Murphy Joins NC State Board of Trustees; Safran Reappointed

On Aug. 17, 2023, the North Carolina General Assembly passed Senate Bill 754, appointing individuals to public offices across the state. Perry Safran was reappointed to the NC State Board of Trustees by the Senate, while Wendell Murphy was appointed by the House of Representatives. 

The board members and their brief biographies are as follows:

Perry R. Safran is founding partner of Safran Law Offices. He has served as chair of the University Development Coalition political action committee, vice chair of the North Carolina Turnpike Authority, and inaugural and current member of the PNC Arena Centennial Authority. His former appointments include chair of the School of Public and International Affairs Board of Advisors, president of the NC State Alumni Association, and membership on the Raleigh City Council. He is the 2019 recipient of the Meritorious Service Award from the NC State Alumni Association and a member of the Peele Giving Society and the Pullen Society. He earned a B.A. from NC State, MBA from Wake Forest University and J.D. from Campbell University.

Wendell H. Murphy is the chairman and CEO emeritus of Murphy Family Farms Inc. He has served in both the North Carolina Senate and North Carolina House of Representatives. Murphy is the former chair of the NC State University Board of Trustees and former chair of the university’s Endowment Fund Board. He is a member of the Achieve! Campaign Steering and Executive Committee as well as a member of the Holladay Giving Society. He has been a member of the Centennial Authority since its inception in 1995 and is a 1999 recipient of the Watauga Medal. Murphy obtained a B.S. in education in 1960 from NC State.