Women’s Resource Center in Alamance County’s
2026 – 2027 Board of Directors
Asterisk (*) denotes members who are new to the WRC Board.
Jessica Johnson, President
Jessica Johnson is the Perinatal Health Strategic Plan Coordinator at the NC Department of Health and Human Services. She has over ten years of experience focused on the health and educational outcomes of children and families. Throughout her career, she has worked in the nonprofit and government sectors, specifically focused on improving the inequitable outcomes in maternal and child health through program planning and evaluation and policy development. She is fully bilingual and throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, she worked closely with the local Latinx population to provide case investigation and vaccine access. She is a graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill’s Gillings School of Global Public Health, where she earned her MPH with a concentration in Leadership in Practice. She is married to Hunt Johnson, an estate lawyer, and mother to seven-year-old Violet.
Jewel White, 1st Vice-President
From High Point, NC, Jewel Tillman now proudly calls Alamance County her home. Jewel’s academic journey took her to Elon University, breaking barriers as a first-generation college student. A graduate in Political Science with minors in African Studies and International Global Studies, Jewel’s academic pursuits reflect her desire to unite diverse perspectives and build bridges across dividing lines.
In 2020, Jewel’s global perspective was enriched further during her study abroad experience in Cairo, Egypt. Despite the early return due to the Covid-19 pandemic, she channeled her energy into uplifting her local community. Collaborating with the Harvard School of Education, she played a crucial role in strategically addressing voter mobilization efforts for the 2020 election.
Presently, Jewel serves as the Director of Programs at Impact Alamance, where she manages the Community Forward grant cycle and serves as the program coordinator for the Harwood Initiative. Her commitment to growth is evident through her completion of Leadership Institute in 2021 and her participation in the 2024 cohort of Leadership Alamance.
Beyond her professional pursuits, Jewel’s artistic soul flourishes as she teaches dance for the I.A.M.M. Dance Company at North Park. As a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated, Jewel embodies the values of service and community development, setting an inspiring example for those around her. In her free time, she enjoys embarking on new adventures and creating memorable experiences with her friends and family.
Candice Smith 2nd Vice- President
Candice Smith, a North Carolina native, was born and raised in Alamance County. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Public Health, with a minor in Human Development and Family Studies, from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She is currently pursuing her master’s degree in Public Health at UNCG.
Her past volunteer roles include working with the Girl Scouts of the USA and the American Red Cross. Currently, she serves as a board member and volunteers on committees such as the Herb Festival and Working Women’s Wednesday. She also volunteers with Postpartum Support International as a PSI Coordinator.
Candice is employed by the Alamance County Health Department as a breastfeeding counselor (CLSP) and remains active on several departmental committees. She plans to take the exam this fall to become an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant and to earn certification in Perinatal Mental Health.
Having been a stay-at-home mother for more than twenty years while raising seven children, Candice has developed a deep passion for supporting women and children. Her hobbies include spending time with family and friends, caring for her pets, visiting the Outer Banks, and enjoying music. She is honored to have been a part of WRC for the past couple of years and looks forward to continuing to help make a positive impact in Alamance County.
Ann Honeycutt, Secretary
Ann is a North Carolina native who is a wife, mom and grandmom. She received her undergraduate degree from Meredith College in Raleigh, NC and her Masters in History/Education and Administration from UNC-Greensboro. She taught social studies at Graham High School for 24 years where she was twice awarded the honor of Outstanding Local Educator, served as Assistant Principal for Curriculum and Instruction at Eastern Alamance High School, and as an Outside Evaluator for Alamance County Schools. She partnered with a fellow history teacher to form a consulting business, Professional Connections. She volunteers at Alamance Battleground Friends and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Textile Heritage Museum in Glencoe, NC and Alamance Arts. She has traveled to Russia, Cuba and Iraq as part of programs to develop teaching materials for middle and high school teachers in NC. She enjoys being involved in activities which strive to improve the lives of people within the community.
