PEOPLE

Thomas G. Sampson, a trial attorney with Thomas, Kennedy, Sampson & Patterson, the oldest Black firm in Georgia, was appointed as vice-chair for the 18-member Judicial Nominating Commission. He is now part of a panel who screens candidates for appointment to Georgia courts.

Arthur Harris Sr, a retired Navy storekeeper chief petty officer, has been elected senior vice commander of the Department of California's Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW). He is the first Black to serve in this role. He is slated to become VFW's state commander after a one-year tenure in his current job. As VFW's senior vice commander, he represents more than 112,000 VFW members at the state and national level.

Erika Alexander, brand team vice president of TownePlace Suites at Marriott Corporate Headquarters in Washington, D.C., was promoted to brand vice president of Towneplace Suites, the company's mid-priced, extended-stay lodging brand. In her new role she will oversee the brand's product and service development, in addition to guiding its marketing and positioning strategies.

Dr. James Carmichael Renick, chancellor and professor of Public Administration and Education at the University of Michigan at Dearborn, has become the ninth chancellor of North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (North Carolina A&T) in Greensboro, NC.

Ray Wilkins, president of Pacific Bell's business communications services in San Ramon, CA, has been named president and chief executive officer of Southwestern Bell Telephone Company in San Antonio, TX. In his new position, Wilkins will oversee the company's services to more than 14 million customers in Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas.