NC Agricultural Finance Authority - Board Members
Keith Beavers, Chairman
Keith Ray Beavers of Mount Olive is a fourth-generation farmer and has over 50 years of farming. He was born and raised in the northern end of Duplin County. He is the owner and operator of a 900-acre farm.
He and Glenda Britt Beavers have been married for 54 years. He has two daughters, both NCSU graduates, Mrs. Jeanette Beavers Creech and Mrs. Annette Beavers LeBron and four grandchildren.
Beavers was one of the first farmers to operate a stocker cattle operation and sell by the tractor-truck load lots on new nationwide video cattle auction. He traveled over 27 countries around the world to promote the sale of tobacco for North Carolina tobacco farmers.
He attended the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, Executive Development Seminar for Tobacco Farms, NC State University Short Course on Modern Farming, East Carolina College and Graduated from Mount Olive High School. He has held or currently holds positions with the North Carolina Tobacco Trust Fund Commission, Flue-cured Tobacco Cooperative Stabilization Corp. (U.S. Tobacco) and Tri-County EMC. Member of Duplin County Farm Bureau, North Carolina Farm Bureau State Board member, Southern State Cooperative Board, Corn Growers Association of NC, Career Planning at James Sprunt Community College, University of Mount Olive Advisory Agriculture and NC Agricultural Finance Authority. Beavers received the Melvin G. Cording Service to Agriculture Award for Duplin County.
Jeffrey Smith, Vice Chairman
Jeffrey Smith resides in Boonville, North Carolina, which is located in Yadkin County. He is married to Becky Smith and they have 2 daughters Amber, 26, and Heather, who was 32, who recently passed away. Jeffrey is a member of Deep Creek Friends Meeting. As a 4th generation farmer of Smith Farms, we grow 500 acres of tobacco, 1500 acres of corn, 1350 acres of soybeans, and 400 acres of barley. We also have 4 chicken houses and beef cattle. Jeffrey serves on the Yadkin County Planning and Zoning Board, the Yadkin County Board of Elections and the Agricultural Finance Authority Board. He has previously served on the Yadkin County FSA board. Currently a member of the Tobacco Growers Association of North Carolina and the Corn Growers Association of North Carolina. I am a Chairman on the Farm and Labor Advisory Board for Farm Bureau.
Howard Williams
Grew up in north Iredell County on a dairy farm. Attended North Carolina State University, graduating with honors in 1969 with a degree in Agriculture Economics. Attended Wake Forest University Law School on a Babcock Scholarship and was on the Board of Editors for the Law Review.
While working in the Office of Chief Counsel, Treasury Department, in Washington, D.C. attended George Washington University Law School and received a Master of Law in Taxation with Highest Honors.
Returned to Greensboro, North Carolina in 1976, joining the firm of Brooks, Pierce, McLendon, Humphrey & Leonard. Elected partner in 1980 and continues to practice law today. Practice area is primarily taxation and corporate law. Named one the “America’s Best Lawyers” for the past 30 years. Member of the Board of Directors of the North Carolina Tax Section for more than 20 years. Member of the American Bar Association and North Carolina Bar Association.
Active in civic affairs in Greensboro and former President of the Downtown Kiwanis Club and director of the Community Foundation of Greensboro. Current President of the Country Club of North Carolina Foundation.
Former North Carolina State FFA President in 1964-65 and National FFA President 1965-66. A member of the Board of Directors of the North Carolina FFA Endowment. Previous member of the 4-H Development.
Keith Purvis
Keith Purvis started his agricultural career with Dale Bone Farms in Nash county NC in 1999. We grew, harvested, packed, shipped and sold melons, cucumbers, sweet potatoes and squash. In 2004, Keith joined L&M Companies in Raleigh, NC. L&M is a national grower/shipper of melons, eastern vegetables, potatoes, onions and tropicals. Keith worked with growers and customers all over the United States. In 2012, my wife and I bought Greenville Produce Company in Greenville, NC. We are a regional distributor in eastern North Carolina. We work with local farmers to supply fresh fruits and vegetables to restaurants, schools and grocery stores. Keith was born and raised in Washington NC and proud to call eastern North Carolina his home!
Amalendu Chatterjee, Ph.D
A Nortel and Fujitsu alumnus, Dr. Chatterjee did pioneering work in the area of packet networks, ISDN, digital switching, ATM and wireless technology. He brings over 25 years of expertise and specific knowledge in the information technology and telecommunications field. He was Director, Global R&D for Fujitsu and published technical papers on topics of current technical subjects. He led a group in the creation of the first world’s broadband superhighway in North Carolina using ATM technology for distance learning and telemedicine applications in collaboration with Governor’s J. Hunt and Bellsouth. Such network infrastructure has become a savior for running all kinds of businesses during Covid crisis., His work in the standard body (ITU, ATMF, ANSI) on AAL2 definitions, 3G wireless and signaling are exemplified by his contributions to the technology standard process.
Since he left Fujitsu, he acted as a technical advisor to Bellsouth, Network Optic Communications, and Quad Research. He cofounded Eximsoft International and worked with Entrust and Ericsson for implementing secured (PKI based) mobile payment system using Mobile electronic Transaction (MeT) standard which became a show piece in many countries.
