Meet Our Board

Johanna Hawfield Foster is a native North Carolinian who remained in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro area after graduating from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1997. She currently serves as Senior Director of Academic Affairs at the UNC School of Medicine, and has done so since 2013 where she oversees curricular operations and special projects. Prior to her role at the medical school, she was a project manager at Wake County Government and middle school Spanish teacher at Duke School. Johanna is passionate about access to education and public service.

Johanna holds a BA in Spanish Education and Masters of Public Administration, both from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is also a board member of the UNC-Chapel Hill MPA Alumni Board at the School of Government.

Ellen Medearis, Vice President of Duke Health Development and Alumni Affairs (DHDAA) since 2011, has worked at Duke for more than 20 years.  Prior to joining DHDAA, Medearis served in leadership positions within Duke Medicine and Duke University Development: she was Director of Major Gifts for Duke Medicine Development and Alumni Affairs, followed by Director of Major and Leadership Gifts, Executive Director, and then Associate Vice President for Duke University Development.

During her tenure at DHDAA, Medearis developed a new strategic plan for development and alumni programs, including a campaign plan and budget increases.  The university-wide Duke Forward campaign was launched in September 2012, with a goal of $3.25B.  The Duke Health fund raising goal of $1.2B was surpassed with $1.4B raised at the conclusion of the campaign in June 2017.

Medearis and her team have established a comprehensive faculty engagement program, a new principal gifts program, and a gift officer metrics and training program.  In 2014, the DHDAA office was one of just two at the University, outside of the Health System, to conduct a culture survey in order to improve worker satisfaction and productivity.  Additional surveys, along with a work culture committee, continue to be a key part of employee engagement.

DHDAA seeks to secure philanthropic support across all of Duke Health, pursuing the priorities of the Schools of Medicine and Nursing, the hospitals, clinical and basic sciences departments.

Hathaway Pendergrass, a native of Carrboro, North Carolina works at Epting and Hackney law firm in Chapel Hill. He joined the firm in September, 2012, and focuses his practice on civil litigation and criminal law. He is a proud graduate of Chapel Hill High School. After high school, he entered UNC-CH, and graduated in 2006 with a BS in Business Administration from the Kenan-Flagler Business program. He entered North Carolina Central School of Law in 2009 where he served as Editor-in-Chief of the North Carolina Central Law Review and graduated Summa Cum Laude in 2012.

Hathaway is Chair of the Board of Directors for the Orange & Chatham Justice Initiatives affiliate, former President of the Orange County Rape Crisis Center Board of Directors, former President of the 15B Judicial District Bar, former Board Member of the Orange County Bar, a Teen Court Judge with Volunteers for Youth in Orange County, and volunteers as the attorney for EmPOWERment, Inc. Pendergrass previously served on the Carrboro Planning board, volunteered as the attorney for the Carrboro Farmers’ Market, and served as a volunteer in the 15B Judicial District Guardian Ad Litem program. He also enjoys running, attending Carolina sporting events, and spending time with his wife and kids.

Rebecca Moore is a ceramic artist living and working in Carrboro. She has been involved in education-related endeavors for many years, most recently as a college counselor for high school students. Rebecca homeschooled her children for many years (8 to be exact) and she served as head of administration for a Waldorf school in Chicago for three years. Prior to having children Rebecca worked at the University of Chicago under the head bibliographer for South Asia.

Rebecca has her BA from Michigan State University in Religious Studies and Women’s Studies, her MA from the University of Wisconsin at Madison in South Asian Studies, and an MS in Library Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Helen Kalisher is an artist, designer and business owner living in Chapel Hill, NC. Born in the UK, she spent many years traveling independently around the world before settling in the the U.S. She is a graduate of Chelsea College of Art in London, and spent her creative career designing for clients such as Apple, Dorling Kindersley and HP before starting her own Hospitality Art company (Kalisher) alongside her late husband, Jesse. Since retiring in 2018 she has been focusing on personal art projects, parenting her two teenagers, and exploring new skills ranging from advanced SCUBA diving to search and rescue volunteering.

Emily Evens is a North Carolina native who has lived in the Chapel Hill/Carrboro area for 25 years. She is a social scientist with expertise in the design and implementation in applied global health research. She works at FHI 360, an international NGO based in Durham, NC and in her work, she collaborates with national and regional governments and community stakeholders in lower- and middle- income countries to strengthen health programs through the application of research results. Her research interests include maternal and child health, sexual and reproductive health, infectious diseases, supporting new innovations in health service delivery, and quality improvement. She has worked in more than 25 countries throughout East, Southern and West Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia.

Emily holds an BA in Anthropology and Religious Studies from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and masters and doctoral degrees in Public Health from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is also a board member at the North Carolina Global Health Alliance. She enjoys traveling, reading, cooking, and spending time with her husband, children, and dog.

