Board of
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Jim Bisbee
President Academic background includes a BS degree in electrical Engineering from Pennsylvania State University, 1965 Military background – US Naval officer 1965 – 1968 Work Experience includes various management roles with the Procter and Gamble Corporation, 1968 to 1992 and the Weyerhaeuser Corporation, 1992 – 1999. For P&G he managed manufacturing operations at three Company locations. Organizations ranged from 5 to 250 people. Lead both startup situations and ongoing operations. He also managed technical projects for multi-million dollar expansions and upgrades. During the last 10 years of his career at P&G Jim took a career change to a role as Human Resources Director managed non-technical projects involving the transition to high performance work systems. He also developed expertise as a facilitator and managed numerous projects to do strategic planning in small and large organizations. At Weyerhaeuser, he led a task force to Benchmark work processes with other large corporations. Among Jim’s other accomplishments he was President of the Board of Education of the Tunkhannock Area School District in Pennsylvania, facilitated Strategic planning for the Community Hospital in Perry, Florida, was President of “Partners in Education”, a partnership between educators, business leaders and parents to improve educational outcomes in the Craven County School System. Jim is a gifted ceramicist whose work sells in many fine galleries. He is past President of the Twin Rivers Artists Association as well as past President of the Craven Arts Council and Gallery. Dr. Rose D. Danella Vice President Rose Danella is an interdisciplinary scholar. Her academic credentials include a BA degree from Alfred University an MA and PhD from Syracuse University and 2 National Endowment for the Arts Scholar awards at Columbia and Princeton Universities. A life-long teacher of the social sciences, in 1980 she was awarded the rank of full professor from Mohawk Valley Community College (MVCC). Upon her retirement in 1991, MVCC conferred upon her the rank of professor emerita. In 2004, she was inducted into the MVCC Hall of Fame. In 1992, she began a second career as Clinical Research Studies Specialist in the Viral Epidemiology Branch of the National Cancer Institute. In 1995 she was part of the team headed by Dr. Robert C. Gallo, (co-discoverer of the AIDS virus) that established the Institute of Human Virology within the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore. She facilitated cancer and AIDS research projects and was the Managing Editor of the scientific publication, Journal of Human Virology. From 1997-2001 she was the Principal Investigator for two World AIDS Foundation grants involving HIV/AIDS intervention research using behavioral approaches with adolescents in the Caribbean. Her public service include: President of the New York State Faculty Council of Community Colleges, President of the Utica Board of Education, Trustee of the Utica Public Library, Trustee of the Munson-Williams-Proctor Institute of Art, Past president, Coastal Women’s Forum, Board Member, Craven Arts Council & Gallery, Former member, Craven Community College Foundation Board, Secretary, US Navy League, Coastal Carolina Chapter Other honors include: the Business and Professional Women's Club of Utica, "Woman of the Year" in 1974; New York State Federation of Police Chiefs, "President's Award" in 1989; Mohawk Valley Women History Award, "Woman of Merit: Justice Award” 1990; Federation of Italian-American Societies, "Outstanding Italian-American Woman Award" in 1990; and the International Retrovirology Association, "Distinguished Service Award" in 1994. Tharesa Lee Secretary Tharesa is a graduate of Coastal Carolina Community College, University of Mount Olive College and Liberty University. She has won many awards for her servant leadership style in the community, namely, University of Mount Olive College Hall of Fame Award, City of New Bern Employee of the Year, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Outreach Ministry Exemplary Leadership Award, Chamber Nonprofit Council of the Year to name a few. She had the honor and privilege of running for the top leadership position in the City in 2013 on a servant leadership platform. Currently employed part-time in the role of People Planning Lead with the Choice Neighborhoods Initiative, a New Bern Housing Authority and City of New Bern partnership; retired local government employee; for nonprofit executive director. Tharesa serves the community in various roles, Chamber Executive Committee, Arts to End Genocide, United Way, Neuse-Trent Housing Alliance, Craven DSS Advisory Board, Swiss Bear Redevelopment Corporation, Local Government Federal Credit Union Advisory Board and statewide with the NC Housing Coalition as president of the Board. Tharesa has a love of community, leadership development and people. Her philosophy is one of servant leadership which she models and is manifested through volunteerism, community leadership, community building and outreach. Tharesa is 2015 Chair-Elect for the Chamber. She also pastors with her husband of 31 years. She is committed to her faith, the growth of small businesses, the empowerment of others, nonprofit succession planning and development, professional development and family and friends. Dr. Chris Elizabeth Morgan Treasurer Before attending college, Chris obtained scholarships to study classical ballet with both The Joffrey and Melissa Hayden in New York City. She performed with The Joffrey, the New Jersey Classic Ballet, Bronx Opera