Office of the Chancellor

Wiley G. Barrett, Chair

Southern Pines, NC
Occupation: Retired Educator
Board of Governors' appointee through 2013

Wiley G. Barrett, resident of Southern Pines, NC, was appointed to The University of North Carolinat at Pembroke Board of Trustees by the UNC Board of Governors in 2012 to fulfill an unexpired term.

Dr. Barrett graduated from UNCP with a Bachelor of Science degree and earned a Master of Arts in education administration from Fayetteville State University. Also, Dr. Barrett holds an Education Specialist degree from The University of North Carolina at Charlotte and a doctorate in education  from Campbell University. He has spent over 30 years as a teacher, coach, or principal in public schools in the Moore County area. Throughout his career Dr. Barrett has received numerous awards, including Teacher of the Year, Wachovia Principal of the Year and Young Educators Award.

Raymond Pennington, Vice Chair

Lumberton, NC
Occupation: Retired
Governors' appointee through 2013

Dr. Raymond Pennington was first appointed to the UNCP Board of Trustees in 2007 to complete the term of a trustee who stepped down early. He was reappointed to the board in 2009 by Governor Beverly Perdue for his first fill term. Dr. Pennington is an active member of the UNCP Board of Trustees. In addition to his role as vice chairman of the board, he chairs the Nominating Committee and serves on the Student Affairs and Athletics Committee, the Audit and Ethics Committee and the Public Affairs and Advancement Committee.

Dr. Pennington earned a Bachelor of Science degree from East Carolina University, a Master of Education degree from Chapel Hill and a doctorate in education from Duke University. Currently the mayor of Lumberton, N.C., Dr. Pennington has also made his mark in college athletics. He is a member of both the East Carolina Athletics Hall of Fame for football and baseball and the UNCP Athletic Hall of Fame as a coach-administrator. He is a member of the Lumberton Rotary Club, the St. Alban’s Masonic Lodge and the Robeson County Shrine Club.

Dwight Pearson, Secretary

Garner, NC
Occupation: Retired Educator
Board of Governors' appointee through 2015

Dr. Dwight Pearson was appointed to the UNCP Board of Trustees in 2011 by UNC Board of Governors. He serves as secretary for the UNCP Board of Trustees and chairs the Educational Planning and Personnel Committee. He also serves on the Finance and Administration Committee, the Nominating Committee and the Audit and Ethics Committee; he served on the 2009 Chancellor Search Committee.

A resident of Garner, N.C., Dr. Pearson has retired from a 30-year career in education and social services. Currently, he is an independent consultant on educational and multi-cultural issues. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology and a Master of Arts in Education degree from The University of North Carolina at Pembroke. He earned an education specialist degree from Winthrop University and Ph.D. from North Carolina State University. Dr. Pearson has served on the Wake County Planning Board and the Citizens Education Advisory Committee; he currently serves on the Steering Committee of the Wake County Community Education Committee.

Kellie Hunt Blue

Pembroke, NC
Occupation: Business Executive
Board of Governors' appointee through 2015

Kellie Hunt Blue, a resident of Pembroke, N.C., was appointed to The University of North Carolina at Pembroke Board of Trustees by the UNC Board of Governors in 2011. As a trustee, Ms. Blue serves as a member of the Audit and Ethics Committee and the Educational Planning and Personnel Committee, and chairs the Finance and Administration Committee; she also served on the 2009 Chancellor Search Committee.

Ms. Blue studied accounting at The University of North Carolina at Pembroke and the Institute of Government at UNC-Chapel Hill. She is currently the finance director of Robeson County and previously was an internal auditor with Southern National Bank in Lumberton. She has served on the Southeastern Regional Mental Health Board and the Federal Credit Union Advisory Board, was President of Exploration Station Children’s Museum, and is a former member of the UNC Pembroke Foundation Board.

Tim B. Brooks

Lumberton, NC
Occupation: Business Executive
Governors' appointee through 2013

Tim B. Brooks, a resident of Lumberton, N.C., was appointed to The University of North Carolina at Pembroke Board of Trustees in 2012 by Governor Beverly Perdue. On the board, Mr. Brooks serves on the Public Affairs and Advancement Committee and the Student Affairs and Athletics Committee. Previously, Mr. Brooks served on UNC Pembroke’s Foundation Board.

Originally from Pembroke, Mr. Brooks is a graduate of The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a degree in public health. He went on to become the President of HealthKeeperz, Inc., a home health, hospice, pharmacy, and home medical equipment provider in southeastern North Carolina serving more than 10,000 patients every year. He has also served on boards and committees for the Pembroke Chamber of Commerce, First Bank, NC Association of Home Care and Hospice and the Boy Scouts of America.

Robert E. "Bob" Caton

Lumberton, NC
Occupation: Business Executive
Board of Governors' appointee through 2015

Robert E. “Bob” Caton lives in Lumberton, N.C., and was appointed as a trustee of The University of North Carolina at Pembroke in 2011. This is his second appointment to the Board of Trustees; he previously served an eight-year term on the board. As a member of UNCP’s current Board of Trustees, Mr. Caton is chair of the Audit and Ethics Committee, and serves on the the Finance and Administration Committee as well as the Student Affairs and Athletics Committee. In addition, he represents the Trustees on the UNCP Foundation Board, having been a UNCP Foundation Board member for two years.