Jackie Tanner was born in London then lived in Brussels until age five when her family moved back to the UK. After graduating from high school she traveled extensively both in Europe and around the world, and while an undergraduate at the University of Nottingham met her future american husband. Since landing in downtown Carrboro in 1994, Jackie has served on the Head Start Policy Council, served as Vice President of Childcare Matters (a local non profit preschool), multiple committees within the Orange Chatham Association Of Realtors, and currently serves as the Chair of PlayMakers Advisory Council and Vice Chair of The ArtsCenter. As a local real estate agent since 1999, and now a member of the Guskiewicz Tanner team, Jackie feels it is important to remain knowledgeable about all aspects of the communities she serves and enjoys giving back to organizations that are a part of maintaining their diversity & vitality.

Mark Otter, is Chief Executive Officer at Participate, Inc. Prior to founding Participate in 2019, Mark was the COO of Participate Learning, and also gained experience and expertise as a global educator teaching secondary math and science in public schools in Nova Scotia, North Carolina, Virginia, and London, England from 1998 to 2008. It was during his time in London that Mark was named the UK Visiting International Faculty Teacher of the year for 2001-02. Connect with him on Twitter @markjotter.

Riza Jenkins is a Senior Consultant with ICF in the Energy, Environment, and Infrastructure operating group. Riza worked as the Vice President of Asset Management for Summit Ridge Energy (SRE), managing its growing community solar portfolio. Riza also managed Strata Solar’s Asset Management department overseeing its 900 MW portfolio of solar projects.

In addition to her participation as a board member for The ArtsCenter, Riza serves on the board for the North Carolina Sustainable Energy Association (NCSEA). Riza currently serves on the NCSEA’s Strategy-Development board committee and is the former chair for the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion board committee and Secretary. Riza was elected to the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools (CHCCS) Board of Education in 2021 and serves on the Student Success board committee and chair for the Finance, Facilities, and Operations board committee. Riza is a graduate of North Carolina A&T State University and has her JD-MBA from Howard University. Riza lives in Chapel Hill with her three children

Becky Woodruff is the Owner/Manager of the Frame & Print Shop at University Place and The Frame & Print Shop North in Timberlyne Village. In her previous employment as a therapist at UNC Hospitals, Becky was involved in multiple community events with multidisciplinary teams to include education outreach, reunions, and teaching for Burn Survivors and Rehabilitation patients. Becky was co-chair for the SECU Family House Capital Campaign and continues to assist her team The SECU House Woodruff Warriors, with monthly meals. Becky was a collegiate and US National Team Springboard/Platform diver in her youth and mid-twenties.

She presently volunteers with the UNC Collegiate Diving Program as their announcer at meets and also announces at the ACC Swimming & Diving Championships. Becky started a summer league diving program 30 years ago which provides grassroots learning opportunities for children of all ages and abilities, and it continues to this day. Becky & her Husband, Bob, purchased the Frame & Print Shop 9 years ago with no retail or framing experience. Most important to Becky is costumer service, community involvement and opportunities to give back to her community. Last year she started The Artist Frame HUB which offers artists free gently used frames and supplies and also offers wholesale framing supplies to make preserving their art for shows and events affordable. She supports and donates to local art groups such Orange County and Chatham County Artist Guilds, and the Orange County Art Council.

Mark Kleinschmidt grew up in the Air Force and spent his childhood living all around the country. He ultimately landed in Chapel Hill where he earned a B.A. in Education from the University of North Carolina, and after teaching high school for several years in Charlotte, received his J.D.  from UNC School of Law in May 2000.He currently serves as the Orange County Clerk of Superior Court having first been elected to that office in 2018.

Mark served on the Chapel Hill Town Council from 2001 to 2009. He was elected Mayor of Chapel Hill in November 2009 and served as mayor until 2015.  Prior to being elected Clerk, Kleinschmidt practiced law for more than 18 years, first at the Center for Death Penalty Litigation, then as Executive Director of the Fair Trial Initiative and finally with the firm Tin Fulton Walker & Owen.  He also continues to serve as an adjunct professor at the UNC School of Law teaching trail advocacy and at the Friday Center where he teaches Trusts and Estates in the UNC-Chapel Hill Paralegal Certificate Program. He has served on several non-profit boards including EqualityNC, the ACLU of North Carolina, Kidzu, and Eyes Ears Nose and Paws.

Mark continues to live in Chapel Hill with his husband Mat DeBellis and their dog Ellie.

Kamal A. James is founder and Chief Educator at JamesEducation.com. He uses the SAT and ACT to promote college preparation and opportunity for students from across the socioeconomic spectrum.

Kamal has extensive experience teaching grades six through twelve at public, charter, and independent schools, along with early career experience at Wall Street brokerage firms. He holds an MBA from Temple University and a B.S. in Finance from Hampton University. He is a second-year student in the Higher Education Leadership masters degree program at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Bernadette came to Chapel Hill in 1975 to study at UNC and received her Ph.D. in Sociology in 1980. Bernadette’s career focused on the evaluation of mental health programs in community and prison settings. She first spent five years in research and evaluation at the Durham County Community Mental Health Center. She subsequently became Chief of Research at the Federal Correctional Institution in Butner and retired in 2006. She directed a multi-center national project evaluating drug treatment programs. She served on eight boards and commissions before her election to the Orange County Board of Commissioners in December 2008.