How appointments to the CFCC board have changed
There are 14 members of the Cape Fear Community College Board of Trustees, but recent legal changes have shifted who has the power to appoint them — which will impact who gets appointed.
The state legislature recently restructured how appointments are made to local community college boards, which took away the appointment powers of the governor and the local school board. The General Assembly now appoints eight members — two each year. One of these members is appointed by the Speaker of the House, Destin Hall, and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, Phil Berger, appoints the other. Hall and Moore are both Republicans. Another four appointments come from the New Hanover County Board of Commissioners, which currently has a Republican majority. The Pender County Board Commissioners, also a Republican majority, get to select two additional trustees since their county helps fund CFCC, which has a campus in Surf City. Typically, trustees serve four-year terms.
At a 2024 media forum with candidates for NC House and Senate, Senator Michael Lee said the change in the law to allow for eight appointments from the General Assembly was so that “appointments could be closer to those who we represent. There’s really no way for someone in New Hanover to get to the governor, and most people can get to me.”
He added that anyone who wanted to voice their opinion on appointments could “reach out to us [those legislators who represent New Hanover and Pender counties] and really discuss the direction of whether it’s the [UNC System] Board of Governors or [the local] community college.”
CFCC Trustees’ professions, political giving, and real estate holdings
Lanny Wilson is the chair of CFCC trustees, and the vice chair is Zander Guy. The other members are Jonathan Barfield, Bill Cherry, Robby Collins, Dane Scalise, Bruce Moskowitz, Paula Sewell, Marc Sosne, Jason McLeod, Deborah Dicks Maxwell, Bruce Shell, Louis Burney, and Brad George.
These members represent different sectors, with the most working in the private sector, followed by law, finance, education, government, and real estate.
They also serve or have served as elected officials. Scalise was appointed to the New Hanover County Commission in 2023 and won a full term in 2024; however, Barfield narrowly lost his seat in that election after serving as a commissioner for over a decade (he recently announced he is running for mayor of Wilmington). George is a Pender County Commissioner. Guy is the former mayor of Surf City and Jacksonville. Shell served as a New Hanover County school board member.
Maxwell is the former head of the New Hanover County NAACP. In 2021 she was elected to lead the state NAACP. Although her leadership was questioned by some, she won reelection to lead the organization for a second term in 2023.
As for political affiliation, six trustees identify as ‘unaffiliated’ (Wilson, Moskowitz, Sewell, Sosne, McLeod, Burney). However, campaign finance records show that McLeod and Burney have a history of giving almost exclusively to Republican candidates for office. Moskowitz and Sosne mainly financially support Democrats. Five trustees are registered Republicans (Cherry, Collins, Scalise, Shell, and George), and three are Democrats (Barfield, Maxwell, and Guy).
According to state campaign finance records, the average total of political donations for the trustees is roughly $48,000. The highest contributor has been Wilson, who has given $291,035 to various candidates from both parties over 30 years. Locally, he gave $1,000 to support fellow trustee Barfield’s campaign for commissioner but gave Scalise $2,000. Guy has given to both political parties over 27 years; the amount is $223,293.
In addition to receiving money from Wilson in the most recent election cycle, Scalise was also supported by his fellow members. Burney’s spouse donated $1,000 to him, followed by Collins, who gave $250, and Shell, who gave $200. Over a decade, Scalise has given other Republican candidates $15,013, and Collins has given close to $15,500.
Burney was named the president of a private downtown men’s club, the Cape Fear Club — and Scalise has been part of the club’s leadership. Morton is also a member, as is Cherry. Former airport director Julie Wilsey told the Assembly in 2022 that at the club, “Decisions are made [there] each and every week, then sanitized and massaged to go through those public boards to make them look like a majority vote.”
Regarding real estate wealth, the 14 trustees averaged about $1.8 million in home valuation(s) via Zillow. They also average close to two properties each. Wilson has the most valuable land holdings in New Hanover County at a Zillow value of $8.6 million between two properties. Behind Wilson is Shell, with $4.5 million between seven properties.
WHQR reached out to all 14 trustees to discuss their background, how they’ve managed the president, what accomplishments they’re proud of, and where they’d like to see improvement. They either declined or didn’t respond.
Past legal troubles for CFCC trustees
Wilson was named in a 2011 lawsuit that alleged he was involved in a “fraudulent scheme” that sold real estate at higher appraised values, providing “false returns on investments.” The original suit said he was “primarily responsible for the origination of investor funds for the acquisition and development of [companies] Summerhouse and Cannonsgate and acted as a liaison to government officials of Department of Environment and Natural Resources permits.”
