Our Team

Theresa Stacker is the Executive Director of the NC Early Childhood Foundation (NCECF). She is a native of North Carolina’s Crystal Coast, but for the past few years her family has called Raleigh home.

Theresa brings more than 25 years of experience in North Carolina’s early childhood system to expand the impact and reach of NCECF’s mission to support thriving young children and families. She has worked in the military child care community, provided technical assistance and professional development to the child care workforce, and most recently served in state government advising on early care and education. Her depth of knowledge of early childhood policy is an incredible asset to the organization.

She holds multiple degrees in education and recently completed an Education Specialists (Ed.S.) degree from Walden University. When she’s not working to ensure children are on track for lifelong success, she enjoys hiking, listening to music, and baking.

Tosh R. Acosta serves as Family Forward NC® Statewide Strategist at the North Carolina Early Childhood Foundation, where she leads statewide outreach to expand family-friendly workplace practices and increase participation in the Family Forward NC® Employer Certification program.

With more than 15 years of experience supporting North Carolina’s small businesses and entrepreneurs, Tosh brings expertise in financial services, higher education, business counseling, and community development financial institutions. Her career includes leadership roles with the U.S. Small Business Administration, the NC Rural Center, and the NC Small Business and Technology Development Center.

Throughout her career, Tosh has built collaborative partnerships, connected businesses with critical resources, coached entrepreneurs, and led statewide initiatives that strengthen North Carolina’s business community. She is passionate about helping employers create workplace cultures that support working families while contributing to the state’s long-term economic success.

Tosh holds a Bachelors in Business Administration from North Carolina Central University and a Master’s of Entrepreneurship from Western Carolina University. She calls Fayetteville home, but resides in Durham. Outside of work she enjoys spending time with her husband, two Shi Poos, family, and friends. In addition, you will often find her dancing salsa and bachata or trying new restaurants across North Carolina.

Leslie J. Ansley is the Communications Manager for the NC Early Childhood Foundation, where she leads strategies that bring the organization’s mission, vision, and values to life. She has built her career around one central belief: words have the power to create change.

Leslie began her professional journey in newspapers and magazines in seven different cities, serving as a copy editor, reporter, features writer, editor, and eventually newsroom management roles with responsibilities for staff recruiting, training, and multimillion-dollar budgets. Over time, she shifted her focus to nonprofits in social justice, healthcare, and education, where she has helped organizations become clearer, more human, and more impactful.

At every stage, Leslie has sought out roles that let her shape narratives, challenge assumptions, and amplify voices too often left unheard. Whether through storytelling, strategic messaging, or community engagement, she brings depth and clarity to the work she champions.

Originally from Ohio, Leslie has called Raleigh, NC home since 1999. She holds a B.A. in journalism with a minor in political science from The Ohio State University. Outside of work, Leslie enjoys spending time with her son, daughter, and three gorgeous granddaughters who bring endless joy and inspiration to her life.

Crystal is the Project Coordinator for the NC Early Childhood Foundation (NCECF), providing support to the organization’s various initiatives and vital work supporting children across the state. Passionate about participating in community-based change, Crystal began her career serving in AmeriCorps VISTA in Durham, and then abroad in the nationwide government education initiative, Colombia-Bilingüe. Since then, she has had the privilege of working in various roles in the education and nonprofit sectors in both the US and Colombia and remains an active volunteer in her community.

Originally from Pennsylvania, Crystal is now proud to call Durham home. She joined the team at NCECF in 2022, holds a BA in Communication from Edinboro University, and an MPA in Nonprofit Management from the University of Pittsburgh.

Thaís Carrero (pronounced tah-EES kah-REH-roh), she/her/ella, serves as EarlyWell Policy Strategist at the NC Early Childhood Foundation, where she co-leads the EarlyWell Coalition to advocate for policies that promote thriving relationships, positive mental health, and equitable access to care for children—prenatally through age 8—and their caregivers.

