Board of Directors

Pan McCaslin

Chair - Watauga County

Pan lives in Valle Crucis and works as a psychiatric nurse and licensed counselor. She holds a MA in theology and a M.Ed. in counseling. She has served on the board for three years and is the past President of Hearts of Hospitality House. As well, Pan is the chair of the national Board of Archives for the Episcopal Church and is very involved at Holy Cross Episcopal Church. She formerly served as director of the Regional AIDS Interfaith Network in Northwest Arkansas, as a member of the Watauga County Juvenile Crime Prevention Council, and worked as a drug and alcohol counselor. She has four grandkids who call her GrandPan and that's where she and her husband focus a lot of attention and love.

Lisa L. Randolph

Vice Chair - Ashe County

BIO:

Russell Headrick

Treasurer, Finance Committee Chair - Watauga County

Russell joined the Board in 2019, and during his second term- he serves on the Executive Committee, as Treasurer, and as Chairman of the Finance Committee.  He and his wife Margaret moved to Watauga County full-time in 2016, but they’ve owned a house here since the early 2000s, and their eldest son graduated from App State.  Russell retired on at the end of 2021 from the active practice of law with Lathrop GPM, a Kansas City-based law firm.  

Russell became familiar with Hospitality House as a member of the Missions Committee at First Presbyterian Church-Boone, and Margaret, a Watauga County Master Gardener, volunteers in the Hospitality House gardens.  Both Russell and Margaret are ordained Deacons and Elders in the Presbyterian Church USA.  They have both been active in missions work at First Presbyterian Church, and Russell currently serves as Elder there.  In addition to serving on the Missions Committee, he is Chairman of that church’s Property and Personnel Committee.

Diandra Lynn Patterson 

Secretary - Watauga County

Lynn joined the board in 2016. Having worked for Appalachian State University for the past 26 years, currently as the university program specialist in the office of the Dean of Libraries, Lynn oversees 120 student workers and helps students on academic probation find community service placements in the community. She is a member of the university’s Early Intervention Team, secretary for the Black Faculty and Staff Association, works with the Black Student Association, and advises the National Pan Hellenic Council. Residing in the historic Lake Junaluska area, Lynn is an active member of the Boone Mennonite Brethren Church.

TBD

Board Development Committee Chair

BIO:

Tom Trueman

Personnel Committee Chair - Watauga County

Tom is a retired Federal contracting executive and engineering program manager who worked in the field of air traffic management and space exploration. He holds a BS in business administration. Tom lives in Boone and has served on the Hospitality House board since 2016. He is also a member of the Life Villages board of directors. 

Neil Hartley

Facilities Committee Chair - Watauga County

A resident of Boone, Neil is a semi-retired home and building inspector and electrician. He formerly worked as a building code official for Watauga County, the Town of Boone, and the City of Hickory. Neil has served on the Hospitality House board since 2016 and says he has a heart for people who struggle. He has been active in Boone United Methodist Church and as a member of the Watauga County Planning Board.

Julie Trueman

Hearts of Hospitality House President - Watauga County

Julie has her BSN and MS in Nursing and practiced as a Critical Care Nurse and Nursing Administrator. She has been involved in Parish Ministry and has designed a Neighborhood Apostolate for her parish in Florida from the ground up. Before retiring to Boone full time, Julie had the unique opportunity to visit Boone frequently from 2007 till 2014 and through meeting friends at her church, St. Elizabeth’s, she became involved with Hospitality House and the Hearts of Hospitality House organization. She had decided that in her retirement she wanted to be “all in” with one volunteer activity and Hospitality House fit the bill. 

After retiring to Boone in the fall of 2014 and getting her feet on the ground in Hearts she talked to Tina and Todd and offered her help.  Since 2015 she has been a “permanent administrative volunteer” in the Development Office a few days a week.  One of her ongoing tasks is to assure the documentation of all “gifts-in-kind” and to process thank you notes from administration recognizing the generosity of our donors, helping with administrative tasks and chairing the silent auction as Ways and Means Vice-President of Hearts. She is now the President of Hearts of Hospitality House.  Julie is married to Tom Trueman, also very active with Hospitality House, and their 3 children, with their spouses and 2 grandchildren all live in North Carolina.

Kristin Hyle

Resource Development Committee Co-Chair - Watauga County

Kristin is Assistant Director of General Education at Appalachian State University. She holds a BA in Anthropology from the College of William and Mary and a Master’s in Library and Information Studies from the University of North Carolina Greensboro. She also worked with Appalachian’s Freshman Seminar Program. Kristin joined the board in 2019, after having volunteered with Hospitality House for a few years as a dinner server and baker. Other experience includes working as a volunteer coordinator for the Watauga County Democratic Party and with Alpha Phi Omega service fraternity. 

Dr. Christina May, PhD, MPA, MDiv

Strategic Planning Committee Chair - Watauga County

After retiring from a 25-year career as a Naval Officer, Chris took up residence in the High Country and has been very active with nonprofit organizations, serving as founding vice president of F.A.R.M. Café and on the Hospitality House board off and on since 2013. She also served as moderator of High Country United Church and on the national board of One World Everybody Eats. Additionally, she served as a member of High Country Pride and of the Daisy group which provides scholarships to LGBTQ+ students and Appalachian State University. Chris holds a Ph.D. in Human Services/Non-Profit Management, a MPA, and a M.Div. in Interfaith Theology. She works as an internship coordinator and adjunct professor at Appalachian State. She has served many positions on the board over the past few years, but currently she is a regular board member, chairing the strategic planning committee. In her free time, she loves to travel, garden, cook, and play games with friends.

