Staff

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

Barry Ryan

Barry serves as senior vice president of strategy & small business capital of the Rural Center. He joined the staff in 2007 and has led initiatives in rural entrepreneurship, small-business lending, workforce development, community engagement, leadership development, and disaster recovery.… 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

Emily Blevins

Emily joined the NC Rural Center in July 2019 and serves as its communications manager.  Emily is a native of rural southwestern Virginia, but was transplanted to Charlotte, North Carolina at a young age. Emily traded Charlotte’s humidity for the… Read more

Todd Brantley

Todd is the vice president of public affairs at the NC Rural Center, overseeing the Center’s branding and external communications efforts. He previously worked as the director of policy and research at EducationNC, an organization providing nonpartisan education research, data,… Read more

Betty Bynum

Betty is administrative assistant and technology manager at the NC Rural Center. Betty attended Northwood High School in Pittsboro and graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill in 1978 with a degree in journalism. Prior to joining the Rural Center, she spent nineteen… 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

Mary K. Clifford

Mary Kay moved to North Carolina from Warren, Ohio, the day she graduated from Youngstown State University. She had just received her bachelor’s in business administration and left her entire family in search of excitement and employment. She worked for… 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

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

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

Jaenine Galido

Jaenine Galido 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

Alfred Garshong, Jr.

Alfred has worked as a research/GIS associate at the Rural Center since 2015 and is now the data systems manager. He grew up in Accra, Ghana, attending elementary, middle, and high school. He obtained his bachelor’s degree in geography and… Read more

Tiffany Gladney

Tiffany Gladney is a communications and advocacy professional with nearly 10 years of experience.  Dedicated to leaving North Carolina a little better than she found it, Gladney has effectively advocated for several pieces of legislation which have led to improved… 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

Jason Gray

Jason’s career has been dedicated to raising up and advancing the interests of rural communities. As senior fellow at the Rural Center, he brings his experience linking research and over-the-horizon policy and program development to assist Center initiatives. This is… Read more

Olaunda Green

Olaunda is the NC Rural Center’s Community Engagement Manager.  In this role, Olaunda provides coaching and training to project teams seeking funding to promote sustained, positive economic impact in their local communities. With nearly 18 years of professional experience, Olaunda… 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

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

Heather Kilbourne

Heather Kilbourne is the Project 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 including Hamptonville,… 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

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

Jessica Man

Jessica joined the Rural Center and Thread Capital in January 2020 as the Special Projects Coordinator. In her role, Jessica develops and advances new and existing strategic initiatives for both organizations. Previously, Jessica was the Curatorial Assistant to the Chief… 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

Damion Smokes

Damion is the senior loan manager for the Loan Participation Program. He has more than a decade of experience in the banking field, holding various positions throughout his career. His degree in business administration and management helps him streamline the… Read more