Politics

Two appointed to AVL board

By Bill Moss, Published: February 19, 2015

The Asheville City Council and Buncombe County Board of Commissioners have appointed members to the Greater Asheville Regional Airport Authority.

The Asheville City Council appointed Stephanie Pace Brown, the executive director of the Asheville Convention & Visitors Bureau,and the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners appointed Matthew Burril, is president of the investment firm BrickStreet Equity Management in Asheville. Both attended their first board meeting on Feb. 13.

Prior to joining the Asheville convention bureau, Brown served as president and CEO of the Alexandria Convention & Visitors Association in Alexandria, Va., where she directed marketing and public affairs efforts for Mount Vernon. In addition, she has worked as Research Manager for the Ohio Division of Travel and Tourism and as Director of Customer Research for The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. Brown is currently a trustee on the board of the Travel & Destination Foundation, and her local service includes the Buncombe Cultural Alliance and the Asheville Area Riverfront Redevelopment Commission.

Burril, who has 30 years of investment management experience, holds a B.A. in sociology from the University of Georgia. He is a member of the Economic Development Coalition and a licensed pilot with over 4,000 hours of flight time. He has served on multiple boards including Better Business Bureau and United Way.

Other GARAA board members are Bob Roberts, Regional Executive Vice-President of First Citizens Bank & Trust Company and GARAA Chair; K. Ray Bailey, former president of Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College and former Buncombe County Commissioner; Jeffrey Piccirillo, hospitality industry executive; Andrew Tate, President & CEO of the Henderson County Partnership for Economic Development; and William Moyer, retired attorney and former Henderson County commissioner.