The North Carolina Railroad Company’s (NCRR) Board of Directors elected William V. “Bill” Bell of Durham, N.C. as its new chairman. Bell, served as mayor of Durham for 16 years and was a Durham County Commissioner for 26 years, serving as Chair for 12 years. Bell succeeds Michael Walters of Fairmont, who served as the Company’s Chairman since 2017 and will remain on the Board of Directors.
“The North Carolina Railroad Company is an important asset to North Carolina’s economy, investing in infrastructure critical to job growth,” says Bell. “One hundred and seventy years ago, the North Carolina Railroad Company was chartered to encourage economic development across the state, and I’m excited to help lead that mission today.”
Bell has served on the NCRR Board of Directors since 2017 as a member of the Strategic Planning and Commuter Rail Committees. Bell is a Washington D.C. native, and grew up in Winston-Salem. He devoted more than 40 years to public service, first as a county commissioner in 1972 and later as Mayor. Bell was a senior engineer at IBM prior to retiring in 1996. He is Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at UDI Community Development Corporation, a non-profit organization devoted to supporting underserved populations, by promoting affordable housing, entrepreneurship and employment skills.
“Serving as Chairman has been a great honor,” says Walters. “We are a mission-focused Board and Bill Bell’s leadership will help shepherd us well into the future as we continue our commitment to economic development, moving people, and investing in North Carolina.”