Windy McKinney is the newest member of the party's executive committee. She was appointed to an at large position Nov. 15. 

“I'm excited about joining the executive because because I'm ready to help raise the profile of the party and empower the citizens of North Carolina with Libertarian ideals regarding individual freedom and limited government,” McKinney said. 

McKinney is a editor and writer for The Haywire, and online news source in western North Carolina. She was a Libertarian candidate for Haywood County commissioner, earning nearly 5,000 votes. 

She grew up in Waynesville and graduated from Tuscola High School before attaining a bachelor’s degree at UNC-Asheville in history and literature. 

After traveling, and then living and working in Asheville, she moved to the United Kingdom, where she earned a master’s degree in Medieval Studies from the University of Kent in Canterbury and a doctorate in Anglo-Saxon history from the University of York. 

“Haywood County is ready for a Libertarian candidate to change politics as usual,” McKinney said when she began her run for county commissioner. She believes the U.S. Constitution should be the guiding principle in running government and advocates strict limitations on government, with a strong emphasis on the Bill of Rights and civil liberties.