The suit also alleged Wilson used his influence and connections in the Democratic party to gain permits for his companies' coastal properties. The allegations also implicated former Democratic Governor Mike Easley’s aide, Charles Poole. The lawsuit filing also showed Wilson chartered several private jets to vacation with Poole in Costa Rica. Easley was also ultimately implicated in a campaign finance scandal and ended up with a felony conviction (which was later expunged).
The Star News at the time wrote that Wilson allegedly “played a key role in the pay-to-play culture” in Easley’s administration. Wilson eventually resigned from his position on the state transportation board during Democratic Governor Beverly Perdue’s tenure.
Despite these allegations, the state transportation board honored him in 2012 by naming the bridge at North 23rd Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway the Lanny T. Wilson Bridge. Many locals, including Wilmington Mayor Bill Saffo, a Democrat, said the bridge naming honored Wilson's history of supporting local transportation projects. But Republican Senate Leader Phil Berger had harsh words at the time, condemning the naming of bridges after the "top campaign donors, political cronies, and co-conspirators in the scandals that lead to Easley's felony conviction."
In August 2014, Wilson and Cannongate Investments LLC made a settlement offer to the plaintiff. According to court documents, “counsel for the plaintiff believes the proposed settlement is fair and reasonable. The settlement amounts are deemed confidential by the parties and will not be a part of this record.” Wilson was dismissed from the suit after the settlement agreement.
Guy, the former mayor of Surf City and Jacksonville, served a three-month prison sentence in 1990 for fraudulently billing insurance clients upward of $16,000. Guy’s father was a state senator who started the company. Republican Governor Jim Martin later pardoned him for his felony conviction. Guy had told the Raleigh News and Observer that he was “ashamed but couldn’t change it.” After this, in 2017, former Democratic Governor Roy Cooper selected him to lead the ABC Commission, but he later resigned in 2021, citing the stress of the job during the pandemic.
The previous chair of the CFCC board, Cherry, faced a federal lawsuit in 2016 in which ISO Aero Service accused his former company, Air Wilmington, and other then-airport officials of funneling services to him. ISO alleged that Cherry engaged in “discriminatory practices” and had a “monopoly” on fuel, repair work, and private pilots. The suit was dismissed in January 2017.
In 2018, Cherry sold his company to Modern Aviation LLC.
How the board has managed their only employee
Like most board-directed government organizations, elected or appointed officials typically have just a few employees. For example, Wilmington City Council directly oversees the city manager, the city clerk, and the city attorney. Everyone else works for one of those three officials.
At CFCC the main employee is the college president.
After Dr. Amanda Lee resigned as CFCC president in 2017 and was made to sign a severance agreement with a nondisparagement clause, the board changed the job requirements. As for the trustees still present during this transition between Lee and Morton, Guy and Barfield have remained on the board since then. Burney was on that board but resigned and was recently reappointed by the legislature.
Pam Kelley, writing for The Assembly, noted that the trustees at the time removed the doctoral requirement and ten years of administrative experience. Kelley interviewed a former trustee, John Melia, who said a faction wanted Morton on the board, and that was it.
A WECT story in March 2018 reported that current trustees Burney and Guy were part of a presidential search committee that only met once to discuss the process. Fast forward to the closed session where the votes were taken (these types of votes are supposed to be taken in open session) to elect Morton as president — he was the only candidate mentioned, according to Barfield at the time.
WECT published allegations about Morton’s hostile work environment less than two years after he was elected. After this report, some faculty and staff attended a trustee meeting to see what the members would do.
None of the board members responded openly to those who brought claims against Morton and his upper management, including former HR director Sharon Smith and IT director Kumar Lakhavani. They stood behind him — most vocally former trustees Pat Kusek, Ann David, Mary Lyons Rouse, Jimmy Hopkins, and current members Sewell and Cherry.
Since 2020, the trustees have continued to give Morton little to no critical feedback on his management, leadership, and college oversight. Jimmy Hopkins and Ray Funderburk were the two trustees who did, and they were removed from the board. Barfield has, at times, voiced his displeasure with certain decisions, like when Morton resisted conducting an independent employee survey — and at the hearing for the removal of Funderburk.
The trustees, too, have rewarded him handsomely despite employees continuing to come forward corroborating the alleged toxic work environment, a recent accreditation warning, which was recently lifted, and limiting student participation in trustee meetings.