Ann enjoys gardening, travel, visiting wineries, playing bridge and is an avid reader.
Clark Kernodle, Treasurer
Clark Kernodle is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) since 2002 and is a member of both the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the North Carolina Association of Certified Public Accountants. He is a partner with the Burlington accounting firm of Parrish & Mills, PA where he practices in the areas of for-profit and not-for-profit accounting and auditing, auditing of employee benefit plans, as well as tax planning and preparation. The WRCAC has been his client since 2011. He has served as treasurer and chairman on several not-for-profit boards and committees.
Clark lives in Graham with his wife Leslie and four children (ages 17, 15, 12 and 9) with whom he enjoys camping, boating and any sort of outdoor activities.
Clark wrote, “I have always been impressed with the level of organization the WRC has, even with the small staff that is available. I have seen that they also effectively utilize the many talents of the board members that serve as well, to help supplement the small staff size.”
He added, “Most everything I do in life is ultimately because of my family. Even, potentially volunteering my time for WRC is a way to show them the importance of giving back to our community and helping to support an organization that can likely help guide my daughters in the future.”
Logan Garrison Savits, Past President
Logan joined the Chamber in 2021 as Director of Leadership Development & Education Partnerships. She creates and facilitates leadership development programming, such as Leadership Alamance, Alamance Youth Leadership Academy, and the Community Leaders’ Retreat; and education initiatives, including Tuesday Tours for Teachers, Teacher of the Year, and Education Council. Logan works to connect professionals and students to opportunities. A native of Alamance County, Logan was a North Carolina Teaching Fellow at UNC Chapel Hill, majoring in English and Communication, and she earned a Master of Arts in Teaching from Duke University. Logan has previously taught English and Musical Theater to high school students in Durham, represented authors of young adult literature as a literary agent with the Gernert Company in New York, and most recently served as the Executive Assistant to the President and Liaison to the Board of Trustees at Alamance Community College, where she was also an adjunct in the English Department. Logan serves on the Library Committee for Alamance County, participates in racial justice initiatives in the community, and enjoys traveling, reading, hiking, and spending time with her husband and son.
Rosemary Allegretta
Originally from New Jersey, Rosemary Allegretta moved to North Carolina in 2010 and has lived in Alamance County for the past 7 years. Rosemary is the Assistant Vice President and Branch Manager at First National Bank of PA located in Burlington. Over the past 40 years Rosemary has worked in the financial industry.
Rosemary is currently the President of the Rotary Club of Alamance and has loved partnering with several nonprofit organizations in Alamance County.
Rosemary enjoys spending time with family traveling, glamping and trying the next best restaurant with wife Beth, bonus children and four precious dachshunds.
Rosemary has found purpose in understanding a need and finding a solution or way to help.
Barbra Bond *
Barbra is originally from Lake Placid, New York but moved to North Carolina during her preteen years where she lived in Winston-Salem. After completing her college education at UNC Charlotte, she moved to Burlington to be close to family and has been a resident of Alamance County for 35 years.
Barbra has worked at LabCorp for 25 years where she currently is a Manager and GPO Administrator in the Hospital and Health Systems group. Prior to LabCorp, she worked in Underwriting at Integon Insurance for ten years.
Barbra has previously worked with many non-profit boards as well as held the position of Board President with both Alamance Children’s Theater and Alamance Citizens for Education. She was deeply engaged in the PTO for both her son’s schools, when her children were small, from room mother to PTO board president.
Barbra and her husband, Steve, enjoy working and living in Alamance County. They have two grown boys. Ivan is a general contractor locally who is married with two children and Nick lives in Florida where he works for The Tampa Bay Rays. Barbra enjoys spending her free time at the beach but especially babysitting her two grandchildren.
Amber Bradsher*
Amber is the Quality Manager at Labcorp with a strong background in compliance and regulatory environments. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from UNC Greensboro and a Master of Business Administration with a concentration in Healthcare Management from the University of Phoenix. Amber leverages systematic approaches and process management techniques to drive meaningful impact in both her professional and community work.
