News Article

Womble Carlyle attorney Nellie Shipley has been appointed to a second three-year term on the Cary (N.C.) Economic Development Commission, effective March 1st.

In addition, Cary Town Council announced that Shipley would continue to serve as Chair of the Commission for the upcoming year, a position she has held since 2006.

"Our job isn't to make policy; rather, it is to advise the Council" Shipley said. "We are representatives of the citizens."

The Economic Development Commission is just one of the community and economic development boards Shipley has served on in the Triangle region, particularly the fast-growing Cary community. She is the Past Chair of the Cary Chamber of Commerce and a six-year member of the Chamber's Executive Committee. Currently, she chairs a steering committee focusing on downtown redevelopment in Cary.

She also has chaired or served on the Town of Cary Citizen’s Advisory Committees for Town Center Area Plan Implementation and Planned Unit Development Ordinance Update. In addition, she was a member of the Wake County Citizen's Advisory Committee, focusing her efforts on school facilities and construction.

Shipley's civic service in the economic development field is a natural extension of her practice as a Real Estate Development attorney. In that capacity, she has helped clients build and develop large-scale residential properties, shopping centers, office buildings and industrial parks. She has written articles on real estate development and in 2002, was named "Woman of the Year" by Triangle Commercial Real Estate Women (TCREW).

This professional experience helps her serve the public on the Cary Economic Development Commission, she said.

"Commissions are best served by having a variety of people who can contribute a wide range of experience," she said. "I bring the perspective of someone who works full-time in the commercial real estate field."