The advisory council was created to help the MWBE staff and Durham County Government educate, inform, navigate and communicate with Durham County business owners and the community.
Meet our Advisory Council Members
Dale Nichols is originally from Lumberton, North Carolina and a proud Lumbee Indian from Robeson County, where for many years he worked in the farm and tobacco fields in order to pay his way through school. He moved to Chapel Hill in 1980 where he attended UNC Chapel Hill and studied Sociology until 1985. Dale is happy to make Durham his home; he loves the people and opportunities available in the Triangle. He first became interested in plumbing because his neighbor was a plumber. He eventually took plumbing at Durham Tech as a self-interest class. He now teaches plumbing at Durham Tech and employs over 40 people as one of the biggest plumbing service and commercial contractors in the area. In 2016 his company was selected as Contractor of the Year, by the PHCC National Association along with many other awards over the years. Dale is a proud sponsor of several local charity organizations, including Transitions Hospice of Wake County and Ronald McDonald House of Durham. He credits his success to being able to work with wonderful and diverse people in the Triangle area.
Maggie Quan works for TradeMark Properties as a Commercial Real Estate Advisor and specializes in commercial real estate sales advisory services ($1M-20M) with extensive knowledge in due diligence underwriting, commercial loan consulting (bank/credit union/insurance/CMBS loans), land and new construction planning and government relations. As one of the top producers in the company, Maggie has worked closely with local, national and international investors and business owners for their real estate acquisition, disposition and new construction needs. Prior to joining TradeMark Properties, Maggie obtained a PhD in Biomedical Engineering from Duke University and led and managed a successful biotech startup for three years. She has applied her knowledge and entrepreneurial spirits to assisting sellers and buyers, landlords and tenants with unparalleled ethics and dedication to details. Maggie serves as a leader or volunteers in many Asian cultural and business groups including North Carolina Chinese Business Associations (NCCBA), Carolinas Chinese Chamber of Commerce (CCCC) and Asian Focus. Maggie is originally from China and has lived in the Triangle area for over ten years.
Silvia Rincon is VP, Communications and Brand Management, Latino Community Credit Union, responsible for overseeing the development and execution of internal and external communications, managing member service quality initiatives, implementation of new products as well as overseeing LCCU’s financial education program. She previously spent 8 years working in banks and credit unions before joining in LCCU in 2013. She has moved through various positions at the credit union, including loan officer and communications and service specialist. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Financial Engineering from the Universidad Autonoma de Bucaramanga in Colombia.
Ellen Cassilly, principal of Ellen Cassilly Architect, opened her architectural studio in 1998 at the corner of Foster and Corporation Streets after an early career working with distinguished architects in Paris, Tokyo, Boston, and Raleigh. Ellen and her firm have been at ground zero for the downtown renaissance having designed such projects as the Durham Central Park pavilion-home of the popular Durham Farmers’ Market, Fullsteam Brewery, Fowler’s (now Parker and Otis), and Rodgers’ Alley. ECA’s award-winning residential projects include Cassilhaus and 14 Condominiums in the Kress building. In addition to her long service on the DDI and Durham Central Park Boards, Ellen has been a leader in the cultural transformation of our city as well with her work on the board of the Art of Cool, the Nasher Museum of Art, and the Parrish Street advisory Group. She was the co-director, along with her husband Frank Konhaus, of The Georges Rousse project, the single largest and most successful public art project in the history of the Durham. She team teaches the design/build studio at NC State with several member of BuildSense. Their 2011 project was The Leaf in Durham Central Park.
Jarvis Martin founded Martin & Company in 1975, while working as a mortgage loan officer for a local savings & loan company. Mr. Martin joined the Society of Real Estate Appraisers as an associate member in 1977 and obtained his (SRA) Senior Residential Appraiser designation in 1982. He is past chapter President for the Piedmont Chapter of the Appraisal Institute. In the early 1990’s when state license become a requirement to complete appraisal assignments for federally Insured Financial Institutions, Mr. Martin was selected by the NC State Appraisal License Board to take the initial North Carolina License exam and provided feedback to the state board. As a result of this experience Mr. Martin was one of the first 50 appraisers to be license in the State of North Carolina. When Mr. Martin is not working he enjoys golf, reading and boating. He also volunteers as a youth mentor and serves on various church, city, and state boards or commissions. Mr. Martin operates his business with the assistance of his wife of 25 years, Norma B. Martin. Norma is a state license residential appraiser. The firm covers Durham, Wake, and Orange Counties in central North Carolina, providing appraisal services for most major lenders, local and state governmental agencies.
With more than 25 years in building construction and project management as a general contractor and construction manager, Shealey started The Daniele Company in 1995. Since then, she has led her company to complete over $200 million in projects in higher education, healthcare, manufacturing in the pharmaceutical industry, automotive and aviation and government. No stranger to political leadership, Shealey was a founding board member of the United Minority Contractors of North Carolina (state chapter of NAMC), where she served as Chair of the organization from 2007 to 2009. She also was selected to participate in President Obama’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness Roundtable in Durham, NC. In addition, she received the 2011 Women of Color Achievement Award from the 100 Black Men of America, Women Presidents Organization and American Express Open. Shealey is a member of the North Carolina Coordinators Network, and the US Green Building Counsel as a LEED Accredited Professional. Since 1969 NAMC has helped minority contractors create a forum for sharing information and mutual support through advocacy and education. NAMC promotes the economic and legal interests of minority contracting firms by reducing and removing barriers to full equality, bringing about wider procurement and increasing business opportunities for members and minority contractors.
An experienced community organizer and trainer, Ivan Kohar Parra cofounded three organizations that engage hundreds of grassroots leaders in social change. He is Executive Director of the Latino Credit Union, a member-owned non-profit financial institution offering a full package of ethical, bilingual financial services, affordable credit options and financial education to thousands of immigrants. The North Carolina Latino Coalition strengthens the leadership, voice and participation of immigrants in local, statewide and federal issues. It is a broad-based, multi-issue coalition of grassroots Latino congregations, neighborhood associations, unions, community centers and sports associations. Durham Congregations Associations and Neighborhoods aims to strengthen congregations and community institutions by developing the skills and capacity of their leaders to be change agents in the public process. A native of Bogota, Colombia, Parra arrived in the United States 20 years ago with his family. He serves on the board of the Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation.
