Brinke appointed to Board of Directors

Erik Brinke

Appalachian Community Bank, FSB has appointed Erik Brinke to serve on its board of directors, which oversees bank operations in McCaysville, Ga., Ducktown, Tenn. and Murphy, N.C.

"We are extremely pleased to have Erik join our team. A native of Cherokee County, he brings to us an extensive knowledge of the community," said Leland Rymer, president of banking operations for Appalachian Community Bank, FSB. "With his extensive background in economic development, we look forward to his guidance and wisdom as we work to expand our presence in the tristate area." Brinke, a native of Cherokee County, N.C., serves as the director of economic development at Blue Ridge Mountain Electric Membership Corporation where he recruits new companies to the BRMEMC service area and works with existing industries on planning and technical assistance. His career experience began with the Southwestern Commission in Bryson City, where he was responsible for administration and delivery of workforce development programs. He has also managed the North Carolina Department of Commerce regional office that served seven southwestern NC counties for economic development activities. Throughout his career, Erik has been instrumental in creating economic development initiatives aimed at increasing the tri-county visibility to industrial prospects. These efforts resulted in the development of a dual state industrial park in Clay County, NC and Towns County, GA and in the formation of the Blue Ridge Mountain Region Marketing Incentive.

A devoted community member, Brinke serves as the vice-chairman of the Blairsville-Union County Chamber of Commerce and also the vice-chairman of the United Way of Cherokee and Clay counties. He has served as chairman of the Cherokee County Schools Career and Technical Education Committee. Brinke also serves in leadership roles in many professional organizations, including the Southeast District Power Distributors Association, State of Georgia-Region 2 Regional Advisory Council, the Smoky Mountain Development Corporation and the Region 2 Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy Committee. He is a member of both the North Carolina and Georgia Economic Developers Association.

Brinke graduated from Murphy High School in 1988 and continued his education at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he received his bachelor of arts in psychology in 1993. He is a graduate of the Georgia Academy for Economic Development, the UNCInstitute for Government in county administration and the UNC Basic Economic Development Program. Brinke is also trained in Continuous Quality Improvement.

Erik, his wife Paige, their 4- year-old son, Asher and 9- month old daughter, Anna, reside in Murphy.