Board

Britt Lovin is VP/GM of Andy Oxy CO., Inc, an industrial gas/welding supply company based in Asheville, NC.  Mr. Lovin is a graduate of Appalachian State University, BSBA-Finance.  Before joining Andy Oxy, Mr. Lovin served in the U. S. Army as an Armor Officer.  He is a licensed pilot.  He has served on various boards in Buncombe County and in his professional field.

Nathan Kennedy is a vice-president and commercial banker with Truist Financial.  Nathan started his career in banking in 2001 with BB&T after graduating from Appalachian State University with a BSBA in Finance & Banking.  He is a native of Western North Carolina and currently resides in Henderson County where he and his wife are raising four children.  He has served on the Henderson County Partnership for Economic Development since 2007, serving as chair for two separate terms.  He is currently a trustee for Blue Ridge Community College, treasurer for Hendersonville Country Club, and volunteers with the Boys & Girls Club of Henderson County and Asheville Trailblazers as a basketball coach.  

Gene Bell is a graduate of Xavier University with a degree in Business Management.  Gene worked for IBM for 25 years and also operated his own construction company.  After working for the Charlotte Housing Authority as the Director of Technical Services, Gene joined the Asheville Housing Authority as Director of Maintenance and Construction in 1994.  In 2005, Gene became CEO of the Housing Authority until retiring in 2019.  Gene is a recipient of the North Carolina Order of the Longleaf Pine Award and has been active in the community by serving on numerous organizations in the Asheville area.

Susan Russo Klein is a graduate of St. Andrews Presbyterian College, BA, cum laude, 1992, and Southwestern University School of Law, JD, 1995. Susan has lived in Asheville for more than 20 years. She is active in the community, serving in her church, volunteering with Pisgah Legal Services, and participating in the North Carolina Bar Association’s Call 4All. She has served on numerous boards in the Asheville area.

Prior to being named president at Blue Ridge Community College, Laura Leatherwood served for 17 years in various roles at Haywood Community College. Dr. Leatherwood holds a doctorate degree in university and community college leadership, a master’s degree in human resource development, and a bachelor’s degree in business law, all from Western Carolina University.

Leatherwood has spent the last twenty-three years in community college education. She was appointed President of Blue Ridge Community College in 2017, leading three campuses with 11,000 students in Henderson and Transylvania Counties. 

Dr. Leatherwood spends a lot of her time working on behalf of the Henderson County Partnership for Economic Development, Henderson County Chamber of Commerce, Henderson County Partnership for Health, myFutureNC Postsecondary Attainment Initiative, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, UNC Health Pardee, WNC Communities Board of Directors, and many other nonprofit agencies.

Carl H. Ricker Jr., Chairman and founder of Azalea Management a real estate development company involved in the southeast and five western states.  Board member and member of the Horatio Alger Association inducted 2009, Co-founder and past Chairman of Genesys Electrical, past board member of First Union Bank, past board member of Highstreet Bank, past Chairman Executive board Capital Bank, past member of the North Carolina Building commission (2 terms), past member of the North Carolina Dept. of Transportation Aviation Division (2 terms).

Dr. Shantelle Simpson is the President & Chief Executive Officer of Appalachian Mountain Health and a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives.  A mission-driven CEO with more than 20 years of experience, Dr. Simpson has built her career around two core passions:  revitalizing complex healthcare organizations and igniting the people who power them.  A proven healthcare transformation leader, she steps into pivotal moments with clarity and resolve – restoring compliance, rebuilding leadership teams, and engineering sustainable growth.  Dr. Simpson is a graduate of Leadership Louisville’s Ignite Spring 2019 class and 2021 fellowship program of the Health Enterprise Network.  Dr. Simpson serves on the Board for Community Health Network of WNC, Mission Health - Asheville, National Association of Community Health Centers, and YMCA of Western North Carolina.