Barfield was the only trustee to openly critique Morton’s raise and bonus in 2024 at an NHC commission meeting—not a trustee meeting.
“How you can get someone a $43,000 raise and a $25,000 bonus when your own manager's [county manager Chris Coudriet] not making anywhere near that, and your own [county] employees aren't seeing the same type of an increase. It is irresponsible,” Barfield said.
Morton’s salary has increased 47% over the last four years. Last year, he made $404,652 in compensation and received a $25,000 bonus. From past meeting minutes, the trustees' chairs have continuously cited his evaluation as “very favorable” or “favorable.” They also cite improvements in enrollment, FTE budget numbers, and increased funding from the New Hanover Endowment and CFCC’s Foundation as causes for praise.
The board typically completes his evaluation, which includes his salary and contract, in the spring.
These evaluations have never included an independent third-party survey, and the majority of trustees have not supported one. Earlier surveys—one by the Faculty Association (FA) and one by the CFCC administration—have shown either less-than-favorable or mixed results. The FA was more critical of Morton’s and the board’s leadership, and the CFCC survey found that only half of its employees agreed that the college “values its faculty and staff.”
Although the critiques from former faculty and staff continue, the trustees, in particular Guy, have stood by Morton. In 2021, at a November trustee meeting, he said that Morton “puts up with too much shit," and last year trustees dismissed media coverage, saying reporters don’t show up unless there is bad news (the meeting came on the heels of an announcement that CFCC had received an accreditation warning).
Trustees have rarely asked questions about issues at the college, including "wacky" financials, a lack of transparency around budget codes, questionable management of state 'recruit and retain' funds for administrative raises, and Morton's policy of walking long-time employees off campus before their contracts are officially up, which has had a devastating impact on morale.
The trustees have also seen critiques from students. Past student body presidents, including former president PJ Eby, said of the board in 2021 that they typically were on their phones and not listening. She said, “I look around and see a roomful of genuine people, but they are here to rub elbows with each other. In my humble opinion, the last person you should be worried about is anyone sitting next to you.” About half of those members she was referring to remain in leadership.
Trustees' self-evaluations are typically positive.
Lawyer fees increasing, but without transparency
While much of the day-to-day operation of the college falls to Morton's administration, CFCC's legal representation also includes the board.
In 2020, CFCC used to produce itemized legal bills for public inspection. Now, no records exist to explain what the board and the CFCC president are billing the firm, Ward and Smith.
For example, when Port City Daily asked for legal bills four years ago, about 87% were redacted. However, they showed that the firm was responding to some of WECT’s reports on alleged toxic workplace allegations and that former chair Ann David had concerns about “audience control.”
In 2023, WHQR asked to inspect their legal bills but were only sent receipts of the amount billed. CFCC didn't respond to questions about the lack of itemized billing. At the time, Christina Hallingse, a college spokesperson, said, “The invoices that I shared with you are what CFCC receives from Ward & Smith. NCGS 132 does not request a public agency to ‘create or compile a record that does not currently exist.’"
In a 2020 analysis of legal bills, the CFCC's records show that monthly billing increased from $1,000 to $3,000 in the last several months of 2019 to over $46,000. The average monthly cost of legal bills has increased significantly. In 2022, the average price was around $4,200. In 2023 and 2024, the average was over $7,000.
Monthly bills spiked as high as nearly $19,000 in November of 2023. In December of that year, a bill for close to $17,000. In April of 2024, one was over $15,000.
Yearly costs have also significantly increased over time, from around $47,600 in 2021-2022 to $89,350 in 2022-2023 to over $94,100 in 2023-2024.
One reason for the increase is their legal dealings with former trustees Hopkins and Funderburk. Hopkins filed a suit against the board in 2022 but quickly dropped it; however, Funderburk’s suit has been ongoing since 2023.
Barfield had a prescient warning for CFCC when the trustees voted to remove Funderburk.
“I think Cape Fear Community College is going to eventually lose financially. And that burden is going to be on the backs of the taxpayers here because the money’s going to come from county government. I understand what you believe. But I need more than just belief,” he said.
Barfield referred to the trustees’ belief that Funderburk had behaved improperly at a student forum and with a CFCC instructor. The trustees' accusation about the forum was that he wasn’t allowed to speak there — and most of them believed he was asking for a grade change for a high school student whose eligibility for sports was in question. Funderburk vehemently denied this and said he spoke with the instructor only about how high school students are prepared for CFCC courses.
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