A-B Tech Welcomes New Board Members
Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College has added four new members to its Board of Trustees: Gene Bell, Jacquelyn Hallum, Bill Murdock, and Robin Wilson Ramsey.
Gene Bell was appointed to the A-B Tech Board by the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners on August 1. He joined the Housing Authority of the City of Asheville (HACA) as Director of Maintenance and Construction in 1994 and was appointed Chief Executive Officer of HACA and Executive Director of Brevard Housing Authority in October 2005.
He graduated with a degree in Business Management from Xavier University. Gene was employed with IBM for over 20 years, and owned a construction company before coming to Asheville. He served on the Asheville City School Board for eight years, six of them as chair. He currently serves as the President of the North Carolina Housing Authority Directors Association, and he is on the boards of Muddy Sneakers, the NC Housing Authority Risk and Retention Pool (NCHARRP), and as chairman to the Buncombe County Planning Board.
Jacquelyn Hallum was appointed by the Board of Education on September 19 to fill the remainder of the term for the late Dr. Don Locke. An Asheville native, she is Director of Health Careers and Diversity Education at the Mountain Area Health Education Center (MAHEC), where she has been employed for 21 years.
Her healthcare background spans more than 30 years with special interest in health parity, culturally appropriate care, and workforce diversity and inclusion. Hallum, like Bell, served two terms on the Asheville City School Board, which she chaired for two years. She is an advocate for social justice and enjoys the experience of mentoring and working with marginalized youth. She graduated with a degree in Business Administration and a concentration in Marketing from NC A&T and has earned Masters degrees in Business Administration and Health Administration from Pfeiffer University.
Bill Murdock was appointed by the Board of Education on August 1. He is the CEO of Eblen Charities and the Eblen Center for Social Enterprises, a nonprofit organization whose outreach extends throughout the counties of western North Carolina and through its numerous programs helps thousands of families each year with medical and emergency assistance. A proud graduate of A-B Tech, he has served as a commencement speaker for the college and was an inaugural member of the A-B Tech Foundation when it was established in 1996.
Wilson Ramsey was appointed by the Governor on May 2 to fill Nathan Ramsey’s vacancy. A native of Asheville, she is a graduate of Mars Hill College and The Institute of Political Leadership. She worked for Long, Parker, Warren, Anderson and Payne, PA until 2013, then worked for a year and a half in the General Assembly. She became Western Field Representative for Senator Richard Burr in May of 2013 to present. She currently serves on the Development Committee and the Governance Committee of Asheville Humane Society, the board of the Children’s Welfare League, the Governor’s Western Residence, and the Women’s Society for Mission Hospital. She is an Associate Member of The Junior League of Asheville.
About A-B Tech Community College
One of 58 colleges in the NC Community College System, A-B Tech offers associate degrees, diplomas and certificates in more than 60 curriculum programs through its five academic divisions: Allied Health and Public Service Education, Arts and Sciences, Business and Hospitality Education, Emergency Services and Engineering and Applied Technology.
The Division of Economic and Workforce Development/Continuing Education offers opportunities for workforce partnerships, specific job training, and retraining, as well as personal enrichment classes.
A-B Tech enrolls more than 25,000 curriculum and continuing education students in programs at its Asheville, Enka, Madison, South, Woodfin, and Goodwill locations. For more information visit www.abtech.edu.
