Executive Committee of the Staff Assembly

Chair

The Chair, with guidance from the Executive Committee supervises and conducts the business of the Staff Assembly. The Chair provides the necessary leadership to assure that the Staff Assembly functions effectively and productively. The Chair shall represent the Staff Assembly to the University administration and serves as an advisor to the President.

I received my Bachelor of Arts in Dramatic Arts from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and spent the next 20 years in New York and Los Angeles pursuing a career in acting, writing and directing. I was incredibly fortunate to perform improvisation comedy with the Los Angeles Second City Touring Company and the Second City Alumni Players. I originated the role of Natasha Harrington on the popular soap opera One Life to Live and starred in the short movie A Moment of Silence.

I began my second career at UNC Chapel Hill as a Parking Control Officer in 2007.  I then served as the Materials Manager at the UNC Chapel Hill Adams School of Dentistry, and as the Business Officer in the Department of Dental Ecology.  Currently, I serve as the Director of Administration in the Department of Exercise and Sport Science in the UNC Chapel Hill College of Arts and Sciences. 

In December of 2014 I completed my Master’s degree in Public Health at the Gillings School of Global Public Health at UNC Chapel Hill while working in my full-time position. I began my work in Staff Advocacy in 2016 by serving as the Treasurer and then the Chair of the UNC Chapel Hill Employee Forum serving four consecutive years.  During this time, I helped lead the campus through the protests and subsequent removal of the confederate monument, the changing landscape in the state healthcare plan, the resurgence of violence and civil unrest experienced nation-wide, and the biggest global viral pandemic of the century.  It was for my work as the Chair of the Employee Forum helping pass 18 resolutions and serving on campus searches and advisory committees that I received the prestigious 2021 C. Knox Massey Distinguished Service Award for unusual, meritorious, or superior contributions by a University Employee, as well as the 2021 Arnold D. Kaluzny, PhD Distinguished Alumni Award from the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health.

I feel extremely honored to have served as the Vice Chair of the UNC System Staff Assembly previously, co-authoring and helping to pass four resolutions aimed at improving opportunities and compensation for UNC System Staff Employees.  As Chair I am excited to continue to serve the larger UNC System community by helping to continue to keep staff issues in the forefront of conversations with the UNC System Administration, the UNC System Board of Governors and the UNC System President.

Vice Chair

The Vice Chair shall conduct meetings in the absence of the Chair and shall represent the Assembly in the absence of the Chair. The Vice Chair also serves as the Chair of the Campus Chairs Committee.

I, after a 20+ year career in the private sector using my education in Hospitality Management from East Carolina University, began my career in higher ed 8 years ago at University of North Carolina Wilmington. I am fortunate to work within the Department of Campus Recreation as the Members Services Operations Coordinator with an amazing team of Professional and student staff members.    

I joined UNCW’s Staff Senate after trying to find a way to become more involved in my campus and to be able to help serve our community.   I have been involved with UNCW’s Staff Senate since 2017. I am currently serving my second term as Chair of UNCW’s Staff Senate after serving as Chair in 2020-2021. I have found that through our Staff Senate service that I have been able to become a more engaged staff member. I have had the privilege to serve on several campus wide committees through my involvement and have been able to help share the voices of staff with our leadership team. I have the honor to be currently serving as one of the co-chairs of UNCW’s Strategic Plan and Design Committee to help design UNCW next Strategic Plan. This plan is for UNCW next 10 years and is important to ensure the continued great work being done in our region for our students and community. 

I have also had the opportunity to serve as a delegate on the Staff Assembly since 2017. This role has been rewarding to see what a body like the Assembly can do when all work together. We have been able to advocate and help implement changes that are positive for the staff of all campuses such as Parental Leave. I feel truly honored and grateful to work with the amazing members of this body to make a positive impact for our staff

Chair-Elect

A Chair-Elect will be elected in the second year of the term of the Chair and shall have duties as designated by the Chair. The Chair-Elect shall serve as the liaison to the scholarship fund when there is no Past Chair and all standing committees except the Campus Chairs, Communications and Governance Committees.

Having the chance to serve as Chair Elect for Staff Assembly is an opportunity that I take seriously and with significant understanding of what is required of the position.  Our staff are critical to the success of our campuses and they deserve more, and I know we can do so much more when we all work together.

Like our current Chair, working for the university system wasn’t my first career, but it’s one that continues to teach me and help me grow. 

