Liz Poole
Liz Poole is Chairman of Board of Commissioners and a lifelong resident of Cabarrus County – growing up in Concord and graduating from Concord High School. Serving as vice chair, she is in her fourth year on the Board of County Commissioners.
Liz has great interest in building a sustainable community through local-based economic development and marketing of local food. She is a board liaison to Rowan-Cabarrus Community College, Water and Sewer Authority of Cabarrus County, Cabarrus/Rowan Metropolitan Planning Organization and Centralina Workforce Development. She also values public education as an integral part of a sustainable community. Liz previously served 10 years on the Cabarrus County Board of Education, four of those as board chair.
Liz holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from UNC Chapel Hill and a master’s degree in business administration from Queens University. She and her husband Mike Poole raised two children, who both are now attending Appalachian State University. In her spare time, Liz enjoys chocolate, baking, golf and cheering for the Carolina Tarheels.
Larry Burrage
Commissioner Larry Burrage, Vice Chairman, is a life-long resident of Cabarrus County. Burrage graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from Mid-America Christian University. He is a North Carolina-licensed electrical contractor and general contractor. Self-employed for 32 years, he is owner and electricalcontractor of L & L Electric Services Of Concord.
Larry also is president of Independent Agape Ministries Inc., a non-profit he has served for 20 years. An avid supporter of all historical and modes of transportation, he is a member of the N.C. Museum of Transportation. His many hobbies include restoring old tractors and collecting information about old restored trains that are now in use after being obsolete.
In addition, he is a member of the Animal Preservation and Protection Advisory Committee, Cabarrus County Partnership For Children, Cabarrus/South Rowan Urban MPO Transportation Advisory Committee, and N.C. 73 Corridor Council of Planning. He serves as a board liaison to the City of Locust, Town Of Midland, Cabarrus County Parks and Recreation Commission, and Cabarrus County Planning and Zoning Board.
The Burrage family has a tradition of community involvement. His great-great grandfather, James Monroe Burrage, was Cabarrus County Road commissioner and was appointed April 6, 1914 to represent the board of commissioners in the construction and erection of a jail and repainting the courthouse.
Larry Burrage has been married to his wife Barbara Reece Burrage for 52 years. The couple has two daughters, one grandson and two great-grandchildren.
Bob Carruth
Commissioner Bob Carruth is a three term member of the Cabarrus County Board of Commissioners, having served since 2000, to include a stint as Chair from 2005-07. In addition, he serves on the boards of Piedmont Behavioral Healthcare and the Water & Sewer Authority of Cabarrus County.
Bob lives in Concord with his wife of 28 years, Lydia, and is the father of four grown children: Alex, 23, Ashley, 21, Ben, 19, and Mehi, 17. Bob is a native of Gainesville, Georgia, and is a graduate of North Georgia College & State University, in Dahlonega, Georgia. He is a veteran of the United States Army, where he specialized in the development of defense plans to thwart the effects of WMDs on organizations. He participated in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm.
Bob’s profession is as a risk management & safety professional. He started his career with Perdue Farms, where he was a safety supervisor in the company’s Concord facility. Following his time at Perdue, Bob spend the next 10 years working for Wausau Insurance as a regional risk control consultant. In late 2008, he was able to capitalize on his risk management and local government experience by joining the NC Association of County Commissioners Risk Management Pools first as a risk control specialist, then as manager of their risk control programs.
Chris Measmer
Commissioner Measmer was born and raised in Cabarrus County, and attended Central Cabarrus High School. During his senior year of high school, he put his lifelong love of politics to work in Congressman Robin Hayes' district office as an intern. After graduation, Chris moved to Washington DC and attended the George Washington University, obtaining degrees in Political Science and History.
While in Washington, Chris was provided the opportunity to again work for Congressman Robin Hayes and then Senator Richard Burr, and these experiences proved invaluable. Chris made his move back home to Cabarrus County immediately after graduation, and began working with his father in their family restaurant business.
Shortly after this move, Chris decided to combine his business management skills and love for politics to run for Cabarrus County Commissioner. He was elected in November 2010, and has since provided the county with a traditional and conservative approach to politics. In addition to holding a seat on the Board of Commissioners, Chris also sits on several other county-wide boards, believing that it is important to give back to your community.
While not in the family restaurant or attending board meetings, Chris enjoys playing golf, traveling and spending time with family and friends.
Jay White
Commissioner Jay White is a practicing attorney and a partner in the law firm of Hartsell & Williams, P.A. He was born June 17, 1964 in Jacksonville, Florida. He entered Guilford College in Greensboro, NC, in 1982. While at Guilford, he played baseball and rugby. After graduating from Guilford, he worked from 1986 until 1988 for Cone Mills Corporation in Greenville, SC, as a third shift weaving.
In 1988 he entered Campbell University School of Law, Buies Creek, NC. Following graduation in 1991, he married the former Darci Leigh Judkins, a classmate. They have three children, Addison age 16 and Bo age 15 and Jason age 11. Each attend public school in Cabarrus County.
He is an active member of First Presbyterian Church of Concord where he is an adult Sunday school teacher. He is a member of the Rotary Club of Cabarrus serving as the chair of the Fellowship committee and will become the President during the 2011/2012 year. Jay serves on the Cabarrus Visitors Bureau, Cabarrus Health Alliance, Cooperative Extension Board, Criminal Justice Partnership Program, Home and Community Care Block Grant Advisory Committee, Local Emergency Planning Committee, Forester, and Cabarrus County Board of Commissioners. Past member of the Salvation Army ARC Advisory Council and Chairman, West Cabarrus County YMCA Board, Cannon Memorial Executive Board, Smart Start Board, Juvenile Crime Prevention Council, Cabarrus Country Club and President.
Prior to entering private practice, he was an inaugural member of the Drug Prosecution Team in the Mecklenburg County District Attorney's Office. Among the duties of his caseload, he also handled all of the asset forfeiture associated with the drug cases.