RALEIGH, (SGRToday.com) - A former businessman and Air Force veteran will serve as chairman of the state commission charged with protecting and preserving North Carolina's air and water resources.

Mecklenburg County resident Gerard Carroll is the former senior vice president of Manufacturing Operations and Engineering at National Gypsum Company in Charlotte. He served in the United States Air Force from 1968-1974 and completed 222 combat missions in Vietnam.

Carroll also holds an MBA from Harvard. He has been a member of the Environmental Management Commission since 2013. Gov. Pat McCrory made the appointment to chairman.