She is a dedicated community advocate, volunteer leader, and board member committed to empowering women and strengthening her community. Amber currently serves as a Board Member for the Salvation Army, is actively involved in youth ministry at her church, and is serving her third term as Co-Chair for Relay for Life of Alamance County.
Amber is passionate about building connections, supporting community initiatives, and creating opportunities for women to succeed. Known for her positive attitude, reliability, and collaborative spirit, she enjoys volunteering, leading special projects, and raising awareness for important community needs. Through her service and leadership, Amber strives to inspire confidence, foster support, and improve the quality of life for those around her.
Stephanie Braxton
Stephanie was born in Burlington, NC. Shortly after that, her parents divorced. She doesn’t believe it to be her fault. Stephanie’s grandmother said she was a good baby, “she always slept through the night.” By the time Stephanie was in 4th grade, she had attended five different schools. She moved around a lot, from parent, to grandparents to aunts and uncle until finally settling down with her grandmother… the one that thought she was perfect! By 10th grade, Stephanie’s grandmother found out she wasn’t so perfect, but she kept her anyway. Stephanie graduated from Williams High School with the class of 1983. She was an average student but had the grades to attend both UNC and Elon College. She majored in Mass Communications with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Elon. Much of the credit goes to the many teachers she encountered over the years at the various public schools she attended. Some were good, some not so good. Her grandmother was her best teacher.
Stephanie now lives in Burlington with her husband Chuck and their German Shepard, Tango. Their son, Macray, is a senior at Appalachian State University and their daughter, Madeline, lives and works in Durham, NC. They are lifelong members of Macedonia Lutheran Church. Most recently, Stephanie served as the Executive Director for the non-profit organization Alamance Citizens for Education. Stephanie sits on the Holy Comforter Episcopal Church Community Preschool Board, Macedonia Lutheran’s Community Benevolence Committee and is the Vice President of LEAF (Lutherans, Episcopalians and Friends) Elon University’s campus ministry. She enjoys spending her free time with family and friends.
Melissa Chacon Villalobos*
Melissa Chacón Villalobos brings a deeply personal and professional commitment to community empowerment, characterized by her strong connection to the Latine community and her extensive experience in advocacy.
Currently serving as the Secretary for the Valores Board of Directors and working with Elon University, Melissa combines administrative leadership with a passion for grassroots impact.
Her dedication to the Women’s Resource Center of Alamance County (WRCAC) is rooted in firsthand experience. Having engaged with the organization both as a client and later as the Client Resource Counselor from 2020 to 2021, she possesses a unique, 360-degree understanding of WRCAC’s vital role in the community. Witnessing firsthand how the organization transforms lives, Melissa is eager to return to the WRCAC team as a board member.
Melissa looks forward to leveraging her unique perspective, professional background, and community ties to guide the center’s mission and continued success.
Mary Erwin
Mary has served as the Coordinator of the N.C. Child Care Resource & Referral Council since 2014 after stints as the Social Marketing/Outreach Specialist at the Alamance Partnership for Children/Alamance Health Dept. and Executive Director of the Children’s Museum of Alamance. She has worked in her family’s railroad crosstie brokerage (started in 1896) in Robbins, NC, for many years and she and her husband still operate the company. Mary was the first E.D. of the Alamance Citizens for Education, served a term on the Alamance Board of Education and currently serves as Secretary on the Alamance Closing the Gap board. Her family has been very involved at First Presbyterian Church, Burlington, with the Youth Group, Sunday School, Diaconate and Session. She and John love to spend time in the N.C. mountains.
They have two adult sons, Will and Jack, who are in Raleigh and Wilmington.
