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Staff Profiles
Perry Newson
Executive Director
Perry Newson is currently the Executive Director for the North Carolina Ethics Commission. He served in that same position for the North Carolina Board of Ethics from 1999 until passage of the State Government Ethics Act in 2006. Mr. Newson is originally from Roanoke, Virginia. He attended Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, Virginia, where he was made a member of Phi Beta Kappa and graduated with honors in 1979. He earned his law degree in 1983 from the Marshall-Wythe School of Law at the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. Prior to his tenure with the Ethics Commission and Board of Ethics, Mr. Newson served for almost six years as a special deputy attorney general in the N.C. Department of Justice. Before joining state government, he worked as an attorney in private practice in both Tampa, Florida, and Raleigh, where he has lived since 1987.
Carson Carmichael
Complaint Attorney
Carson Carmichael graduated with honors from North Carolina State University in 1976 with degrees in Chemical Engineering and Pulp and Paper Science and Technology. He earned his Juris Doctor degree from Wake Forest University in 1980 where he was a member of the Law Review. Mr. Carmichael was in private legal practice in Raleigh for over 30 years prior to joining the Commission staff. His private practice focused on occupational licensing, public utilities, construction, health care, and environmental law. Mr. Carmichael is a past Chair of the Construction Law Section of the North Carolina Bar Association and was peer selected for Best Lawyers in America in Administrative/Regulatory Law.
Kathleen Edwards
Advice Attorney
Kathleen Edwards graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of South Florida and received a Juris Doctorate from Harvard Law School. She is admitted to practice law in three states and has over 23 years of experience in both the public and private sectors. Most notably, she was an Assistant Vice President and Senior Corporate Counsel for a Fortune 500 company where she managed the company's business ethics program. In doing so, she drafted the company's business ethics handbook, responded to company ethics inquiries, and assisted with the key employee financial disclosure and conflict review program. She also managed the company's employment law group and represented the company in state and federal litigation. She has also worked in private legal practice, for the NC Attorney General's office, and for the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Government covering the NC General Assembly.
Susan Lundberg
Lobbying Director
Susan Lundberg earned a Juris Doctorate from the University of Colorado Law School and has practiced law in both the public and private sectors for 18 years. She has worked for the North Carolina Department of Justice for the past 9 years, most recently with the Property Control Section representing and advising the State Purchase and Contract Office, the State Property Office, the State Construction Office, and various other state boards and commissions under the State Department of Administration's umbrella. Prior to that she worked in the Labor and Employment Section representing the State Department of Labor in all of its diverse matters. Her state experience also includes working as the Appeals Officer for the Wage and Hour Division of the State Department of Labor where, among other things, she conducted hearings regarding wage and benefit disputes between employers and employees. In addition to her public sector experience, Ms. Lundberg practiced law in Colorado for six years representing private clients in a broad range of areas including business, contract, and labor and employment law.
Teresa Pell
SEI Attorney
Teresa Pell graduated Magna Cum Laude from East Carolina University and earned a Juris Doctorate from the UNC School of Law. She first worked as an Assistant District Attorney in Pitt County, N.C. and later practiced with a private law firm in Greenville, N.C. In 1995, Mrs. Pell joined the North Carolina Department of Justice, serving as an Assistant Attorney General in the Appellate Section of the Criminal Division and later as a Special Deputy Attorney General in the Capital Litigation/Federal Habeas Section. In 2005, Mrs. Pell was appointed as the Executive Director of the North Carolina Council for Women/Domestic Violence Commission, a State agency which provides assistance and grant funds to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault, as well as displaced homemakers. She rejoined the North Carolina Department of Justice in 2007 as a Special Deputy Attorney General in the Services to State Agencies Section. Mrs. Pell also taught Research, Reasoning, Writing and Advocacy ("RRWA") as an Adjunct Professor at the UNC School of Law.
Annette Barefoot
Paralegal
Annette Barefoot is a graduate of North Carolina State University with a B.A. degree in Business Management and Economics. She received her Paralegal Certification from Meredith and is a NC State Bar Certified Paralegal. She has worked as a paralegal for 18 years, including 11 years at the NC Department of Transportation and 3 in the Special Litigation section of the NC Attorney General’s office. Annette also worked for a private law firm for 3 years. Annette most recently worked as a paralegal in the AG’s Consumer Protection Section.
Beth Carpenter
Administrative Assistant
Beth Carpenter is the Administrative Assistant responsible for the Commission's Statement of Economic Interest review, evaluation, and filing procedures. She also handles budgeting and personnel functions for the office in addition to supervising the Administrative Assistant III and Office Assistant positions. After graduating from NC State University in 1990, Ms. Carpenter began her public career with the North Carolina Human Relations Commission in April 1992. In 1994, she transferred to the Secretary of Administration's Office and worked as the Administrative Assistant for the Deputy Secretary over the advocacy divisions. She stayed with the Department of Administration for approximately 5 years. In 1999, she went to work for the North Carolina Business Committee for Education, then in 2001 she transferred to the Governor's Policy Office and was subsequently hired by the Governor's Boards and Commissions Office, where she remained until joining the Board of Ethics in October, 2004.
Shanon Gerger
Paralegal
Shanon Gerger is a graduate of Campbell University where she earned her B.S. in Social Science concentrating in Government. Shanon is currently enrolled at Walden University and is working toward her M.P.A. in Policy Analysis. Shanon is a NC State Bar Certified Paralegal. Shanon has 13 years of legal experience, including 6 years of legal administration with the U.S. Marine Corps and the last 7 years in the private sector where she worked in civil litigation, administrative and employment law.
Anitra Hill
Administrative Assistant
Anitra Hill is a graduate of Tuskegee University with a B.A. degree in English. She received a Professional Writing and Editing Certification from NC State University. Before joining the State Ethics Commission, Anitra was employed by NC State University for over 10 years, first with the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee where she helped to oversee all aspects of animal care and use, and then with the Pesticide Safety Education program in the Department of Horticultural Science where she facilitated pesticide safety training offered in conjunction with pesticide certification exams.
Lisa Johnson
Paralegal
Lisa Johnson is a graduate of Durham Technical Community College where she earned her Associates Degree in Paralegal Technology and a Certificate in Business Law and Civil Litigation. Lisa has 19 years of legal secretary experience, including 4 years with a private practice attorney and 15 years as an Administrative Assistant with the Veterinary Medical Board, Office of Administrative Hearings and recently with the Social Services Commission.
Christy Tillery
Paralegal
Christy Tillery graduated from North Carolina State University in 1989, with an Associates Degree in Business Management. She then went on to receive her Paralegal Certificate from the Institute for Paralegal Studies in 1990. Since receiving her certification, Christy has worked in a variety of legal jobs in both the private and public sector. Among these position, Christy was a paralegal with the North Carolina Attorney General's Office, an executive assistant to Judge Wanda Bryant at the North Carolina Court of Appeals, a legal assistant at the United States Department of Justice. Immediately prior to joining the State Ethics Commission in June 2007, Christy was a paralegal at the United States Department of Energy's Office of Civil Rights and Diversity.
LaTonya Washington
Office Assistant
LaTonya Washington is a graduate of Wake Technical Community College where she earned her Associate's degree in Business Administration/Human Resources. Before coming to work at the Ethics Commission, LaTonya was employed at the North Carolina Education Lottery for over six years. LaTonya also worked 8 years with the North Carolina State Bar as an Administrative Assistant and Membership Coordinator and over 8 years as a Communications Specialist with the US Army.