Company, and a Hollywood based jazz troupe that toured Europe. Chris subsequently returned to the United States where she earned her undergraduate degree in Chemistry from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (1985) and a Medical Degree from East Carolina University School of Medicine (1989). She completed four years of residency training in Obstetrics and Gynecology in Wilmington, NC (1993) and became Board Certified in her specialty. Chris was a private practice Obstetrician/Gynecologist in New Bern, NC from 1993 - 2005. An injury to her dominant right hand ended her career as a physician, but allowed her the flexibility to return to the university system. Chris is currently pursuing a degree in Fine Arts with a concentration in Sculpture. Chris has earned sculpture awards from East Carolina University School of Art and Design Undergraduate Exhibition (2012), Kinston Community Council for the Arts Competitive Exhibition (2012), Craven Arts Council Annual Juried Show (2011), ‘Rebel 54’ Annual Juried Art Show in Greenville, NC (2011) and Craven Community College (2009). Her sculpture has been published in the literary arts magazine, “Rebel 54” (2011). Chris’s sculpture is in the permanent collections of Craven Community College in New Bern, NC and Castello di Spannocchia, Chiusdino, Siena, Italy. Chris is also an accomplished potter, violinist and painter. She was recently honored by the NC Museum of Art when her self-portrait was chosen for the national juried student exhibition, “Self, Observed,” which hung in affiliation with the “Rembrandt” exhibition (Oct 2011-Feb 2012). Rev. Dr. Stephane Kolonji Born and raised in Zaïre (the Democratic Republic of Congo) where he did undergraduate studies in philosophy, Kalonji moved to the United States in 1995 to pursue graduate studies in theology. He holds a Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) degree with a concentration in missions, from Piedmont International University (Winston-Salem, North Carolina). Prior to earning his doctorate, Kalonji earned a Master of Divinity (M.Div.) and a Master of Arts in Pastoral Studies (M.A.P.S.), with studies done at Catholic Theological Union and Lutheran School of Theology, in Chicago, Illinois. He also earned a Master of Arts (M.A.) degree in Humanities from American Public University, Charles Town, West Virginia. Dr. Kalonji is fluent in English, French, Swahili, Lingala and Tshiluba. Professionally, he has worked as a school teacher, a coordinator of religious education for the Archdiocese of Chicago, an International Presenter on forgiveness, reconciliation and peace. As an International Presenter, he extensively traveled within the USA, to England, Nigeria, Kenya and Burundi, to make presentations and facilitate reconciliation and peace. He coordinated a reconciliation project in Burundi where the 1994 Genocide that also took place in Rwanda claimed over one million human lives. Kalonji was ordained a Lutheran Pastor in 2005 in Chicago, where he served a Lutheran Congregation for seven years. In 2012, he moved to New Bern, North Carolina, to serve as the pastor of Reformation Lutheran Church. He has recently received a call to serve as the pastor St. Paul Lutheran Church, in Rosenberg, Texas. In addition to serving churches in the United States, Kalonji annually travels to Africa to teach and train leaders for Christian ministry. He also enjoys teaching humanities, and has served as an adjunct professor of humanities and literature at South Suburban College (South Holland, Illinois), Saint Augustine College (Chicago, Illinois) and Craven Community College (New Bern, North Carolina). He has held several leadership positions within his denomination and community organizations. Dr. Kalonji is a published author. His Word of Life, a three-book series, was published in 2014 by Sola Publishing (Maple Lake, MN). He and his wife Michele have three young daughters. For leisure, he enjoys biking, jogging and family road trips. Dr. Ralph Redding Dr. Ralph Redding was raised in Lethbridge Alberta, Canada. Ralph attended the University of Alberta for both his undergraduate and medical school training. He got additional medical training in London and Toronto, Ontario, Canada, obtaining a FRCP (C) which is an internal medicine specialty. He then moved to New England with his family, and taught pulmonary medicine at Brown University. He is the author of fifty scientific and medical articles. The most significant event of his life was the discovery of bone cancer at age 35, which prompted amputation of his left shoulder, arm and some ribs. His survival and recovery spurred him into newer interests such as death education for medical students, and participation in the early development of hospices, both in Miami FL and Tulsa, OK, where he practiced medicine for fifteen years. Ralph is now semi-retired and living in New Bern, NC, where he and his wife Beverlee founded Merci Clinic, which provides free medical attention and medicines to un-insured low income individuals. Ralph is the author of “What Really Matters” an illustrated children’s book dealing with the theme of diversity. It celebrates the diversity of the human race and offers young readers a simple and clear explanation of how differences in physical appearances do not matter, because What Really Matters is the inner character or personality of each of us. Carol Doty Carol was raised on Long Island, New York. She received a BS in Nursing from the University of Michigan, and a MBA from Central Michigan. She started her nursing career in San Francisco, CA, caring for premature infants in a state-of-the-art neonatal nursery