Wake Tech Foundation
New Board Members Bring Commitment and Experience to Wake Tech Foundation
RALEIGH, N.C. (June 22, 2023) – Four outstanding community leaders have joined the Wake Tech Foundation Board of Directors, bringing with them a wealth of expertise. Angela Boykin, Tomesah Harrison, Anna Tison and Sophia Wajnert share a commitment to Wake Tech's mission along with an impressive record of local leadership.
Boykin is vice president of engagement, integration and innovation for Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina. She leads company efforts to identify and optimize strategic relationships designed to drive growth in government markets and deliver on the company's mission to make health care better for all. She also manages the insurer's Medicaid program, Healthy Blue. Boykin is a graduate of Appalachian State University, with a Bachelor of Science in Communications. She serves on the boards for the Tammy Lynn Center and Triangle Family Services.
Harrison is the human resources business partner for MetLife's U.S. business and the head of Workforce Enablement for Global Technology and Operations. She partners with senior leaders to create and reinforce an inclusive and collaborative culture that enables business strategy through talent. Harrison has more than 20 years of experience in human resources, working across diverse industries with a focus on building organizational capability, driving executive development and improving positive employee engagement. Harrison is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, with a Bachelor of Arts in English and a master's in Public Administration.
Tison is a partner with Brooks Pierce, a business law firm with offices in Raleigh, Greensboro and Wilmington. Tison represents buyers, sellers, developers, lenders and investors in complex commercial real estate transactions. She provides counsel in financing, joint ventures, leasing, acquisitions and dispositions of real estate and has experience handling complex real estate transactions both locally and nationally. Tison's expertise includes construction and development, financial services and banking, hospitality and real estate.
Wajnert is co‐founder at Sora Union, an early‐stage professional services company specializing in design, localization and quality assurance that sources experienced talent from communities where there is displacement or risk of displacement due to conflict or climate change. She has more than 25 years of experience in the financial services industry and has served in multiple leadership roles in human resources and regional management. Wajnert has served on the executive committee and advisory board of the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce and the Credit Suisse Americas Foundation Board and is a member of the International Women’s Forum.
The leadership team of the Foundation’s Board of Directors includes Chair Candis Parker, a 2013 graduate of Wake Tech's Construction Management Program and a senior project manager at Cumming Group in Raleigh. Also serving are Chair-elect Will Smith, Treasurer Tim Burgess and Wake Tech President Dr. Scott Ralls, who serves as secretary. The Foundation's executive director is Matt Smith.
Other board members are Natalie Best, Creighton Blackwell, Audrea Caesar, Alisa Wright Colopy, David "Buzz" Crosby, Scarlet Edwards, Tommy Laakso, Dana Martinez, Nick Neptune, Karen Schaefer, Mari Suzuki, Sharma Vemuri, Kevin Walker, Whitney Westbrook and Pat Wilkins.
