Meet Paul
I was born and raised in a small, rural town in Hillsborough County, Florida where life revolved around family, church, school, and work. Sundays after church were spent with grandparents surrounded by aunts, uncles, and cousins. I was ordained by my home church, the First Baptist Church of Riverview, FL and my first pastorate was Sorrell’s Grove Baptist Church in Morrisville, NC. It was there that I met my wife, Kelly (Conkling). We have triplet sons who are seventeen years old and one daughter who is seven.
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I have been the Senior Pastor of Big Springs Baptist Church for the last fifteen years. The heart of a pastor is to honor the Lord and love people. I will not only represent the citizens of House District 111 to the best of my ability but, more importantly, I will strive to honor and represent Jesus wherever I go.
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The following are a few examples of my life experiences that have helped prepare me to serve in the NC House:
Rutherford County Board of Education
I am honored to represent District 2 (East High) on the Rutherford County Board of Education.
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It is a true privilege to be in our schools and work with our talented teachers and staff, dedicated administrators, and excellent students.
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As a Board member, I set priorities that balance fiscal responsibility and our moral obligation to provide the absolute best education for our students.
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When making decisions, I always keep in mind our responsibility to prepare our students to be lifelong learners and most importantly to become the outstanding men and women God created them to be.
Rutherford County Sheriff's Office
I serve as both the Chaplain for deputies and a Hostage/Crisis negotiator for the Sheriff's Office.
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The Sheriff has sent me to two hostage negotiation schools, and I hold an advanced hostage negotiation certificate. I serve on the Sheriff’s Office Crisis Negotiation Team and I’m proud of the work we do to save lives through communication, negotiation, and de-escalation.
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As I strive to protect and serve our citizens, I am constantly confronted with the devasting effect of drugs on our communities. Not only are lives being lost through overdoses, but theft, violence, and drug-induced psychosis are at epidemic levels.
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We need someone in Raleigh who is not afraid to put law-abiding citizens first and confront the root causes of drug addiction.
Firefighter
I have been a firefighter with the Polkville Volunteer Fire Department for the last fourteen years. In the fire service we are committed to saving the lives and property of anyone in need. Firefighters train to work together safely and efficiently and cultivate a “can do” attitude and a will that never quits.
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In my years as a firefighter, I have done everything from being the incident commander on a fire scene to sweeping up after a wreck. However, my favorite job is teaching fire safety to the kids in schools during fire prevention month.
Client Technologies Architect
Duke University Health System
I was the system administrator responsible for Active Directory and Group Policy over all Users and Computers on the Patient Information Network (PIN) for the Duke University Health System. I collaborated with Physicians and Administrators to create and implement new applications and upgrade existing ones. I managed servers, wrote programs and scripts to simplify tasks, and worked with an international team to improve patient care within the Duke University system. I eventually was promoted to Manager over Customer Support.
My experience with Duke helps me to understand the challenges our citizens face as they compete in the global workplace.
Education
I was awarded the Master of Business Administration degree from Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland.
However, I believe it is imperative to continue learning even after the close of formal education. I am blessed to teach the Bible to my congregation twice every week. I have taught mathematics to students at the commnity college and have lectured on numerous historical figures and ancient works of literature in various settings.
Whether learning a new skill, trade, or a great idea I believe we must continue to strive for knowledge throughout our earthly life.