at night, and volunteering days at a runaway clinic for lost teens. Returning to Michigan, she obtained her Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (PNP) degree from U of M, and then worked with developmentally delayed children, teaching their parents how to stimulate and improve their best outcomes. She moved to Columbia, SC to develop and teach a USC program for school nurses to learn health assessment skills for medically underserved children in coastal towns. She became a hospital administrator, improved policies and procedures for safe and effective care, and worked on developing computerized patient care plans for accuracy and efficiency. At nights and weekends, Carol worked on peace and social justice issues: teaching conflict resolution and empowerment skills for youth groups, parent classes, and women’s conferences from a faith-based curriculum. She was active at the Carolina Peace Resource Center where programs were developed to combat war, racism, poverty, and injustice. At CPRC she developed and taught the “Peaceful Saturdays” program for K-3rd grade children using art/song/games to learn about friendships, fair play, and non-judgmental communication. Carol continued her peace and justice programs after moving to North Carolina to be the PNP of a large pediatric office in Greenville, and also later at her pediatric office in Morehead City. She has worked on hunger-relief programs with Religious Community Services: directed Cropwalk, managed Empty Bowls volunteers, participated in the Soup Kitchen and Backpack Ministry for hungry schoolchildren, and developed a fundraiser to pay for flooring of the RCS homeless shelter, soup kitchen, and dining area. She has assisted with stabilizing twelve Montagnard refugee families into America; and is active on the board of Faith Connection, and their racial reconciliation initiative. Betsy Miller Betsy attended East Carolina University on the North Carolina Teaching Fellows Scholarship and graduated from ECU with a degree in Middle School Education. As a student at ECU, Betsy traveled twice to Mexico and spent a summer in Costa Rica. As a professional, Betsy became a National Board Certified Teacher and earned a Master’s Degree from ECU in Administration and Curriculum Development. From 2007 to 2009 Betsy worked for IFESH, the International Foundation for Education and Self-Help. As a teacher trainer in Africa, Betsy lived and worked in both Malawi and Ghana where she trained both pre-service and in-service teachers at teacher training colleges. While in Ghana, Betsy conducted seminars and workshops instructing teachers how to turn everyday items into instructional materials. While in Africa, Betsy was able to travel to Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Togo. Betsy taught 8th grade social studies at Beaufort Middle School in Beaufort, North Carolina. As a teacher, Betsy was also a co-sponsor of the Student Government Association. Additionally, Betsy worked for the Governor’s Teacher Network as a curriculum writer. Currently, Betsy is teaching at an International School in Kampala, Uganda. Jane Peele Jane is a native of New Bern, North Carolina. She graduated from the North Carolina School of the Arts high school dance program, and danced professionally for 5 years. She toured nationally with Jim Henson’s Muppet Show and danced in several regional modern and jazz companies in California and New York. Jane returned to N.C. in 1987 where she attended East Carolina University and received B.S. degrees in Physical Education and Dance Education and her M.A.Ed. Jane is a National Board Certified Teacher in Early/Middle Physical Education. For the last 22 years, Jane has taught dance in the Craven County School District and remains on the faculty at Down East Dance. Jane was the lead choreographer for the “Stomp Out Genocide 2013” video. Merrill “Mitch” Lewis Executive Director Academic background includes a BFA degree in fine arts from Pratt Institute, 1959. Work experience includes a 40 year tenure as Vice President and Creative Director of Vision Advertising in New York. Mitch headed up a design team whose many successful campaigns included those focused on health care issues as they impacted the medically underserved. He continued his studies, taking courses in sculpture at East Carolina University, Greenville NC, which led to a career as a figurative sculptor. His work has been exhibited in museums, fine art galleries and private collections both nationally and internationally. He has been honored with numerous awards including a 2010 Puffin Foundation Grant for his Darfur sculpture. Mitch has also been given a “Darfur Hero” award from the Save Darfur Coalition and is a Paul Harris Fellow. His speaking engagements include a presentation at a United to End Genocide Action Summit in Washington, DC., speaking on Art as Advocacy. His paper on Arts & Human Rights has been published in a British Scholarly Journal. His sculptural exhibition “Toward Greater Awareness,” addressing the genocide in Darfur is currently on a National tour of University Art Museums and Human Rights Centers. Public service includes having served on the Board of the Craven Arts Council in New Bern, NC, including 2 terms as Vice President. During his tenure, he initiated and chaired their National Sculpture Show and was the driving force behind the establishment of their highly acclaimed Sculpture Park. Mitch also helped initiate the Art in the Airport Program for the Coastal Carolina Regional Airport. He also served on the North Carolina Arts Council Roundtable. Mitch is also a past Board Member and Lay Leader at his Temple. |