Governance
The official governing body of Gaston College is the Board of Trustees of Gaston College, which consists of 15 members appointed by various agencies and government positions including the Gaston County Board of Education; the Gaston County Board of Commissioners; the Lincoln County Board of Commissioners; and the Governor of the State of North Carolina. The president of the College’s Student Government Association is also a member. Regular board members serve a term of four years commencing on July 1. Standing Board Committees include the Finance and Facilities Committees and the Campus Affairs Committee. The Board of Trustees generally meets monthly, but not less than quarterly. Meetings are typically held in the Myers Center Board Room located on the Dallas Campus.
The current members of the Board of Trustees of Gaston College are as follows:
MR. JOHN DANCOFF
Chair
Lincoln County Commissioners (Term: 2018 – 2022)
A resident of Lincoln County and a Gaston College graduate, he is currently Existing Business Manager for the Lincoln Economic Development Association (LEDA). John is actively involved in the community, serving as Chair of the Lincolnton Relay For Life and on the Lincoln County Coalition Against Child Abuse Board.
MS. JENNIFER DAVIS
Vice Chair
Gaston County Board of Education (Term: 2018 – 2022)
A Gastonia native, she served on the Gaston County School Board for 12 years. Retired from IBM, she is currently employed as the Director of Discipleship Ministry for the Western North Carolina Conference of the UMC. She is also the sole proprietor of Jennifer P. Davis and Associates, a Human Resources Consulting business.
SHERIFF ALAN CLONINGER
Secretary
Governor (Term: 2018 – 2022)
A lifelong resident of Gaston County, he received an AS degree from Gaston College, a BS degree from University of North Carolina-Charlotte in Criminal Justice, and a JD from Campbell University School of Law. He currently serves as sheriff of Gaston County.
MR. STEVE HALL
Gaston County Board of Commissioners (Term: 2020-2024)
A resident of Bessemer City and a Gaston College graduate, he also retired from Gaston College after a 22-year career in the facilities area. In 2007, he formed High Caliber Athletics Inc., a locally recognized non-profit to help kids in the community that wanted to be involved in sports. He worked with students from all walks of life to challenge them and maximize their talents and abilities.
MS. IRIS HOPPER
Governor (Term: 2019 – 2023)
A resident of Gaston County, she is a graduate of Belmont Abbey College with a BA in Business Management and a Minor in Theology. Currently, she is a Project Manager for Duke Energy, where she has 18 years of experience in Energy Operations.
MS. RESA HOYLE
Governor (Term: 2020-2024)
A resident of Dallas and a Gaston College graduate, she went on to receive a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education from Lenoir-Rhyne College and a Master of Arts in School Administration from Gardner-Webb University. Currently, she is a Beginning Teacher Support Coordinator for Gaston County Schools. She serves on the Leadership Gaston Advisory Board, various committees within St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, and the North Gaston High School Athletic Booster Club.
MR. STEVE HUFFSTETLER
Gaston County Board of Education (Term: 2019 – 2023)
A resident of Gaston County, he is a graduate of Belmont Abbey College with a BA in Business Administration, and the Graduate School of Banking at Louisiana State University, where he received a certificate in Banking and Finance. He is currently employed with Alliance Bank and Trust of Gastonia as a Senior VP in Commercial Lending/Gaston County Market President. He also is a community activist serving on many local Boards and Committees.
MR. TOM KEIGHER
Gaston County Board of Commissioners (Term: 2018 – 2022)
Born and raised in New Jersey, he received a BA from Belmont Abbey College, and currently is a partner with a local financial group. He serves as a member of the Gaston County Commissioners and on several local boards and civic groups, for example, the CaroMont Health/Gaston Memorial Hospital Board, the Economic Development Commission, and the Transportation Advisory Board.
MS. JANIE PEAK
Gaston County Board of Commissioners (Term: 2019 – 2023)
Ms. Peak is a resident of Gaston County and a lifelong educator. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Secondary Education and a Masters of Arts degree in Education from Lenoir Rhyne University. She also has a Masters of Arts degree from the University of North Carolina Charlotte. She taught high school English in Gaston County Schools for 38 years and has served on numerous local professional and civic boards and committees.
MS. SUZANNE RILEY
Gaston County Board of Education (Term: 2017 – 2021)
A resident of Gaston County, she received her BA and Master in Education from the University of North Carolina Greensboro, and her Master in Curriculum and Supervision from UNC Charlotte. Previously she has taught AP Chemistry, Chemistry, and Physics at Cherryville High School. She has been actively involved with the Schiele Museum, the Community Foundation’s “Run for the Money,” the Boys and Girls Club, and several other community and civic organizations.
MR. TIM SMITH
Lincoln County Board of Commissioners (Term: 2020-2024)
A resident of Lincoln County, he received his BS in Business Administration from The Citadel: The Military College of South Carolina. He is the owner and manager of Tim Smith, CPA, an experienced tax filing specialty company in Lincolnton.
MS. JULIE STROUPE
Gaston County Board of Education (Term: 2020-2024)
A resident of Cherryville and a Gaston College graduate, she also has a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Gardner-Webb University. She has been with BB&T, now Truist Financial, since 1998, advancing through various positions and is now a Teammate Banking Specialist. She is an active member of Mount Beulah Baptist Church where she is the organist/pianist, a Sunday School teacher, and Churchwide Missions Educator. She is also active with the Cherryville Little Theater.
MS. NATALIE TINDOL
Governor (Term: 2017 – 2021)
A resident of Gaston County, she received her BA from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. She is very involved with many civic, business, and professional organizations. A few of those include the CaroMont Health Institute, the Boy and Girl Scouts of America, the YMCA, Gastonia East Rotary, and the Community Foundation. As President and Owner of Earl Tindol Ford, Inc., Tindol Subaru, LLC, and Tindol Roush, she is active in the Automobile Associations in the Greater Charlotte area, North Carolina, and nationwide.
MR. JAMES “RANDY” VINSON
Gaston County Board of Commissioners (Term: 2017 – 2021)
Born and raised in Statesville, NC, he is a graduate of NC State University with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. He retired after careers in telecommunications, sales, and marketing.
MS. NAJIRA DAVIS
Student Government Association (Term: 2020-2021)
A resident of Gastonia, Ms. Davis is a student at the Gaston Early College High School. Ms. Davis is a hard-working, dedicated, and loyal student. Ms. Davis looks forward to the opportunity to serve the Student Government Association as president. She is working on obtaining an Associate in Science degree at Gaston College and plans to transfer to a four-year university to study nursing.
Board Meeting Schedule 2020-2021
Board Minutes
2020 Board Minutes
- January 10, 2020 (Retreat)
- January 10, 2020 (Called)
- February 17, 2020
- February 22, 2020 (Called)
- March 16, 2020 (Called)
- May 18, 2020
- June 22, 2020
- August 24, 2020
- October 5, 2020
2019 Board Minutes
- January 18, 2019 (Retreat)
- March 25, 2019
- May 13, 2019
- June 17, 2019
- August 26, 2019
- September 23, 2019
- October 14, 2019
- November 18, 2019
2018 Board Minutes