Commissioner Bernadine S. Ballance

Serving the Commission since 1994

Bernadine S. Ballance is a native of Windsor, N.C. She was first appointed as a Commissioner in September 1994 by Governor Jim Hunt, after the General Assembly expanded the Commission from three members to seven; and she has subsequently been reappointed.

Commissioner Ballance’s previous experience includes: Deputy Commissioner for the Industrial Commission from November 1993 through September 1994; attorney in private practice with Frank W. Ballance, Jr. & Associates, P.A., Louisburg, N.C.; attorney supervisor, N.C. Central University School of Law Civil Litigation Clinic, Durham, N.C. (part-time during 1990); staff attorney for one year and managing attorney for four years at North Carolina Central Legal Assistance Program, Henderson N.C. office from 1982 through 1987.

She earned a B.S. degree in elementary education from East Carolina University in 1968, an M.A. degree in guidance and counseling from North Carolina Central University in 1978, and a J.D. degree from the North Carolina Central University School of Law, where she graduated with honors in 1981. She was a public school teacher for approximately eight years prior to attending law school.

To e-mail Commissioner Ballance, click here: Bernadine.Ballance@ic.nc.gov.

 

Commissioner Linda Cheatham

Serving the Commission since 2010

Governor Beverly Perdue appointed Linda Cheatham to serve as a Commissioner of the North Carolina Industrial Commission in July of 2010.

Prior to that time, Commissioner Cheatham served as Executive Director for AT&T’s regulatory operations in North Carolina . During her almost 35 year career with BellSouth Telecommunications (which later merged with AT&T), Ms. Cheatham worked in a variety of areas including the divestiture of the former Bell System, antitrust litigation, cost development, engineering, and rate design.

Commissioner Cheatham also served on the Boards of the North Carolina Telecommunications Industry Association and the Frankie Lemmon Foundation. In 2007, she was named Executive of the Year by Executive Women International. Ms. Cheatham holds a degree in mathematics from Stetson University. She and her husband have been married for 31 years and have three children.

 To e-mail Commissioner Cheatham, click Linda.Cheatham@ic.nc.gov.

 

Commissioner Danny Lee McDonald

Serving the Commission since 2007

Governor Mike Easley appointed Danny Lee McDonald of Wilmington as Commissioner on February 2, 2007. Easley said, "Danny McDonald’s extensive experience on the state and federal level make him a natural choice for this position. I am confident he will be an outstanding member of this critical commission."

McDonald is president of McDonald Solutions, a consulting firm. From 1982 to 2006 he was a member of the Federal Elections Commission appointed by President Reagan and later by President Clinton. He served as chairman of the commission in 1983, 1989, 1995 and 2001. The Federal Elections Commission is an independent regulatory agency that administers and enforces federal campaign law. While serving on the commission, he acted as an official observer or advisor of elections in several Latin American nations as well as in emerging democracies of the former Soviet Bloc.

Prior to joining the Federal Elections Commission, McDonald served as general administrator of the Oklahoma Corporations Commission, which regulates the state’s oil and gas industry, public utilities and transportation industry. From 1974 to 1979 he served as secretary to the Tulsa County Elections Board and was a licensed real estate broker.

He graduated from Oklahoma State University with a Bachelor’s degree in political science and economics and did post graduate work at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

To e-mail Commissioner McDonald, click here: Danny.McDonald@ic.nc.gov.

 

Commissioner Tammy R. Nance

Serving the Commission since 2011

Governor Beverly Perdue appointed Tammy Nance to serve as a Commissioner at the North Carolina Industrial Commission on June 23, 2011. Commissioner Nance was previously employed by the Industrial Commission as a Deputy Commissioner from January 1, 1987 to September 30, 1995. After leaving the Commission, she was in private practice for 15 years, during which time she represented employees while working for Martin & Jones and employers while working for Teague Campbell Dennis & Gorham.

Commissioner Nance graduated from Ohio State with a B.A. in Economics in 1979. She then attended law school at Ohio State and received her J.D. in 1982. She resides in Raleigh with her husband and two children.

To e-mail Commissioner Nance, click here: Tammy.Nance@ic.nc.gov.

 

Commissioner Pamela Thorpe Young

Serving the Commission since 2003

Pamela Thorpe Young was named a Commissioner by Governor Michael Easley in May 2003. She served as Vice Chair from April 2004 to September 2007, and as Chair of the Commission from October 2007 to January 2013.

Before her appointment as a Commissioner of the North Carolina Industrial Commission, Young served as Deputy Secretary and Legal Counsel for the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources. She had previously served as a Deputy Commissioner for the Industrial Commission from 1996 until 2002.

She earned her undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1980 and J.D. from North Carolina Central University School of Law in 1985.

Commissioner Young’s previous work experience includes Assistant District Attorney and Assistant County Attorney in Travis County, Texas; Assistant General Counsel of the Texas Ethics Commission; Ethics Advisor and Counselor for Speaker James E. “Pete” Laney of the Texas House of Representatives; and Policy Analyst for the North Carolina Office of State Budget and Management. She is a member of the North Carolina State Bar, Texas State Bar, North Carolina Bar Association, North Carolina Workers’ Compensation Section of the North Carolina Bar Association, and the Wake County Bar Association.

 This page was last updated in February 2013.