Thaís is a social justice advocate with experience across government and nonprofit organizations, specializing in policy, advocacy, communications, and grassroots organizing. For over a decade, she led immigrant rights policy and advocacy efforts before shifting her focus after the birth of her daughter, Miciela (pronounced mee-see-EH-lah), who was diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder. Navigating the complexities of fragmented systems and the lack of coordinated support for her daughter inspired Thaís to champion policy change for all families and children—especially families of children with disabilities and those in historically underserved communities.

Her work is grounded in a whole-child, whole-family approach, recognizing that every aspect of a child’s environment shapes their development. Working through a disability, gender, and racial justice lens, she seeks to transform systems to create opportunities for every child and family to thrive.

Previously, Thaís held senior leadership roles at the National Partnership for New Americans, NALEO Educational Fund, and CASA, where she led large-scale advocacy campaigns, coalition building, and policy development in areas such as immigration, workforce, education, healthcare, housing, climate change, and redistricting. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Communications from the Universidad del Sagrado Corazón in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and a master’s degree in Public Policy and Administration from York College of Pennsylvania. She brings deep expertise in stakeholder engagement, strategic communications, policy development, and equity-centered systems change, and leverages her cultural and linguistic background to build bridges across communities.

Outside of her professional life, Thaís, her husband Joel, and their daughter Miciela enjoy spending time outdoors—especially hiking and visiting the beach. She also serves as a board member for Latinos Aventureros en las Carolinas and Friends of the Mountain-to-Sea Trail, organizations dedicated to fostering connections between communities of color and nature.

Lisa Finaldi is the Community Engagement Leader for the NC Early Childhood Foundation (NCECF), leading the NC Campaign for Grade-Level Reading and the Family Forward NC® initiative. She is an experienced nonprofit leader at the state, national and international levels.

Prior to NCECF, as National Campaigns Director at Greenpeace US, Lisa directed numerous successful environmental and public health policy initiatives. She designed and led the first global investigation to test ingredients in children’s toys and products, resulting in new consumer protection policies in more than 20 countries.

Throughout her career, Lisa has brought together communities, business, government, and organizations to shape cooperative efforts for change. She has unified disparate voices to define and achieve breakthrough solutions to complex issues.

Lisa holds a BS in Journalism from West Virginia University and a Certificate in Non-Profit Management from Duke University. She and her family live in Raleigh, and she is a past president of the Society for the Preservation of Historic Oakwood, a founder of NCWARN and a founding board member of Raleigh City Farm, a one-acre urban farm in downtown Raleigh.

Micere Keels is the Policy and Practice Leader for the NC Early Childhood Foundation, an associate professor at the University of Chicago, and the founding director of the Trauma Responsive Educational Practices Project (TREP Project). For more than two decades, Dr. Keels has worked to integrate mental health promotion interventions into educational systems and structures, from early childhood centers to high schools.

She is the author of four books: Trauma Responsive Educational Practices: Helping Students Cope and Learn; Campus Counterspaces: Search for Community at Historically White Institutions; Trauma Responsive De-Escalation; and Your Guide to Educator Self-Care. Through the TREP Project, Dr. Keels has supported the professional development of more than 200,000 educators through school district partnerships in Delaware, Illinois, New York, Ohio, and Rhode Island, and through work with many individual schools across the U.S.

Dr. Keels holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychological Sciences from University of Alberta, a master’s degree in Clinical Psychology from Purdue University, and doctorate in Human Development and Social Policy from Northwestern University.

Kaylan is the Finance and Operational Manager for the NC Early Childhood Foundation (NCECF). She began her focus in supporting children’s early years as a kindergarten teacher with Americorps, then moved to teaching infants and preschoolers in child care centers. Before joining NCECF, she provided administrative and fiscal support to First 5 Mono County, a state-funded organization that provides direct support to children ages birth to age 5, their families, and child care providers, in Mono County, CA.