I received a Bachelor of Science in Communications from Appalachian State University, and while I sometimes question a degree in communications, it has led me down some pretty fun paths. Along the way I had the opportunity to work as a DJ and Traffic Coordinator for a small AM/FM combo station in Watauga County (WATA and High COUNTRY 100.7, back in the day) before deciding to make a change and put to use my time as a Rainmaker at Tweetsie to pursue a career in Theatre. I received a Masters of Arts in Theatre from Louisiana Tech University and went on to serve as Resident Stage Manager and Business Manager for a small newly professional theatre in Lewisburg, West Virginia- Greenbrier Valley Theatre. I earned my Equity Card and enjoyed my time in theatre, both backstage, onstage, in the booth and in the business office. Greenbrier Valley Theatre showed me the power of theatre to create opportunities for so many people in a rural artistic community and it’s been my pleasure to see those I worked with move on to bigger and brighter things. I could have stayed in West Virginia forever, but my family called me home to Raleigh. I was lucky to transition my BS/theatre(skills) into a new opportunity at NC State University.

NC State gave me the opportunity to continue to learn and grow professionally. I started as a temporary accounting tech and was able to find opportunities to move myself forward in roles as an Accounting Tech, Executive Assistant, Business Services Coordinator, Business Officer and Business Manager. Each opportunity allowed me to see not only the academic, but the business and service center sides of NC State. It showed me how HR, Finance and Advancement work and it showed me how we all work together, staff, students and faculty. 

I am honored to have the opportunity to learn from all of our delegates, executive committee, friends and staff across the system to best represent our staff and look forward to continuing to build a better system for all.

Secretary 

The Secretary is responsible for the official communication of the Executive Committee, Executive and full-body minutes, announcements, and the business of the UNC Staff Assembly and Executive Committee. The Secretary communicates Executive Committee business to delegates and the University staff through appropriate means.

I am delighted and honored to serve as secretary of the UNC System Staff Assembly for 2023-2025. I have had the privilege of serving in that capacity for the past two years. During that this time I have strived to serve the Assembly and fulfill my duties by providing timely, accurate transcriptions of our full body meetings as well as the monthly executive committee meetings. My experience in the role and passion for serving the interests of UNC System staff fuel my strong desire to continue serving in this capacity.

Prior to my 2021-2023 role as secretary, I represented NC State as a delegate to the Staff Assembly from 2018-2021 during my tenure as chair-elect, chair, and past-chair of NC State’s Staff Senate. During my time with Staff Assembly, I have also served as director of the 2021 Chancellors’ Cup Golf Tournament, as a volunteer at previous years’ golf tournaments, on the Thomas Ross Award Committee, and on the Erskine B. Bowles Staff Service Award Committee.

I am committed to not just representing the interests of System staff, but to serving as an ally and advocate for programs, policies, and initiatives that will contribute to a safe and equitable working environment that offers personal and professional fulfillment.

I have found personal and professional fulfillment during my 20+ years as an employee of NC State University, currently as the Director of Continuing and Professional Education for the College of Natural Resources, including the opportunity to go back to school and complete a doctorate in higher education administration. My extensive years on campus and time in the classroom have provided valuable insights that have informed my service to Staff Assembly.

Over the years I have worked closely with our incoming chair, Shayna Hill, and greatly respect her leadership skills and integrity. I welcome the opportunity to continue to work with her and the other members of the executive committee in the role of your UNC System secretary.

Technology Officer

The Technology Officer responsibilities include but are not limited to: web site management, management of internal and external communication channels (i.e. social media, listservs) and elections technical management.

I truly appreciate the forum Staff Assembly has created for staff throughout the system and embrace the ability to serve the body as Technology Officer. I believe, as a body, we have done a great job of leveraging our power as staff to effect change; I cherish being part of this continued work.

I have been involved with UNCSA’s Staff Council since I joined the school as staff in 2014, and am concluding our three-year Chair cycle as Past Chair. Currently, I serve as Bursar for UNCSA, a role I’ve been in for two years. Since joining UNCSA in 2014, I worked for Advancement, Marketing & Communications, Digital Media, and the Chief of Staff’s office as business manager and Accounts Payable as disbursement manager, which has given me a broad understanding and appreciation for the intricacies of the university setting.

Beyond my time as staff, I am very much a product of the UNC System as a whole. I received a BSBA from UNC Chapel Hill’s Kenan-Flagler Business School, an MFA in Performing Arts Management through UNCSA and am currently working on my MBA through UNC Pembroke. I’m also pursuing a certificate in creative and artistic leadership certificate from UNCSA’s Thomas S. Kenan Institute for the Arts.
Born in Canada, I grew up in the mountains of North Carolina after a brief stopover in central Wisconsin. I currently live in Winston-Salem with my dog, Maya.

