About Our Presenter Dale Folwell, North Carolina State Treasurer North Carolina State Treasurer Dale R. Folwell, CPA, was sworn in as State Treasurer of North Carolina in January 2017. As the keeper of the public purse, Treasurer Folwell is responsible for a $124 billion state pension fund that provides retirement benefits for more than 900,000 teachers, law enforcement officers, and other public workers. Under Folwell’s leadership the pension plan was rated among the top five highest-funded in the country and won accolades for proactive management and funding discipline. In 2021 the state’s coveted AAA bond rating was reaffirmed by every major rating agency, making North Carolina one of only 13 states in the country to hold that distinction. Treasurer Folwell also oversees the State Health Plan, which provides medical and pharmaceutical benefits to more than 750,000 current and retired public employees and is the largest purchaser of health care in North Carolina. Folwell was first elected to public office as a member of the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Board of Education. He brought his problem-solving skills to the North Carolina General Assembly in 2004, where he served four terms in the House of Representatives, including one term as Speaker Pro Tempore. After beginning his career as a blue-collar worker, Treasurer Folwell became a Certified Public Accountant and investment advisor after earning Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in accounting from UNC-Greensboro. Married for more than 30 years, he and his wife Synthia have three children and live in Winston-Salem.