Kaylan grew up in rural New Hill, NC, and attended Appalachian State University, as well as Cerro Coso and Foothill colleges in California. Kaylan holds degrees in Early Childhood Development and Accounting, as well as a Certificate in Non-Profit Management from Duke University. She started at NCECF in 2019 after returning to North Carolina from the Eastern Sierras of California.

Erin Smith is excited to work with the NCECF family, interning in the early literacy and local financing fields. Most recently, she worked as a preschool teacher at two different schools in Orange County, NC, including during the COVID-19 pandemic, where she conducted “virtual preschool”. Prior to this, she worked at a local cooperative grocery and as an administrative secretary. She has always had a strong passion for helping children, and this was further shown in the aftermath of the pandemic as she noticed the changes that needed to be made.

Erin holds a B.A. degree in Religious Studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, as well as a minor in music. While in college, she was very involved in music, being part of the Marching Tar Heels and UNC Symphony Band, as well as a college choir. She also holds a M.A. in Innovative Early Childhood Education from University of Colorado Denver where she was honored to attend the Students and Professors Conference in Reggio-Emilia, Italy.

Outside of work and schooling, Erin lives in Durham, NC with her husband (Ryan) and two children (Arthur and Malcolm). She (still!) loves reading, enjoys both cooking food and trying new restaurants, and has recently discovered a love of gardening.

Rosa serves as the Employer Relations Specialist at the NC Early Childhood Foundation, where she supports expansion of the Family Forward NC® initiative. In this role, she collaborates with employers and community partners to champion family-friendly workplace practices.

As a first-generation American and the first in her family to graduate from college, Rosa is driven by a deep belief in the power of education and opportunity at every stage of life. Her background in community engagement, workforce development, and equity-centered initiatives reflects a strong commitment to uplifting historically underserved communities.

Outside of work, Rosa enjoys discovering local gems across the Triangle and spending time with her family. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Biology from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and is currently pursuing a Master of Public Health.

Dr. Govan-Hunt is a committed community advocate and education leader. After moving to Charlotte from Ohio over 10 years ago, she served as a site coordinator for the Dell Curry Foundation, a high school challenge tutor for Communities In Schools, and assistant director for Wesley Child Development Center. She then became a child development specialist with one of the lead resource and referral agencies in Charlotte. That is where she fostered her passion for improving early care and education systems.

Dr. Govan-Hunt earned her PhD in Early Childhood Education at Walden University in 2011. She’s presented her research at numerous educational forums, including: the National Smart Start Conference, the National Afterschool Association, the National Association for the Education of Young Children, and the National Black Child Development Association. Her research focuses on cultural competency, addressing the preschool-to-prison pipeline, mass incarceration, and race matters.

Dr. Govan-Hunt holds numerous leadership positions, including executive director of Black Child Development Carolinas; president of the Mecklenburg Child Care Association; BCDI-Charlotte board member; co-chair of READ Charlotte’s “Ready for School” Committee, president of the Charlotte Bilingual Preschool board of directors; member of the Leading on Opportunity Council; chairwoman of the Community and Family Engagement Equity Committee for the Charlotte Mecklenburg School Board of Education; member of the NC Think Babies Leadership Team; and leader for the statewide policy group Care and Learning Coalition.

Dr. Govan-Hunt leads Black Child Development Carolinas as a statewide leader fighting to eliminate harsh and unfair disciplinary practices in preschool. In her free time, she enjoys reading, writing, and music. She is the proud mother of two young daughters, McKenzie and Madison.

Kelli Ovies is an attorney with Womble Bond Dickinson in Raleigh who advises clients on trademark and copyright matters. She regularly prepares and prosecutes trademark and copyright applications, conducts and reviews trademark clearance searches, responds to USPTO Office Actions, and assists with maintaining U.S. and international trademark registrations. She also has experience initiating and defending Trademark Trial and Appeal Board and federal court proceedings, negotiating trademark co-existence agreements, and drafting and reviewing intellectual property assignment and licensing agreements.

