Commissioner Billy Joe Kepley was born on January 16, 1936, in Davidson County. He and his wife, Kathy, have been married for forty-nine years and reside in the Welcome community, and attend the United Methodist Church. They have four children; Chad, Shane, Wyatt and Lisha.
Commissioner Kepley graduated from North Davidson High School and studied electrical engineering at Indiana Technical College. He attended the National School of Aeronautics specializing in Traffic and Sales from 1955-1956. Commissioner Kepley was employed with Eastern Airlines for seven months during 1956. He was employed with Western Electric for eleven years, from 1956-1967. He was employed with Bell Telephone Labs for eight years, from 1967 to 1975. He was employed with Southern Bell Telephone for twelve years, from 1975 to 1987. In 1987, Commissioner Kepley retired with thirty yars of service under the A&T Bell System Umbrella.
Commissioner Kepley has been a registered and licensed North Carolina professional photographer since 1958. In 1989 he began work as a community sawmill operator, and in 1996 he began work as a hay farmer. Commissioner Kepley continues to work in these capacities. From 1958-1961 Commissioner Kepley served in the United States Air Force as a flight line mechanic. Commissioner Kepley is currently serving his fifth non-consecutive term as County Commissioner, and his current term expires December, 2014.