Disclosing Potential Conflicts

Twenty years ago, it would've been almost impossible to convince me to serve on a local advisory/program committee or governing board while reporting the local news.

I would've argued that it presented a conflict of interest for me to serve on boards and committees that were involved in activities I would likely be covering for the news outlet.

That restriction of my involvement in the community is actually one of the key reasons I left the newspaper in 2008. There did not seem to be nearly enough people to do the work that needed to be done, and I wanted to play a more active role in my community.

I've thought a lot about how launching Caswell News & Notes would impact my current board and committee service. Would I need to step back from some of that involvement, especially at the decision-maker level?

Am I capable of remaining truly objective in my reporting of matters related to those boards and committees?

Ultimately, I've decided that stepping back from my current board service is not necessary, but I want to be very transparent with readers about the things I'm involved in. I know I can remain objective and most people who have worked with me in the past would agree. Many of them have even pointed out that the biggest risk is not me giving some groups a free pass, but me unconsciously holding those groups to a higher standard or giving them less coverage to compensate for any potential conflict or any appearance of impropriety.

Another aspect of this is that there are times my role on boards and committees may give me access to privileged, confidential information that is not a matter of public record. That "insider knowledge" can certainly provide a much more complete picture of what is happening in our community, but I must also always remain vigilant about identifying what role I'm filling at any particular time and how I intend to use the information being shared with me.

Smaller communities often run into potential conflict of interest issues as there are usually a small group of people involved in multiple things through many different roles. I believe the trick to navigating those potential conflicts is to be upfront about when they may occur. I may have complete confidence in my ability to maintain my objectivity, but I still want readers to be aware of the potential for conflict as they read and encourage them to reach out if they have any questions or concerns. I'll link back to this note whenever I publish a story directly related to any potential conflict.

So, what potential conflicts of interest do I have at the moment?

• I am currently serving as Chair of the Caswell County Board of Health. The Caswell County Board of Commissioners delegate governance and oversight of the Health Department to a local Board of Health. The Board of Commissioners appoints community members to that Board of Health. The Board of Health has input on the annual budget and provides regular oversight and governance, but the Board of Commissioners is ultimately responsible for approving the Department's budget. I am currently mid-way through the first year of my third term on that board, meaning I have 2.5 years left in my current commitment. My current term on the Caswell County Board of Health ends on June 30, 2028, and since this is my third term on the board, I will not be eligible for reappointment in 2028.
• I serve on the Coordinating Committee for The Education Collaborative of Caswell County and cochair The Education Collaborative's Sense of Belonging Committee, heavily involved in projects that position, prepare, and support local youth in leadership and decision-making spaces.
• I currently serve as Chair of Wildacres Leadership Initiative (WLI) Advisory Board, which provides oversight and guidance for the William C. Friday Fellowship for Human Relations. I joined the board a few years after being in the 2017-2019 Friday Fellowship Cohort and have since* worked with that organization and the Caswell Chapter of The Health Collaborative to pilot and establish a community-based offering modeled on the Fellowship, Friday Friends. I continue to be involved in Friday Friends through my board service to WLI and alum status.
• While I am no longer an employee of Compassion Health Care or on staff at Caswell Family Medical Center or The Health Collaborative, I am currently under a contract to continue providing grant management and back-office accounting support for The Health Collaborative's current grants through that staffing transition.

I've worked in Caswell County for more than 20 years so I know a lot of the people who make things happen and have strong relationships with many of them, but I'm not related to any of them by blood or marriage.

I also remain unaffiliated politically.

I have plenty of personal opinions, but those opinions will live in the Opinion section with the Letters and Notes from the Editor because I firmly believe that my job is to tell you what is happening in your community, not to tell you how you should feel about it.

*Updated Jan 16, 2026 from "sense"