Mako Medical CEO quits Wake Tech board after false info discovered on job application
Mako Medical CEO Chad Price resigned from Wake Tech’s board of trustees Friday, a day after The News & Observer reported that his application to the board included a resume that inflated his educational qualifications and work experience.
The resignation was announced by Wake County Board of Commissioners Chairman Greg Ford.
“Based on the allegations made in the News & Observer yesterday that Mr. Price falsified information on the resume he submitted with his application, this is the only acceptable outcome,” Ford said. “Wake County is committed to open and honest government, and we will not tolerate misrepresentation by the people we appoint to local boards and commissions.”
Price later provided a short resignation letter in which he said: “I do not want to be a distraction to the great work that is being done by Wake Tech every day. One of the greatest honors of my life has been my service to the faculty, students and staff of WakeTech.”
County commissioners originally appointed Price in 2014. By the time the seat came up for a vote, more than 20 other candidates had put in for the job helping run North Carolina’s largest community college. Their names and qualifications had been made public.
But then-County Commissioner Paul Coble nominated Price and he won the position on a partisan 4-3 vote. Back then, Republicans had control of the county board. Today, Democrats control the board. Ford is a Democrat.
What the resume said
Coble noted to board members during the vote that Price had provided a resume. The N&O obtained the resume the county had on file. It showed Price had claimed a bachelor’s degree in business from the University of Maryland at College Park and an associate’s degree in aerospace design from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. The resume misidentified the aeronautical school as “Emery Riddle.”
Neither university had a record of him attending. Price does have a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Maryland University College, an online higher education institution in Adelphi, Maryland.
Price had said in an email response that an intern had put together his resume. He did not respond to the N&O’s follow up request for the name of the intern.
Price’s resume also claimed that he had been a vice president for brand management at Ford Motor Company. A company spokeswoman could find no record of that employment. Price said in the email he had worked for Lincoln/Mercury dealerships.
The N&O also reported Thursday that similar misrepresentations of Price’s educational qualifications appeared on an application he had submitted for a contract to run a license plate agency for the state transportation department.
Price was reappointed to the Wake Tech board in 2018. By then, Democrats had won control of the county board. Wake Tech board chairman Thomas Looney had recommended Price to a second term.
Wake Tech President Scott Ralls said Friday that Looney called Price on Friday morning to ask about the resume. Shortly after, Price said he would resign.
Ralls, who became Wake Tech’s president in April, said Price had been an “active and important” member of the board who would help students personally.
Campaign donor
Wake County Commissioner Sig Hutchinson had nominated Price for a second term. Before the reappointment, Hutchinson had received $15,600 in campaign contributions during the primary from Price and two people connected to him through businesses. After the reappointment, Price gave Hutchinson another $5,000 contribution for the general election.
Hutchinson told the N&O in a phone interview that the campaign money played no role in his decision to nominate Price, and he saw no reason for Price to step down. Hutchinson’s opponent in the upcoming Democratic primary, Jeremiah Pierce, said Friday that Price should not be on the board, and Hutchinson should return the campaign money connected to him.
“I don’t think you should be on a board for an educational system when you lie about your education on your resume,” said Pierce, who the N&O interviewed before Ford announced Price’s resignation.
Price has been active in politics for much of the decade, predominately supporting Republicans. In a 2013 email, Price bragged about working for several Republican candidates, including Lt. Gov. Dan Forest, state Supreme Court Justice Paul Newby and state Rep. Paul ‘Skip’ Stam.
The N&O also reported Thursday that Price has become a big donor in political circles in the past five years. Campaign reports show Price and others connected to him through family or businesses have contributed a combined $560,000 to various candidates in several states.
Among those contributions are $17,500 given to candidates in four states that campaign reports say were made by his sister, Jessica, 37. She was identified in some of those campaign reports as a Mako employee. The reality is she has a severe mental disability and does not work for Mako, and lacked the capability to make contributions.
Price told the N&O in a phone interview he had made them on her behalf. At least one state election board is investigating the contributions.
Ford said Price represents the “first instance we are aware of in which an appointee has falsified an official governmental application.”
“Regardless, staff will review the appointment process to identify any areas for improvement,” Ford said. “Meanwhile, the county will take the appropriate steps to determine if Mr. Price violated any state statutes with his actions.”
This story was originally published February 7, 2020 at 4:03 PM.