Gov. Beverly Perdue named the rest of a budget-cutting panel. 

The five appointees include Dan Gerlach, a former budget adviser to former Gov. Mike Easley who now runs the Golden LEAF Foundation, and Norma Houston, a former chief of staff to Senate leader Marc Basnight, the Associated Press reports.

Other new members include former Glaxo chief executive Charlie Sanders, the first chairman of the state lottery commission; IBM executive Curtis Clark; and N.C. Central department chairman Ron Penny.

Earlier this month, Perdue named former Cabinet member Norris Tolson and Hilda Pinnix-Ragland to head the committee.

The so-called Budget Reform and Accountability Commission will propose ways to cut state spending for the legislature to accept or reject.

Gov. Beverly Perdue has named the co-chairs of her budget reform panel.

Hilda Pinnix-Ragland and Norris Tolson will lead the Budget Reform and Accountability Commission, an outside commission that will recommend ways to cut state spending. 

Perdue said she wants the commission to conduct "a detailed review" of the current state budget to look for inefficient spending and come up with suggested cuts and consolidations.

"I expect my BRAC team to root out wasteful and unnecessary spending, hold government accountable for its appropriations and help ensure taxpayers are not funding ineffective or unsuccessful programs," Perdue said in a statement.

Pinnix-Ragland is chairwoman of the State Board of Community Colleges and holds an MBA in accounting. Tolson is president and CEO of the N.C. Biotechnology Center and previously served as secretary of commerce, transportation and revenue.

Both served on Perdue's gubernatorial transition team.

Gov.-elect Beverly Perdue has stressed she will break from Gov. Mike Easley.

Still, the newly elected Democrat hasn't entirely escaped the shadow of her two-term predecessor. Several of her appointees so far have ties to Easley.

In order of most closely tied to least:

Britt Cobb: Perdue's secretary of Administration held the same job under Easley, who also appointed him commissioner of agriculture. 

Linda Wheeler Hayes: Perdue's secretary of Juvenile Justice chaired the Governor's Crime Commission for Easley and was one of his fundraisers in 2000.

Eddie Speas: Perdue's general counsel worked for Easley during the eight years he was attorney general. Easley later appointed him lottery commissioner.

Reuben Young: Perdue's secretary of Crime Control served as deputy legal counsel and chief legal counsel for Easley's two terms as governor.

Lanier Cansler: Perdue's secretary of Health and Human Services served as deputy secretary under Easley, although he was directly hired by Secretary Carmen Hooker Odom.

Gene Conti: Perdue's secretary of Transportation served as chief deputy secretary under Easley, who asked him to leave because of a conflict of interest.

In addition, Perdue transition team had ties to Easley: Don Hobart worked as legal counsel to Easley when he was attorney general, Norris Tolson was Easley's Revenue secretary, Hilda Pinnix-Ragland was appointed to the state community college board by Easley, and Howard Lee served as Easley's budget and education adviser and was appointed to two boards by Easley.

Still, many of Perdue's key appointees have no ties to Easley, including at least half her Cabinet.

Gov.-elect Beverly Perdue named a group of women and African-Americans to her transition leadership after being stung by criticism that her first appointments lacked diversity.

She added:

Howard Lee, chair of the state school board and former senator

Valeria Lee, vice chair of the Rural Economic Development Center and past president of the Golden Leaf Foundation

Linda Carlisle, retired founding president of Copier Consultants and former Bank of America vice president

Hilda Pinnix-Ragland, chair of the State Board of Community Colleges and a vice president at Progress Energy

Howard Lee, Valeria Lee (who is not related) and Pinnix-Ragland are black.

The new appointments followed criticism last week from Rev. William Barber, president of the state NAACP, that Perdue's first three appointments were of politically-connected white men. She initially named three transition leaders: Zach Ambrose, Perdue's campaign manager and former chief of staff in the lieutenant governor's office; Don Hobart, her current chief of staff, and Norris Tolson, former secretary of revenue and former secretary of transportation.

The State Board of Community Colleges is fighting a rule that would require all nursing instructors to have a master's degree.

The rule has been approved by the State Board of Nursing, but won't go into effect until the end of the next session of the General Assembly.

More after the jump.

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The N.C. Community College Board got the message Friday from Chairwoman Hilda Pinnix-Ragland and System President Martin Lancaster: call your legislators, now.

Members were urged to contact members of the conference committee now hashing out the differences in the House and Senate budget bills, Jane Stancill reports. Thank them, Pinnix Ragland told them, but added: “We have to convince them that our needs are real.”

Lancaster reported that the conferees have agreed to provide $5.6 million to the system for health programs, the amount in the Senate bill. The House had proposed $2 million, but the system had asked for nearly $32 million.

Another big issue is equipment. The House proposed $10 million for equipment and $12.27 million for facilities. The Senate proposed $10 million for advance planning for new facilities.

More after the jump.

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