Raleigh, N.C. - Governor Pat McCrory and North Carolina Industrial Commission Chairman Andrew T. Heath announced today the appointment of five deputy commissioners. Brian P. LiVecchi, Dane Scalise and Tyler Younts will join the commission as new appointees, while current deputy commissioners Thomas H. Perlungher and John C. Schafer have been re-appointed. These appointments are effective February 2, 2016. Each will serve a six-year term.  
“Deputy commissioners function as trial-level judges for the Industrial Commission,” Chairman Heath said. “They hold hearings in contested workers’ compensation cases, state tort claims and other important matters that come before the Commission.”

Appointees are:

Brian P. LiVecchi -- LiVecci most recently served as Special Counsel to the NC State Board of Elections. He has also been deputy general counsel to the North Carolina Department of Transportation, and worked as a litigator with the Raleigh-based law firm of Smith, Debnam, Narron, Drake, Saintsing & Myers, LLP. LiVecchi is a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps and the N.C. Army National Guard, and also served as a police officer prior to enrolling in law school. He attended the University of North Carolina and graduated first in his class at Campbell University School of Law, where he was editor-in-chief of the Campbell Law Review. LiVecchi is licensed to practice law in both North Carolina and South Carolina.

Dane Scalise -- Scalise most recently worked as a solo legal practitioner in Wilmington, focusing on civil litigation. Before starting his own firm, he was an associate attorney with Solana, Theriault & Gross, PLLC.  Scalise is a member of the Wilmington West Rotary Club and serves on the board of directors of Wilmington Downtown, Inc. He is a summa cum laude graduate of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and attended the University of North Carolina School of Law, where he was honored with the Order of Barristers.  

Tyler Younts -- Younts joined the Industrial Commission in 2014 as a law clerk to Commissioner Charlton L. Allen. He previously worked as an attorney in the non-profit sector and advocated before the North Carolina Court of Appeals and North Carolina Supreme Court. Younts is a North Carolina native and attended the University of North Carolina and the Campbell University School of Law.  

Thomas H. Perlungher -- Perlungher was first appointed deputy commissioner in April 2015. He previously served as law clerk at the Industrial Commission for Commissioner Danny Lee McDonald and Chairman Andrew T. Heath. Before joining the Commission, Perlungher was a hearing officer at the Division of Employment Security and an assistant district attorney in Wayne, Lenoir and Greene counties. He is a graduate of the University of Vermont, where he was Phi Beta Kappa, and earned his J.D. from the Wake Forest University School of Law.

John C. Schafer -- Schafer joined the N.C. Industrial Commission in April 1997 as dispute resolution coordinator. Since June 1999, he has also been deputy commissioner in charge of mediation. Schafer began his legal career in 1984 as law clerk to Chief Judge W. Earl Britt of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina. From 1986 through 1997, he practiced law in the Triangle area. Schafer has served as the chairman of the NCBA’s Dispute Resolution Section, and is currently an ex-officio member of the ADR Committee of the State Judicial Council. He was the 2011 recipient of the NCBA’s Peace Award. Schafer is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame and received his law degree from the Wake Forest University School of Law, where he was awarded the Order of the Barristers.