Susana Goldman
Susana has lived in Alamance County for ten years, but is a native of Iowa. She received her B.A. in English and Journalism from the University of Iowa followed by her M.L.I.S. from the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. She has worked for the Alamance County Public Libraries for ten years, as the Library Director for the past five, where she works diligently to guide the services of the library system to meet the ever-growing needs of the Alamance County Community. She also serves on boards of the Alamance Partnership for Children and Alamance Arts and is on numerous committees across the county, including the Women Build Committee for the Habitat for Humanity, the Alamance-Burlington School System Career and Technical Education Business Advisory, and the Wellness Collaborative, Education & Workforce Council.
Her passions include reading, traveling, working in and enjoying her yard, numerous types of craft and DIY projects, hiking, and enjoying music, particularly her record collection.
Katrina Jackson
Katrina Jackson, a Washington, D.C. native, originally came to North Carolina to complete her studies at Guilford College where she double-majored with a BS in Community and Justice Studies, a BA in African-American Studies, and a concentration in Non-Profit Management. Katrina worked first as a Family Literacy teacher with Guilford Technical Community College through the Hispanic Center of High Point, and for the last 15 years has been employed with Alamance County Department of Social Services most recently as the Social Work Supervisor for Alamance County’s Subsidized Child Care Assistance program. Her extensive volunteer service includes duties as a Red Cross Shelter/Disaster Team Leader and a member of the Trauma-Informed Care Environment Committee. Katrina also holds positions on Alamance County’s NC Pre-K Committee, Local Interagency Coordinating Council, the Alamance Partnership for Children’s Board of Directors, the Outdoor Learning Environment Grant Committee, and has previously served on the Head Start Policy Council.
Outside of work, Katrina is an active ministry leader at Coliseum Blvd Church of Christ, where she is the coordinator of the Manna House food pantry and clothing closet and the board Treasurer for the church’s 501c3, Coliseum Outreach Ministries, Inc. As a volunteer, Katrina enjoys serving meals at sites like the Dream Center in Burlington, mentoring/working with students as the Vice President of the Black Alumni of Guilford College, and writing for advocacy. Katrina believes practicing servant leadership and compassion, cannot be turned off and must be intentionally cultivated into everything in order to make the world a better place. Katrina currently resides in Guilford County with her husband, Nick, her two children, and loving German Shepherd.
Johnette Jeffries-Lopez
Johnette Jeffries-Lopez holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from University of North Carolina at Charlotte. She is employed by Women’s Hospital in Greensboro with over 25 years of patient-facing experience, the last 7 years in women’s Health. She has served on a tribal health circle and currently serves on the Health Equity Collective for Healthy Alamance. She has worked at various medical centers throughout North Carolina addressing patient needs with compassionate care and attention to detail. Johnette is passionate about caring for women, especially the underserved community and is interested in health and health equity. She is a member of the Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation. Johnette identifies and walks in the world as a Native Woman as well as a Black Native Woman.
Jenkins Michelle Lawhorn
A board-certified nurse midwife, Jenkins Michelle Lawhorn, DNP, CNM, RNC-OB, has provided full scope midwifery care in both the community and hospital setting. She received her Master’s Degree in Nursing with an emphasis in Midwifery and Doctor of Nursing Practice from Frontier Nursing University, Hyden, Kentucky. Her undergraduate degrees are from Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina.
A South Carolina native, she and her husband, Eric, moved to the area for work and now call Alamance County home. She and Eric, an ABSS High School teacher, and their two children, Jasper and Ellis, reside in Elon.
She is passionate about well person and pregnancy care. She enjoys helping and educating teens and adults through life’s transitions, including wellness, illness and pregnancy.
She serves Frontier Nursing University as North Carolina Regional Clinical Faculty in the Department of Midwifery and Women’s Health and as the Inclusive Excellence Faculty Representative to the President’s Cabinet.
Clinically she provides midwifery care at UNC Health as a part of the Midwifery Service line.
Jacob Nelson*
Jacob serves as the HR Recruiting Supervisor for Always Best Care Senior Services, where he leads recruitment, onboarding, employee engagement, and workforce development initiatives across multiple North Carolina locations. In his role, he focuses on attracting and retaining top talent, supporting employee growth, and helping build a positive workplace culture that enables both employees and the organization to thrive.