Prior to joining Womble Bond Dickinson, Kelli practiced at Forrest Firm and Smith Anderson. At both firms, in addition to handling intellectual property matters, Kelli helped her clients negotiate and draft many types of commercial contracts. She also worked on a variety of commercial litigation matters, including one in which her client obtained a $37 million judgment at trial in a commercial contract case, one of the largest jury verdicts in North Carolina history.

Kelli received her law degree from Duke University School of Law in 2006. Before deciding to go to law school, she worked for the North Carolina Association of REALTORS, where she was the primary writer and editor for its monthly member magazine.

Kelli and her husband, Joe, have two sons, Caleb and Jacob, and two kittens, Lila and Pearl. When she is not working, she enjoys being Caleb’s band mom and Jacob’s hockey mom, reading, working in her garden, visiting as many National Parks as possible, and watching sports both on TV and in person.

Paul Lanier, MSW, PhD, is a Professor in the School of Social Work at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is the Associate Director of the Jordan Institute for Families and a Director for Behavioral Health Services and Systems Research at the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services research. Dr. Lanier received his doctoral degree from the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis and was a fellow with the national Doris Duke Fellowship for the Promotion of Child Well-Being. His research focuses on developing, evaluating, and scaling-up evidence-based prevention programs and policies in child welfare, mental health, and early childhood systems.

Marian F. Earls, MD, MTS, FAAP, is board-certified in both General Pediatrics and Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics. Her career has focused on Medicaid and EPSDT policy and quality implementation in practice. She served as Director of Pediatric Programs and Deputy Chief Medical Officer for Community Care of North Carolina from July 2012 through December 2019 and led the NC CHIPRA Quality Demonstration Grant from 2010 to 2015. From 1994 to July 2012, she served as Medical Director of Guilford Child Health, a large nonprofit private pediatric practice in Greensboro, North Carolina, serving families at or below 200% of the federal poverty level. Dr. Earls is the developmental and behavioral pediatrician for the NICU Developmental Follow-up Clinic, a multidisciplinary program within Cone Health System in Greensboro. She is also a Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine.

As of 2020, she has established Marian F. Earls Consulting, LLC, focused on:

• Implementation of pediatric population processes in practice for early childhood development, infant and early childhood mental health, mental health competencies for pediatric practice, mental health integration in pediatric primary care, trauma-informed care, and addressing social drivers of health
• Cross-sector collaboration and systems-based approaches to support this work at the community and state levels

Dr. Earls is a past president of the North Carolina AAP Chapter, serving from 2008 to 2010. Her 2008 white paper on Foster Care and the Medical Home ultimately culminated in the Fostering Health NC project, a collaboration among Community Care of NC, NC Pediatric Society, and NC DSS. She is the lead author of the AAP Clinical Report, Incorporating Recognition and Management of Perinatal and Postpartum Depression into Pediatric Practice (Pediatrics, November 2010; updated Policy Statement, January 2019). She is also co-author of the AAP Policy Statement on Mental Health Competencies for Pediatric Practice.

Dr. Earls is editor of the AAP’s Addressing Mental Health Concerns in Pediatrics: A Practical Resource Toolkit for Clinicians, 2nd Edition. She serves as a liaison from the AAP to the AACAP (American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry) Collaborative and Integrated Care Committee. She was a member of the Executive Committee of the AAP’s Council on Early Childhood from 2011 to 2017. She is Chair of the Mental Health Leadership Work Group of the AAP, which promotes national dissemination of mental health integration in pediatric practice. In 2022, she became Chair of the AAP’s new Council on Healthy Mental and Emotional Development.

