Governor McCrory’s Eastern Director spends day in Brunswick County
BOLIVIA, N.C. — Steve P. Keen, who was hired last month as the Eastern Director for the Office of Governor Pat McCrory, spent the day in Brunswick County on Monday, May 19. Keen, who served as a Wayne County Commissioner prior to joining Governor McCrory’s administration, met with a number of county and municipal leaders during his visit.
During his visit, Keen met with:
- Municipal officials from towns in northern Brunswick County: Leland (Mayor Brenda Bozeman, Councilman Jon Tait and Manager David Hollis); Belville (Mayor Mike Allen, Commissioner Pat O’Briant and Administrator Athina Williams); Northwest (Mayor James Knox); Navassa (Mayor Pro Tem Frank Willis); and Sandy Creek (Councilwoman Anna Knapp and Town Clerk Tina Colby)
- Chris May, Executive Director of the Cape Fear Council of Governments
- Shelbourn Stevens, CEO of Brunswick Novant Hospital
- Municipal leaders from several of Brunswick County’s beach towns: Holden Beach (Mayor Alan Holden and Town Manager David Hewett); Oak Island (Councilmen Jim Medlin and Jeff Winecoff, Manager Steve Foster); Bald Head Island (Mayor Andy Sayre and Councilman Gene Douglas); Ocean Isle Beach (Mayor Debbie Smith) and Caswell Beach (Mayor Harry Simmons, who also serves as Executive Director of the NC Beach Inlet & Waterway Association and as a member of the Coastal Resources Commission)
- Jim Bradshaw, Brunswick County Director of Economic Development
- Dr. Susanne Adams (President), Velva Jenkins (Vice President of Economic Workforce Development & Continuing Education) and Kim Gamlin (Small Business Center Director) from Brunswick Community College
- Karen Sphar from the Southport-Oak Island Chamber of Commerce on behalf of the Brunswick County Small Business Advisory Commission
- Sheriff John Ingram, District Attorney Jon David, Clerk of Court Jim MacCallum and Chief Deputy Charlie Miller
- Chairman John Thompson and Vice Chair Shirley Babson from the Brunswick County Board of Education.
Keen also met with several Brunswick County Commissioners and members of the county management team and attended a portion of the Brunswick County Board of Commissioners meeting.
“I have known Steve Keen for several years, and he has a genuine passion for eastern North Carolina and a strong commitment to customer service,” said Brunswick County Commissioner Frank Williams, who coordinated Keen’s schedule for the visit. “He will be a tremendous resource for southeastern North Carolina. I appreciate him spending the day getting to know Brunswick County.”
“I am committed to helping Governor McCrory support economic growth and provide strong customer service to communities in eastern North Carolina,” said Keen. “I appreciate the opportunity to meet with key leaders in Brunswick County today, and I look forward to working with them as we move forward.”
“Steve Keen’s business acumen as well as his many contributions to the common good of the state of North Carolina make him a natural choice to head our Eastern Office,” Governor McCrory said on April 25 in announcing that Keen had joined his administration. “His dedication to supporting economic growth in the area through job creation is paramount to our administration’s long-term goals.”