Over the past 40 years, the Coastal Federation has had profound impacts protecting and preserving our coastal assets.
Today, we also recognize the need to accelerate these actions from both an environmental as well as an economic perspective. We must address the challenges caused by rising sea levels, severe weather events and an ever-growing population along our coast.
That is why the Coastal Executive Leader Council was created under the leadership of Tom Looney, with a mission to support the strategic initiatives of the Coastal Federation and accelerate positive change.
The Coastal Executive Leadership Council is a team of proven leaders in their fields from across NC who each bring unique skills to the table. This Council will drive awareness and statewide support while accelerating both environmental and economic action across our coastal communities.
The Coastal Executive Leadership Council launched in August 2021, springboarding from the federation’s previous President’s Council.
Tom Looney has spent his 40+ year career in technology holding senior executive positions at IBM and Lenovo. He is passionate about our preserving and protecting our coast, education, and rural economic development. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for the NC Coastal Federation. He has served as Chair of the Board of Trustees for the NC School of Science and Mathematics and Wake Tech Community College. He is a founding member of the Economic Development Partnership of NC and served on the Board and Executive Committee. He was named to Business North Carolina’s, “Power 100 Most Influential Business Leaders for 2019”. Tom grew up fishing and clamming in the waters off Long Island and currently resides in Cary and Wrightsville Beach.
Bill is a partner at Brooks, Pierce, McLendon, Humphrey & Leonard, LLP, where he has practiced since 1976 in a wide variety of areas involving civil litigation, environmental litigation and counselling, and business transactions. He took a one year from the firm leave to serve as the General Counsel of the NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources under Secretary Dee Freeman. Lately, he has concentrated his practice on conservation and climate resilience, especially in conjunction with Defense Department facilities in NC and across the southeast. Since 2015, his volunteer work at NCCF includes working groups on living shorelines, the Oyster Steering Committee, the Shellfish Mariculture Advisory Committee, EO 80 climate risk assessment and Coastal Resilience Summit, nature based stormwater systems, and wetland restoration. Bill was a 2019 Pelican Award recipient.
Jim Goodmon was named operations manager at WRAL-TV in 1968 and became executive vice president of Capitol Broadcasting Company in 1973. In 1979, Goodmon was named President & CEO of Capitol Broadcasting Company, the position he holds today. Goodmon has guided the explosive growth of CBC’s broadcast holdings and led the company’s expansion into satellite communications, new media, real estate and professional sports, including the award-winning development of the American Tobacco Historic District in Durham and the Durham Bulls minor league baseball franchise. Goodmon has been recognized with numerous awards, including the North Carolina Award in Public Service in 2000, the Community Impact Award in 2006 and the 2005 Business Leader of the Year Award from Business Leader Magazine with his wife Barbara. Goodmon serves on numerous boards of directors, including the A.J. Fletcher Foundation, Capitol Broadcasting Company, Duke University Health Systems, Leadership Triangle and UNC-TV.
Sumit Gupta is the Co-Founder, Principle Partner, and Chief Executive Officer of SAGA Construction, Inc., (SAGA), an innovative North Carolina firm that has managed the acquisition and development of over $1.5 billion in real estate assets. As SAGA’s leader, Mr. Gupta charted a course of balanced capital growth and gradual territorial expansion, an approach which resulted in SAGA’s position as an industry leader in the Coastal North Carolina region.
Mary Penny Kelley is the Executive Director of Governor Roy Cooper’s Hometown Strong initiative, an effort created to forge partnerships between rural communities and state government. Some of the current priorities for coastal North Carolina include economic recovery from the pandemic, addressing food insecurity, and developing resiliency to weather-related disasters. Prior to leading Hometown Strong, Mary Penny served in senior positions at the Department of Environmental Quality and the Attorney General’s Office. She has also run a small law firm in Nash County helping people launch new enterprises and navigate governmental regulation. She is a graduate of NC State University and Tulane University Law School.
Carmen Hooker Odom has spent her professional life working in health and human services. She served as a consultant to the Aspen Institute’s work with state health leadership teams and as President of the Milbank Memorial Fund, a health policy foundation that works with public sector decision-makers. In 2001, she was appointed Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. Previously, she worked for Quintiles Transnational Corporation and with Carolinas Healthcare System (Atrium Health).
John Preyer is the co-founder and chief operating officer of Restoration Systems. He oversees all company operations including land acquisition, site design and construction, as well as serving on the senior management team responsible for all financials. Before founding Restoration Systems, he served as legislative director for U.S. Senator Lauch Faircloth of North Carolina. As legislative director, Preyer had responsibility for the senator’s committee assignments including armed services, banking and environment & public works, and was the designated security officer with a Department of Defense Top Secret security clearance. He currently serves on the board of the North Carolina Wildlife Habitat Foundation and served on the board of the federation from 2002 to 2006.
Simon Rich, III is a native of North Carolina and graduate of North Carolina State University. Simon is the managing partner of Stevens Towing Co. of North Carolina, a barge transportation company primarily focused on serving the Steel Industry.
Burrows Smith, managing partner in River Bluffs Development Group, is a native of the coast.
As a Raleigh, North Carolina, native, Mason Williams has strong roots and family ties throughout North Carolina. He has real-estate investments in Wake, Carteret, Warren, and Avery Counties. His professional career has been dedicated to the real estate industry, including construction, development, investments, and ownership. Mason held leadership positions at Ammons Construction Company for thirteen years, and founded three successful companies, including Mason Williams Construction Company in 1993, Williams-Russell Building Company in 1999, and Williams Property Group in 2006.
Smedes York is Chairman of York Properties, Inc., McDonald York Building Company and Berkshire Hathaway York Simpson Underwood. He served as a Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers from 1964 to 1966, receiving an Army Commendation Medal for his service in South Korea. Smedes holds degrees from both N.C. State University, Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering with High Honors, and UNC Chapel Hill, Master of Business Administration.