RALEIGH, N.C.  – Gov. Beverly Perdue has appointed the chief executive of the North Carolina Biotechnology Center to serve on the North Carolina State University board of trustees.

Norris Tolson will fill the seat that former board chairman McQueen Campbell left open when he resigned amid scrutiny of the university’s hiring of former first lady Mary Easley.

Tolson leads the nonprofit biotechnology center that helps develop the industry within North Carolina. The 69-year-old from Pinetops has worked under two previous administrations and served as part of Perdue’s transition team earlier this year.

Federal investigators have subpoenaed records about Mary Easley’s job at N.C. State and her husband’s travel as governor.

RALEIGH, N.C. – Governor-elect Bev Perdue has announced that Norris Tolson, Zach Ambrose, and Don Hobart will lead her gubernatorial transition efforts. Inauguration is scheduled for Jan. 10, 2009.

Tolson is president of the North Carolina Biotechnology Center and previously served as Secretary of the Departments of Commerce, of Transportation, and most recently of Revenue.  A former state legislator, Tolson worked in life science for DuPont  for 28 years.

Ambrose served as Lt. Governor Perdue’s Chief of Staff from 2005 – 2007 and managed her gubernatorial campaign.  Ambrose has degrees in Electrical Engineering and Russian from MIT.  Ambrose also served five years in the US Navy.

Hobart currently serves as Lt. Governor Perdue’s Chief of Staff following stints as Director of Governmental and Legal Affairs for the Department of Commerce and as Legal Counsel to then-Attorney General Mike Easley.  Hobart has also worked with Congressman David Price and former Governor Jim Hunt.

“I’m proud to have such a strong leadership team during this transition period,” said Governor-elect Perdue.  “Norris, Zach and Don have each demonstrated the highest level of integrity and commitment to North Carolina and will ensure that we are able to hit the ground running on Jan. 10.”