Parliamentarian

The Parliamentarian advises the chairperson and delegates on all matters of parliamentary procedure according to Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised and ensures that all meetings are conducted according to the bylaws and procedures. The Parliamentarian also serves on the Governance Committee.

I am Pat Gaddy, Assistant to Assistant Vice Chancellor in Office of Information Technology at NC State University. I have served for many years on the NC State University Staff Senate as the voice for my constituents and the university staff.  I am excited to have been instrumental in helping build the foundation of what currently stands today. I am past chair of the Staff Senate where I served 2020-2021 and have been on various boards and other committees within the Staff Senate and the university community.

The experience and knowledge I’ve gained as a delegate in the Staff Assembly, delegate at Large on the Executive Committee and Nomination Committee Chair has been invaluable and rewarding.

As Parliamentarian, my goal will be to ensure that the business of the Staff Assembly is handled properly and smoothly for everyone on both sides of an issue. My experience as a Lecturer, Public Speaker and Facilitator supports my ability to communicate clearly and effectively, which I believe is important in this role. I am reliable and can be trusted to provide accurate advice to protect the rights of the minority, while maintaining the rule of the majority thereby promoting the most efficient proceedings possible.

I am honored to be the Parliamentarian of this “great” assembly and look forward to continuing to work alongside Chair Shayna Hill and the entire Executive Committee as this assembly moves from Great to Greater!

Chancellor’s Cup Golf Tournament (CCGT) Co-Chairs

The Co-Chairs of the Chancellor’s Cup Golf Tournament are responsible for the overall management of the annual CCGT, including web site content maintenance, tournament sales, event management and promotion, and volunteer supervision. The CCGT Co-Chairs works closely with the UNC System Staff Assembly Chair and Executive Committee and in cooperation with System Office personnel to present the tournament each year.

Garrett Killian is in his 29th year at East Carolina University. He began his career in Athletics and transitioned to Information Technology where he leads a team that manages Banner security and third-party Banner applications. In this role his team oversees electronic document management and applications such as Evisions, ePrint, DocuSign, and Formstack.. He graduated from East Carolina in 1994.

Killian served on the ECU Staff Senate for two years prior to serving as Chair for 2013-2014. During his tenure he grew the two large staff appreciation events, increased Staff Senate awareness/participation, and worked hard to endow a staff scholarship. In 2014 he was elected to the UNC Staff Assembly Executive Committee as an at-large delegate and in October, 2015 elected as parliamentarian for two consecutive terms.

He served as Chair of the UNC Staff Assembly from 2019-2021. During his tenure, the Janet B. Royster Memorial Scholarship was endowed, and a record amount raised at the 9^th annual Chancellors’ Cup Golf Tournament in 2021. He has played a key role in the success of the tournament and scholarship since the tournament’s second year. This year he is co-leading the tournament, which is being held at UNC’s Finley Golf Course.

In his spare time Killian is a NAUI scuba instructor and holds other scuba related certifications that keep him busy. He enjoys diving WWII wrecks off the NC coast, spearfishing, and underwater photography. He is also a volunteer member of the Town of Winterville Board of Adjustment.

I hold a Bachelor of Science in Social Work from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, a Master of Social Work from Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota, and a Master of Health Administration from Rasmussen University. Currently, I am pursuing a Doctorate in Organizational Leadership at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

For the first 18 years of my career, I worked as a social worker in child welfare and hospice, focusing on providing critical support to vulnerable populations. In 2021, I shifted my professional path to the research field, which led to my relocation to the Raleigh/Durham area in December 2022 for my current role as a Compliance and Finance Manager in Pediatric Research at UNC Chapel Hill.

Since joining UNC, I have actively contributed to the university community through various leadership roles, including serving on the Employee Forum, the Staff Assembly Executive Committee, and the STACC Committee to the Chancellor. Additionally, I am an IRB Member at UNC Chapel Hill and have participated in several other committees. These experiences have not only deepened my connection to the Carolina community but have also enriched my personal and professional growth.

I have been married since 2003, just one week before graduating with my Bachelor’s degree in Social Work. My husband and I have three children: our oldest son is a sophomore at East Carolina University, and we have a son and daughter who are both in high school.

At-Large Delegates

The At-large delegate is required to attend all Executive Committee and Staff Assembly meetings and to stay abreast of all Staff Assembly activities during his/her term. At-large delegates are assigned by Staff Assembly Chair to a standing committee and maybe asked to serve on Ad Hoc committee(s) as required for the duration of their term in office.

