2025 Economic Development Committee
Keith Brinson
Capital East Insurance
Owner
Alexis Carter
Town of Selma
Town Manager
Bryan Chadwick
Town of Archer Lodge
Town Administrator
Jodi Cobb
Big Boys Truck Stop
Head of Business Dev. & Marketing
Teresa Daughtry
Partners Commercial Realty, LLC
Founder/Broker/BIC
Michael King
Town of Princeton
Town Administrator
Maureen McGuinness
Triangle East Chamber of Commerce
President & CEO
Maureen McGuinness joined the Triangle East Chamber of Commerce in April 2022. Prior to that she served at the Bethlehem Chamber of Commerce in Bethlehem, NY and the Rensselaer County Regional Chamber of Commerce in Troy, NY. Maureen has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Marist College in Poughkeepsie, NY. She grew up working for her father’s computer consulting firm. It was there she developed a passion for supporting small businesses. Maureen is the proud mother of two daughters. In her free time she likes to read and bake.
Jeff Parlier
Economic Development Chair
First Citizens Bank
Area Executive - Eastern Piedmont
Area Executive for the Eastern Piedmont Area of First Citizens Bank that encompasses Johnston, Harnett, Lee, Sampson, Wayne, Wilson, Warren, Halifax, Vance, Franklin, Nash counties in Eastern NC.
Suzanne Ross
Small Business Center at JCC
Small Business Center Director
Kelly Wallace
Triangle East Chamber of Commerce
Vice President & COO
Kelly joined the Triangle East Chamber of Commerce team in 2002. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Industrial Technology from East Carolina University in 1992. Kelly is a 2003 Leadership Johnston graduate, of which she served as program director for over 16 years. Kelly is a graduate of the US Chamber Institute of Organization Management (2011) and Business Leads Fellowship (2022). When they are able, Kelly and her husband, Mark, enjoy long weekends "glamping" in their travel trailer. Originally from Charlotte, Kelly and her family call Clayton, NC their home.
Stephen Wensman
Town of Smithfield
Planning Director
Ashley Willoughby
Town of Pine Level
Town Clerk
Leighanna Worley
Town of Wilson's Mills
Town Administrator
Leighanna Thompson is a Johnston County native. She began her career in Municipal Government in 2001 working for the Towns of Pine Level and Selma until April of 2006 when she was appointed Town Clerk for the Town of Wilson’s Mills. Leighanna currently serves as the Town Administrator and Municipal Clerk. Leighanna graduated in 2009 from the Clerk's Institute at the School of Government at UNC Chapel Hill. She received her designation for Certified Municipal Clerk (CMC) from the IIMC and UNC School of Government in 2011, Master Municipal Clerk Certification (MMC) in 2016, and NC Certified Municipal Clerk designation (NCCMC) from the NC Association of Municipal Clerks in 2012. Leighanna serves on the Board of Directors for the Triangle East Chamber of Commerce. In her spare time, Leighanna enjoys cooking, playing music, and going camping with her dog, "Copper," in the mountains of North Carolina.
