Board of Directors

Julie Page, Board Chair

Julie was born and raised in California,
and it was there she met and married her
husband John of 28 years. They
attended Bible college together in
Los Angeles and when John graduated they took their first appointment in Boone, North Carolina. They were pastors of a local church for 16 years. They felt this Boone was a wonderful place to raise their five children. As their children got older Julie opened a Family Child Care Home and has been loving it for 6 years. She saw how much the Children’s Council supported her business, Little Jewels Home Child Care, and young children in Watauga county and wanted to be a part and to give back.

M. Anthony Brumfield, II, Immediate Past Board Chair

Anthony Brumfield moved to Boone in 2007 and has lived in the area on and off since then. He is currently the Assistant General Manager at the Hampton Inn & Suites in Boone, NC. Anthony loves being involved in many different ways with the community. It is important to him that people who live in a community make a positive impact on that area. He enjoys attending his church Cornerstone Summit Church! Faith, Family and the upliftment of other people are key to him. Anthony loves serving on the Board and is excited to see the organization continue to grow.

Rhonda Russell, Secretary

Rhonda has been a public school educator
in Mississippi, Virginia, Avery County and
Watauga County Schools. She taught 2nd
grade, Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten
with over 25 years of teaching experience.
Rhonda’s undergraduate degree was in
Family and Consumer Sciences and Elementary Education. She also earned a Master’s degree from Appalachian State University in Child Development: Birth-Kindergarten. She is a member of the National Association for the Education of Young Children and is past President of The Children’s Playhouse Board of Directors in Boone.
Rhonda has been a resident of Watauga County since 1991. She has been married to Ray for 40 years, has two daughters and three grandchildren.

Tom Hughes, Personnel and Finance
Committee Chair

Tom Hughes is a native of the North
Carolina High Country and ASU alumni.
He is the Watauga County Social Services
Director and is deeply committed to helping
others. Tom loves camping and touring the
mountains, especially on the back of a motorcycle. He enjoys working with and getting to know new people. He is passionate about his service to vulnerable populations and is dedicated to helping people reach self-sufficiency and full potential. Motto: Let us work hard to leave it better than we found it.

Deborah Phillips, Programs and Services Committee Chair

Deborah Phillips is an associate professor in the Department of Social Work at Appalachian State University, and she is also the MSW Program Director. She has lived in the Boone area for 9 years and considers it to be her home. She believes strongly in community involvement to improve the lives of all who live there. She is active with the Immigrant Justice Coalition and the Watauga County Compassionate Initiative, in addition to being on the Children’s Council Board of Directors. Deborah is passionate about healthy early childhood and family development, and believes that promoting healthy children and families is one of the best ways to help the community, both now and for the future.
In her spare time, Deborah enjoys spending time with friends, her dogs and cat, going to movies and doing needlepoint projects

Matt Rupp

Matt grew up in Boone, North Carolina. He reluctantly left the area to attend college at the University of Notre Dame and law school at Duke University. After law school, Matt moved to Washington, D.C., to serve as counsel to two congressional committees on Capitol Hill. Matt returned to North Carolina to work as an assistant district attorney in Charlotte before coming home to Boone to serve as an assistant district attorney for the people of Watauga County. Matt is now in private practice with the law firm of Angle, Rupp & Rupp, and handles a variety of civil and criminal matters for his clients. When not at work, Matt enjoys spending time with his wife, Sarah, and their three children who are students in the Watauga County School system. He is also an avid runner, skier, and college football fan.

Garrett Shore

Garrett Shore is a Lexington NC native and resides with his family in the Seven Devils Community. Mountain biking, hiking, and snowboarding with his family are his greatest pastimes. He moved to Boone in 1999 and graduated from Appalachian State late 2003. He is currently a Commercial Relationship Manager for Highlands Union Bank. Helping all people prosper has always been a personal motivator. Through several experiences, he has a deep understanding of how critical early childhood ages are, and is very excited to serve on the Board.

Tamara DiVenere
Tamara is a native of West Jefferson in neighboring Ashe County. She graduated from Duke University in 2003 with a degree in Political Science and went on to receive her Juris Doctorate degree in 2006 from UNC. She has been a practicing attorney in the High Country since that time. She is a partner with Reeves DiVenere Wright along with her husband, Jak Reeves, who is also a native of West Jefferson. A large portion of Tamara’s legal practice involves matters involving children in child custody matters. Tamara and Jak have two children, Trane and Theo. Tamara enjoys spending time with her family hiking throughout the Blue Ridge Mountains. In her spare time, Tamara enjoys travel, running and yoga

Moriah Stegall, Party with a Purpose
Committee Chair

Ms. Stegall has been a lifelong champion of
children. Realizing her passion for supporting
children's learning early, she completed both a
Bachelor's and a Master's in Child Development:
Birth through Kindergarten at Appalachian State
University. She has worked with infants, toddler,
preschoolers, kindergartners, and first graders of
all ability levels in private, public, non-profit, and
home educational settings, taught in the Family and Child Studies department at ASU, and is now the Director of the ASU Child Development Center. Her diverse career trajectory provides a well rounded perspective for children, families, teachers, and student employees. Her professional experience pales in comparison to the life lessons her own three children have taught her about loving and raising young children.
"I have devoted my life’s work to cultivating a sense of kindness by providing enriching experiences for children and supporting families in their own journey. I rely on the pedagogical influences of Jean Piaget’s constructivism and Magda Gerber’s "educaring" approach. Both of these figures and their influences on the field of early childhood development inform my practices as an administrator, a teacher, and a mother. Keeping abreast of cultural and industry advancements helps me understand and appreciate the myriad of issues surrounding early care and education, especially as it pertains to families and the broader community."