In North Carolina, she co-leads the Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Work Group, a cross-sector group of health, mental health, early childhood, family, state government, and nonprofit organizations focused on building the workforce; consultation for primary care, early childhood teachers, child welfare, and early intervention professionals; and addressing the impact of structural racism on infant and early childhood mental health.
As lead for the NC CHIPRA Grant, Dr. Earls was involved in the evaluation and enhancement of the Pediatric EHR Format through AHRQ and CMS and contributed to RTI International’s formulation of the final recommendations. She also participated with the AAP in meetings with the ONC to promote adoption of requirements for Pediatric EHRs.

She was Co-Chair of the North Carolina Institute of Medicine Task Force for the Prevention of Child Maltreatment in 2005, the NC IOM Task Force on Early Childhood Mental Health in 2012, and the NCIOM Task Force on Children’s Preventive Oral Health Services in 2013. Since 2000, she has served as Director of the NC ABCD (Assuring Better Child Health and Development) Program. The purpose of ABCD has been to integrate developmental services—including screening, surveillance, parent education, and linkages to community resources—into pediatric practice. It includes developmental, maternal depression, social-emotional, autism, and social drivers of health screening.

At CCNC, she led the Sickle Cell Disease Project, a cross-sector statewide effort to promote NHLBI guidelines, encourage co-management between primary care clinicians and hematologists, and connect patients with medical homes. She served as faculty for the AAP Bright Futures Preventive Services Improvement Project Learning Collaborative in 2011 and for the Pediatric Integrated Care Collaborative, working with teams from multiple states through Johns Hopkins and funded by a grant from SAMHSA. She was National Co-Chair and Improvement Advisor for the AAP’s national Bright Futures Preventive Services Improvement Project from 2015 to 2016. She is a member of the AAP National Advisory Board on Screening and served as CQI Chair of the ASHEW (Addressing Social Health and Early Childhood Wellness) Learning Collaborative Project Advisory Committee. She was Faculty Chair for the HRSA-funded Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems Grant 12-state project from 2019 to 2021. She is also a member of the ADHD Guidelines Committee for the AAP and was one of the authors of the 2010 and 2019 ADHD Guidelines.

Dr. Earls received her A.B. in Biology in 1976 from the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts; her Master of Theological Studies (MTS) in 1978 from Harvard Divinity School, Harvard University; and her M.D. from the University of Massachusetts in 1984.

Virginia Watson Adams, PhD, RN, FAAN, is a native of Durham, NC, and has a history of public service on local, state, national and international levels. Her past career included Dean and Professor of the UNC Wilmington School of Nursing in Wilmington NC and Inaugural Director of Diversity and Global Initiatives at the National League for Nursing in Washington D.C.

A Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing, Dr. Adams has an expansive career in nursing practice and education, including faculty, department chair and dean on the university level. During her 13-year career in the military, she served active duty with the Strategic Air Command of the United States Air Force followed by US Army Reserve Nurse Corps. She was honorably discharged at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel (LTC).

Prior to coming to her deanship at UNCW, Dr. Adams served as Department Chair and Interim Dean of the East Tennessee State University College of Nursing in Johnson City TN. During her tenure at UNCW, the SON began its initial graduate program to educate nurse practitioners, the inaugural undergraduate degree in Clinical Research, two new rural nurse practitioner-led clinics and a youth health academy called Camp BONES. With community support and legislative leadership, the UNCW School of Nursing was awarded over $32M to build its first School of Nursing facility. Past community service included the New Hanover Community Endowment Board and simultaneously serving on a hospital board (NHRMC), a public health board (NHCBOH), a mental health board (Coastal Horizons), and an area health education board (SEAHEC), two of which she served as Chair. Current public service includes the NHC Health and Human Services Board and the Wilmington NC Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc.

As the inaugural chair of the Core Steering Group of the International Council of Nurses Education Network (ICNEN), she convened nurse educators from Australia, Finland, Taiwan, United Kingdom and South Africa to identify common universal standards in nursing education. In her role as the first director of the new National League for Nursing Center for Diversity and Global Initiatives, she advocated for a more diverse nurse educator workforce, through an annual workshop on diversity and inclusion strategies to the 40,000 members of NLN in 1,200 member schools. Outcomes included a vision statement about achieving diversity and meaningful inclusion in nursing education, and a toolkit to assist nursing education programs to achieve diversity in their programs.

