SANFORD - Melissa Best Staley and Douglas Wilkinson Jr., both of Sanford, are the newest members of the Central Carolina Community College Board of Trustees. Gov. Pat McCrory recently appointed them to the CCCC board.

"We are pleased to welcome the two newest appointees to the CCCC Board of Trustees, Melissa Staley and Doug Wilkinson," said Julian Philpott, Chairman of the CCCC Board of Trustees.

"Melissa Staley brings another educator's perspective to the board. She served formerly as a CCCC faculty member and currently teaches at Lee Christian School," said Philpott. "Doug Wilkinson is returning to the board after a short absence. We are pleased to have Doug returning to the CCCC board as an experienced trustee. He is an outstanding Lee County businessman who has always been supportive of the College," said Philpott.

"We look forward to working with our newest trustees along with our current trustees on behalf of CCCC as it continues to be recognized as one of the top educational institutions in the nation."

Staley retired from CCCC in 2010 after 22 years of teaching all levels of mathematics, with 10 of those years also serving as chairperson of the Mathematics & Sciences Department. "I watched the college mature into an excellent educational institution, which is highly respected by the community as well as other colleges and schools across the state," said Staley, who currently is Math Department Chairperson at Lee Christian School. "With my experiences at CCCC and other schools at which I have taught, I am confident that I will be able to contribute to the College and my community by serving as a trustee."

Staley's husband, Charles, is retired from the N.C. Department of Community Corrections. Their daughter, Rebecca, is a Lee Christian School graduate who is currently a freshman at The University of North Carolina at Pembroke.

Wilkinson was first appointed to the board by Gov. Mike Easley in 2005 and reappointed in 2009 by Gov. Bev Perdue. Wilkinson is Chief Executive Officer of Wilkinson Automotive, Inc., in Sanford, which is the local dealership for Cadillac, Chevrolet, Buick, and GMC vehicles. He is the second generation of his family to serve as a CCCC trustee. His father, Douglas Wilkinson Sr., was one of the college's founding trustees, serving from 1963 to 1984.

A graduate of The McCallie School (Chattanooga) and The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Wilkinson was married to the late Elisabeth Smith Wilkinson. He is the father of Wil Wilkinson (married to Betsie Wilkinson) and Anna Stinson (married to Dr. Chad Stinson) of Sanford.

"During a previous term as a trustee for CCCC, I saw the wonderful work that is being done by the college. I was unable to stand for reappointment because of family illness and have missed being a part of this dynamic culture," said Wilkinson. "North Carolina truly has a sparkling diamond in Central Carolina Community College."

For more information on Central Carolina Community College, visit www.cccc.edu.