A 10-year veteran of the NCIOM, Ries takes on this role in an official capacity after serving as Interim President and CEO during two previous periods of transition, August – December 2020 and January – April 2024. She has served as Associate Director since 2020, and previously led task forces as a Project Director for six years.

“I am deeply committed to our mission of developing evidence-based strategies to improve health across our state, and I am excited to continue this important work in this new capacity,” said Ries.

The NCIOM President and CEO reports to an independent 21-member Board of Directors appointed by the Governor and the North Carolina General Assembly.

“The search committee spent six months conducting an extensive national search and talked with many impressive individuals from across the country,” said Sholar. “At the end of the process, we realized the best person for the job was right here the whole time. The Board of Directors is very excited about our future under Michelle's leadership.”

Ries will continue to provide strategic direction, oversight, and development of programmatic activities of the NCIOM including statewide convenings, task force reports, and other special projects. In addition, Ries represents NCIOM across statewide committees and coalitions that serve the mission of the NCIOM, including the NC Center on the Workforce for Health, the NC Youth Behavioral Health Thought Partnership, the North Carolina Serious Illness Coalition, and the North Carolina Opioid Settlement Coordination Group.

The North Carolina Institute of Medicine (NCIOM) was founded in 1983 by the North Carolina General Assembly to serve as a source of non-partisan information and analysis to promote effective health policies focused on improving the health and well-being of all North Carolinians. Learn more at nciom.org.