He has his Ph. D in Computer Communications Networks from the University of Ottawa, Canada.
He is very active in the community work in Cary, NC. He served in the board of Raleigh Swimming Association (RSA) and Rosemont Homeowner’s Association. He served as a member of Governor’s Board of Science, Technology, and Innovation (BSTI) during 2017-2020. He wrote over 50 technical papers. His latest achievement is a visionary book, ‘Autonomous and Integrated Parking and Transportation Services’, published by CRC Press, December 2019.
It will be an honor to serve the board of NC Agriculture Finance Authority (NCAFA) with innovative ideas and out of box thinking.
N. David Smith, Deputy Commissioner
N. David Smith is the Chief Deputy Commissioner for the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. As Chief Deputy Commissioner, he is responsible for the core business functions of the department. Smith began his career with the department in 1972.
Smith received his B.S. degree in biological and agricultural engineering from North Carolina State University in 1972. He has been the chief deputy commissioner of agriculture for the past sixteen years.
In 2005 Smith was named to a one-year term as Chairman of the Board of ASTM International, a globally recognized leader in the development and publication of international voluntary consensus standards for materials, products, systems and services. Prior to being named Chairman of the Board, Smith served as chairman of ASTM Committee D02 on Petroleum Products and Lubricants from 1994 until 1999. He is well versed in developing voluntary consensus standards and how to get individuals with differing opinions to achieve a common goal.
Smith has also served as chairman of the National Conference on Weights and Measures (NCWM). He has held numerous other positions in the NCWM as well as serving in leadership positions with other professional organizations.
Meghann Lambeth
The Lambeth name and agriculture, in my biased opinion, is comparable to NASCAR and the Petty’s, minus the national recognition. The fondest memories from the most formative years in my life were in either a tobacco field or barn and all include my entire family, both parents, two brothers, cousins, grandparents, aunts, and uncles. When the rest of the students in my class were excited for the school year to end so they could sleep late and watch cartoons, I was bracing up for even earlier mornings and much harder work with another summer tobacco season. Being the only daughter, I had it a little easier than my brothers and didn’t start working until I was six, yes, you read that correctly, 72 months after I was born, I was nestled in the seat of a rusty red Farmall 140, which we referred to as “the 140.” My job was to drive the tractor pulling two trailers of freshly picked tobacco leaves up and down the sled rows of the Triple L Farms tobacco fields. Once full and secured with rope, I would deliver the two heaping trailers of tobacco to the barn and pick up another tractor with two empty trailers and repeat the process. The lessons I learned from this early start, in terms of my age and the time of day, were invaluable and served as the foundational pillars for my work ethic, character, beliefs, and values.
My name is Meghann Lambeth and I am honored to be sharing my deep agriculture roots with you. Circling back to my opening sentence with a racing reference, farming, as they say of racing also, is in your blood. I represent the fifth generation of farming Lambeths.
Although my two brothers and I have careers outside of Triple L Farms in Derby, we have all continued to work in some capacity for the family farm and in various other arenas of agriculture. My oldest brother, James (Jamie), served as the Richmond County Farm Service Agency Director, prior to becoming a GIS Specialist for the USDA Farm Service Agency. William (Jed) is a livestock producer of poultry, growing for Mountaire Farms with 10 houses, and cattle, in addition to directing Ag Product/ Chemical sales for Trinity Manufacturing. Along with managing the family farm, my father, Donald (Jim) Lambeth was recently reappointed for a second term on the NC Board of Agriculture in 2022. My mother, Marcia Lambeth, a retired English teacher with Richmond County Schools, is the familiar face in the Derby Store, where the produce from Triple L Farms has been sold every summer from around Memorial Day to Labor Day. Not only has she formed countless relationships with travelers from all over the country who return every summer, but she has beautifully decorated the century old general store, where my great grandfather, Herbert Currie, sold everything from gasoline to clothes, to display historical agriculture and farming equipment, signage, photos, and other memorabilia. Another point of pride for our matriarch- she was the first female to serve on the Pee Dee Electric Board of Directors and is currently in her 23rd year as the District 6 Director.
As for my aptitude beyond my lineage to represent Richmond County and the great state of North Carolina in regard to all things agriculture, I am a passionate advocate for equity, civic responsibility, and my community. I know firsthand the importance and value of agriculture and farming for ensuring a sustainable future, economically and environmentally. Although my specific tasks and focus has changed dramatically in my professional experience, from being a school counselor for the public school system of Richmond County from 2008-2019 to my current position as the Executive Director of the Richmond County Tourism Development Authority, the overarching theme in both has been empowering and supporting my community through advocacy and leadership. Additionally, I am currently serving on The Seaboard Festival Planning Board, Richmond County Chamber of Commerce Board, and Rockingham Rotary Board, and served as the Chapter Leader for the Richmond County Chapter of the Autism Society of North Carolina from 2020-2021.
Women’s History Tribute from Richmond Observer in 2022
Triple L Farms named Richmond County Farm Family of the Year 2019