HIGH POINT, N.C., Dec. 17, 2020 – High Point University has appointed 10 new members to its Board of Visitors. The board is composed of more than 140 business leaders, alumni, friends and community advocates for HPU, who are recognized for their character, success, philanthropy and leadership.
“We welcome our new members to the Board of Visitors to continue High Point University’s mission to support and grow the surrounding community,” says HPU President Dr. Nido Qubein. “Our Board of Visitors bring incredible leadership, service and values that will help move us forward.”
The recently appointed members are as follows:
Melody Burnett is the president of Visit High Point, formerly the High Point Convention & Visitors Bureau (HPCVB). She has more than 20 years of destination marketing and management experience in the Triad and a degree in recreation, parks and tourism with a minor in business. She holds a certificate in nonprofit management from Duke University as well as certification from the Guilford County nonprofit consortium in nonprofit leadership management. She serves on the board of the YWCA of High Point and was president in 2018. She also serves on the boards of Southwest Renewal Foundation; Business High Point Chamber of Commerce; High Point EDC; High Point Market Authority; Piedmont Triad Film Commission; Guilford County Hotel Association; HPU’s Town & Gown Board; and numerous committees and subcommittees of ad hoc projects in High Point. She formed the DRIVE High Point Foundation as the investment arm to Visit High Point’s destination development work to position High Point as a vibrant destination that visitors will enjoy and that locals will want to promote.
Melody is married to husband, Brian, of 15 years, and they have a 9-year-old daughter, Autumn.
“Our Visit High Point vision is to leverage High Point’s reputation as the Home Furnishings Capital of the World™ and the home of a world-class university to further the evolution of High Point as a unique destination,” says Burnett. “HPU’s branding as a Premier Life Skills university furthers High Point’s reputation as an attractive destination for students, educators, young professionals, families and entrepreneurs to visit, live, work and play. HPU continues to bring a wealth of value to our local economy.”
Robert G. Chambless is the executive vice president for Franchise Beverage Operations at Coca-Cola Consolidated, the nation’s largest Coca-Cola bottler. Chambless is responsible for the sales, marketing, delivery and technical service functions for the company that makes, sells and delivers more than 300 brands and flavors to more than 66 million consumers. The company’s territory includes 14 states and Washington, D.C. Since joining the company in 1986, Chambless has performed various sales, operations and marketing roles. He also serves on the Board of Red Classic Transportation and Data Ventures, two subsidiary businesses of Coca-Cola Consolidated.
With a deep background in management, he has seen firsthand how a quality higher education can equip young people with the skills to become tomorrow’s leaders. He has also worked closely with many collegiate partners throughout his career and understands the variety of issues they face.
Chambless is a native of Charleston, South Carolina, and currently resides in Charlotte. 
Dr. Anthony J. Clarke (Tony) became the eighth president of Guilford Technical Community College on Oct. 16, 2019. A graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, Clarke spent two decades working in various industries in the private sector. He worked as a production engineer for General Mills, a consulting manager for Arthur Andersen, and a quality leader and six sigma black belt at GE Aircraft Engines. A New York native, Clarke earned a bachelor’s degree at the United States Military Academy at West Point, where he majored in general engineering and military studies. He obtained a Master of Business Administration in Business Policy from the University of Chicago, and a Master of Arts in Higher Education Administration from the University of Louisville. He holds a doctorate of Philosophy in Organizational Behavior from the Union Institute & University in Cincinnati.
Clarke and his wife, Margaret, live in Jamestown. They have a son, Tony Jr.; daughter-in-law, Elisa; grandson, James; and granddaughter, Autumn; who reside in northern Kentucky. 
Lisa Cook is the CEO of Camco Manufacturing, Inc. Her father, Don Caine, is an alumnus of HPU. Camco Manufacturing started in 1966 with one employee and one product. Today, more than 50 years later, they have more than 350 employees, over 4,000 products and multiple manufacturing facilities in the United States and across the globe. Their wide range of products covers everything for RVs, campsites, ATVs, UTVs, boats or tailgates to spend time outdoors in comfort and style.
Cook and her husband, Keith, reside in Greensboro. They have two grown children: Kate who lives in Washington, D.C., with her husband, Patrick; and son, Sam, who lives in Florida.
“My family has enjoyed watching the phenomenal growth and success of HPU, and I’m very excited to be on the Board of Visitors,” says Cook.
Chris Dunbar is President and Chief Operating Officer at High Point-based Blue Ridge Companies. Dunbar started the company with David Couch in 1999, and oversees and actively manages the company’s diverse real estate portfolio consisting of commercial, industrial and multifamily properties across the Southeast. In addition, he is responsible for the day-to-day activities of the company’s development, management and construction divisions.
Dunbar earned his Bachelor of Science in Financial Management from UNC-Greensboro and his Master’s of Business Administration – Financial Management from Wake Forest University. Dunbar has also been a Certified Commercial Investment Member since 1998.
“Being part of an exemplary organization such as High Point University’s Board of Visitors is an honor,” says Dunbar. “I look forward to sharing meaningful experiences and ideas with such a collective, astute group whose efforts will continue to support the vision of High Point University, which is a critical part of our community ranging from the student body’s outreach, as well as the enormous economic impact to the Triad region.”
