Mr. Ripley Rand

Term expires August 31, 2026. Appointed by Gov. Roy Cooper.

Ripley Rand is a partner in the Raleigh office of the law firm Womble Bond Dickinson. He has more than 25 years of legal experience, including periods both as a prosecutor and as a judge. He served six years as the United States Attorney for the Middle District of North Carolina during the Obama Administration and eight years as a state Superior Court Judge, presiding over thousands of criminal and civil cases throughout North Carolina. His practice focuses on criminal defense, investigations, regulatory defense, and crisis management.

Rand, a Fayetteville native, is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a bachelor’s degree in political science. He received his law degree with honors from the UNC School of Law. Rand lives in Raleigh and has two children.

Rand serves as chair of the commission and on the Sports Betting Committee, the Operations and Personnel Committee, the Revenue Generating Committee, and the Finance and Audit Committee.

Ms. Cari Boyce

Term expires August 31, 2028. Appointed by Gov. Roy Cooper.

Cari Boyce of Raleigh has more than 30 years of diverse management experience across public and private sectors including work in communication, community and government relations, strategic planning and philanthropy.

Boyce retired from Duke Energy as Senior Vice President for Enterprise, Strategy & Planning in the Spring of 2021. During 15 years at the company, she led several functions, including Corporate Communications, Environmental & Energy Policy, Sustainability, Stakeholder Strategy and the Duke Energy Foundation. She spent her early career in state government in both New York and North Carolina where she held positions in the New York State Legislature, the N.C. Department of Justice, and the N.C. Governor’s Office. She currently serves as an adviser in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina. In addition to Boyce’s professional experience, she has also served on a number of non-profit boards, including Teach for America Eastern North Carolina, Habitat for Humanity North Carolina, North Carolina Museum of Art Foundation, UNC-CH Institute for the Environment, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Community Foundation, United Way of Central Carolinas and the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce. She is a graduate of Siena College and earned a master’s in education from North Carolina State University.

She chairs the Sports Betting Committee and serves on the Operations and Personnel Committee.

Mr. Lindsey Griffin

Term expires August 31, 2028. Appointed by House Speaker Tim Moore.

Lindsey Griffin, a native of Pitt County, is a retired commercial contractor, specializing for 35 years in commercial landscaping. In addition to the commission, Griffin serves currently on the Greenville Utilities Commission, serving as its Secretary, and on the Pitt Community College Board of Trustees. Previously, he served as chair of the Vidant Health Foundation Board; as a founding board member of the Irrigation Licensing Board; as chair of the Salem United Methodist Church Trustee Board; and as a board member of the Greenville Jaycees, Greenville Pitt County Home Builders Association, and the Pitt Community College Foundation Board.

Griffin attended North Carolina State University. He resides in Greenville with his wife, Jamison. They have two adult daughters and seven grandchildren.

Griffin serves on the Sports Betting Committee.

Mr. Chris Hayes

Term expires August 31, 2027. Appointed by Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger.

Chris Hayes, a native of Raleigh, is a Senior Director of State Government Affairs with Reynolds American. Hayes has more than 25 years experience in North Carolina government, politics and government affairs, serving previously as Chief of Staff to N.C. Speaker of the House Thom Tillis and Deputy Chief of Staff in Tillis’ U.S. Senate office.

Hayes graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill with a Bachelor’s of Arts in Political Science and earned a Master’s in Business Administration from Campbell University. In addition to the commission, Hayes previously served on the Board of Directors for Keep NC Beautiful, the Board of Visitors at UNC-Chapel Hill, and the Virginia Wholesalers and Distributors Association. In 2015, Hayes was awarded the Order of the Longleaf Pine by Gov. Pat McCrory for his distinguished service to the State of North Carolina. He resides in Winston-Salem with his wife, Melissa, and their two children, Lawson and Rives.

Hayes serves on the Finance and Audit committee.

Mr. Randy Jones

Term expires August 31, 2027. Appointed by House Speaker Tim Moore.

Randy Jones, a native of Johnston County, is a Real Estate Broker, working with Partners Commercial Realty of Smithfield. He is also general managing partner of RJS Limited and owner of JonRae LLC. He has over 35 years of experience in retail and customer service, working with Jones Brothers Furniture, a family business. He has experience in sales, logistics, management, project management, advertising and purchasing. He has an associate of applied science degree in business data processing. He currently serves as chair of the Economic Development Board of Johnston County and chair of the Planning Board for the Town of Pine Level. He is a past president of the Pine Level Lions Club.

Jones and his wife, Renee, lives in Pine Level. They have a son, a daughter, and three grandchildren.

Jones serves on the Finance and Audit Committee.

Mr. Nigel Long

Term expires August 31, 2027. Appointed by Gov. Roy Cooper.

Nigel Long is founder and Senior Managing Director of Trade Street Advisors, LLC, an investment banking firm with associates in Charlotte, Washington DC, Chicago, and New York. He is a seasoned investment banker with 25 years of experience and serves as a senior advisor to Fortune 500 companies and CEOs of some of the nation’s largest Minority Owned Businesses, primarily African-American-, Hispanic- and Asian-owned.

Long is also founder and President of The Dilworth Companies, Inc., a private investment firm that has invested in or advised on nearly $1 billion worth of private equity and real estate transactions. His investment banking career began at First Union Securities.

Long has served on the boards of directors of several private companies and civic organizations, including the Charlotte Community Capital Fund which he helped launch for the City of Charlotte. In 2018, he was appointed by Gov. Roy Cooper to serve on the Board of Trustees for the NC Supplemental Retirement Plan which governs the NC 401(k)/457 Plans and the NC 403(b) Program valued at over $14.5 billion.

Long contributed to national studies and reports including, “The Minority Business Challenge: Democratizing Capital for Emerging Domestic Markets” (U.S. Dept. of Commerce Minority Business Development Agency/the Milken Institute), and the “Financial Innovations in Low Income Communities” project. He was an invited guest at The White House for urban policy briefings during the terms of President George W. Bush, President Barack Obama, and President Donald Trump.

Long attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as a Morehead-Cain Scholar and graduated with a bachelor’s in business administration. He resides in Charlotte with his wife Christy.

Long chairs the Revenue Generating Committee.