Staff

Armeer Kenchen

Armeer Kenchen leads the Rural Center’s small business credit initiatives, which includes Corner Square Community Capital. Prior to joining the Rural Center, he was a member of Self-Help’s executive team where he was responsible for developing strategic partnerships and leading… Read more

Brandy Bynum Dawson

Brandy Bynum Dawson is the senior director of policy and advocacy at the NC Rural Center, leading the Center’s Rural Counts advocacy program. She previously worked for five years as the associate director of Rural Forward NC at the Foundation… Read more

Bronwyn Lucas

Bronwyn Lucas is the senior director of leadership and engagement at the NC Rural Center. In this role, she is responsible for designing and implementing trainings and projects that promote leadership that is inclusive, connected, informed and creative. She is… Read more

Misty Herget

Misty is the vice president of programs and strategic partnerships at the Rural Center. During her 14-year tenure at the Center, Misty has worked in small business and entrepreneurship support, community engagement, and leadership development. Currently, she oversees the Center’s… Read more

Patrick Woodie

Patrick is the president of the NC Rural Center. He is a product of our state’s public schools, including Piney Creek Elementary School in Piney Creek and Alleghany High School in Sparta. He graduated from Wake Forest University in 1987… Read more

Todd Brantley

Todd is the vice president of public affairs at the NC Rural Center, overseeing and coordinating the work of the Center’s advocacy/policy, communications, events, and research teams. He previously worked as the director of policy and research at EducationNC, an… Read more

Daniel Michael, CPA

Daniel serves as the controller for the Rural Center. He is from Elizabeth City, North Carolina, and graduated from North Carolina State University’s masters of accounting program. He worked previously with the N.C. Office of State Auditor. Prior to obtaining… Read more

Emily Holder

Emily is the Program Associate for the NC Rural Center’s Leadership and Engagement team. In this role, Emily provides support to various leadership training programs such as REDI and Homegrown Leaders. Emily also leads efforts to engage the Leadership Alumni… Read more

Franklin T. Roberts, CPA

Franklin is the chief finance and operations officer at the NC Rural Center, overseeing the Center’s finances, operations and information technology. He retired from Batchelor, Tillery & Roberts, LLP (BTR) in 2021, where he was a founding and audit partner. … Read more

Dr. Heather Kilbourne

Dr. Heather Kilbourne is the Senior Program Manager for the Faith in Rural Communities initiative. She grew up surrounded by the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains in Marion, North Carolina. She previously pastored United Methodist Churches in rural towns and communities… Read more

J Farrar

J serves as a loan operations manager for the Rural Center’s Small Business Credit Initiatives. He has more than 10 years of operations experience, holding various positions throughout his career. He has also co-created with various community groups and nonprofit… Read more

Jaenine Barnes

Jaenine Barnes is a staff accountant at the NC Rural Center. She joined the Rural Center in July 2020 and helps with finance and administrative work for the Rural Center.  Born and raised in Wilson, North Carolina, Jaenine understands the… Read more

Jasper Jones

Jasper joined the NC Rural Center in July 2021 and currently holds the position of Relationship Manager, Small Business Capital. In his role, he provides critical support to the NC Rural Center and its small business capital programs. At the… Read more

Jenal Austin

Jenal joined the Rural Center in April 2020 and oversees the Center’s funding partnerships with governments, corporations, foundations, and individuals. Born and raised in a small rural town in Southern California, Jenal grew up enjoying the many animals on her… Read more

Jenny Grant

Jenny is the senior events manager at the NC Rural Center, where she coordinates and manages all major virtual and in-person events for the Rural Center, as well as events for the Center’s two nonprofit subsidiaries, Thread Capital and CornerSquare… Read more

John Coggin

John serves as a senior advisor for the NC Rural Center, where he consults on organization-wide development, policy, communications initiatives. He joined the Rural Center team in 2016 as the Center’s first director of the Rural Counts advocacy program. Prior… Read more

Joy Stewart

Joy Stewart is the Director of Compliance and Internal Audit at NC Rural Center, and leads the Center’s adherence to requirements governing non-profit financial institutions. In addition to compliance and audit, she has a background in risk management, operational excellence,… Read more

Juan Canal

Juan is responsible for financial and impact reporting for the NC Rural Center’s small business capital division and CornerSquare Community Capital. Some of his responsibilities include preparing and submitting financial reports to stakeholders, making financial projections and analysis and helping… Read more

Julia Malinowski

Julia Malinowski serves as the senior director of intermediary lending & investments for the Center’s Small Business Credit Initiatives.  She previously worked as the rural economic development program director at Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), a national Community Development Financial… Read more

Kayla Daffron

Kayla is the Rural Center’s digital media manager. She came to the NC Rural Center in July 2016 as an AmeriCorps VISTA and became a permanent member of the team in August 2017. A Raleigh native, Kayla has spent most… Read more

Laura Carlson

Laura Carlson joined the NC Rural Center in October 2020 as the executive assistant to the president. In this role, she also supports the management team and the Board of Directors. Growing up in Readlyn, Iowa (a town of 857… Read more

Dr. Leah Bouchard

  Dr. Leah Bouchard is the director of research and data management at the NC Rural Center. A social justice researcher by trade, she has led and collaborated with other researchers on projects including but not limited to opioid misuse… Read more

Miles Kirksey

Since joining the NC Rural Center in 2018, Miles has been tasked with deepening the Center’s engagement with our leadership alumni network, small business community, and rural constituents across the state. As an advocacy engagement coordinator, Miles is responsible for… Read more

Olaunda Green

Olaunda is the program manager for the Rural Internship Initiative, a program of the Golden LEAF Scholarship. In this role, Olaunda provides training, support and oversight to interns and internship site supervisors across the state. With nearly 20 years of… Read more

Patty Eller

Patty has called North Carolina home since 1971. She is a graduate of Cary High School and the Office Administrative Course at Wake Technical Community College. Patty came to work at the Rural Center thanks to a desire to give… Read more

Sheridan Longest, CPA

Sheridan serves as the Senior Financial Analyst at the Rural Center. In her role, she assists with a variety of financial and accounting tasks and stays up to date on the latest accounting standards and guidance affecting the Center.   Sheridan… Read more

Torie Keeton

Torie Keeton is the Policy and Government Affairs Manager at the NC Rural Center. In this role she works with state and federal lawmakers to advance the Rural Counts advocacy agenda, a set of innovative nonpartisan policy solutions to rural … Read more