PEMBROKE — Freda Porter has been selected to serve as interim president of Lumbee Tribe Enterprises LLC, tribal leaders announced Thursday evening.
The new position is effective Monday, but comes with conditions. The appointment, made in coordination with Tribal Chairman Harvey Godwin Jr., is contingent on Porter taking an unpaid leave from her role as tribal administrator during her time as interim LTE president.
Tribal leaders did not say how much, or if, Porter would be paid for her LTE role. Porter fills a position left vacant by the death on Jan. 26 of LTE President Terry Hunt.
“We are thrilled to have someone with Dr. Porter’s knowledge and experience step into the role of interim president to help guide the company through this challenging time,” said LTE board Chairman Caleb A. Malcolm. “Dr. Porter’s familiarity with our assets and breath of experience strengthens the management team and its leadership at the critical time in the company.”
Lumbee Tribe Enterprises LLC is a tribe-owned small business established in May 2011 to provide products and services to industry and government partners.
“I recognize the sensitive need of LTE at this time and Dr. Porter was a perfect choice to fill this critical role in an organization that shows such great promise of long-term benefit to the Lumbee people,” Godwin said.
Hunt died while in Kenya. He and Ron Oxendine, chief operating officer of LTE, were in the African country to attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new contract the business had landed. He died after being hospitalized for an undisclosed illness.
