GREENVILLE, N.C. - Greenville Mayor Allen Thomas has been named the Executive Director of the North Carolina Global TransPark (GTP), a division of the North Carolina Department of Transportation.

"We are pleased to have Allen coming on board in this key role," NCDOT Chief Deputy Secretary David Howard said. "He brings the right experience to recruit cutting-edge industries and leverage the investment the State has made in GTP."

Thomas, a native of eastern North Carolina (Vanceboro, Craven County), is the co-founder of IQMax Inc. of Charlotte and the current three-term Mayor of the City of Greenville. He has worked previously with the North Carolina Departments of Commerce and Transportation.

"I am greatly honored to be selected for this opportunity to serve under Secretary Jim Trogdon and the North Carolina Department of Transportation," Thomas said. "We are at an important time for the east and our state - an exciting new juncture with major assets coming online in parallel with existing infrastructure. It is time to place major emphasis on maximizing and leveraging our eastern assets; our ports, roads, military bases, newly planned CCX intermodal rail terminal, training, universities and the Global TransPark all working together as an economic catalyst for our state and the eastern United States."

Thomas will transition from his current elected position to full-time Executive Director of the North Carolina Global TransPark beginning June 29, 2017.

"It has been the greatest honor to serve the citizens of Greenville as mayor," Thomas said. "I have poured my heart and soul into being a positive and engaged visible presence in our community. We have come a long way together since 2011, from the challenges of floods and great recessions to building economic growth, new highways and a vibrant center city with great momentum. It is a bittersweet day for me, but I am confident of our progress and I know Greenville is on a great trajectory. It is now time to redirect that energy to a role for eastern North Carolina. While this means a transition in public service, I am excited about the possibilities to work with leaders across the east to maximize our assets and build a solid economic foundation for generations of North Carolinians into the future."