Board Members' Biographical Information

Revised April 2006

Robert L. “Bob” Farmer, Chair

Judge Farmer was appointed by Governor Easley in 2006. He is the Board of Ethics’ 7th chairman. Judge Farmer served as a Superior Court Judge for 26 years and represented Wake County in the NC House of Representatives from 1970 to 1977 where he chaired the Judiciary III and Finance Committees. While in the House, he sponsored legislation that created ethics laws for the Legislature. He is a former solicitor of the Wake County Domestic Relations Court, former attorney for the Wake County Board of Education, and former president of the Raleigh Jaycees. He is currently a member of the NC and Wake County Bar Associations, the NC Conference of Superior Court Judges, the NC Judicial Conference, and the Raleigh Kiwanis Club. He is a certified mediator and arbitrator, and a Sunday School teacher at Hayes Barton United Methodist Church. A Johnston County native, Judge Farmer received both his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is married to Martha Lassiter Farmer. They have three children and six grandchildren.

Jane Flowers Finch, Vice Chair

Ms. Finch was appointed by Governor Hunt in 1993 and was elected Vice Chair by fellow Board members. She is a graduate of Peace College, UNC-Greensboro, and NC Central University School of Law (1978). After graduation from law school, she served as clerk for the Honorable Harry C. Martin on the North Carolina Court of Appeals. She was a partner in the Raleigh offices of the New York-based law firm of LeBeouf, Lamb, Leiby and MacRae, specializing in litigation, and later a solo practitioner. Ms. Finch was elected and served as a director of the Wake County Bar Association and the Tenth Judicial District Bar. She also served a two-year term on the Grievance Committee. She has been a speaker at Continuing Legal Education seminars and has served on the Board of Visitors of Peace College and the Board of Directors of the Carolina Ballet.

Joe Jones, Member

Mr. Jones was appointed to the Board by Governor Hunt in 1993. Mr. Jones is retired from the United Textile Workers of American AFL-CIO. He is a graduate of North Buncombe High School in Asheville. Immediately before his retirement he served for six years as an AFL-CIO International Vice President. Mr. Jones became involved in union work as a textile worker at the American Enka Corporation in Asheville, which had 3500 union members working for it in 1959. He became a full-time business agent for the plant and then rose to the rank of international representative of the UTWA, traveling for the union throughout the South. He specialized in arbitration and contract negotiations and continues to serve as an arbitration advocate for different unions in North Carolina. He served as Vice President of the AFL-CIO from 1984 - 1997.

Mittie R. Smith, Member

Ms. Smith was also appointed to the Board by Governor Hunt in 1993. She is a 1980 graduate of the University of North Carolina Law School. She practices law in High Point, concentrating in domestic, criminal and real estate matters. She is originally from Florida, where she was graduated in 1967 from Florida A&M University in Tallahassee. After graduation from college, she spent more than a decade working in various social services areas in Chicago, New York, North Carolina, and Indiana. Her range of experience as a social worker includes counseling, protective services, and work with the mentally retarded. She has been an active volunteer for the Big Sister program and the American Cancer Society.

Dr. Rajendra S. Chhabra, Member

Dr. Chhabra was appointed to the Board by Governor Hunt in 1997. Dr. Chhabra is a Board Certified Toxicologist employed as a staff scientist at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, in Research Triangle Park. A native of India, Dr. Chhabra received his education in veterinary medicine at Vikram University and his Ph.D. in pharmacology at the University of London. He became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1977. As a toxicologist, Dr. Chhabra studies environmental chemicals in air, food, and water and their adverse effects in laboratory animals. The research is used by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Food and Drug Administration.

Waheed Haq "Rana"

Governor Easley appointed Mr. Rana to the Board in May 2003. Mr. Rana is the president of Associated Environmental Consultants & Engineers in Raleigh, a company he co-founded in 1991. A native of Pakistan, he received his undergraduate degree from Quaid-E-Azam University in Islamabad and his masters in engineering from North Carolina State University in 1988. He became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2002. Mr. Rana is actively engaged in numerous community organizations, particularly those directed to youth education and environmental awareness. He is married to Nighat Waheed and has two sons.

Robert W. “Bob” Barber

Bob Barber grew up on the family farm in Johnston County. He was graduated from the University of North Carolina School of Pharmacy and went to work at NC Memorial Hospital until entering the U.S. Army and Army Reserve from 1960 to 1966. He was commissioned a First Lieutenant prior to completing his military service in 1966. After completing his military service, Mr. Barber returned briefly to Memorial Hospital and then accepted employment as a retail pharmacist in Raleigh where he worked for nearly 12 years. In 1974 he began his long career with the State Bureau of Investigation. He began as the NC Drug Authority’s (later renamed the Drug Commission) contract representative on the SBI’s Diversion Investigation Unit, investigating the diversion of controlled substances from their legitimate path and use. One year later he joined the SBI, and after attending the SBI Academy, he was sworn-in as a Special Agent. He retired after 20 years of dedicated service in 1995. After retiring, Mr. Barber continued working on the SBI’s successful CALEA (Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies) accreditation. He is married to Elizabeth Taylor Barber and has two step-children and three grandchildren.