By Emily Ford
Salisbury Post
KANNAPOLISóThe ninth and final seat on the board of directors for David H. Murdock’s nonprofit foundation is probably reserved for the future director of the Dole Nutrition Institute in Kannapolis.
Murdock recently announced eight board members but said the ninth is still undetermined. Board member Dr. Andrew Conrad, who is Murdock’s friend and science adviser, told the Post the final seat will go to the Dole institute director.
“We have a search firm engaged and we’ve narrowed it down to a couple people,” Conrad said Wednesday.
Murdock, the sole owner of Dole Food Co., expects to hire a director for the Dole institute in the next few weeks, Conrad said.
The nine-member board will lead the David H. Murdock Research Institute, which owns and operates the Core Lab at the N.C. Research Campus.
The board’s membership is equally split between Murdock, Duke University and the University of North Carolina systemóthree seats each.
“The board is formed and members are getting along lovely,” Conrad said.
The Dole institute will share a building on the research campus with N.C. State University.