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Appointments to Appalachian State’s Board of Trustees Announced

New members will be joining Appalachian State University’s Board of Trustees beginning July 1 following appointments made by the UNC Board of Governors.

TrusteesThey are Charlotte residents and Appalachian graduates George Baldwin and Susan M. Branch. Each has been appointed to a four-year term on the board. In addition, former trustee John Blackburn of Linville was appointed to a four-year term.

They replace outgoing board members H. Martin Lancaster of Falls Church, Virginia, Michael Steinback of Asheville and Brenda White Wright of Kingsport, Tennessee.

Current board member Jimmy Barnes of Raleigh was reappointed by the Board of Governors to a four-year term.

Gov. Pat McCrory will make two additional appointments to the board at a later date.

Baldwin is managing director of government relations and sustainability with Piedmont National Gas. He has a bachelor’s degree from Appalachian, an MBA from Campbell University and a Master of Environmental Management degree from Duke University. He has been a member of Appalachian’s Board of Visitors.

Branch is vice president and risk manager for Ciena Capital LLC in Charlotte. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree with a concentration in marketing from Appalachian and a Juris Doctorate from Howard University School of Law. She has been a member of Appalachian’s Foundation Board of Directors.

Blackburn is president and general manager of Linville Resorts Inc. He served a four-year term on the board and was chairman from 2008-09 before being appointed to the UNC Board of Governors in 2009.  Blackburn has a bachelor’s degree in economics and business from King College in Tennessee and an MBA from Virginia Tech.

Barnes is president of NAI Carolantic Realty Inc. He was a founding member of Appalachian’s Board of Visitors. Barnes has a degree in business administration from Appalachian.