INTERESTING FACTS

Nathan was born on August 7, 1968. His first crib in Buncombe County was in a dresser drawer in the bedroom of a house that his grandparents rented on Cane Creek in Fairview.

With the exception of a few years when he went off to law school, he's spent his whole life in Buncombe County --- living and working on the farm.

Nathan was first elected to the Buncombe County Commission as Chairman in 2000 by 741 votes...and was re-elected by about 6,000 votes in 2004. Let's hope the trend continues ;)

Nathan has eclectic taste in music, from bluegrass and gospel to some serious rock 'n roll. He likes Ricky Skaggs, George Strait, and his favorite group is Casting Crowns.

Nathan's cows have been treated to his rendition of Nickelback's song Rock Star on more than one occasion--- let's just say we should all encourage him to keep his day job.

These are a few of his favorite things: The Sound of Music is his favorite movie (don't get him started), right now (it changes often) his favorite song is Halfway Home Café sung by Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder, his favorite football team is the Pittsburgh Steelers, and his favorite TV show is SouthPark. Yup, you read that right --- SouthPark. His favorite character? Cartman, of course!

Meet Nathan and his family

As a forty-year resident of Buncombe County, I come from a family of Western North Carolinians dating back to the 1790’s. I grew up on my family’s dairy farm in Fairview, where long hours and hard work taught me lessons in frugality, personal responsibility and respect for the land.

I attended Buncombe County public schools, graduating from A.C. Reynolds High School near the top of my class. I enjoyed life on the farm, but due to the unpredictability of farming, my parents encouraged me to attend college and prepare myself for other careers in case I decided to leave farming.

Following high school, I attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville where I earned a BS degree in accounting in three years. I went on to attend law school at the University of Tennessee where I graduated cum laude with a Doctor of Jurisprudence degree at age 23. Shortly after graduating, I was admitted to the North Carolina State Bar and licensed to practice law, but my love for the land called me back to the farm.

This calling caused me to trade business suits and power lunches for work clothes and boots --- and for the past sixteen years have been operating our family dairy farm.

I am a member of the Pleasant Grove Baptist Church in Fairview and I'm actively involved in our community. In 2000 I was first elected by the citizens of Buncombe County to serve as Chairman of the Board of Commissioners. I appreciate the confidence the voters placed in me and I have worked tirelessly to fulfill their understandably high expectations.

I serve or have served on several boards, including the Buncombe County Farm Bureau, the Blue Ridge Mental Health Authority, the Buncombe County Board of Health*, Buncombe County Smart Start, Children First, Partners in Education*, the Asheville Buncombe Drug Commission*, Asheville Buncombe Vision, the Buncombe County Audit Committee*, the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce*, the Buncombe County Economic Development Coalition*, Asheville HUB*, French Broad MPO*, the Community Energy Advisory Committee*, and the Regional Water Authority of Asheville, Buncombe, and Henderson Counties. I've also served as the co-chair of the Legislative Goals Committee of the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners, and I'm a member of the United Way's Peaks Development Committee* and United Way Highland Circle.*

*Indicates current service