Triangle Business Leaders Join WakeEd Partnership Board of Directors, Parker LORD’s Seth Carruthers Elected Board Chair
RALEIGH, N.C. — WakeEd Partnership (WakeEd), a business-backed nonprofit organization that supports public schools in Wake County, announced today that Dr. Seth Carruthers, Director of Global Chemical Technology within Parker LORD, has been elected Chairman of its Board of Directors. Four other business leaders will join WakeEd’s Board of Directors effective July 1. New Board members joining the Partnership include:
- Richard Averitte – VP of Marketing, Twickenham Holdings DBA Papa Murphy’s Pizza
- Andrew Blackburn – VP Government Affairs, Raleigh Chamber
- Will Quick – Partner, Brooks Pierce
- Chris Torgler – Director of Operations, Amazon
“For almost 40 years, our organization has been fortunate to have so many area business leaders who believe in public education and are willing to step up to advance opportunities for Wake County Public School students”, said Keith Poston, President, WakeEd Partnership.
Dr. Seth Carruthers is a Director of Global Chemical Technology within Parker LORD. He is responsible for technical teams of chemists, engineers, and material scientists across the US, Asia, and Europe. The teams innovate new specialty adhesives and coatings for customers around the globe in the markets of electric vehicles, heavy duty transportation, and aerospace. Seth has been with Parker LORD for 13 years and has enjoyed the field of chemical research & development for over 20 years.
Seth is passionate about STEM workforce development in the NC Research Triangle area. He has seen first-hand how chemists with the 4C’s can win new business and create entire new business divisions. In addition to his service for WakeEd, Seth serves on advisory boards for NC State College of Sciences and NC Central University College of Health and Sciences. He earned a B.S. in Chemistry from NC State University and a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin. Seth enjoys spending time with his wife and 2 sons, Erin, Jack and Luke. He graduated from Garner High School and both parents retired from WCPSS after decades of service in special education classrooms and delivering new education grants.
Richard Averitte is VP of Marketing, Twickenham Holdings DBA Papa Murphy’s Pizza and a North Carolina native with deep roots in Raleigh. The son of two public school teachers, Richard has passion for education and believes our community’s success hinges on our commitment to education. He also believes community service is essential and has partnered professionally and personally with a number of nonprofits, including Me Fine Foundation, Triangle Aphasia Project, A Place At The Table, WAKE UP and Read, and Activate Good. Richard serves as Vice-President of Marketing for Twickenham Holdings, LLC, the Papa Murphy’s Pizza franchisee in the Southeast. He currently resides in Raleigh with his wife Lisa and two children Lucy and Felix
Andrew Blackburn is the VP of Government Affairs at the Raleigh Chamber where he works with elected officials, area partners, and local businesses to strengthen the community. He is responsible for planning and running educational events, manages bond campaigns to improve critical infrastructure at the county and city levels, and advocates for a favorable business climate for all to benefit from. Andrew returns to Raleigh after spending two years as CEO of the Sierra North Valley Realtors, a trade organization of over seven hundred real estate agents in Northern California. Prior to moving West, Andrew spent four years as Government Affairs Director at the Raleigh Regional Association of Realtors, boosting housing supply and advocating for private property rights. A native of North Carolina and graduate of North Carolina State University, Andrew loves discovering new area restaurants and exploring the outdoors in both the mountains and coast.
Will Quick, Partner, Brooks Pierce, has a diverse litigation and regulatory practice, representing businesses and local governments in trial and appellate matters and before state agencies in North and South Carolina. He also advises clients on the design and implementation of privacy compliance programs and assists data breach victims with their response and notification obligations. Will is a Board Certified Specialist in Privacy and Information Security Law from the North Carolina Board of Legal Specialization. Will is the product of and surrounded by educators in his personal life. His father retired about 5 years ago after a 30+ career in public education in SC—concluding as school district superintendent. His mother taught teachers for 30+ years as a college professor. His sister is a first grade teacher in Winston-Salem and his wife’s father retired as an Assistant Dean in App State’s College of Education.
Chris Torgler is the Director of Operations for the Amazon fulfillment center in Garner, NC, and has been with the company for over seven years. Chris started his professional career as an active duty officer in the US Army, then earned an MBA from Vanderbilt University. Chris has been actively involved in the communities where he has lived including here in NC as a member of the board at My Kids Club, board member with the Garner Chamber of Commerce and he is active with the Raleigh Chamber of Commerce Board of Advisors. Chris is married to his wife Amanda and they enjoy spending time together with their two children, Abby (11) and Evan (7).
About WakeEd Partnership
WakeEd Partnership is an independent, nonprofit organization comprised of business and community leaders committed to improving public education. Since 1983, the Partnership has advocated for excellent educational opportunities for all students in the Wake County Public School System. For more information, please visit www.wakeed.org.
