Few people thought it would take Gov. Mike Easley so long to assemble his cabinet and appoint other key advisers. Six weeks after taking office he had not yet appointed secretaries of the departments of Commerce and Revenue, the two “cash register” agencies that are critical to state operations. But as this was written most other positions had been filled, so here's a quick overview of who's who in the new administration:

Department of Administration: Gwynn Swinson
Swinson was special deputy attorney general for administration and worked on Easley's transition team. Before joining state government, she was the associate dean for admissions at Duke University School of Law. Swinson also worked for the U.S. Department of Justice for five years where she received numerous awards and served as an assistant branch director for the Commercial Litigation Branch of the Civil Division.

Department of Crime Control and Pubic Safety: Bryan Beatty
Beatty was director of the State Bureau of Investigation who worked for Easley at Justice before Easley chose him as the first African-American to lead the SBI. From 1981 to 1984, Beatty served as a special agent with the SBI. His assignments included narcotics investigation and providing security to the Governor of North Carolina. After completing law school, Beatty practiced with the law firm of Johnson, Toal & Battiste in Columbia, South Carolina, before joining the North Carolina Department of Justice.

Department of Cultural Resources: Libba Evans
Evans, 48, is a Winston-Salem business leader who is a native of Clarkton. Evans is a 1974 graduate of Wake Forest University and earned her MBA there in 1978. She is CEO and sole shareholder of West Third Street Management Co., a real estate management consulting company. She is also president and majority shareholder of West Third Street Inc. and Clark, Evans and Tate, Inc., two real-estate holding companies. From 1986 to 1993, Evans was president of Health Equity Properties, a NYSE listed real estate investment trust. Evans resigned in 1993 when the company merged with Omega. Prior to 1986, Evans worked in the investment banking business with Alex, Brown & Sons, Inc. and with Merrill Lynch, Pierce Fenner and Smith. Evans has served as the chairman of the Winston-Salem Arts Council and on the boards of Penland School of Crafts, Reynolda House, the Winston-Salem Chamber of Commerce, the North Carolina Hospital, Lift Academy, Juvenile Justice Council, Winston-Salem State University Foundation, Prodigals Community and Best Choice Center. Evans, a member of NCCBI, is married to James T. Lambie and has three stepdaughters.

Department of Health and Human Services: Carmen Hooker Buell
Buell, a member of NCCBI who is the widow of the late UNC-Chapel Hill Chancellor Michael Hooker, has been vice president for government relations at Quintiles Transnational Corp. in Research Triangle Park and formerly was a vice president at Carolinas HealthCare System in Charlotte. Before she and her husband came to North Carolina, she served 11 years in the Massachusetts House of Representatives, where she authored that state's health care reform legislation, including the first health insurance plan for children of the working poor. Easley also appointed Kathleen Tobin of Cary as the HHS Medicaid budget advisor and gave her the specific challenge of finding savings in the department's budget. Tobin served on the Bush-Cheney transition team for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and before that was on the staff of the U.S. Senate Finance Committee, where she was primary legislative aide on a 1996 welfare reform bill.

Department of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency: George Sweat
Sweat is a native of Winston-Salem and graduated from R.J. Reynolds High School in 1966 and from East Carolina University with a bachelor's degree in business administration in 1970. He served on the Winston-Salem Police Department for almost 29 years and was the chief of police for 12 years. In 1997, Sweat was appointed to the Commission on Juvenile Crime and Justice. In January 1999, Sweat was appointed as director of the Office of Juvenile Justice in the Governor's Office. Sweat was appointed as the first Secretary of the Department of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention in September 2000. Sweat and his wife, Lenna have three children and one granddaughter.

Department of Transportation: Lyndo Tippett
Tippett, a Fayetteville accountant, has been a member of the state Board of Transportation for the past eight years. He is a member of NCCBI. Easley appointed Gene Conti, a former assistant U.S. transportation secretary for policy, as chief deputy Transportation secretary. Conti also is a former aide to Cong. David Price (D-4th) where he specialized in transportation issues.

Other Key Players
John McArthur, Susan Rabon, Hampton Dellinger, Alan Hirch, Franklin Freeman are five trusted aides who will have the governor's ear on most issues and should exert considerable clout in the governor's office. Ron Hawley, the new state chief information officer, held this position in the Hunt administration and previously was the agency's COO. Sonia Barnes is the governor's special assistant for community affairs and will advise Easley on multicultural issues and initiatives and direct constituency and outreach for the Governor's Office, including the Governor's Office of Hispanic and Latino Affairs. Thomas Wright is director of the Office of State Personnel who was personnel director for the state Department of Justice. Sondra Davis is in charge of appointments to boards and commissions. Cari Hepp is communications director and Fred Hartman is press secretary. — Steve Tuttle

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