Cynthia (Cinny) Strickland Graham graduated from Princeton University with a Bachelor of Arts in Politics in 1981, and from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts with a B.A. in Drama in 1987. She has worked in sales with the International Herald Tribune, in public relations for Lowe’s Companies, Inc., and is currently the executive director for the Strickland Family Foundation. She is the daughter of Robert L. and Elizabeth M. Strickland.
Strickland Graham is a professional actor and a member of Actors’ Equity. She has enjoyed performing in professional regional theatres across the country. Favorites include Triad Stage, the NC Shakespeare Festival, Charlotte Repertory Theatre, Arkansas Repertory Theatre and Bristol Riverside Theatre.
She is married to retired District Court Judge William Graham. They live in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
MJ Hall, Ph.D. MBA and M.Ed., is a strategist, performance coach and business learning advisor. Hall currently serves as the senior content manager with the ATD Forum, a consortium of more than 60 corporate members at the Association for Talent Development (ATD), the premier organization for corporate talent professionals. Her expertise includes designing, developing and facilitating innovative collaborative experiences for senior learning leaders. Prior to ATD, Hall served as a Level IV professor, director of leadership development, and special assistant to the Commandant at the Defense Acquisition University in Ft. Belvoir, Virginia. She has also held numerous operational assignments within other military branches of the Department of Defense (DoD).
Hall has a Ph.D. in educational leadership from George Mason University, an MBA from Long Island University, an M.Ed. from the University of Maryland, and a Bachelor of Arts in teaching from High Point University.
Hall and her husband, Jay Stobbs, Col., U.S. Army (Retired), live in Chatham County. They are members of Triangle Grace Church. Hall is a member of the General Davie Chapter, N.C. Society Daughters of the American Revolution, serving on the Veterans Committee. She is also a member of the Sir Humphrey Gilbert Chapter, National Society Colonial Dames XVII Century.
“As an undergraduate, High Point College provided an excellent education resulting in my ability to be extremely prepared to enter my chosen profession, K-12 education,” says Hall. “Additionally, I was encouraged to participate in numerous extracurricular opportunities which resulted in developing personal leadership skills. The many professors who supported me along the way, including Prof. Nancy Shelton, who also served on the Board of Visitors, made significant contributions to build a community of caring professionals dedicated to sustaining the college and its values. I am honored to be able to serve and to contribute to the next decade at a university dedicated to God, family and country and a university where students are encouraged to choose to be exceptional in all facets of their lives.”
Guy Lucas is the editor of The High Point Enterprise since April 2020. He was previously the editor and publisher of the News-Topic in Lenoir, North Carolina, which, like the Enterprise, is part of Paxton Media Group. Lucas is a native of Columbus, Ohio, but has lived most of his life in North Carolina and spent a large portion of his childhood in the Triad where his father was a marketing professor at UNC-Greensboro. From 1992-2001, he worked as a reporter and editor at the Winston-Salem Journal. He received a bachelor’s degree in journalism in 1987 from UNC-Chapel Hill. He is married to Dr. Jane Meekins Lucas, a college English instructor whose parents, David and Jane Meekins, attended High Point College in the early 1950s.
Lucas believes that institutions of higher learning are vital to society overall but particularly to their local communities, and nowhere is this more evident than in High Point.
“High Point University has set lofty goals for itself, both in terms of academics and its role in the growth and progress of the surrounding community,” says Lucas. “I look forward to participating in its efforts.”
Damian Mills was born in Garyville, Louisiana, to Carol and Joseph Mills. Mills, a business economics major, started in the auto industry in 1992 as a salesperson while attending North Carolina A&T State University, in Greensboro, North Carolina. He worked for Crown Automotive Group, where he became one of the top sales associates within the company. He was then promoted to finance and insurance manager and became the youngest general manager of Crown Dodge. In 1998, he was named partner at the age of 25.
Mills was credited for his efforts to establish the Chrysler Minority Dealer Association Future Dealers Alliance to mentor and nurture future minority dealership managers. In 2010, Mills Automotive Group was ranked 224 on the Black Enterprise African American Business Enterprises list. In 2013, Mills was recognized for his auto industry achievements, in the Automotive News “40 under 40” issue. In 2014, he was elected president of the Chrysler Minority Dealers Association, the national trade association representing ethnic minority owners of Fiat Chrysler Automobile dealerships, and he served in this role through 2016. The Mills Automotive Group was ranked 7th on the Black Enterprise BE100 Auto Dealer List in 2014, 6th in 2016, and 5th in 2017.
Mills and his wife, Beverly, have three adult children including his two daughters, Cierra, Class of ’19; Michala, Class of ’19; and son, Chancellor.
Richard Payne has been the Chaplain for the HPU men’s and women’s basketball teams and the volleyball team for the past seven years and the Chaplin for NASCAR’s Richard Childress Racing for more than 20 years. Payne earned his degree in theology at Shaw University and his undergraduate degree at Pfeiffer University.
“HPU is a God, family and country university,” says Payne. “It is staying true to that statement. I see firsthand the extraordinary education and treatment that the students receive. The university provides every resource for a student to be successful. I want to be a part of that environment for years to come. The Board of Visitors will give me another platform to promote the university and its values.”