Randall Johnson was elected to serve as secretary-treasurer of the N.C. Economic Development Association for 2018-2019. 
 
Johnson, executive director of the N.C. Biotechnology Center’s Southeastern Regional Office, began his role on July 1. Hejoined N.C. Economic Development Association’s (NCEDA) board of directors in 2013 and has also chaired the organization’s professional development committee during that time, according to a new release.
 
NCEDA is a state membership organization for economic development practitioners and their public and private partners and allies. Its members elected Johnson by unanimous vote at their annual meeting in Wrightsville Beach on June 14, officials said in the release.
 
Johnson, a Wilmington resident, is a cum laude graduate of Wake Forest University, where he studied psychology, and holds a masters of business administration from WFU’s Babcock Graduate School of Management. He is also a graduate of Leadership North Carolina.
 
In addition to NCEDA, his voluntary leadership includes service to the Southeastern Economic Development Commission, the North Carolina Sustainable Energy Association, the Institute for Emerging Issues’ Environmental Council and the advisory committee for Biotechnology in Southeastern North Carolina, which he co-founded.
 
“Randall brings a wealth of expertise and vision to NCEDA’s leadership ranks,” said Steve Yost, NCEDA’s immediate past president, in the release. “His perspective on how technology fits into North Carolina’s economy and business landscape has brought our organization and its members great value in recent years, and he’s been our go-to guy on professional development, ensuring the state’s economic development practitioners are ready to embrace every challenge and opportunity that lies ahead.”
 
Joining Johnson in the current class of NCEDA officers are Mark Pope, executive director of Lenoir County Economic Development, as president for the coming year, and Dr. Patricia Mitchell, an assistant professor of public administration at Appalachian State University, who will serve as NCEDA’s vice president.
 
NCEDA members also elected the following individuals to three-year terms on the organization’s board of directors: Julie Roper, economic development and government relations manager at PSNC Energy; Ryan Wetherington, vice president of corporate services at The Allen Tate Companies; and Alan Wood, president and CEO of Burke Development, Inc. All terms of office officially commenced July 1.