Gary Newman

Wilkes County

Gary joined the board in January of 2022 for his second stint since rotating off in 2018. He serves on Strategic planning, finance, and facilities committees. He is retired from Lowe's companies and is a licensed general contractor. In his free time, he likes to spend time with family, garden, and be of service to his community. He previously served on the Samaritan Kitchen of Wilkes and Wilkes Habitat for Humanity boards. Additionally, he is a member of First Baptist Church of North Wilkesboro, a Committee Member of the Boy Scout Troop 658, and Ally with Wilkes Circle of Care.

Ron McInnes

Watauga County

Ron joined the Board in 2021. He first discovered Boone, Valle Crucis and the surrounding majestic area as a child in the ‘50s and 60’s while on family summer vacations from Miami. He loves everything about mountain living, and retired here with his wife Nancy in 2016. His business and ministry endeavors for 40 years include the hospitality industry, financial services. HR consulting, ministry and nonprofits, and real estate development. As a volunteer firefighter/EMT Ron has seen many challenging life situations. He holds degrees in International Hotel Management, Management of Human Resources and a Masters of Divinity from Denver Seminary.

Wayne Harris Sr.

Wilkes County

BIO: 

Michael J. Cooper

Wilkes County

Michael Cooper works as a Regional Government Affairs Director for the North Carolina of Realtors®. Prior to that he worked as a Public Information Officer at the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality and he practiced law at the McElwee Firm, PLLC. He has written about poverty and homelessness for outlets including The New Republic, National Affairs, Scalawag, and The Winston-Salem Journal. He was a 2020 Civic Saturday Fellow, and was a 2020 Presidential Leadership Scholar, a fellowship hosted by the Bush Center, the Clinton Center, the George & Barbara Bush Foundation, and the LBJ Foundation. He is a proud graduate of Appalachian State University and a native of Northwest NC. 

David Luther

Watauga County

David Luther moved to Boone in 2021 and joined the board shortly thereafter, seeking ways to contribute to the organization amidst pandemic measures. He’s a marketing project manager for Oracle, where he oversees and facilitates the creation of marketing content for finance and business solutions software. He’s a member of Hospitality House’s strategic planning and resource development & advocacy committees, and is chair of the subcommittee for community relations and appreciation.

Other volunteer work includes serving as a member of the Games Management Team for the Special Olympics of North Carolina, where he acts as a regional logistics manager for local competitions. He’s also a volunteer firefighter for the Deep Gap Fire Department and is the president of the Young Democrats of Watauga County. He previously served in the NC Army National Guard, prepared meals for the IFC shelter in Chapel Hill, and worked as a volunteer ESL tutor for Reading Connections, an adult literacy program in Greensboro.

Mark Mashburn 

Watauga County

Mark and his bride, Heather Jo, moved to Boone back in 2013 from the Savannah Georgia area after his completion of a Thru-Hike on the Appalachian Trail. Mark is a realtor with Boone Realty. Growing up, Mark would volunteer for many non-profits in his home town and he has continued to seek out ways to volunteer and give back to the community that he calls home.

Mark participates with the Home Delivered Meals program that the Project on Aging offers to our community. He also is a bowling coach with Special Olympics. Mark recently came off from serving on the Blowing Rock Chamber Board where he was on the Membership Committee and he currently sits on the Community Outreach Committee for the High Country Association of Realtors. Mark has a true passion for helping his fellow human. 

Stephanie O'Brien 

Watauga County

Stephanie joined the Hospitality House board in 2020. Stephanie has lived in the High Country all of her life. She has worked in the hospitality industry in Boone for nearly 20 years and holds a CHA. Stephanie was previously a Girl Scout leader for 8 years, Awana leader, and was the secretary at her church for several years. In addition to serving on the board, Stephanie volunteers with the Red Cross is a volunteer firefighter in her community and is working toward obtaining her EMT through the National EMT registry program.

Amanda White

Watauga County

A community- focused banking professional with a passion for helping clients achieve their financial goals, Amanda White has been in the banking industry for 30 years.  She currently manages the Boone, NC Banking Center for First Horizon and proudly serves on the steering committee for the Stars on the Horizon leadership development program, of which she is a co-founder.  Amanda is involved in the community by serving on the Business Development Committee of the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce, as well as Treasurer for her church, St. Mary of the Hills Episcopal Church.  In her spare time, she enjoys cooking, reading, and spending time with her husband, two sons and two beagles, as well as watching soccer; especially if her son is on the pitch!

Kay Borkowski

Advisory Council, Founder of Hearts of Hospitality House, Board Chair Emeritus

Kay Borkowski and her husband Frank moved to Boone in the fall of 1993 when Frank was named Chancellor at Appalachian State University. Prior to moving to Boone, Kay had been active with Metropolitan Ministries of Tampa, Florida, serving those in need in Tampa. Within a few short months of living in Boone, Kay was on the board of directors for Hospitality House when the LAMPLighters auxiliary of Metropolitan Ministries came to mind. Within a month, Kay gathered forty women at the chancellor’s house to discuss the possibility of forming a similar group to aid Hospitality House. Kay, an accomplished flutist and retired professor, has the longest tenure of any former Hospitality House board member - having served for twenty consecutive years. It is safe to say that Hospitality House would not be where we are today were it not for her vision and influence. 

Allen C. Moseley, Esq

Advisory Council

BIO: