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. 
Maria Julian, Vice Chair
Maria Julian is the Director of Community Health Services for AppHealthCare. Maria and the Community Health team work to strengthen public health outcomes through community partnerships and coalitions. Maria enjoys hiking with her husband and dogs. 
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. 
Paul Holden, Programs and Services
Committee Chair Paul Holden is a native of McLean, Virginia, in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. He moved to North Carolina in 2002 after having spent the previous 18 years in Tampa, Florida. Paul is a sports enthusiast who participated in varsity swimming as an undergraduate and has coached 35 sports teams over the span of his professional and parenting career. Paul has been a licensed clinical social worker since 1989. He has served in seven school districts across Virginia, Florida, and North Carolina. The school districts have ranged in size from 200,000 plus students to his current district of Watauga County Schools which serves 4,400 students. His last 15 years have included managing student services programming in three NC school districts, including his current role as Student Services Director in Watauga County Schools. Paul’s passion for early childhood services has grown from his managing the Pre-K program in two school districts and engaging with early childhood partners in every district where he has worked. Paul holds a Ph.D. in Curriculum & Instruction from the University of South Florida, a Master of Social Work from Florida State University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Georgetown University. Paul and his wife, Kim, are in the process of raising six children. Kim has served as the executive director of the Catawba County Partnership for Children for the past 19 years. 
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
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, Fundraising Committee
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, Personnel and
Finance Committee 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. Kathryn Webb Farley
Sue Wells, Programs and Services Committee
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Schedule for Meetings for 2018-2019
Board of Directors (12:00 PM) 2019 July 22, 2019 August 26, 2019 September 25, 2019 October 28, 2019 December 2, 2019 2020 January 27, 2020 February 24, 2020 March 23, 2020* April 27, 2020* May 18, 2020* June 3, 2020 (1:00-2:30PM)* *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 info@thechildrenscouncil.org for a meeting invitation and password. Committee Meetings *Finance Committee (May 15th 9:00 - 10:30) *Programs & Services Committee (May 12th 1:00 PM) Executive Committee - Meets 9:00 am, 3rd Monday of February, April, June, August, October, December at the Children's Council in Boone *Committee meetings are meeting virtually in response to COVID19 during the times indicated. Please email Mary Scott, Associate Director mary@thechildrenscouncil.org for a meeting invitation if you would like to attend the meeting. 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 Click here to view our Children’s Council Annual Report 2010-2011 Click here to view our Children's Council Annual Report 2011-2012 Click here to view our Children's Council Annual Report 2012-2013 Click here to view our Children's Council Annual Report 2013-2014 Click here to view our Children's Council Annual Report 2014-2015 Click here to view our Children's Council Annual Report 2015-2016 Click here to view our Children's Council Annual Report 2016-2017 Click here to view our Children's Council Annual Report 2017-2018 |