Prominent NC Leaders Join WGU North Carolina Advisory Board

RALEIGH — WGU North Carolina Chancellor Catherine Truitt recently announced that nine prominent leaders in business, education, healthcare and other key growth areas for North Carolina have joined the nonprofit university's Advisory Board.

The Advisory Board will provide counsel to the chancellor and address specific needs and trends to help shape the direction of the university in the state. Board members are invited to serve for three-year terms, bringing expertise that is important to North Carolina’s economy and aligns with the university’s four colleges and more than 60 industry-relevant, accredited bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business, information technology, teacher education, and health professions, including nursing.

“According to the World Economic Forum, we are in a world where 65 percent of today’s students will work in jobs that don’t exist today,” said former NC Gov. Bev Perdue. “WGU North Carolina is a competency-based, online model of learning that pushes the boundaries of traditional post-secondary education giving options to preparing and retooling the future workforce.”

The newly appointed WGU North Carolina Advisory Board members are:

• Rick Brajer, Senior Vice President of Business Strategies, Novant, Winston-Salem
• Lew Ebert, President and CEO, NC Chamber, Raleigh
• Walter E. Gaskin, Lieutenant General, USMC (Retired), CEO, LaPorte Defense Technologies Corp. (LAPORTECH)
• Jim Gibson, Executive Vice President and COO, RTI International, Durham
• Gov. Beverly Perdue, Managing Director/Founder and Board Chair, Perdue Strategy Group / DigiLEARN Learning Institute, Chapel Hill
• Dr. Maria Pitre-Martin, Deputy State Superintendent, NC Department of Public Instruction, Raleigh
• Jose Rodriguez, Partner in Charge and Executive Director; Audit Committee Institute, KPMG, Greensboro
• Gregg Sinders, NC State Director, TeamCFA, Charlotte
• Dr. Robert Taylor, Superintendent, Bladen County Schools, Elizabethtown

WGU North Carolina officially launched in October 2017 through a partnership between the state and nationally recognized Western Governors University. Currently, there are more than 1,600 students in the state, and nearly 2,200 North Carolinians have already graduated from WGU.

“WGU North Carolina is perfect for someone who wants to return to college but must continue working," said Dr. Robert Taylor, Superintendent of Bladen County Schools. "WGU’s online platform and affordable tuition cater to non-traditional students.”