Entrepreneurship is in my blood. My paternal great grandfather was the first person to put peanut
butter on the market. My maternal grandfather built a successful logging and timber company in
Eastern North Carolina and founded a town around it. Next time you are down east, check out
Pinetown! Since my earliest days, I’ve loved small business—I sold fudge, stamps and cookies in
elementary school and middle school—and after graduating with aa Master’s in English. I worked in
management for several years before going back to school to get my MBA in Finance and Marketing
from Vanderbilt’s Owen Graduate School of Management.

My full resume is on my LinkedIn page, but here is a summary of my experience:

1) Successful rapid development of SkyRunner, a start-up tech company, from inception to
purchase by investors.
2) Major role in the development and growth of three non-profits, the NC Nature Conservancy, the
Tennessee Dance Theatre and the Duke University Institute of the Arts.
3) 20 years of experience in small business development and financing with Self-Help Credit Union, specializing in green business and childcare. Right before I retired, I was selected as the
Asheville Chamber’s Outstanding Woman in Non-Profit Leadership for 2019.

I love everything about small business, especially the people who work in it! I also know that
entrepreneurs tend to want to fly alone, but they are stronger when they come together to face challenges and look for answers. I am most excited to launch the SIM program because it creates peer
support networks while also offering a wealth of resources and connections!