Larry Turnbow

Larry Turnbow has been married for 34
years with three children, “and a few other
kids who were ‘theirs’ for a time.” Larry is
a retired Applied Environmental Microbiologist; A+ certified computer technician, and an Army Veteran. He retired from a career in Environmental Management and now proudly supports our schools and jobs in sustainable industries.

Kindsay G. Reeder

Kindsay is a native of the Boone area and loves the High Country. A proud Mountaineer and alumnae of Appalachian State University, she has served as a fundraiser, senior adminstrator & event planner for the American Cancer Society, App State Athletics and Appalachian Regional Healthcare System. Married to Jonathan Reeder, Executive Associate Athletics Director for App State Athletics, the couple is passionate about the High Country community and the children & students that reside here. Kindsay & Jonathan have two children, Beckett (7) and Collyns Clay (4). Kindsay enjoys spending time with her family, singing, serving in her church and cheering on App State! In her spare time, Kindsay enjoys travel, running, wedding planning and visiting Disney World!

Terry Worrell

Dr. Terry Worrell is a leadership strategist who has successfully worked in education for over three decades. She earned her bachelor’s degree in education from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, master’s degree in human development and learning from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, education specialist degree in education leadership from Appalachian State University and doctorate in educational leadership from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dr. Worrell has served as an adjunct professor at Gardner-Webb University, University of North Carolina at Greensboro and University of the Cumberlands. Terry was Guilford County Schools’ Principal of the Year. In 2017, the North Carolina Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (NCASCD) named Dr. Worrell North Carolina’s Distinguished Educator of the Year. During her tenure at Asheboro City Schools, she was recognized as a top 10 school district by the Department of Public Instruction and all schools met or exceeded growth for multiple school years. Her team developed and implemented a K-5 dual language spanish immersion program and expanded after school opportunities. In 2019, the governor awarded her the Order of the Long Leaf Pine award for her significant contributions to the state and communities through her exemplary service and exceptional accomplishments. She is passionate about serving her community and empowering children to reach their full potential. Her belief is that early childhood education is essential to helping today’s children and tomorrow’s workforce achieve economic mobility. She focuses on the social and emotional well-being of children and educators by designing supportive trauma/ restorative practices that improve resiliency. She served on the Board of Examiners for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award program, president of NCASCD and is a board of trustee for the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching. Dr. Worrell enjoys spending time with her family and friends, hiking, traveling as well as spoiling her cocker-poodle (Jake). Currently Dr. Worrell is president of Magnolia Education Science, LLC, specializing in strategic leadership.

Board of Directors Meeting Calendar FY 20-21
The Children’s Council of Watauga County meets on the 4th Monday of every month from 12:00 noon until 1:30 p.m.

2020
July 27, 2020
August 24, 2020
September 28, 2020
October 26, 2020
December ??, 2020*
2021
January 25, 2021
February 22, 2021
March 22, 2021
April 26, 2021
May 24, 2021
June 28, 2021

*The November and December meetings landed on holiday weeks. We will combine those meetings and hold on either December 7th or 14th - likely with our holiday lunch for staff. Date and location TBA. Meeting will be 12:00 - 1:30, as regularly scheduled.

**The Board of Directors, and committee meetings are meeting virtually in response to COVID19 during the months indicated.
If you would like to attend the meeting, please contact Executive Director, Elisha Childers at elisha@thechildrenscouncil.org for a meeting invitation and password.

Committee Meetings

Finance Committee - Meets on the 3rd Wednesday at 1:00 in July, September, November, January, March, May.

Programs & Services Committee
Meets 1:00 pm on the following dates:
July 14, September 15, November 10, January 12, March 9, May 1.

Executive Committee - Meets on the 3rd Monday at 1:00 in August, October, December, February, April and June.

*Committee meetings are being held virtually in response to COVID-19 during the times indicated.
Please email Mary Scott, Associate Director mary@thechildrenscouncil.org for a meeting invitation if you would like to attend.

North Carolina Pre-Kindergarten Committee Meetings

NC PreK Committee Meetings Open to the Public --

August 7, 2019 at Margaret E. Gragg Education Center at 12 PM

November 5, 2019 at Margaret E. Gragg Education Center - Time: 12:30 pm

December 11, 2019 at Margaret E. Gragg Education Center - Time: 11:30 am

February 19, 2020 at Margaret E. Gragg Education : Time: 12:00 pm

Notice of Upcoming
NC Pre-K Committee Meetings in response to COVID-19

NC Pre-Kindergarten Committee Meeting // Open to the Public // Location: The Children’s Council of Watauga County 225 Birch Street Boone NC 28607 // Date: May 13, 2020 // Time: 12:00 pm // Available via Zoom - contact Hunter Varipapa to receive Zoom Link - hunter@thechildrenscouncil.org