Introducing the 2024-2025 Executive Leadership Program Goodmon Fellows
Leadership Triangle is pleased to introduce the 16 graduates of our 2024–2025 Executive Leadership Program. Each graduate joins the lifelong Goodmon Fellowship, now encompassing 1200+ leaders across the Triangle.
The Leadership Triangle Executive Program is an opportunity for C-level executives to meet and learn from other top executives as well as community leaders. By engaging in conversations that address key regional issues, each participant leaves with a better understanding of their greater responsibility to the Triangle region as well as with new connections to other leaders in comparable positions. The Program is by invitation-only, and invitations are sent out by each cohort’s Host Committee.
The 2024–2025 cohort was Hosted by Adam Klein (Duke University), Bill Spruill (2ndF), JB Buxton (Durham Technical Community College) and Michael Goodmon (Capitol Broadcasting Company).
Read about the 2024–2025 Executive Leadership Goodmon Fellows below. We encourage you to connect with and support each of them.
Superintendent Anthony Lewis, PhD, joined Durham Public Schools as Superintendent in August 2024. A seasoned educational leader, Dr. Lewis has dedicated his entire professional career to public education and is passionate about achievement for all students. He earned a Bachelor of Science and Master of Education degrees in Special Education, along with a Certificate in Educational Leadership, all from Alabama State University in Montgomery, Alabama. He furthered his expertise by completing the Instructional Leadership Academy at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama. His commitment to education led him to obtain a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis from the University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri. Dr. Lewis began his educational career as a high school Special Education Teacher in Montgomery, Alabama. His dedication and talent saw him rise to become the principal of a high-poverty, high-performing elementary school, achieving remarkable results. His exceptional track record in Alabama caught the attention of the Kansas City, Missouri School District, where he served in key roles, including Principal, Director of Elementary Schools, and Assistant Superintendent. During his tenure, he played a pivotal role in guiding the district towards full accreditation after nearly three decades. In January 2018, Dr. Lewis was unanimously approved by the Lawrence Public Schools School Board to become the ninth and first Black Superintendent of Lawrence Public Schools. Kansas Governor Laura Kelly appointed Dr. Lewis to the Kansas African American Affairs Commission in November 2019, where he helps develop strategies to address public policy concerns within the African American community and fosters partnerships with state agencies, corporations, and foundations. Dr. Lewis’s outstanding leadership earned him recognition as one of the National School Public Relations Association’s “Superintendents to Watch” in September 2020. Dr. Lewis hails from Talladega, Alabama. He and his wife Tiffany are the proud parents of six children. In his precious spare time, Dr. Lewis enjoys serving as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Kansas in the School of Education and Human Sciences. He also cherishes quality family time, indulges in reading, and is mastering the bass guitar.
Vice President Antwan Lofton, Ed D, SPHR was appointed as Vice President of Human Resources and Chief Human Resources Officer at Duke on March 1, 2023. In this role, Lofton supports a culture where Human Resources is accessible to Duke’s greatest asset — its people. Lofton joined Duke in 2017 as the assistant vice president for Staff & Labor Relations and Staff & Family Programs. He became interim vice president for Human Resources in April 2022 before being appointed to the position full time. He leads the development and implementation of effective human resource services and policies that support the strategic priorities of the University and Health System. In addition to ensuring compliance with regulatory and legal requirements, he oversees all benefit plan designs and administration which include the Healthcare Plan Steering Committee, with health plan administration for more than 75,000 covered lives. He provides leadership to continue to implement innovative human capital management strategies to recruit and retain a diverse workforce in an increasingly competitive market for talent. This includes leadership in the following areas: Talent acquisition and retention, Compensation and Benefits, Staff and Labor Relations, Learning and Organizational Development and HR trends, metrics, and budget. Lofton has worked in human resources for more than 20 years in education and healthcare.
Bernard Worthy, Co-Founder and CEO of LoanWell, is a third-generation entrepreneur with a passion to see capital access and affordability democratized across communities of color in an effort to drive generational wealth. Bernard has leveraged his gifting for software architecture, design, and development for startups to Fortune 100 companies and leads that effort at LoanWell. LoanWell is an automated lending platform to help community lenders deploy more capital, more efficiently. LoanWell is a Google for Startups, Google Black Founders Fund, Impact America Fund, Soft Bank Opportunity Fund, and Collab Capital portfolio company. Bernard is a graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill Business School with distinction and a Robertson Scholar. He is married to Lauren Worthy and father to Evie, Maya and Layla.
Bernice Bond is the Chief Information Security Officer for the State of North Carolina. Previously, she was the Vice President of Information Security, Chief Information Security Officer at RTI. With over 25 years of cyber security leadership and experience, Ms. Bond leads, improves, and maintains IT governance, IT risk management, and cybersecurity operations. She has a talent for analyzing complex situations to utilize strategic risk-focused approaches to align with industry cyber best practices as well as to meet regulatory and client requirements. As businesses become more interconnected through technology, cybersecurity is a top focus for all companies. The ability to remain secure and resilient to both minimize risk and support business opportunities is a top priority for Ms. Bond. She drives IT security and compliance to all levels of the organization with collaboration and prioritization with senior management and operation teams. Ms. Bond holds several professional certifications, including ISC2 CISSP, PMI PMP, ITIL v3 Foundations, School of Cybersecurity CEIA, and Cybersecurity Nano degree. Additionally, she has professional memberships at ISC2 and PMI. She is on the NC Technology Advisory Board and is the Chair of the NC Museum of Life & Science Board of Directors.
Chris Herndon is a North Carolinian by choice, having moved to the Triangle in 2019 after being seduced by the region’s tree density, unique natural amenities, and overall quality of life. Not one to be a passenger, since moving to North Carolina he’s intentionally sought ways to improve access to outdoor amenities for current and future residents. Professionally, he serves as North Carolina Chapter Director for Sierra Club, the most historic grassroots environmental organization in the country. He’s especially honored to be doing this work in North Carolina, which is widely recognized as the birthplace of the environmental justice movement. He is also a Certified Diversity Executive (CDE)®. Chris’s civic engagement includes leadership roles with several parks, greenways, and trails groups throughout the region. He is an avid cyclist, a huge hockey fan, and resides in Cary with his wife Ashley.
Councilmember Eliazar Posada became the first openly LGBTQ Latino elected in North Carolina after winning a special election on May 17, 2022. Born in Florida and raised in the Rio Grande Valley in south Texas, he has worked and lived in Carrboro since 2016. He serves as the Executive Director of Equality NC, the oldest statewide organization in the country dedicated to securing rights and protections for the LGBTQ Community. He is also the Founder of Posada Strategy Consulting, a consulting firm that works with nonprofit and grassroots organizations to build capacity, develop programs, and create strategies around fundraising, community outreach, and advocacy.
Frederico Egli is IBM’s Head of Real Estate US. Mr Egli has twenty years of experience in Real Estate and Development with an excellent professional track record in executive positions. Mr. Egli has worked for companies such as Wal-Mart, Groupe Casino and IBM which has given him a generalist experience. Mr. Egli serves as the Chair of Emerging Technology for the Regional Transportation Alliance, and he is fluent in English, Portuguese, French with intermediate knowledge of the German language.
John Landers is a finance executive with experience across multiple asset classes — he is currently the Head of Finance at 2ndF where he leads all investment activities.
Chief John Dailey serves as the Chief of Police for Duke University Police Department and has been in that position for 15 years. The department is responsible for police and security services on the Duke academic campus and the Health System; it is authorized 193 employees. Duke University consists of 17,000 students, 44,000 employees and over 3,500,000 annual patients and visitors. The department is accredited by the Commission on the Accreditation of Law Enforcement Agencies. Chief Dailey graduated from Wake Forest University and earned a Masters of Public Administration from North Carolina State University and a Graduate Certificate in Community Preparedness and Disaster Management from the University of North Carolina. He served six years as an Army officer. He has worked for the police departments at both Duke University and North Carolina State University and attended the Police Executive Research Forum Senior Management Institute for Police and FBI National Academy. He is married to Kimberly and has three sons.
Jonathan Frederick is the CEO of Marbles Kids Museum + IMAX Theater and the father of 2 incredible elementary schoolers. He’s passionate about authentic community engagement and experiential learning. When he’s not reading whatever he can get his hands on, he can often be found exploring Eno River State Park with friends and family.
Lee Davis, Owner and Head of Agency at Clean Advertising & Design, brings over 30 years of industry expertise, having shaped the success of top brands like Coca-Cola, Nike, and Delta Air Lines through his roles at agencies like Wieden + Kennedy and The Martin Agency. With experience on both the agency and client sides, including his time as VP of Integrated Marketing Communications at Johnson & Johnson, Lee excels in crafting authentic brand narratives rooted in trust and simplicity. His approach to leadership is defined by building strong relationships and uncovering the truth of each brand he works with. Outside of work, Lee is a devoted family man, outdoor enthusiast, and mentor.
Marcus Manning is the Executive Director of the Durham Sports Commission. With over 18 years of intercollegiate athletics leadership experience, Marcus Manning was recruited for the top position at the DSC in October 2020. His innovative approaches, contagious enthusiasm and commitment to the benefits of sport have made a significant impact for the nonprofit as he leads Durham’s efforts to attract, support, and promote youth, amateur, and professional sporting and recreational events.
Matt Elliot is the Co-Founder of The Data Bull, founded in 2022. The Data Bull is dedicated to providing innovative software solutions tailored specifically for nonprofit organizations. With a passion for supporting nonprofit and faith-based organizations, Matt helps them advance their missions through nonprofit intelligence tools that drive impact, improve donor engagement, and streamline operations. By leveraging data and analytics, Matt works to empower these organizations to make informed decisions, foster meaningful connections, and achieve sustainable growth. In his free time, Matt enjoys spending quality time with his family, giving back to his community, and finding ways to combine his professional expertise with my personal values. He lives in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Rob Creighton founded Windlift in 2006 to build energy systems that power a thriving civilization. Trained as a geneticist, Rob was worried about the impact climate change and energy scarcity would have on economic growth and biodiversity in the 21st century. Since 2006, Windlift has grown to 29 full-time employees and is headquartered near North Carolina Central University in Durham. The company is currently partnered with The Naval Research Laboratory under a $11.6 million contract award to develop and demonstrate a field based airborne power generation system. Rob lives in South Durham with his 2 teenage kids.
Dr. Stephanie Hawkins is the Vice President and founding director of the Transformative Research Unit for Equity at RTI International. She is a leader who is passionate about supporting teams to use science-based solutions to drive systems change and equitable outcomes. She holds degrees from Spelman College and Howard University and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Stanford University. Dr. Hawkins is active in her community, previously serving on the board of Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Triangle and as an active member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and Jack and Jill of America, Inc. She is a 2023 graduate of the McKinsey Black Executive Leadership program and a 2023 Triangle Business Journal Women in Business awardee.
Superintendent Tony Jackson Ed.D, is the superintendent of Chatham County Schools in Pittsboro, North Carolina. Prior to joining the Chatham County School System, Dr. Jackson served as the superintendent of Vance County Schools, where he led initiatives that increased the graduation rate, decreased the dropout rate, reduced long-term suspensions and implemented that school system’s first one-to-one digital learning initiative. He has also served as superintendent for Nash-Rocky Mount Public Schools and 3 years as division Superintendent of the Henry County Public School System located in Collinsville, Virginia. His career in public education spans over 30 years, beginning as a teacher’s assistant and matriculating through the public school ranks as a music teacher, assistant principal, principal and various central office administrative posts in several Virginia and North Carolina school districts. Dr. Jackson has a Bachelor of Science degree from East Carolina University, a master’s degree N. C. Central University and a doctorate degree in education from Walden University in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Jackson is a 2017 Friday Medal recipient who was honored for his innovative leadership in improving students’ learning and implementing digital-age approaches to teaching and learning in his district. In 2020, Jackson was named the North Carolina Superintendent of the Year.
