Caroline Belk Speaks at Ten Thousand Villages National Workshop

Raleigh, NC (June 14, 2010) – Caroline N. Belk, a lawyer with Smith Anderson, participated in a panel discussion at the Ten Thousand Villages 2010 National Workshops on Monday, June 7. The panel addressed Board Governance, with an emphasis on the appropriate balance between governance and operations and strategies for properly supervising operations personnel.

Ten Thousand Villages U.S. holds National Workshops each year for all staff and board members in their North American store network. Ms. Belk is the chair of the Board of Directors of the Ten Thousand Villages store in Raleigh. Participating in the panel were Sandy Scherer, a marketing consultant who is also on the board of Ten Thousand Villages of Raleigh, and a board member of a Ten Thousand Villages store in Indiana.

Ms. Belk is an associate with Smith Anderson’s Contract Disputes and Commercial Litigation practice group, and she focuses her practice in environmental law, including environmental litigation and contaminated properties. Ms. Belk also counsels clients in permitting and regulatory compliance, and she provides corporate transaction support in the area of environmental health and safety.

Ten Thousand Villages of Raleigh, a non-profit, fair-trade store located in Raleigh’s Cameron Village, opened in 1995 and is part of a network of more than 150 Ten Thousand Villages fair-trade stores in North America. Ten Thousand Villages of Raleigh is locally operated and carries hand-made products crafted by over 120 artisan groups in more than 35 developing nations. All of the store’s products are produced by artisans who would otherwise be unemployed or underemployed. The store’s sales improve the economic status of thousands of artisans in developing regions of the world by providing vital and fair income for food, education, health care, and housing.