Jean Fisher Brinkley is NCMB’s Communications Director, a role that involves developing and overseeing production of communications materials and strategies needed to enhance public and professional awareness and understanding of the Board and its mission. She joined NCMB in 2008, after an 11-year career in newspaper journalism, most of it dedicated to reporting on medicine, health policy and the business aspects of health care.

Brinkley earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Mills College in Oakland, CA, and a master’s degree in journalism from the University of California, Berkeley. She lives in Raleigh with her husband and two daughters.

You can reach Jean at podcast@ncmedboard.org

Carren Mackiewicz, NCCP, serves as the Director of Administrative Investigations for the North Carolina Medical Board, where she leads a multidisciplinary team responsible for investigating complaints involving the Board’s licensed medical professionals. With more than 25 years of experience in medical malpractice, regulatory law, and healthcare oversight, she brings a deep understanding of both the legal and investigative aspects of professional accountability.

Since joining the North Carolina Medical Board in 2010, Carren has worked as a paralegal and held several key leadership positions before advancing to her current role. Her progression reflects a longstanding commitment to public protection, operational excellence, and effective regulatory enforcement.

Carren earned a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from the University of Massachusetts Lowell in 1998. She began her legal career in Boston, working in medical malpractice defense litigation before relocating to North Carolina in 1999. She then spent more than a decade representing plaintiffs in medical malpractice cases, gaining valuable insight into complex healthcare litigation before transitioning to administrative and regulatory law with the Medical Board.

A North Carolina State Bar Certified Paralegal (NCCP), Carren combines extensive legal knowledge with proven leadership experience to support the Medical Board's mission of protecting the public through fair, thorough, and effective investigations.