Misty Herget

Misty is the chief program officer at the Rural Center, and prior to her current role, she served 16 years in various programs across the Center. Currently, she oversees the Center’s leadership and engagement, research, policy and advocacy, strategic partnerships,… Read more

Adrienne Decker

Adrienne Decker is the Senior Administrative Assistant for the Programs Team at the NC Rural Center. She is a rural southwest Virginia native who spent a decade in the western United States, receiving training in nonprofit management and arts administration… Read more

Bill Holmes

Bill Holmes is our senior director of communications. He grew up in Mount Airy, but his father’s family has lived in the same part of northern Iredell County for more than 150 years.    Bill graduated from NC State University and… 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

Angella Dunston

Angella is the network engagement manager for the NC Rural Center’s Leadership and Engagement team. In this role, she leads efforts to galvanize the Rural Center’s robust statewide network of alumni and rural advocates. Angella has years of experience in… Read more

Andrew Hudgins

Andrew is the program associate for the Faith in Rural Communities team. He is a native of Altavista, a small town in southern Virginia where his grandfather was the mayor for 24 years. Andrew holds a Bachelor’s in Social Work… Read more

Darren Crotts

After 12 years of full time, pastoral ministry, Darren has most recently transitioned to the NC Rural Center as the program manager of Faith in Rural Communities (FIRC). A graduate of REDI 29 and a participant in FIRC in 2018,… 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

Dr. Heather Kilbourne

Dr. Heather Kilbourne is the director of Faith in Rural Communities. 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, Morganton, and… 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

Brandy Bynum Dawson

Brandy Bynum Dawson is the senior director of policy, research, and innovation at the NC Rural Center. In this role she provides oversight and management of the organization’s research and policy agendas, and innovative programs/initiatives, while cultivating partner relations and… Read more

Dalton Bailey

Dalton Bailey is a data manager for the NC Rural Center. He conducts research and data analysis for the Rural Center. Dalton was born and raised in a small rural town in Northern Indiana. He completed his bachelor’s degree in… Read more

Hannah Williamson

Hannah is the program coordinator for the Policy, Research, and Innovation team at the NC Rural Center. She provides administrative support for the team as well as event planning, research, and coordination for the Rural Counts program. Hannah is originally… 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 manager, Miles is responsible for… 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

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

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

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

Jenny Grant

Jenny is the director of operations 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

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

Taylor Gay

Taylor is a business operations specialist at the NC Rural Center, where she oversees conference center services, rates, contracts, marketing, and promotions. She also provides support for building operations and IT and the Rural Summit. Prior to the Rural Center,… Read more

Justin Garber

Justin serves as the Financial analyst at the Rural Center. He works with many vendors to make sure the bills are paid and handles payments that the center receives as well. Justin has lived in North Carolina the majority of… Read more

Jonathan Brereton

Jonathan Brereton is executive director of Thread Capital, a role he has held since its launch in June of 2018. Jonathan is also a principal with Revolve, a company focused on developing a secondary market for CDFI originated microloans across… 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

Rachael Klayman

Rachael Klayman serves as Small Business Capital’s Administration and Compliance Manager. In this capacity, she supports the Small Business Capital team in creating compliance standards, sustainable procedures, and practices to uphold our desire to address systemic economic exclusion throughout North… Read more

Juvon LeGare-Rivers

Juvon is the product manager with the Small Business Capital Division of the Rural Center. She has a strong command of business processes, change management, and project management. Juvon has over 15 years of managing large-scale projects, applying project management… 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

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

DeDreana Freeman

With over 20 years of experience, DeDreana brings the community advocate perspective to small business credit team, working on partnership development using her background in media studies, communication and community organizing to connect the organization to the people and the… 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

Jasper Jones

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

Kristin Perkins

Kristin joined the Rural Center in June 2022, as the loan production manager. She is responsible for managing the application portals for CornerSquare and the Loan Participation Program (LPP), from loan intake to underwriting. She has a background in lending/banking… Read more

Norma Wesson

Norma serves as director of operations and servicing for the NC Rural Center. She previously worked at Self Help Credit Union as Branch Manager of the Windsor Branch. She began her career at St. Luke Credit Union in June 2003… Read more

Racine Casper

Racine serves as the loan operations coordinator for the NC Rural Center. She is a Virginia native and relocated to North Carolina to complete all schooling in the public school sector. She has a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. With… Read more

Tosh Comer

Tosh Comer is the coaching and connections manager for Thread Capital. She is responsible for executing Thread Capital’s mission of strengthening small businesses through coaching and connecting them to reliable resources within North Carolina.   She graduated from North Carolina Central… Read more

Jesse Harris

Jesse Harris joined the Thread Capital team in 2022. In her role as a Loan Associate, she works with clients in all stages of the lending process as they seek to further their small business dreams. Jesse’s passion for collaborative… Read more

Kelli Johnson

A local to the Raleigh area, Kelli joins Thread Capital as a Business Analyst. Prior to joining Thread Capital, she worked in the technology sector, local government, and in start-ups. Kelli’s background involves providing support to entrepreneurs, in advising, mentorship,… Read more

Chris Lovegreen

Chris Lovegreen serves as Thread Capital’s Lending Team Manager. In that role, Chris works directly with clients who are seeking capital and works with the lending team to enhance Thread’s mission of building a more inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystem. Chris has… Read more

Camila Molina

Camila is the Latino Entrepreneurship Manager on the Thread Capital team. In that role, Camila works directly with clients who are seeking capital, coaching, and connections. Additionally, she works closely with the rest of the lending and operations teams to… Read more

Shannon O’Shea

Shannon serves as Thread Capital’s director of operations. She leads Thread’s processes and systems, continuously evaluating performance and seeking opportunities to improve and grow Thread’s mission to strengthen entrepreneurship and expand access to capital for small businesses in North Carolina.… Read more

Ayden Reed

Ayden joined the Thread Capital team in 2023. In her role as a Loan Associate, she works with clients in all stages of the lending process as they seek to further their small business dreams. Ayden loves to connect with… Read more

JaLisha Richmond

JaLisha is Thread Capital’s director of lending and client support. She leads Thread Capital’s loan origination, coaching, connections, and customer service efforts, with the goal of executing Thread Capital’s mission of strengthening entrepreneurship and expanding access to capital for small… Read more

Marco Rosa

As Thread Capital’s marketing and communications manager, Marco is charged with elevating the Thread Capital Brand and raising its public profile to increase the amount of capital, coaching and connections available to small businesses throughout the state who have faced… Read more

Blair Varnado

Blair joins Thread Capital as a Loan Associate working with clients in all stages of the lending process. Prior to joining Thread, he spent about 12 years in real estate/mortgage lending. He started his career in the file room at… Read more