Dr. Adams received her BSN Nursing, Winston-Salem State University; MSN Maternal/Child Health Nursing, UNC Chapel Hill and PhD Child Development/Family Relations, UNC Greensboro.

In 2015, Christopher Chung joined the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina (EDPNC) as Chief Executive Officer and brings more than 25 years of state-level economic development experience to the role. As a public-private partnership, the EDPNC is responsible for a number of economic development functions on behalf of the State of North Carolina, including new business recruitment, existing business support, international trade and export assistance, small business start-up counseling, and tourism, sports, and film promotion. With a staff of 70 professionals and an annual operating budget of more than $25 million, the EDPNC is focused on improving the economic well-being and quality of life for North Carolina’s more than 10 million residents. Since 2015, the EDPNC has helped North Carolina win more than 1,130 corporate expansion projects, resulting in nearly 170,000 announced new jobs and $55 billion in announced new investment statewide. Chris previously held various executive and management responsibilities at the Missouri Partnership (2007-2014) and the Ohio Department of Development, now known as JobsOhio (1997-2007). Chris attended The Ohio State University (OSU), graduating Phi Beta Kappa with a double-major in Japanese and economics. He also completed significant coursework towards a Master’s in Public Policy and Management. In 2022, Chris was appointed by United States Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo to serve on two different advisory councils: the National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship and the United States Investment Advisory Council, which advises the Secretary on matters regarding foreign direct investment. Chris resides in Raleigh, North Carolina, with his wife Emily and daughters Elizabeth and Caroline.

Dr. Kathleen Clarke-Pearson is a retired general pediatrician in North Carolina with a longstanding interest in media and its effects on children and adolescents. She is a graduate of Columbia University Teachers College in Manhattan with a master’s degree in Childhood Education.

Dr. Clarke-Pearson taught elementary school for five years in Virginia, Ohio, and North Carolina. Over the ensuing years, she pursued a medical degree at UNC Chapel Hill and trained in pediatrics at Duke University Medical Center. Dr. Clarke-Pearson has worked with many community groups for over 15 years addressing the negative and positive impact of media on child and teen health. She served as the chair of the NC Pediatric Society Committee on Media and as a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Council on Media and Communications. Both organizations work to enhance parents’ understanding of the powerful effects of media on infants’, children’s, and teens’ health.

Dr. Clarke-Pearson co-authored a clinical report on social media, published in the April 2011 edition of our journal Pediatrics. She is a former board member of the Raleigh-based child advocacy group NC Child, which works on public policy issues related to North Carolina children’s welfare. From 2015 to 2021, she served on the AAP’s Committee on Federal Government Affairs in Washington, D.C. Dr. Clarke-Pearson is currently an ambassador for NC Child, a data-driven and policy-oriented voice for North Carolina’s children. She remains an active member of the NC Pediatric Society.

She has a strong interest in early childhood education and in working with NC Child to promote policies at the local and state levels that embrace the challenge of addressing the current early childhood education crisis in our state. She has been married for 53 years and is the mother of four grown children and four grandchildren.

Cameron Cochran is the Executive Director of Wilson Forward, a nonprofit organization focused on advancing collaborative solutions in education, workforce development, and health and wellness in Wilson County. She joined Wilson Forward in 2018 and has helped guide the organization’s growth as a backbone for cross-sector partnerships that strengthen local systems and improve long-term outcomes for children and families.

Originally from Greensboro, North Carolina, Cameron has built her career around community-centered work across both urban and rural settings. Prior to moving to Wilson, she worked in direct service at Joseph’s House, a residential care home providing holistic support for unhoused adults with serious illness in Washington, DC, and later served as Assistant Director of The Cline Family Foundation, supporting philanthropic initiatives across the Southeast. Her professional experience includes nonprofit leadership, community collaboration, and strategic planning.

