A. Napier Baker (Resident, Ex-Officio): M.Th. in Pastoral Theology from Colgate Rochester Divinity School (1972); BD from CRDS (1964) and BA from Wake Forest University(1961). Mr. Baker retired from UNC Hospitals in 2001 after twenty-five years as Director of Pastoral Care. Previously he was Protestant Chaplain and Clinical Pastoral Education Supervisor at Saint Vincent Health Center (Roman Catholic) in Erie, PA and Pastor of Ogden Baptist Church in Spencerport, NY. Professionally, Mr. Baker chaired the Accreditation Commission of the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education, Inc. and was the inaugural chair of the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Pastoral Services. He has been active in the Olin T. Binkley Memorial Baptist Church and chaired the Building Committee for the most recent renovation and expansion. Mr. Baker is Chair of the Eastern Region Continuing Care Community Residents of North Carolina, a member of the Carol Woods Ethics Committee and Vice President of the Residents Association.
Chris Barnes: Bachelor of Arts in Exercise Sports Science from UNC Chapel Hill, (1999). Chris is currently a Business Banker with First Citizens Bank serving Chapel Hill. Mr. Barnes is currently serving in his 2nd year term as a Board Member and Treasurer of Chapel Hill Carrboro Chamber of Commerce and serving 2nd year term on Board of Advisors for the Durham YMCA. He is also a Board Member for a national non-profit for women with diabetes, DiabetesSisters Inc based in Durham. Chris is married and has a young child. He is very active in his church and enjoys playing golf and basketball to stay active.
Mary A. Beck: M.P.H. in Medical Care Administration from the University of Michigan (1971); B.A. from The Ohio State University (1969). Ms. Beck joined UNC Health Care in 1986 and is now Senior Vice President for System Affiliations. She served on the administrative staff of the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics and on the faculty of the Graduate Program in Hospital and Health Administration at the University of Iowa. Ms. Beck holds an appointment as an Adjunct Associate Professor in Health Policy and Administration at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health. She has served on the Boards of the N.C. Triangle Affiliate of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation, the Ronald McDonald House, and presently is a member of the board of the State Employees Credit Union Family House at UNC Hospitals. She is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives.
Jack Benjamin (John T. Benjamin, MD): Harvard College; Columbia Medical School: MD. After pediatric residency at UNC, Dr. Benjamin served in the U.S. Army for three years as a general pediatrician. He was in private practice in Charlottesville, VA from 1973 to 1994 and was Chief of Staff at Martha Jefferson Hospital for eight of those years. His academic medicine career includes appointments at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta Georgia, where he was Chief Medical Officer of the Children’s Hospital from 1994 to 2003, and at UNC Hospitals where he served as the Associate Chair of Department of Pediatrics and the Pediatrician in Chief of NC Children’s Hospital from 2003-2007. Dr. Benjamin was also the founder of the Teaching Center at UNC (teaching doctors how to teach). He is a Stephen Minister and is involved in adult education at the University Presbyterian Church in Chapel Hill.
Richard P. Blankenship, CFA, Chair: B.A., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Mr. Blankenship is a Chartered Financial Analyst – a partner and senior portfolio manager with Franklin Street Partners of Chapel Hill. He has over 25 years experience in managing trusts, high net worth clients, foundations, endowments, retirement assets and public money pools. He is a member of the CFA Institute and the North Carolina Society of Financial Analysts. Mr. Blankenship has served on boards for the UNC Division for Student Affairs, Triangle Family Services, the Durham Public School Scholarship Foundation, the Cherry Hill Foundation, the Friendly City Kiwanis, Croasdaile Country Club and other organizations.
Stephen Elkins-Williams: BA (Philosophy), Gonzaga University (Spokane); MDiv, Regis College (Toronto). Stephen is the rector of the Chapel of the Cross, an historic Episcopal parish in Chapel Hill, adjoining the campus. He joined the staff as an Assistant in 1982 and became Rector in 1985. He has led the parish in extensive community outreach, including campus ministry, the Inter-Faith Council, a Habitat for Humanity Partnership, prison ministry, refugee resettlement, global mission, and a fourteen-year sister parish relationship with St. Paul, AME.
Harry Gooder (Resident): B.Sc.(Chemistry), Ph.D.(Biochemistry), University of Leeds. (England). Dr. Gooder is Professor Emeritus of Microbiology and Immunology UNC Chapel Hill. Before coming to Chapel Hill in 1961 he was teacher-researcher at Harvard University, and Central Public Health Laboratory, Medical Research Council, London. England. At UNC Chapel Hill he served as Interim Department Chair and as Chair of the Faculty, (1988-91), (elected position representing all campus faculty). He was the recipient Thomas Jefferson Award, 1994. Volunteer activities include local church council, Board of Trustees, Durham Academy. (President), town representative “Town-Gown” committee, Chapel Hill. Professional activities included Council Policy Committee, American Society of Microbiology (10 years), Editorial Boards in the U.S.A. and England, and numerous publications. At Carol Woods, he has served on the Resident Council and presently on the Finance Committee.
John Hawkins: B.A., Amherst College; Bachelor of Architecture, University of Minnesota. Mr. Hawkins is the owner and Principal of the John B. Hawkins Architectural firm. He has over 28 years experience in the architectural field. He is a member of the AIA, Correspondent for Architecture Magazine, Columnist for the Chapel Hill Newspaper and a Columnist for NC Home Magazine. John has served as the Vice President of the Board of Directors of the Chapel Hill Historical Society, Chair of the Town of Chapel Hill Planning Board and the Chair of the Chapel Hill Comprehensive Plan Work Group.
Brenda Jamerson: PharmD is Associate Professor Clinical Research, Campbell University, Veteran’s Administration Geriatric Research and Education Clinical Center Research Pharmacist and Director, Campbell University Clinical Research Center. She also holds an adjunct appointment in the Department of Medicine at Duke. Before joining Campbell University, Dr Jamerson was Director, Depression/Dependence, Medical Affairs, GlaxoSmithKline. She currently serves as a Board Member of Community Health Coalition and Senior PharmAssist. She has published several articles in the areas of psychiatry, neuroscience and anesthesia. Currently she is an investigator in the field of pharmacogenetics and community based outcomes. She is a reviewer for American Journal of Health Behavior and an invited speaker at national conferences in drug development. Her current research interests include pharmacogenetic predictors of therapeutic response, community health and reducing health disparities between senior populations.
Barbara Jessie-Black: M.B.A., Meredith College (1997); Bachelor of Business Administration from Augusta State University in Georgia, (1986). Currently the Executive Director of the PTA Thrift Shop, Inc., she is also Co-founder and Board member of OneVoice Institute of Business and Entrepreneurship, Inc. in Durham. Ms. Jessie-Black just began a term as a Board Member of UNC Health Care Systems and is finishing a six-year term as a Board Member for the Chapel Hill Carrboro Chamber of Commerce. She holds numerous professional affiliations in Chapel Hill and Durham including Chair of the Institute for Sustainable Development-Chapel Hill and Durham, and member of the Chapel Hill Community Leadership Collaborative. She is interested in activism and how it is influenced by holistic and spiritual practice. She is a yoga enthusiast, a gardener, and is fluent in German.
Steve Lackey, Secretary: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (1996); M.A., University of Texas at Austin (1985); B.A., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (1979). Since 1996, his practice has focused on estate planning and administration. In February 2011, he joined the Tillman Law Firm, now Tillman, Hinkle & Lackey, PLLC, to continue that area of practice. Steve is active in the Chapel Hill community as Past-president of the Friends of the Seymour Center and a member of Master Aging Plan work group for the Orange County Advisory Board on Aging. Past community involvement includes serving on the Board of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Public School Foundation, as Chair of the United Way Senior Issues Team and as a member of the Orange County Advisory Board on Aging.
John Link, Jr.: A.B.S. (Psychology), UNC-Chapel Hill; MSW, UNC-Chapel Hill. Former County Manager of Orange County for over 18 years. Mr. Link has more than 30 years of experience as professional manager in North Carolina local government with expertise in organizational development, strategic planning, budgeting and human services delivery. He is former President of the North Carolina City/County Managers Association.
Larry Loeser: B.A. (Economics), Duke; M.B.A. from the Northwestern University Graduate School of Management with concentrations in Finance and Accounting. Mr. Loeser has served as President, Chief Executive Officer and a Director of Harrington Bank since it opened in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, in 1999. He also serves as the President and CEO and as a Director of Community First Financial Group, Inc. and as the President and a Director of Peninsula Banking Group. He has served as a Trustee and Chairman of the Chapel Hill Museum and currently serves as a Director and Chairman of Downtown Durham, Inc.
Neely McLaughlin, Treasurer: UNC; B.S. (Business Administration); UNC; MBA. From 1981-1983 he worked at Ernst and Young, CPAs, Audit division–Charlotte, NC, from 1984-present has worked at Blackman and Sloop, CPAs, Chapel Hill, NC (partner since 1990) and responsibilities include oversight of firm’s small business practice focusing on accounting, tax and advisory services. Mr. McLaughlin served on the Board of Directors at First Citizens Bank, Rainbow Soccer, Chapel Hill Country Club, and University Presbyterian Church. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the N.C. Association of Certified Public Accountants.
