Commission Members
Commissioners
Chairman Bryan Starnes
Appointed by State Treasurer Brad Briner
Term expires August 31, 2031
Starnes is a certified public accountant with nearly four decades of experience in accounting, finance and executive leadership. Throughout his career, he has led complex financial organizations, overseen billions of dollars in assets and transactions and built a reputation for accountability and sound fiscal management. Starnes began his career with Deloitte & Touche before serving as controller for a North Carolina furniture manufacturer. In 1992, he became a partner in Martin Starnes & Associates CPAs, P.A., growing the firm into one of the nation’s most respected accounting practices. During his final three years as owner, the firm was recognized by Accounting Today magazine as one of the “Top 100 Firms to Work For,” ranking among the nation’s top 10 each year. Since 2012, Starnes has served in executive financial leadership roles with Meridian Senior Living and ALG Senior. As Chief Financial Officer, he has overseen accounting, finance, risk management, human resources and policy advocacy for organizations managing more than 100 senior living communities nationwide. He also led the financial architecture and execution of a nearly $1.5 billion real estate transaction during the company’s restructuring.
Starnes and his wife, Sandy, have been married for 40 years. They have three children and nine grandchildren.
Starnes serves as chair of the Commission.
Cari Boyce
Appointed by Gov. Roy Cooper
Term expires August 31, 2028
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 her 15 years at the company, she led several functions, including corporate communications, environmental and 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 advisor in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina. In addition to Boyce’s professional experience, she also has served on numerous non-profit boards including Teach for American 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 degree in education from North Carolina State University.
She chairs the Regulated Gaming Committee and serves on the Operations and Personnel Committee.
Lindsey Griffin
Appointed by House Speaker Tim Moore
Term expires August 31, 2028
Lindsey Griffin, a native of Pitt County, is a retired commercial contractor, specializing in commercial landscaping for 35 years. In addition to the commission, Griffin serves currently as secretary on the Greenville Utilities Commission 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 Regulated Gaming Committee.
Chris Hayes
Appointed by Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger
Term expires August 31, 2027
Chris Hayes, a native of Raleigh, is a Senior Director of State Government Affairs with Reynolds American. Hayes has more than 25 years of 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 the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and earned a master’s degree 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 Long Leaf 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.
Randy Jones
Appointed by House Speaker Tim Moore
Term expires August 31, 2027
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, live in Pine Level. They have a son, a daughter, and three grandchildren.
Jones serves on the Finance and Audit Committee.
Nigel Long
Appointed by Gov. Roy Cooper
Term expires August 31, 2027
Nigel Long is the 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 board 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 briefing 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 degree in business administration. He resides in Charlotte with his wife, Christy.
Long chairs the Revenue Generating Committee.
Jason Poole
Appointed by State Auditor Dave Boliek
Term expires August 31, 2031
Jason Poole is a partner with TRP Sumner, PLLC, and brings more than two decades of accounting, financial reporting, management consulting, auditing, and tax experience to the commission. He is a Certified Public Accountant and Chartered Global Management Accountant who has worked extensively with businesses and organizations across North Carolina.
A native of Fayetteville, Poole earned both a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and a Master of Accounting from East Carolina University. He has served in numerous leadership roles throughout his career, including as a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, board member of the North Carolina Association of Certified Public Accountants (NCACPA), chairman of the East Carolina University Board of Trustees, chair of the NCACPA Advocacy Advisory Council, and president of the NCACPA Foundation.
For more than two decades, Poole has dedicated his career to helping organizations build stronger futures through sound financial management and strategic guidance. Through both his professional work and civic involvement, he has consistently demonstrated a commitment to accountability, good governance, and public service.
Ripley Rand
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 on the Regulated Gaming Committee, the Operations and Personnel Committee, the Revenue Generating Committee and the Finance and Audit Committee.
Jason Roth
Appointed by Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger
Term expires August 31, 2028
Jason Roth is currently the CFO and president of ATM USA. He joined the company in 2005. He also co-owns and helps oversee multiple Mosquito Authority franchises across the country.
Roth began his professional career as a tax consultant with Deloitte & Touche, LLP, in Charlotte. After several years of service there, Roth moved to Raleigh and became the Chief Operating Officer for US Armored, LLC. He also served on the board of directors for the Independent Armored Car Operators Association.
Roth now lives in Cary with his wife, two daughters, and son.
Roth chairs the Finance and Audit Committee and serves on the Operations and Personnel Committee.
