RALEIGH — Josh Stein, North Carolina’s incoming governor, named an additional six people to his cabinet, four of which are currently serving in posts under Gov. Roy Cooper. Three of those named are remaining in their current positions.
Stein’s transition team announced Tuesday that Eddie M. Buffaloe Jr. will remain as secretary of the Department of Public Safety. He’s been in that role under Cooper since 2021. In a news release, Stein cited keeping Buffaloe in place due to western North Carolina being at a “critical moment” following Hurricane Helene.
“Western North Carolina is at a critical moment,” said Stein. “We need Eddie’s steady leadership as we work to rebuild after Hurricane Helene. I am grateful for Secretary Buffaloe’s commitment to seeing the job done.”
Department of Transportation Secretary Joey Hopkins will also be staying in that role. Cooper put him in that role in 2023 and Hopkins has served that agency as chief operating officer, deputy chief engineer, and division engineer.
Kristin Walker has been the current state budget director under Cooper since 2022 and will continue to lead the Office of State Budget and Management. She is the first female to hold the position.
The Department of Commerce will be headed up by another Cooper administration alum; Lee Lilley. He has served as Cooper’s director of Economic and Pandemic Recovery and as Director of Legislative Affairs. Lilley has been a longtime aide and lobbyist for Cooper.
Staci Meyer will lead the Office of State Human Resources. She is also a Cooper administration pick and is currently chief deputy secretary at the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. Meyer also worked as a special deputy attorney general at the North Carolina Department of Justice and as a Commissioner and Chair of the North Carolina Industrial Commission.
Teena Piccione is being tapped to head up the Department of Information Technology. A news release says she has worked as a managing director at Google in the telecommunications areas of cloud and customer engineering, as well as multiple high-level positions at RTI International, Fidelity Investments and AT&T.
The majority of Stein’s cabinet picks in this round of announcements are not required to be confirmed by the state Senate. Of those listed that do go through the confirmation process, two already received a confirmation; Buffaloe in 2022 and Hopkins in 2024.
This is the second round of appointments in a two days and completes his major cabinet appointments.
We have our team, North Carolina! Today, I am proud to introduce you to my administration’s full cabinet. Together, we will build a safer and stronger North Carolina for every person. pic.twitter.com/jlrTeHjaHR
— Josh Stein (@JoshStein_) December 17, 2024
On Dec. 16, Stein named seven cabinet members: Gabriel J. Esparza, Department of Administration; Leslie Cooley Dismukes, Department of Adult Correction; Reid Wilson, Department of Environmental Quality; Devdutta Sangvai, Department of Health and Human Services; Pamela Cashwell, Department of Natural and Cultural Resources; McKinley Wooten, Jr., Department of Revenue; and Jocelyn Mitnaul Mallette, Department of Military and Veterans Affairs.