Jacob is passionate about leadership development, community involvement, and creating opportunities for others to succeed. He is a graduate of Leadership Alamance’s class of 2025 (the best class ever) and has completed additional leadership development programs focused on operational excellence, coaching, and team development. Throughout his career, Jacob has worked closely with employees at all levels to foster engagement, strengthen workplace relationships, and support professional growth.
In addition to his professional responsibilities, Jacob serves on the Board of Directors for Family Abuse Services and is actively involved in initiatives that support individuals and families throughout the community. He is committed to helping organizations create meaningful impact through advocacy, education, and service. In his free time, Jacob enjoys traveling, spending time with family and friends, and exploring new restaurants and coffee shops.
Tracy Schmidt
After more than a decade moving up the East Coast with Nordstrom, Tracy Schmidt returned to her hometown of Burlington, North Carolina over 12 years ago with a passion for leadership, team building, and community development. Her background in talent development and hospitality has shaped every chapter of her career and continues to drive the work she does today.
In 2018, Tracy stepped into the role of General Manager at Burlington Beer Works—a community-funded, community-driven brewery and restaurant that quickly became a catalyst in the revitalization of Downtown Burlington. It was a unique opportunity for her to lead a high-impact project with deep local roots and an even deeper sense of purpose.
In 2021, she launched Tanner’s Wine Bar, located just steps away from the brewery. With a focus on experiential dining, curated wines, and elevated hospitality, Tanner’s introduced a new dimension to the local culinary scene and reinforced Tracy’s commitment to creating inclusive spaces where people feel welcome, cared for, and inspired.
Beyond the walls of her businesses, Tracy remains actively involved in the broader growth and development of the area. In December 2024, she completed a three-year term as a Board Member for the Alamance County Chamber of Commerce and is currently serving her third three-year term on the Board of Directors for the Burlington Downtown Corporation. Both organizations are deeply invested in supporting local businesses, advancing economic opportunity, and strengthening the cultural fabric of the community.
Whether mentoring team members, collaborating with fellow business owners, or helping guide strategic initiatives through board service, Tracy is proud to play a role in shaping a vibrant, forward-looking Burlington. She believes in the power of hospitality not only to delight but to connect and uplift—and remains committed to doing just that, one plate, one pour, and one person at a time.
Amanda Tapler*
Amanda Tapler is a Teaching Professor of Public Health and the Director of Project Pericles at Elon University. She has dedicated her career to community health, women’s empowerment, and building meaningful partnerships between higher education and community organizations. For more than 20 years, Amanda has collaborated with the Women’s Resource Center through health education programs and community initiatives. Most recently, she partnered with the WRC to develop Frame Your Future, an empowerment program that equips high school girls with life-design skills and greater confidence as they prepare for life after graduation. Her expertise includes community health promotion, adolescent and reproductive health, experiential learning, and community-based participatory research. Amanda also serves as a Faculty Fellow for the Comprehensive Rural Health Project in Jamkhed, India, where she has led community-engaged public health programs for more than a decade. She earned her Master of Public Health from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and lives in Elon with her partner and two children.
Stephanie Wars-Williams
Stephanie Wars-Williams is excited to join the Board of Directors for the Women’s Resource Center of Alamance County. Originally from Elgin, Illinois, she moved to North Carolina to attend the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she earned a degree in Biology in 1989. Shortly after graduation, she began her career at Roche Biomedical—now LabCorp—once it became clear that her parents weren’t going to support her staying in Chapel Hill just to “hang out and have a good time.”
Stephanie is a dedicated lab manager, as well as a proud wife, mother, and “Nonni.” She is passionate about serving her community and currently serves on the board of the Salvation Army. She previously served on the Boys and Girls Club council, always seeking ways to make a meaningful impact.
Through her role at the Women’s Resource Center, Stephanie looks forward to continuing her commitment to helping others and supporting the women and families of Alamance County.