Kelly L. Ross: BA, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (English). Ms. Ross worked for SAS Institute in Cary, NC from 1986 to 2006, in a variety of sales leadership positions. After retiring from SAS in 2006, she worked as SVP of Sales for Misys Healthcare Systems, North American General Manager for Vignette Corporation, SVP of Sales and Marketing for Intuit Health and is currently an independent consultant helping start-up businesses with sales and marketing strategies. Ms. Ross has served on the Board of Directors of the UNC Libraries, Board of the North Carolina Fellows Program, the Deloitte and Touche Business Women’s Mentoring Program and the session of University Presbyterian Church.
David Sices (Resident, Ex-Officio): Ph.D., Yale University (1962); B.A., Dartmouth College, (1954). Dr. Sices is Emeritus Professor of French and Italian at Dartmouth College, where he taught for thirty-seven years, chairing the Romance Languages department for seven years during that time. He was awarded Fulbright Fellowships in Paris (1956-57) and Rome (1966), and an American Council of Learned Societies Fellowship in Paris (1970-71). He is a member of the American Association of University Professors, the Modern Language Association, the American Association of Teachers of French, and the American Association of Teachers of Italian; his twelfth book (with James B. Atkinson) is in press now. Since moving to Carol Woods in 2003 with his wife, Jacqueline, Dr. Sices has been active in a number of organizations. He enjoys photography, classical music, and travel. Dr. Sices is President of the Carol Woods Residents Association.
Jerry VanSant: Wheaton College, Princeton Theological Seminary, Pace University (MBA). Mr. VanSant is a visiting professor at the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University, focusing on issues of strategic management and the role of non-governmental organizations in international economic and social development. He served as director of the Center for International Development at RTI International, providing management and technical support to development programs throughout the world. Earlier he lived in Indonesia for three years managing a nationwide community development program for Church World Service. He has served on several local and state non-profit Boards including the United Way, the Chapel Hill Library Foundation, the Bald Head Island Conservancy, the Bald Head Association, and the Latin America Resource Center. He has been president of the Triangle Area International Visitors Council and North Carolinians against Gun Violence.
Sandra (“Sandy”) Venegoni (Resident): Ph.D., Virginia Commonwealth University School of Nursing (1991); Adult Nurse Practitioner Certificate, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, (1982); M.N. Emory University School of Nursing, Atlanta, GA (1971); B.S.N., St. Louis University School of Nursing, St. Louis, MO, (1965). Sandy retired with rank of Colonel after 23 years in U. S. Army Reserves (Nursing Administration, Staff Education & Development), including active duty during Operation Desert Storm in 1991. She became involved in Gerontological Nursing in 1976 and has been committed to Gerontological Nursing/Administration since then. Sandy was a faculty member at several universities, and was involved with Teaching Nursing Home concept at Sailor’s Snug Harbor, Sea Level, NC; Saint Louis University in St. Louis, Mo and with Virginia Commonwealth University School of Nursing in Richmond, VA.
James A. Wilde, Vice Chair: Wesleyan University; B.A.; Princeton University; Ph.D. (Economics); Professor in Economics Department at UNC from 1965 to 1999. School of Law, UNC, JD. Dr. Wilde is a member of the N.C. Bar and in private practice of Elder Law. He is a volunteer at the Interfaith Council Community House, NC Council of Churches, Boy Scouts, Chapel Hill Youth Soccer, PTA and the Chapel Hill Senior Center. He and his wife have been active members of Binkley Baptist Church for 35 years.
Tori Williams Reid: PMP, project management professional, Project Management Institute (2005); Ph.D., Yale University, Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry (1999); BS in Chemistry from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (1986). Currently, she and her husband, Marc, own Right at Home – Durham/Chapel Hill, an in-home care and assistance company. She is currently a volunteer with the Alzheimer’s Association. Before becoming a small business owner, Dr. Reid spent 10 years at Accenture, a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company. She focused primarily on the government sector. She is a former chair of the First Book Triangle local advisory board. First Book’s mission is to put books into the hands of children that cannot afford them. She also served on the Habitat for Humanity – New Haven Board of Directors. Dr. Reid is a native of Roxboro, NC and currently lives in Hillsborough with her husband and two very active young children. She is a recent triathlete and enjoys being a reading volunteer in her daughter’s kindergarten class.
