The head of Rowan Helping Ministries and a Salisbury attorney are the two nominees for a soon-to-be vacant seat on the Rowan County Department of Social Services board.

Dianne K. Scott, who has headed Rowan Helping Ministries since 1990, and Jeff Morris, an attorney who specializes in helping Latino clients, are the two nominees.

The State Social Services Commission will meet in June to fill the appointment.

The slot is currently being held by Lee Piper Pickthorne, who is not eligible for reappointment. Her term expires June 30.

Scott came to Salisbury in 1990, from Spartanburg, S.C., where she helped found and direct a teen center.

Morris is a 1985 graduate of Catawba, with a degree in international business and a minor in Spanish. He worked as a construction supervisor in Texas, where he honed his Spanish-speaking skills.

Morris returned to the classroom and graduated from Wake Forest University’s law school in 1998. In 1999, he opened his own practice and is often called upon as a friend of the court to assist with first appearances in court, where the defendant speaks Spanish.

The position being vacated by Pickthorne is one of two appointments made by the State Social Services Commission. Edwin Koontz, a former director of the local department, is the second state appointee. He serves as chairman of the local board and is in his first term.

Other board members include two county appointees, Leda Belk, a member of the Rowan County Board of Commissioners, and Zell Setzer.

Marjorie Kinard, appointed by the local Social Services board, was reappointed by resident Superior Court Judge Larry Ford after the board failed to reach agreement on her reappointment.

The Rowan Department of Social Services had previously advertised seeking nominees for the slot. The deadline passed earlier this month.

Contact Jessie Burchette at 704-797-4254 or jburchette@salisburypost.com .