful means of rehabilitation. One of their many projects is providing produce to the Disabled American Veteran Van for distribution to veterans who ride to and from their medical appointments. Mr. Mark Stephens City Manager City of New Bern 300 Pollock Street New Bern, NC 28560 (252) 639-2700 [email protected] @markstephenspe Mark Stephens is the City Manager for the City of New Bern. He is responsible to the Mayor and Board for implementing policies and ensuring high-level service to the residents and customers of the City. In addition to recommending programs of work that the employees of the City implement into their responsibilities, Mark also prepares and recommends to the Board the annual budget and advises the Board on policy and legislative matters. Mark served six months as the Interim City Manager and was appointed City Manager in June 2014.