My longtime friend Brenda Howerton was elected to the Durham County Board of Commissioners in 2008 and reelected in 2012 again in 2016, presently in her third term. On August 12, 2017, Commissioner Howerton was sworn in as President of the North Carolina Association of Counties. She is the first Durham County commissioner to be elected to a statewide senior leadership office. Her tenure as president will focus on the initiative announced on her installation night "100 Counties Helping Our Children Thrive." Now serves as Immediate Past PresidentCommissioner Howerton has served as Vice Chairman of the County Commissioner from 2012 until 2016.  She also serves or have served on a number of local, state and national boards and commissions including: Durham Technical Board of Trustees, Convention & Visitors Bureau Tourism Authority, Downtown Durham Inc., Chair of the City/County Planning Committee, Juvenile Crime Prevention Council, Public Health Board, Triangle J Council Center of the Region, Durham City-County Committee Member, Durham Partnership for Children, Durham History Hub, Workforce Development Board  just to name a few.She received her B.S. Degree, in Business Management, Magna Cum Laude, from Shaw University, Raleigh, North Carolina and a certification in Executive Coaching from North Carolina State University. She is the owner of The Howerton Consulting, Inc. that specializes in organizational development and executive coaching for public and private industries. Her interest in county government stems from her education and work background.She is the recipient of the a Human Relations Commission Award.  Also appearing on the show will be local theatre Great Hope Hynes...