2020 Member Ballot to Elect TLC Board Members

Board Members for Re-Election:

Sam Cook (Wake): Executive Director of Forest Assets, North Carolina State University College of Natural Resources

Sam Cook has made his mark on multiple aspects of forestry during his esteemed career. He is currently the executive director of Forest Assets and VP of the Natural Resources Foundation for the College of Natural Resources at NC State University, where he coordinates the management of the forest assets owned or managed by the NC State Natural Resources Foundation, Inc. He also serves as a Board Member for NC Coastal Land Trust and as a Resource Committee Advisor for the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), representing the Black Family Land Trust. In previous roles at both the Center for Heirs Property Preservation and as a private forestry consultant, he has played an integral role in developing and implementing a system of support that allows natural resource partners, forest and other landowners of all income levels to increase their forest sustainability and income through sustainable forestry programs. Sam has also worked with the USDA Forest Service Intermountain Forest and Range Experiment Station in Boise, ID, Duke Energy Progress (formerly Duke Power) in Durham, and the Forest Resource Division of International Paper Company. Sam is and has been very conservation-focused throughout his 35+ year career.

Toni Wyche Jones, Secretary (Wake): Environmental Engineer and Entrepreneur

Toni grew up in rural, eastern North Carolina, where she developed a love of the outdoors and a desire to protect it at an early age. Toni took a brief hiatus to pursue entrepreneurship after serving as an Environmental Engineer with the Environmental Protection Agency since 2009.  She served as an Environmental Engineer with the NC Department of Environmental Quality. “With the threat of rising sea levels, animal habitats disappearing, and changes in weather patterns, I want to be a part of protecting public health and natural resources.  I am excited about the opportunity to work alongside individuals that have a common interest and passion.” Toni holds a master’s degree in Biological and Agricultural Engineering from North Carolina State University and a B.S. in Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University.

David Morris (Durham): Managing Attorney, Forrest Firm, P.C.

David is the managing attorney of the Forrest Firm’s Durham office. His practice focuses on mergers and acquisitions, private equity transactions, general corporate matters, and business succession planning.  Active in his community, David previously served as Board Chair of the LIFE Skills Foundation, an organization that provides services to at-risk, homeless adolescents and young adults. Currently, he serves on the board of First Tee of the Triangle, which uses the game of golf to promote character development and teach life-enhancing values to youth. He received his B.A. and J.D. degrees from Duke University and earned his M.B.A. in Finance and General Management at Tulane University’s A.B. Freeman School of Business. 

Sean Lilly Wilson (Orange): Founder and Chief Executive Optimist at Fullsteam Brewery

Sean is the Chief Executive Optimist at Fullsteam Brewery. He founded and led both Pop The Cap and Permit Beer, two beer lobbying organizations that have opened up economic markets to North Carolina’s craft beer industry. He holds both an MBA and a Master of Public Policy from Duke University. In both 2012 and 2013, Sean was a James Beard Foundation semi-finalist in the category of Outstanding Wine, Beer, or Spirits Professional.

New Board Members:

Rebecca Balter (Wake)

Rebecca Balter grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina, the ancestral lands of the Tuscarora people.  Her interest and commitment to conservation and philanthropy were fostered through many generations of a family dedicated to enjoying and preserving our environment. She believes strongly in environmental justice and is especially invested in the role that a land trust can play in amplifying the conversations about who has access to nature while acknowledging the complex history of land use and ownership in this country.

She earned her bachelor’s degree in biology from Columbia University and then went on to receive a Ph.D. in neurobiology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Although she was trained as a scientist, she left the lab to support social justice movements through donor organizing. For the last decade, she has been an active member of Resource Generation, a group that organizes young people with wealth and class privilege in the United States who are working towards the equitable distribution of wealth, land, and power. As a donor organizer, she was a founding member of the Funding Queerly giving circle and helped launch FrontPorch, an organization that brings together young, progressive political funders to move money to 501-c4 non-profits, building political power in marginalized communities in North Carolina. She also serves on the Board of Directors of the Triangle Community Foundation.

Jenny Bo (Wake), Senior Account Executive, PrecisionLender

Jenny Bo is a Senior Account Executive at PrecisionLender, where she works with large financial institutions to transform the commercial banking experience, strengthen their client relationships, and build stronger communities. Since graduating from Duke with a degree in Economics, she has 10 plus years of client development and sales experience in banking and technology startups. She grew up in Cary, North Carolina, and has long held an abiding love for the Triangle and its natural resources. Jenny has also served on the North Carolina School of Science and Math Alumni Association Board of Directors. Jenny and her spouse, Chris, currently live in Apex and enjoy hiking, rock climbing, cooking, and traveling.

Jamie DeMent (Orange): Farmer, Cooking Teacher, Owner of Piedmont Restaurant

Jamie DeMent was raised in Eastern North Carolina. As she saw family farms disappearing and industrialized farming taking over, she searched for ways to revive the simplicity of eating healthy, locally grown food. In 2001, after completing her degree in Southern History and African American Studies at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, she became a Legislative Aid for Representative Brad Miller on Capitol Hill, then was a Director of Special Projects for the NC Museum of Natural Sciences where she supported fundraising efforts for the Nature Research Center. DeMent left the Museum in 2007 to join her husband, Richard Holcomb, at Coon Rock Farm. The couple also owns Piedmont Restaurant in Durham, North Carolina. Jamie’s first cookbook, The Farmhouse Chef: Recipes and Stories from My Carolina Farm, came out in Fall 2017 from UNC Press. Jamie’s second book, Canning in the Modern Kitchen came out in August 2018 from Rodale Books, a division of Penguin Random House. She is also a guest lecturer at UNC Chapel Hill, NC State University, Duke University, and she teaches cooking classes around the country. Jamie was recently named one of North Carolina’s “Outstanding Women in Business” for 2016 and was in the 2017 “40 Under 40” class by the Triangle Business Journal and has had featured articles and recipes in many local, regional and national publications. Jamie is also a regular contributor to cooking segments on the Hallmark Channel Home & Family show.

Anupama Joshi (Wake): Executive Director, Blue Sky Funders Forum

Anupama Joshi is an accomplished non-profit and social sector leader in the United States and abroad. As executive director of the Blue Sky Funders Forum, she facilitates connections, communications, and collaboration among funders supporting environmental literacy and efforts connecting people with nature. She co-founded and led the National Farm to School Network for more than a decade, building a movement to incorporate local food procurement, gardens and food and farm education in schools and early care sites across the United States. She has excelled in developing policies, programs, and partnerships; fundraising; and managing organizations through phases of growth and change.  

She is a firm believer in the power of networks and collaboration to enable lasting change and has embodied that throughout her career. She is co-author of Food Justice (MIT Press, 2010), and several peer-reviewed and popular media articles on the topic. Anupama currently serves on the board of directors for the Farmers Market Coalition and has previously served on the FoodCorps and the Community Alliance with Family Farmers boards. Since 2018, she has mentored more than a dozen emerging leaders through the Community Food Systems Mentorship Program. She is a mom, loves to travel and cook, and currently lives in Cary, North Carolina. 

William “Skip” London, Treasurer (Chatham): Director and Executive Vice President at Static Control Components, Inc.

William (Skip) London is a 1979 graduate of Dartmouth College, and 1982 graduate of the UNC School of Law. After practicing patent law in Durham, he went to work in manufacturing and sales with his partners in a company called Static Control Components Inc. Static Control is the largest manufacturer and supplier of parts for the laser printer cartridge recycling industry. He has served on various boards including a previous term with Triangle Land Conservancy.