RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK (Jan. 27, 2021) – Brenda Howerton, chair of the Durham County Board of Commissioners, and Renee Price, Orange County commissioner, have joined GoTriangle’s Board of Trustees. Price replaces Mark Marcoplos as Orange County’s representative and Howerton replaces Wendy Jacobs as Durham County’s representative on the board.
Howerton, first elected as a Durham County commissioner in 2008, is a former president of the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners. Price was first elected as an Orange County commissioner in 2012 and is in her first term as president of the NC Association of Black County Officials.
GoTriangle’s Board of Trustees has 13 members. The region’s principal municipalities and counties appoint 10 voting members to staggered four-year terms, and the North Carolina Secretary of Transportation appoints three ex-officio nonvoting members.
“I am delighted to join the GoTriangle Board of Trustees during such an important time as we continue to experience growth and economic development in our region,” said Howerton, left. “Our inclusive collaboration is essential to ensure access and greater opportunities for all.”
“With a background in city and regional planning, I have a peculiar fascination in examining and analyzing how people move and connect,” said Price, right. “So I appreciate this opportunity to join the GoTriangle Board of Trustees and anticipate interesting conversations with the team as we explore ways and means for promoting innovative and smart modes of travel in our urban and rural communities.”
GoTriangle is the region’s public transit provider, working to improve our region’s quality of life by connecting people and places through safe, reliable, sustainable and easy-to-use travel choices. Its goals are to improve mobility in the region, to assure high-quality customer service through direct operation and partnerships and to encourage sound growth patterns in an ever-growing area.
Howerton serves or has served on numerous local, state and national boards and commissions including the Durham Technical Board of Trustees, Convention & Visitors Bureau Tourism Authority, Downtown Durham Inc., City/County Planning Committee, Juvenile Crime Prevention Council, Public Health Board, Triangle J Council Center of the Region, Durham City-County Committee, Durham Partnership for Children, Durham History Hub and Workforce Development Board.
Howerton also was appointed by Gov. Roy Cooper to the Local Government Employees Retirement System Board of Trustees and served on the Emerging Issues Blue Ribbon Commission for early childhood financing.
Within the NC Association of County Commissioners, Price serves on the Board of Directors, Justice and Public Safety Steering Committee and Health and Human Services Steering Committee. In previous years, Price was a member of the President’s Economic Development Task Force and the President’s Special Task Force on Mental Health Engagement. She also remains active in the National Association of Counties.
Parker said Jacobs, who had been on the board since 2017, and Marcoplos, who joined in 2018, would be greatly missed. Jacobs remains vice chair of the Durham County Board of Commissioners.
“It has been an honor and highlight of my experience as a Durham County commissioner to serve on the GoTriangle Board of Directors,” Jacobs said. “I will miss working with the outstanding staff at every level of GoTriangle and alongside my incredible fellow board members from Orange, Durham and Wake counties. I am fully committed to the mission and vision of GoTriangle and will continue to do all I can to support regional transit to improve the lives of people throughout our region.”