Wolfpack Women in Philanthropy Leadership

Gayle Lanier ’82, Chair

Raleigh, NC

Gayle Lanier received her B.S. in industrial engineering from NC State in 1982. Lanier has over 30 years of experience as a transformational business executive at Fortune 500 companies across multiple industries. She retired in 2018 as senior vice president and chief customer officer for Duke Energy. At NC State, she has served on a long list of boards, including the Board of Trustees, Board of Visitors, Engineering Foundation Board, Kenan Institute Board, National Minority Engineering Programs Advisory Board and more. Recognized as Distinguished Engineering Alumnus of the Year, 2008, Lanier received the university’s Watauga Medal in 2017.

Paige Harris, Vice Chair

Washington, NC

Paige Harris received a B.A. and an M.A. from East Carolina University. She is also a non-degreed alumnae of NC State who majored in political science. A lifetime member of the NC State Alumni Association, she previously served as president of its board of directors. In 2020, Harris received the association’s Meritorious Service Award. A former community college teacher, she currently is a principal at Flatlands Jessup Insurance Group, which has grown out of an agency her father started in 1963. She also served as chair of the Washington-Beaufort County Chamber of Commerce, which named her its Community Leader of the Year in 2016.

Barbara Mulkey ’77, ’83

Cary, NC

Barbara Mulkey received her B.S. (1977) and her M.S. in civil engineering (1983) from NC State. She retired in 2021 as the director of NC State’s Shelton Leadership Center. In 1993, prior to joining the university, she founded Mulkey Engineers & Consultants Inc., a firm specializing in engineering and related services for the public and private sectors. The company made the list of Top 500 Engineering Companies nationally multiple times. Mulkey has served as the chair of NC State’s Board of Trustees and vice chair of its Board of Visitors as well as in leadership roles with organizations including the American Council of Engineering Companies and the Research Triangle Foundation Board. A member of the NC Transportation Hall of Fame, she received NC State’s Watauga Medal in 2016.

Anna Sullivan ’83

Mooresville, NC

Anna Sullivan received her B.S. in civil engineering from NC State in 1983. She is the co-founder and former co-owner of Thomas-Bain Leather Inc., which specialized in the manufacturing of upholstered and leather furniture, and a partner in Sullivan Industrial Properties, LLC. Sullivan is a longtime member of the Wolfpack Club and avid supporter of all NC State athletics. She has established and supports several scholarship and fellowship funds across campus. Sullivan also currently serves as a member of the NC State University Foundation Board. A lifetime member of the Alumni Association, she is the mother of three NC State graduates.

Ghazale Johnston ’96

Charlotte, NC

Ghazale Johnston received a B.S. in textile and apparel management and textile manufacturing and a B.A. in multidisciplinary studies with a minor in Spanish from NC State. She was a member of the Zeta Tau Alpha sorority, president of the Panhellenic Association and the student speaker at the 1996 Fall Commencement Ceremony. As founder and principal of Joon Solutions, she specializes in equipping mission-driven businesses with fundamental strategies and programs while staying aligned to their core principles and objectives. Previously chief operating officer for Daymaker, she worked for 20 years at Accenture as a partner/managing director in the financial services practice. Johnston currently serves as chair of the NC State University Foundation Board and is a member of the Wolfpack Investor Network and the Alumni Association.

V. Sherice Morris ’98

Weddington, NC

Sherice Morris received a B.S. in chemistry from NC State in 1998 and an M.S. in chemistry from UNC-Chapel Hill in 2001. At NC State, she has been honored with the College of Sciences Medal of Achievement in 2008 and the Alumni Association Outstanding Young Alumna Award in 2012. Morris is a lifetime member of the Alumni Association and Black Alumni Society. She is also a former member of the College of Sciences Alumni Advisory Board and current member of the NC State University Foundation Board. Morris is the senior group marketing manager for Cardiothoracic and Head & Neck Surgery for Intuitive Surgical Inc., a manufacturer of advanced surgical equipment. The company developed the da Vinci Surgical System.

Elin Gabriel ’85, past Chair

Bryson City, NC

Elin Gabriel received her B.S. in chemical engineering from NC State in 1985 and her MBA from the College of William and Mary in 1997. Honored with the College of Engineering’s Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2015, she has almost 30 years of experience in leadership roles in engineering, manufacturing and supply chain management. Prior to her retirement, Gabriel served as vice president of Global Operations at H.B. Fuller Company, which specializes in the manufacture of sealants, adhesives, coatings and other specialty chemical products worldwide. In 2013, Gabriel was selected as one of the Manufacturing Institute’s first STEP (Science, Technology, Engineering and Production) Award winners. She is a member of the NC State University Foundation Board and the Alumni Association and a lifetime member of Friends of the Library.

Catherine Sigal ’76

New York, NY

Cathy Sigal earned a B.S. degree in chemistry from NC State (1976); an A.M. in chemistry from Harvard; an M.S. in chemical engineering from MIT; and a Ph.D. in molecular biology from Princeton. In 1981, Sigal joined Mobil Research and Development Corp., where she developed new catalysts for petrochemical manufacturing. She later worked at Merck Research Laboratories, where she designed and scaled up processes for the production of new drugs and vaccines, and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, where she eventually served as director of international research. Now retired, Sigal serves as chair of the American Chemical Society Development Advisory Board, advocating for scholarships for underrepresented students in the field, green chemistry and more. A former member of NC State’s College of Sciences Foundation Board, she currently serves on the Board of Visitors.

Leadership and Advocacy

Committee Chair: Barbara Mulkey ’77, ’83
Committee Members:
Pam Jones ’78
Allison Medlin ’19
Suzanne Gordon ’75, ’80
Adama Washington ’97
Nan Strader ’82
Allison Williams ’04

Engagement and Recognition

Committee Chair: Anna Sullivan ’83
Committee Members:
Meredith Hamlet ’14
Allison Starkey ’11
Ellen Richardson ’01, ’10
Marjorie Flink
Jeanne Stallings
Melissa Shampine ’07

Philanthropic Development

Committee Chair: Catherine Sigal ’76
Committee Members:
Katherine Miller
Sherice Morris ’98
Ghazale Johnston ’96
Elin Gabriel ’85
Carme Williams ’04
Maggie Musick

Other Members of Our Founding Pack

Kristen Corrigan, Ann Goodnight ’68, Judith K. Grainger ’72, Media Hooks, Noel Lichtin, Joy B. Moshakos ’05, Sonia Murphy, Kathy Sischo, Leah Goodnight Tyler, Susan P. Ward, Cres Calabrese ’89 and Susan W. Woodson.

Staff Support Team

Allison Williams ’04
Latasia Priest
Maggie Musick
Erica Fuller
Victoria Duggan
Lauren Welch ’04, ’07
Lisa Hall ’90, ’01
Carrie Bhada
Stephanie Money ’10
Christina Walker