How diverse will Beverly Perdue's Cabinet be?
As the governor-elect makes her decisions about the top 10 appointments to her administration, many observers will be looking at its diversity.
Gov. Mike Easley's original Cabinet from 2001 was described at the time by an N&O reporter as "perhaps the most diverse Cabinet in North Carolina history."
That group of 10 included three women (Administration Secretary Gwynn Swinson, Cultural Resources Secretary Libba Evans and Health and Human Services Secretary Carmen Hooker Buell) and three black appointees (Swinson, Correction Secretary Theodis Beck and Crime Control Secretary Bryan Beatty).
Only five appointees were white men.
After a handful of personnel changes, Easley's Cabinet became a little less diverse by the end of his second term. It now has one woman (Evans) and three black appointees (Beck, Beatty and Revenue Secretary Reginald Hinton).
Six appointees are now white men.
As the first female governor, Perdue may face higher expectations for the number of female appointees, although her campaign team had fewer women than primary rival Richard Moore's. After criticism of the lack of diversity on her transition team, she added new members.
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