Cameron holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and a Master of Business Administration from Barton College. She is deeply passionate about Wilson County and committed to strengthening the conditions that allow young children, families, and communities across North Carolina to thrive.

Amy Etheridge is a nonprofit facilitator, strategist, and resource. She brings a unique fusion of systems thinking and deep listening with marketing and fundraising insights to her work as a consultant with The Innovative Nonprofit Solutions Group.

With over 25 years in the nonprofit industry – health and human services, education, arts, and environmental sectors – and more than $40 million raised through charitable gifts, grants, events, annual and capital campaigns, Amy thrives in relationship-driven, collaborative-thinking, mission-focused teams.

From the first time Amy was a hospital junior volunteer, knocked on neighbors’ doors for jump rope pledges, dialed a donor to say thank you – she connected with her passion to be in community and to make a difference there. The inspiration and guide for this devotion were her parents, who as lifelong educators engaged children and young adults in exploring the world in the quest for knowledge, instilled courage to ask questions and find solutions, and sought enlightenment through study and participation in theirs and others’ communities.

A long-time Raleigh resident, Amy holds a Certificate of Nonprofit Management from Duke University and a Bachelor of Science in Education degree from the University of Georgia. Also active in her community as a Reading Partner at Wiley Magnet (International Studies) Elementary School, and a field volunteer at Burkett Farm, when she’s not working, you’ll find Amy walking her dog Lily Belle, planning her next travel adventure with her partner Steve, or around a table sharing a meal and conversation with friends and family.

Nation Hahn, who serves as the director of growth for EducationNC, has expertise in design thinking, communications, public policy, and politics. At EdNC, Nation helps drive the postsecondary and community college coverage, including the Awake58 weekly newsletter and Twitter account.

Hahn works on fundraising and partnership efforts, iterating an investment strategy that combines a theory of change, leadership development, and force amplification through “go and see” opportunities for philanthropists and policymakers to build relationships with community college and local leaders. Nation leads a responsive innovation strategy for EdNC, including audience growth and engagement. The Reach NC Voices project, which connects people to policy and policy to people across NC, launched in 2017 with a $1.5 million investment from Blue Cross NC. Reach is a suite of tools to build diverse audiences, including surveying, texting, and live events. Reach is used by nonprofits across North Carolina and media outlets across the country. He loves experimenting with new storytelling formats to foster engagement. Nation serves his community as a board member of the Jamie Kirk Hahn Fund, named after his late wife. He has also served on the boards of the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle, the North Carolina Community Development Initiative, the Hope Center at Pullen, and the Raleigh-Wake Partnership to End and Prevent Homelessness.

He serves his industry through participation in the year-long 2019 Media Transformation Challenge at the Shorenstein Center at Harvard, coaches other outlets through the American Press Institute Table Stakes program, served as an Aspen Ideas Fest Fellow and as a member of the Z. Smith Reynolds Community Leadership Council. He was named to the Triangle Business Journal’s 40 under 40 list in 2017.

He loves his dog, Teddy, and he was especially proud to be named Southerner of the Year by Southern Living magazine.

David Jackson was named President and CEO of the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce in August of 2016.

During his tenure with the chamber, Jackson has worked to grow several successful new programs and initiatives, including Keep Boone Healthy and Vision Northwest North Carolina. The organization has over 700 active members and the team has produced annual increases in sponsorship and membership revenue. In 2025, Jackson was recognized as a Community Advocate of the Year by the NC Rural Center. He has also been honored as a NC Main Street Champion by the NC Main Street & Rural Planning Center (2021) and as a recipient of the Town of Boone 1872 Award (2025).

Jackson has lived in the Boone area since 1996 and has been active with several community organizations. He serves on the Board of Directors of AppalCart, Town of Boone Cultural Resources Department, and Watauga Opportunities, Inc. He is a member of the Watauga County Economic Development Commission and serves on the Rural Transportation Coordinating Committee for the High Country Council of Governments. Jackson emcees various functions throughout the community including the Shooting Stars talent show for the Watauga Education Foundation and the Farm City Banquet for NC Agricultural Extension. He is also a supportive member of the Parkway Elementary School PTO.

A 2000 graduate of Appalachian State, Jackson came to the chamber after 16 years as a member of the Appalachian State Athletic Department staff, serving the last 10 years as Associate Athletic Director. Jackson served as radio play-by-play announcer for Appalachian Football, men’s basketball, and baseball teams for 16 seasons. He was twice named NC Sportscaster of the Year (2007,’12) by his peers in the National Sports Media Association.

He serves as an Adjunct Professor at Appalachian State University. Jackson occasionally works as a freelance announcer for the Carolina Panthers and various universities and conferences.

Dr. Nina Smith is Associate Dean of the College of Health and Sciences and Associate Professor of Human Sciences at North Carolina Central University. She studies the impact of parental employment on the health and well-being of children and families. She also examines factors that influence children’s academic preparedness and teacher professional development in early care and education settings. Her work centers the experiences of Black children and families.

Nina has worked closely with Family Forward NC® for more than four years as a research advisor. In this role, she guides research efforts around improving family-friendly workplace policies in North Carolina. She currently serves as a co-investigator for the National African American Child and Family Research Center – a $1.8 million initiative funded by the Administration for Children and Families. She leads the Center’s cross-cutting research theme of research among rural populations.

Nina obtained her BA in Psychology at Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia, her MA in Psychology at North Carolina Central University in Durham, North Carolina and her PhD in Human Development and Family Studies from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Cecelia Thompson serves as Executive Director of Action Greensboro. Action Greensboro, together with the Chamber of Commerce, serves as the city’s primary economic and community development agency. Formed in 2001, Action Greensboro is a collaborative effort of eight local charitable foundations working to leverage local philanthropic impact. In collaboration with business, higher education, and municipal government, Action Greensboro works to strengthen Greensboro’s economy and ensure the continuation of its excellent quality of life. In her role, Thompson leads a variety of efforts from talent and workforce development, K-20 education, urban livability, advocacy campaigns and city marketing efforts. Most recently, Thompson co-chaired the 2020 300-million-dollar and 2022 1.7-billion-dollar school infrastructure bond campaigns that secured the 2 billion in need indicated in the Guilford County Schools Facilities Master Plan. The 2022 school bond was the largest of its kind in North Carolina. In addition to her role at Action Greensboro, Thompson serves on the boards of the Guilford Education Alliance, the Greensboro ABC Commission, and is a gubernatorial appointee to the North Carolina Humanities Council. Originally from Gainesville, Florida, Thompson holds a B.A. in Political Science, Public Administration and Sociology from Elon University.

Dr. White joined Haywood Community College on January 1, 2020, as its seventh president. Dr. White, a 20-year resident of Haywood County, served as Vice President of Economic and Workforce Development at A-B Tech in Asheville for five years prior to joining HCC and was with the College for a total of 18 years.

A graduate of Isothermal Community College, Dr. White received her Doctorate in Education with a concentration in Community College Leadership from Western Carolina University. She served as state-level President of the North Carolina Community College Adult Educators Association, an organization supporting the work of all workforce programs through professional development, networking, and advocacy.

Her first year at HCC was shaped significantly by the COVID-19 pandemic response. Maintaining a safe environment for employees and students and shifting to a high percentage of online instruction was the primary focus. During her three years with HCC, the College launched a new Strategic Planning and completed the design and construction of a new Health Sciences Education building.

Dr. White is a member of Waynesville Rotary and serves on the boards of several community and regional organizations, including Haywood Regional Medical Center, the Economic Development Coalition of Haywood County, the Forest Restoration Alliance (FRA), Big Brothers Big Sisters of Western North Carolina and WNC Communities.