Keith Hines is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He also holds degrees from North Carolina Central University, Case Western Reserve University, and Syracuse University, but his heart will always belong to Carolina. He is currently the Marketing Manager for the University Development Office. Keith is originally from Rutherfordton, North Carolina., and has always loved all things Carolina. Keith believes when it comes to advocacy you should “either be all the way in or get out of the way, because life is too short for half measures.” This is the type of passion he wants to bring to his position with the Staff Assembly.

Jordan Perry (they or she pronouns) was born and raised in Iredell County, NC, educated at three UNC System institutions (UNC Asheville, UNC Chapel Hill, and Appalachian State University), and has worked at three UNC System institutions (UNC Chapel Hill, UNC Asheville, and Appalachian State University). They currently work at Appalachian State University as the Director of Wellness and Prevention Services and are pursuing their doctorate in Educational Leadership. 

Jordan has 17 years of experience in the field of public health, including 13 years in higher education. At UNC Asheville, they served on Staff Council for four years and spent one year as Chair. They believe deeply in investing in state employees and are honored to serve Staff Assembly as a delegate at large.

My name is Jill Phipps, and I have been an active member with the NC State Staff Senate since 2012. You will find that my loyalty and integrity is to put the concerns and needs of our staff members first. I have held many roles within the NC Staff Senate which include being the Subcommittee Chair of the Computer Loan Program and Chair of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion committee. I have also served as an Executive Officer as Parliamentarian, Vice-Chair and Chair of our NC State Staff Senate. I am currently serving as the NC State Representative with the Cooperative Raleigh Colleges which plans conferences for staff members to attend that will enhance their professional career growth. Other committees that I serve on within our NC State University are the Group Insurance and Benefits committee and the NC State OIT Diversity and Inclusivity committee, as well as a University Collaborative committee on Diversity and Inclusivity.

I am honored to announce that I am a Mental Health First Aid Instructor, and I recently received certification to teach QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer).

I have been serving as a delegate to the UNC Staff Assembly since July 2022.

My dedication, loyalty and “can-do” attitude pushes me to go the “extra mile”. Case in point, in July 2022 Chair Crystal Woods tasked me and two others to work on researching “bereavement” opportunities that could be granted to our Staff. A three-person committee became a two-person committee that consisted of myself and Keith Hines. Keith and I presented to the UNC Staff Assembly in April 2022 an update of research and recommendations for a “bereavement” benefit for our staff. I am proud to say as we continued working on this project that is now completed, the Staff Assembly is working on a resolution for approval.

My motto is “Passion and Positivity can make the Impossible Happen” and you can count on me to share my passion for what will make our UNC System Schools to be the best place to work. With “great positivity”, you will never see me discouraged as we all strive for the betterment of our staff. I truly believe that “we are never in the dark, if we are willing to ignite the spark”.

I often say to others that “work is my hobby” however, when I am not working, I enjoy spending time with my family.

I love the work that I do for the NC State University, and I love working with the UNC Staff Assembly. I believe in hope and continued progress for all.

Penny, a Greensboro, NC native, has dedicated over 23 years to North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, where she currently serves as an HR Specialist in the Division of Human Resources’ Talent Solutions Unit. With deep expertise in student and temporary employment, eligibility verification, and foreign national employment, she also supports talent recruitment efforts and leads New Hire Orientation for permanent employees. Penny’s commitment to her role and her strong working knowledge make her a valued resource across multiple areas within Human Resources.

Beyond her professional responsibilities, Penny is actively involved in university and community service. She is a longstanding member of the NCAT Staff Senate, where she is a Past Chair and currently chairs the Community Service Committee. Penny also serves on the Faculty and Staff Combined Campaign Executive Committee, proudly leading as “Penny’s Prize Patrol” to encourage faculty and staff giving both to the University and to local agencies. Additionally, she contributes to the February One Executive Committee, serving as a trusted resource and a central point of information for her colleagues.

Penny’s passion for service extends into her personal life as well. She is an avid volunteer with Habitat for Humanity of Greater Greensboro, representing homeowners, and also volunteers at the Child Development Laboratory. A music lover, she performs with In Tune Inc. and Knights of Soul Band, inspiring fellow musicians and supporting the Praise and Worship Team at Elim Christian Fellowship.

As a mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, Penny treasures her family time, bringing the same warmth and encouragement to her personal life that she shows at work. Committed to positively impacting pay, morale, and retention across the UNC system, Penny is ready to serve the UNC Staff Assembly and campus communities with dedication and vision, recognizing that meaningful change comes from collective effort and a shared commitment to progress.