A graduate of Florida State University where he studied business administration, he went on to be the president and CEO of Eagle Distributing Company. Now a retiree from a 30-year career, Mr. Caton devotes time to civic organizations. In addition to his several roles at UNCP, Mr. Caton is active in the Lumberton Rotary Club and is on the board of the nonprofit organization Lumberton Christian Care. He also has served on the Florida State University Seminole Boosters Board for 12 years.

Gary Locklear

Pembroke, NC
Occupation: Retired Superior Court Judge
Governors' appointee through 2015

Governor Beverly Perdue appointed Gary L. Locklear to The University of North Carolina at Pembroke Board of Trustees in 2011. On the board, Judge Locklear serves on the Finance and Administration Committee and the Educational Planning and Personnel Committee. He is also an at-large member of the Executive Committee.

A retired Robeson County Superior Court judge, Judge Locklear is a Pembroke resident and 1970 graduate of UNCP. He studied law at UNC-Chapel Hill and was former chief district court judge for Judicial District 16B in Robeson County. He is currently serving as chief justice of the Supreme Court of the Lumbee tribe.

Lorna Ricotta '01, '08

Fayetteville, NC
Occupation: Business Owner
Board of Governors' appointee through 2013

A native of Fayetteville, N.C., Lorna Ricotta was appointed to The University of North Carolina at Pembroke Board of Trustees in 2009 by the UNC Board of Governors. As a trustee, she chairs the Public Affairs and Advancement Committee and serves on the Nominating Committee as well as the Student Affairs and Athletics Committee. She is also an at-large member of the Executive Committee.

Ms. Ricotta earned a Bachelor of Music degree and a Master of Business Administration degree from UNCP. Currently she owns the Ethos Creative Group, LLC, which provides design concepts, planning and production and management of special events and design for residential and commercial spaces. Ms. Ricotta is active in community organizations, having been a board member of the Women’s Center of Fayetteville, Community Concerts, Inc. and the Re-Store Warehouse. She also has served on the Steering Committee of the Fayetteville Young Professionals for the Chamber of Commerce and chaired the fundraising committee of the Women’s Center.

Newy Scruggs '94

Arlington, TX
Occupation: Sports News Broadcaster
Board of Governors' appointee through 2013

The UNC Board of Governors appointed Albert “Newy” Scruggs a UNCP trustee in 2009. As a trustee, he serves on the Public Affairs and Advancement Committee and on the Student Affairs and Athletics Committee.

Mr. Scruggs studied broadcasting at The University of North Carolina at Pembroke, graduating in 1994. A successful sports broadcaster and television personality for nearly 20 years, Mr. Scruggs’ work as a sportscast anchor, a radio talk show host and color commentator for college football and basketball games has earned him several Emmy Awards. He currently lives in Arlington, Texas, where he is the sports director at the NBC affiliate and covers the Dallas Cowboys football team. In addition to his work as a university trustee, he created the Newy Scruggs Sports Broadcasting Scholarship in 2003 for students who are building careers in sports media, and in 2007, he established the Dr. Sylvester Wooten Scholarship for fellow Chi Mu chapter members of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity. 

Caroline S. Williamson

Lumberton, NC
Occupation: Educator
Governors' appointee through 2015

Caroline Williamson, a resident of Lumberton, N.C., was appointed to the University of North Carolina at Pembroke Board of Trustees by Governor Beverly Perdue in 2011. As a trustee, Ms. Williamson serves on the Audit and Ethics Committee, Educational Planning and Personnel Committee and the Finance and Administration Committee.

Ms. Williamson received a Bachelor of Elementary Education degree and a Master of Education Administration degree from UNC Pembroke. She is currently headmistress of Southeastern Academy and was previously director of certification for the Public Schools of Robeson County. Ms. Williamson has served on the board of directors for the Exploration Station, chaired the 2011 Southeastern Regional Medical Center Gala and was awarded the distinction of Teacher of the Year for Robeson County in 2006.

Paul Willoughby '74

Durham, NC
Occupation: Business Executive
Board of Governors' appointee through 2015

The UNC Board of Governors appointed Paul Willoughby to the UNCP Board of Trustees in 2007; his second term on the board began in 2011. On the Board of Trustees, he serves on the Public Affairs and Advancement Committee and chairs the Student Affairs and Athletics Committee.

Mr. Willoughby is a 1974 graduate of UNCP; his wife, son and daughter-in-law are all alumni of the university. After teaching and coaching in North Carolina public schools for five years, Mr. Willoughby embarked on a pivotal career change into business. He is now the CEO of PPR Foods in Chapel Hill, N.C. and currently owns five McDonald’s restaurants in the Triangle area. An enthusiastic supporter of UNCP athletics, Mr. Willoughby contributed to First and Ten Campaign for Football and Athletics Excellence; the football stadium press box bears his name. He lives in Research Triangle Park, NC.

Robert Nunnery

Fayetteville, N.C
President, Student Government Association
Serves through 2013

In 2012, Robert Nunnery, a resident of Fayetteville, NC, was elected by his peers as SGA President and became the student trustee on The University of North Carolina at Pembroke Board of Trustees. His position as president of the Student Government Association (SGA) automatically makes him a member of the board. As a trustee, he is a member of the Educational Planning and Personnel Committee and the Public Affairs and Advancement Committee.

Mr. Nunnery is a junior Social Studies Education major at UNCP. In addition to his studies, Mr. Nunnery presides over SGA meetings and represents UNCP at the UNC Association of Student Governments and UNC Board of Governors meetings.