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2010 News Articles › New NCBA Board Members, Vice Presidents Elected
New NCBA Board Members, Vice Presidents Elected
Article Date: Friday, June 25, 2010
Written By: Russell Rawlings
The Board of Governors of the North Carolina Bar Association elected new vice presidents and board members on Saturday, June 26, at the 2010 NCBA Annual Meeting in Wilmington.
Doyle Early of Wyatt Early Harris Wheeler in High Point was elected to serve a two-year term as vice president. Early is a previous recipient of the NCBA’s Citizen Lawyer Award and past chair of the Family Law Section who has served as president or chair of the Family Service Bureau, the Guilford County Board of Social Services, the High Point Career Service Commission, the High Point Chamber of Commerce and the High Point Rotary Club. A 1965 graduate of the Wake Forest University and 1967 graduate of the Wake Forest School of Law, Early served as chairman of the board of the High Point Convention and Visitors Bureau from 1986-90, earning the title of chairman emeritus for 25 years of service.
Elected for one-year terms as vice president were:
Judge Sanford Steelman of the N.C. Court of Appeals. A Weddington resident who previously served as a council member and mayor pro tem, Steelman practiced law in nearby Monroe from 1976-94. He served as resident Superior Court judge (1994-2001) and senior resident Superior Court judge (2001-02) in Judicial District 20-B (Stanly and Union counties). A 1973 graduate of Davidson College and 1976 graduate of the University of North Carolina School of Law, he has served on the N.C. Court of Appeals since 2003 and is unopposed for a second eight-year term in 2010.
Senior Resident Superior Court Judge Erwin Spainhour of Concord. A past president of the North Carolina State Bar (1996-97) and N.C. Conference of Superior Court Judges (2007-08), Spainhour has served as senior resident Superior Court judge of District 19-A (Cabarrus County) since 1998. Following service in the U.S. Army from 1965-68, where he attained the rank of captain, Spainhour engaged in private practice from 1970-98 with Hartsell, Hartsell, Spainhour & White, serving as president of the firm from 1983-98. He is a 1964 graduate of Davidson College and 1970 graduate of the University of North Carolina School of Law.
Wake County District Court Judge Kristin Ruth. Currently serving her third term as a District Court judge for the 10th Judicial District, she previously served as senior partner with Ruth & Rose from 1992-98. Prior to entering private practice she was employed for 17 years by American Airlines, including five years as a supervisor. She graduated from Kansas State University in 1978 and received her law degree from the Campbell University School of Law in 1990. Licensed to practice in North Carolina and Texas, she was recognized in 2000 as the recipient of the N.C. Child Support Council’s Distinguished Service of Excellence Award.
Dean George Johnson of the Elon University School of Law. Johnson joined Elon Law in 2006 as a member of its founding faculty, and served as associate dean of academic affairs and interim dean prior to his appointment as dean in February 2009. He is a 1973 graduate of Amherst College and 1976 graduate of the Columbia University School of Law. He has served on the law faculty at George Mason University and Howard University, and as president of LeMoyne-Owen College. He began his career in public service, first as an assistant counsel for the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Banking, Finance and Urban Affairs and later under President Carter as assistant general counsel for the White House Council on Wage and Price Stability.
Elected to three-year terms on the NCBA Board of Governors were:
Kim Stogner of Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice in Winston-Salem. The immediate past chair of the Estate Planning and Fiduciary Law Section and a previous recipient of the Citizen Lawyer Award, Stogner serves on the Board of Trustees for the NCBA Health Benefit Trust. A 1986 graduate of Wake Forest University and 1994 graduate of the Wake Forest School of Law, she is a fellow in the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel and N.C. State Bar board certified specialist in estate planning and probate law.
Shelby Benton of Hollowell & Benton in Goldsboro. Benton served in 2009-10 as chair of the Family Law Section. She is a past president of the Wayne County Bar Association and the 8th Judicial District Bar, where she currently serves on the Family Court Study Committee, and past secretary of the Eastern N.C. Inn of Court. She is a 1982 graduate of North Carolina State University and 1985 graduate of the Campbell University School of Law who attained board certification in family law in 1995.
Jon Heyl of Smith Moore Leatherwood in Charlotte. Heyl served in 2009-10 as co-chair of the 4ALL Task Force and is past chair of the Antitrust & Trade Regulation Section and the Membership Committee. He is a 1995 graduate of East Carolina University and 1998 graduate of the University of North Carolina School of Law. Heyl is a member of the Litigation Counsel of America, the ABA, the N.C. Association of Defense Attorneys and DRI.
Jackie Grant of Roberts & Stevens in Asheville. Grant is a past chair of the Medico-Legal Liaison Committee and former board member of the N.C. Association of Defense Attorneys. She is also a member of DRI, the Federal Bar Association and the N.C. Association of Women Attorneys. Grant is a 1992 graduate of Western Carolina University and 1995 graduate of the University of North Carolina School of Law. She has served on the board of the YMCA of Western North Carolina since 2006 and on the executive committee since 2009.
LeAnn Nease Brown of Brown & Bunch in Chapel Hill. Brown chaired the CLE Committee of the NCBA Foundation in 2009-10 and is past chair of the Antitrust & Trade Regulation Section. She is a 1977 graduate of the University of North Carolina and 1984 graduate of the UNC School of Law, and also holds a master’s degree in rehabilitation counseling from the UNC School of Medical Allied Health Sciences. Engaged in private practice throughout her legal career, Brown was honored in 2008 by Business Leader Media as the recipient of the Pro Bono Impact Award.
Tom Watkins of Schell Bray Aycock Abel & Livingston in Greensboro. Watkins is a past chair of the Business Law Section and fundraising char of the NC LEAP Steering Committee. He is a 1973 graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and 1978 graduate of the UNC School of Law. Watkins has served on the UNC Board of Visitors and on boards of directors for the Piedmont Triad Charitable Foundation (Wyndham Championship), the Greensboro Sports Council, First Tee of the Triad and the Rotary Club of Greensboro.
Jennifer Jones of Holly Springs who serves as an assistant attorney general with the N.C. Department of Justice in Raleigh. Jones served in 2009-10 as division director for the Young Lawyers Division and past co-chair Law Week (2007-09). She has also been actively involved in the Workers’ Compensation Section as a member of the section council and as chair of the Pro Bono Committee and the Legislative Committee. Jones is a 1997 graduate of Peace College and 2002 graduate of the Campbell University School of Law.
The new board members and vice presidents will also serve on the Board of Directors of the NCBA Foundation.