The Rural Center is pleased to announce several updates to our board of directors. Congratulations to all board members elected to new positions. For those leaving our board, thank you for your service to the people of rural North Carolina. Each officer will serve for the 2026 calendar year and each board member is generally elected to a three-year term.
Paula Benson Elected New Board Chair
Paula Benson has been elected chair of the board of directors for the NC Rural Center. Benson, CEO/president of the Healthcare Foundation of Wilson, was first elected to a three-year term on the board in 2022. She served as treasurer from 2023-25.
“As board chair, I hope to help advance the Rural Center’s mission by fostering strong governance, clear strategic focus, and collaborative leadership,” she added. “I aim to support the board and staff in aligning vision with action, ensuring accountability, and amplifying the voices of rural communities across the state. Above all, my goal is to lead with integrity, curiosity, and collaboration so that the Rural Center continues to be a trusted, effective force for rural prosperity.”
“I serve on the board of the NC Rural Center because I believe deeply in the potential of rural communities and the importance of ensuring they have access to opportunity, resources, and long-term economic vitality.”
Paula Benson, NC Rural Center Board Chair
Benson serves on the North Carolina Community College State Board and is a past member of the board of trustees for the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics as well as several other regional and local boards. She began her career as a CPA with Ernst & Young and then worked with SAS Institute in Cary. She earned bachelor’s degrees in business administration and economics from Meredith College.
Board of Directors Updates
Benson succeeds former board chair Carl ‘Phil’ Marion, Jr., of Wilmington. Marion, who retired from the banking industry in 2021 after a 36-year career, served as board chair for the past two years. He first joined the board in 2018 and now becomes an emeritus member.
Marion said that while looking back at his service, he is most proud of helping guide the Rural Center toward long-term financial independence.
“During my tenure, we strengthened governance and financial discipline, expanded and scaled bank participation lending and venture capital activity through the State Small Business Credit Initiative, and launched CornerSquare Community Capital to support CDFI participation loans,” Marion said. “These efforts positioned the organization to responsibly deploy federal resources, attract private and philanthropic capital, and continue serving rural communities at scale without compromising accountability or impact.”
As a result, the Rural Center has emerged more resilient, more entrepreneurial, and better equipped to serve North Carolina’s rural communities, Marion said.
Sara Chester of Morganton and Yolanda Taylor of Wake Forest will retain their positions as board vice chair and secretary, respectively. Board member Mike Hawkins of Pisgah Forest succeeds Benson as treasurer. Kim Shepherd of West Jefferson will become an at-large member of the board’s executive committee. Andy Anderson, chair of the Thread Capital board of directors, and Patrick Woodie, president and CEO of the Rural Center, also serve on the executive committee.
In addition to Marion, the term of board member Jennifer Tolle Whiteside, president and CEO of the North Carolina Community Foundation, also ended in December. Tolle Whiteside served on the board from 2009-2020 before being re-elected to a three-year term in 2023. She is a former board vice chair and treasurer.
Kim Shepherd, Ryan Ammann of Winston-Salem, and Mayor Weyling White of Ahoskie were each elected to their second three-year terms on the board.
Welcome to New Board Member Liz Reasoner
New board member Liz Reasoner of Hertford was elected to a three-year term. Reasoner has been the executive director of the Food Bank of the Albemarle since 2006. Under her leadership, the Food Bank has grown to serve 15 counties and provide food assistance to over 134,000 households annually.
Reasoner also serves as a board member for Feeding the Carolinas and Albemarle Alliance for Children and Families.
“Rural communities are facing real challenges—population decline, economic disparities, food access issues, and limited infrastructure—but they’re also poised for extraordinary innovation. The NC Rural Center is one of the few organizations that not only understands these dynamics but actively works across sectors to address them.”
Liz Reasoner, Rural Center board member
“What draws me most to the NC Rural Center is its unwavering commitment to ensuring that rural communities are not left behind — economically, socially, or in terms of opportunity,” Reasoner said. “I’m especially inspired by how the Rural Center approaches its mission through capacity-building rather than charity. Whether through small business lending, leadership programs, advocacy for broadband access, or rural economic development initiatives, the Center equips local people with the tools and investment needed to drive their own progress. That philosophy — supporting people so they can build solutions from within — aligns perfectly with my own values.”