Staff
Chief Executive Officer
Kay has served as Chief Executive Officer since 2004. A parent of two adult children, Kay started her career in professional adolescent pregnancy prevention nearly two decades ago. As a health educator and later Executive Director, Kay received widespread recognition for her work with the Caldwell Council on Adolescent Health. During that time, she also served as a member of the Caldwell County Board of Education. She is a current board member with the North Carolina School Community Health Alliance, and an alumna of Leadership North Carolina. She holds a degree in the Science of Counseling, and is a graduate of Carolina’s Medical Center School of Radiology and the Family Life Institute of Appalachian State University. After hours Kay enjoys spending time with her husband, Don, and their five fur babies, two of which are granddogs.
Gaston Youth Connected Program Support Specialist
Amanda provides program support and technical assistance for the Gaston Youth Connected project. She also facilitates the Teen Outreach Program and Parents Matter! Program for the Gaston County Health Department. Amanda has a Bachelor’s Degree in Anthropology and Art History from UNC-Chapel Hill and a Master’s Degree in Health Education from East Carolina University. She lives in Charlotte with her husband and young twins.
Executive Administrative Assistant
Danielle serves as Executive Assistant and helps with the organization’s bookkeeping. A true Durham native, Danielle is a graduate of Cresset Christian Academy and earned a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management from Liberty University. She and her husband are the proud parents to three amazing children.
Financial Manager
Debbie is the financial manager for APPCNC. She has worked in the financial field for 32 years. A native of Zimbabwe, Debbie later moved to South Africa where she met her husband and started a family. She immigrated to the United States more than a decade ago. Debbie lives in Durham, and has four grown children and an ever-growing pack of grandchildren.
Director of Strategic Communications
Elizabeth manages communications for APPCNC. Prior to joining APPCNC, she worked with many of North Carolina’s other leading child advocacy organizations, including The North Carolina Partnership for Children, Inc. (Smart Start) and Prevent Child Abuse North Carolina. Elizabeth is a graduate of Appalachian State University. A native of Salisbury, Elizabeth now lives in Durham with her husband and young daughter.
School Engagement Specialist
Jenny works with North Carolina schools and school systems to help them make comprehensive sexuality education part of the community norms. Prior to joining APPCNC, Jenny worked as Director of Health Education at Wake Teen Medical Services. One of her main responsibilities there was delivering comprehensive sexuality education in schools after the 2009 passage of the Healthy Youth Act. Jenny has worked with young people for almost 20 years, both in schools and outside, coordinating peer education and youth leadership programs, teaching Spanish, and advocating for youth-friendly health policy. Jenny received her BA from Vanderbilt University and completed her Master’s degree at UNC-Chapel Hill.
Evaluation Specialist
Joy is the evaluator for the Gaston Youth Connected project. Over a 15-year period, she provided evaluation services for North Carolina’s Smart Start program at the national, state, and local levels. She holds degrees in Special Education and Rehabilitation Administration, with an emphasis in program evaluation. She raised two grown sons and lives in Durham with her husband.
Young Family Support Program Manager
Kathy works to help communities understand the needs and rights of young mothers and fathers. She has worked in the field of human services for more than 30 years, including work with the Adolescent Parenting Programs, social services, faith communities, rural leadership development, and social work education. Kathy has a Master’s in Social Work from UNC-Chapel Hill. She lives with her husband in Chatham County, and has two grown sons and one grandson.
Priority Populations Coordinator
Kia works on the Gaston Youth Connected project to create strategies to reach the most vulnerable youth. She also manages the project’s Teen Action Council. Prior to joining APPCNC, Kia worked in substance abuse prevention. Kia has a Bachelor’s in Sociology from UNC-Chapel Hill and a Master’s in Public Health from UNC-Greensboro. She is also a Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) and a Certified Substance Abuse Prevention Consultant (CSAPC). Kia lives in her hometown, Charlotte, with her dog Niko.
Resource and Special Projects Manager
Melinda is APPCNC’s lead grant writer, and coordinates the Annual Conference and the Resource Library. She has been with APPCNC since 1999, which means she remembers when the fax machine was the most-used piece of technology in the office. Melinda holds a Bachelor’s in English from Guilford College, with a concentration in Women's Studies. Originally from Tennessee, she has lived in North Carolina for most of her life. She currently resides in Chapel Hill with Lola, her slightly neurotic Pointer mix.
Community Integration Coordinator
Michelle coordinates program-clinic integration and community participation for the Gaston Youth Connected project. She has more than 14 years of experience working in adolescent reproductive health issues, starting as Director of Community Health Education at the Mecklenburg Council on Adolescent Pregnancy. She has also worked in 4H Youth Development programs, HIV/STD health education, and on health equity initiatives. Michelle has participated in Advocates for Youth’s European Study Tour on adolescent sexual health. Michelle holds a Bachelor’s in Health Promotion from UNC-Charlotte and is a graduate of the Emerging Minority Leaders in Public Health Fellowship at UNC-Chapel Hill. Michelle lives in Charlotte with her husband and young daughter.
Hispanic Outreach Coordinator
Olivia works to connect North Carolina’s Hispanic community with top-notch pregnancy prevention and reproductive health efforts. After receiving degrees in Spanish and Portuguese from the University of Arizona, Olivia studied medicine in central Mexico at the UAEM in Cuernavaca. She has worked for the last decade with the Hispanic communities on reproductive health issues in Arizona and North Carolina. A native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Olivia now lives in Chapel Hill with her husband and their daughter, Seraphina Bloom.
Public Education Director
Patricia serves part-time as APPCNC’s contract governmental relations consultant. She has worked in both the public and private sectors, most notably as a policy advisor to Governor James B. Hunt, Jr. and as legislative liaison for the Department of Public Instruction. Patricia is a graduate of North Carolina A&T State University and has done coursework at NC Central University, NC State University, and the George Washington University Institute for Educational Leadership’s Education Policy Fellowship Program. A Vance County native, she currently lives in Wake and Guilford counties. She was married to late state Senator William N. Martin, and has two stepsons.
Director of Prevention Programs
Sally directs prevention programs for APPCNC, and has earned the alternate title "Director of Awesomeness." She has also worked in HIV prevention, counseling and testing, as well as in domestic violence services. Sally holds Master’s degrees in Social Work and Public Health from UNC-Chapel Hill. She lives in Durham with her husband and has two delightful college-aged children.
Public Health Coordinator
Sarah is the public health coordinator for the Gaston Youth Connected project, focusing on training and technical assistance and building community partnerships. Sarah’s past experience includes public health program design and evaluation at UNC-Chapel Hill and at the Chesterfield Health District in Virginia. She also served as a classroom teacher in the Mississippi Delta with Teach For America. Sarah holds a Master’s in Public Health from UNC-Chapel Hill and a Bachelor’s in Biology from Mary Washington College. She lives in Durham with her darling dog Tula.