The Friends of the Libraries welcomes new board members

The Libraries welcomes five new members to the Friends of the Libraries (FOL) Board of Directors for 2023. Chandler Thompson Boyle (BS ‘12), Selena Mau (BA ‘15), Walda Powell (BS ‘79, MS ‘82, PhD ‘84) and Cy King (BA ‘74) are joining and James Branigan (BS ‘01) is moving from the Libraries Tech Board to the FOL board.

​​”We are super excited about this cohort of new Board members and the advocacy, experience, and insight they bring to the Libraries,” says Tim Edelen, Associate Director of Development.

Chandler Thompson Boyle graduated from NC State with a B.S. in Economics in 2012. While at NC State, Chandler served as the ninety-first student body president and sixth female president; she was also honored as Leader of the Pack in 2010 and received the Mathews Medal in 2012. Chandler served on the University Libraries Standing Committee from 2009-2011 and appreciated the Libraries' outstanding responsiveness to student needs and ideas. Chandler earned her master's degree in College Student Affairs Administration at the University of Georgia and currently works as Regional Director of Development for UGA. Chandler has served on the Park Scholarships selection committee since 2014. Active in her community, Chandler previously co-chaired the Women's Forum at Elon University, is a sustainer member of the Junior League of Greensboro and serves as a board member for the Kellin Foundation promoting mental health and resilience. Chandler and her husband Joe, also an NC State alumnus, live in Greensboro, NC. 

Selena Mau is currently a program manager at SAS, leading strategic corporate programs on the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion team, where she works to build a collaborative community where anyone can feel empowered to be part of the conversation. Prior to her current role, she worked on SAS's Social Innovation team managing Data for Good partnerships and the Federal Sales Team supporting the U.S. Treasury. She graduated from NC State in 2015 with a degree in International Studies. Selena lives in High Point, NC with her husband (also a Wolfpack alum), daughter, and their dog, Bojangles.

Walda Powell has been a professor of Chemistry at Meredith College for the past twenty-eight years. A former Governor School student in Natural Science, Walda attended NC State and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry. She continued on at NC State to complete a master’s and Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry under the direction of Dr. Suzanne Purrington. Following a postdoc at UNC in the Biochemistry Department in Dr. Richard Wolfenden’s Lab, Walda worked for Boron, Inc. as a Senior Research Chemist for six years before coming to Meredith as an Assistant Professor of Chemistry. She has been actively involved in efforts to broaden the interest and participation of girls in science activities. Walda chaired the Department of Chemistry, Physics, and Geoscience at Meredith from 2007-2010 and 2013-2022, serving as Associate Dean and Acting Dean of the School of Natural and Mathematical Sciences from 2010-2013. She has taught Sunday school to children, young adults, and seniors, has been a tutor in math and science and has been a volunteer reader with a number of children at church and in the community. Walda is married to Gary, is a mother to Alexander, Michael, and Courtney and a grandmother to Digsby and Davis.

Cy King has a rich family history at NC State. His father, Cyrus B. King, Sr. worked at the Libraries for over 20 years and was active in a wide variety of efforts to promote civil rights and social justice. Cy’s grandfather, Edward S. King, served as the Secretary of the NC State campus YMCA for four decades and the E.S. King Village is named in his honor. 

A Raleigh native, Cy has been involved in tennis for over 50 years. Cy played tennis for NC State, where he received a bachelor’s degree in History, and worked as a tennis professional, college tennis coach, tennis director, and club manager. Most recently, up until his retirement in April 2020, he had been the Tennis Service Representative for USTA Southern/ USTA North Carolina since 2006. Cy served for 30 years as the Tennis Director for the City of Raleigh Parks and Recreation Department, and also held roles as general manager of the Raleigh Racquet Club and head tennis coach at Peace College. Cy was selected as North Carolina USPTA Pro of the Year in 1996 and was inducted into the NC Tennis Hall of Fame in 2004.

James Branigan is the VP of Engineering at Artificial Inc., a software startup revolutionizing the use of automation in the Life Sciences industry. James is passionate about helping young companies get started and has strong connections to the entrepreneurial ecosystem in the Triangle from the founding of his previous company Bright Wolf (sold to Cognizant in 2020). James is an NC State Alum, with degrees in Computer and Electrical Engineering, and has previously taught in the ECE department as an Adjunct Instructor. When not at work, James enjoys running, hiking and coaching his daughter’s soccer team.