Board of Directors

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.

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 Armstrong has been a Watauga County resident since 2004, living in Blowing Rock.  He earned his Masters in Civil Engineering; specializing  in water quality and computer modeling. He worked  for five years in public agencies, and 37 years in engineering consulting firms. He has worked with local, state and federal agencies.  Of note he was  Project Director for a major Everglades Restoration project. He also served as a Senior Vice President and Chief Operations Officer for international consulting firms.  He is a retired  Registered Professional Engineer in Florida and North Carolina.  He is an American Academy of Environmental Engineers Diplomate. He is married, and attends the Church of the Holy Cross, where he serves on the finance committee.

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.

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 completed her tenure as President of Hearts of Hospitality House in December 2024 and now serves as Personnel Committee Chair. 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.

Born and raised in Nashville, TN, Emily met her husband Andrew Stallings, a Boone native, there where he was working as a general contractor. Andy's family-owned Stallings Jewelry Store, a fixture on King St. for decades, and his mother, Constance was responsible bringing playwright Kermit Hunter to Boone to create the outdoor drama "Horn in the West" in 1951. Additionally, Constance was instrumental in creating the Daniel Boone Native Gardens.

In 2009, Andy and Emily moved back to Boone in 2009 and Emily soon joined Hearts of Hospitality House, serving as interim president for 2011. That year, with the help of Chief Development Director Todd Carter, Emily created The High Country Turkey Trot 5K. She has served on the board of directors for what is now The Women's Fund of the Blue Ridge and led major fundraising efforts for the restoration of Moses Cone Mansion and The Appalachian Theater of the High Country. Emily has her degree in design and owns Stallings & Co. Interior Design. Spending her time between Nashville and Boone, Emily is civic and community minded and still enjoys getting involved when asked.

Longtime Bread of Life Community Kitchen volunteer Pete Finne began his second stint on the board in 2023.  Pete and his wife Yvonne moved to the High Country in the fall of 2016 after being asked to help a friend regain their health after being severely ill. Pete’s volunteerism got started with Low Country Food Bank in Charleston, SC where he was both a line cook in their volunteer kitchen and as a Cooking Matters cooking leader. H ewas referred to the Asheville YMCA by a friend at the LCFB and was instrumental in getting Cooking Matters started in Asheville.

Pete just recently rotated off of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church vestry where he and Yvonne are members. He also volunteers with the Hunger and Health Coalition delivering groceries to recipients that are unable to get out on their own. Pete spent ten years in the Navy on nuclear submarines and continued to serve as a civilian and retired from Naval Sea Systems Command in 2008 after providing technical oversight of submarine systems in both new construction and in service submarines.

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 Bank 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 as a board member of the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce, serves on the Business Development Committee for the Chamber, 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 children and two beagles, as well as watching soccer; especially if her son is on the pitch!

Tracie is the Director of Ashe County Department of Social Services. She has seen first-hand the negative impact that the lack of affordable housing has had on the people of Ashe County and the surrounding counties. After graduating from UNC Chapel Hill, Tracie worked with developmentally disabled children and adults in a residential setting where she experienced the challenges in the system of care that was supposed to serve those who could not provide for their own care. She has maintained a desire to improve the systems in which she has operated throughout her life.
 

After graduating from Wake Forest University School of Law, she clerked on the NC Court of Appeals, worked as a prosecutor, and finally found her true passion in the child welfare area by serving as Associate Counsel for the NC Guardian ad Litem Program in Raleigh, NC. Upon returning to her home in Ashe County, she opened a general practice law firm with a focus on elder law, real estate, and family law. She left the law firm she had founded to take a position as District Administrator for the Guardian ad Litem Program serving the best interests of abused, neglected and dependent children in Ashe, Alleghany, Wilkes and Yadkin Counties. From that role she transitioned to the Director of Ashe County DSS where she works today.

Hospitality House of Northwest North Carolina has held a special place in Tracie’s heart since her return to the High Country. The comprehensive, compassionate services provided by Hospitality House provide people in housing and economic crises the best chance of diverting their path to one of safely housed, good health, food secure, and generally hopeful. Tracie is honored to serve on the Board since 2023 in the company of many other excellent human beings who also serve on the Board of Directors. She has two well behaved children, three spoiled rescue dogs, and until recently, four chickens. The chicken episode taught her the limitation of her farming skills. Tracie and her children are members of Appalachian Church where the motto is to “Love God and Love People.”

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Ben found the Blue Ridge Mountains to be a magical place on his first visit here in 1970 and couldn’t wait to start his life here! He was finally able to call the High Country home in 1979 and hasn’t looked back.

Born and raised in Knoxville, Tennessee, Ben developed an appreciation of the Appalachian Mountains from an early age. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Community Health Education from East Tennessee State University and following graduation worked with numerous public health agencies in Tennessee and Western North Carolina. During that time, he earned a Master of Public Health Administration degree from the world renowned Gillings School of Global Public Health at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

In 1988, he and his wife Mary bought a small retail business, Bare Essentials Natural Market in downtown Boone. They quadrupled the size of the operation in 1997 with a move to a new location on Boone Heights Drive. Following the move, he assumed the responsibility of General Manager. Bare Essentials Natural Market became a community and business institution and resource during the couple’s ownership. Under his leadership, business revenue doubled to over $2 million dollars annually. In 2016, they sold the business and have remained active in religious, non-profit and business communities in the High Country.
 

Mary and Ben met in 1984 and have been married for 33 years. They’ve built four houses and  remodeled one (and are still married!), all in the Aho Community (all within a 3-mile radius of one another). Ben and Mary have one dog, Izzie (aka Izzie Bella, Lil’ Stinker, Tasmanian Devil Dog and Precious). Izzie’s pedigree is yet to be determined, but she is likely a poodle/Jack Russell mix. She was rescued from the wild in Ashe County in 2015.
 

In the 40 years Ben has lived in Watauga County, he’s served on Town of Boone committees and as a Board member of the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce, Board member and Chair of O.A.S.I.S. (Opposing Abuse with Service, Information and Shelter), Member and past President of Boone Sunrise Rotary, Board member of Watauga Humane Society, Board member of An Appalachian Summer Festival Advisory Board, Board member of Watauga Community Foundation, and member of Boone United Methodist Church.

Amy is a native of Wilkes County.  She is a graduate of Wilkes Central High School and Elon College where she obtained a degree in Human Services.  After college she worked with troubled youth with Juvenile Services, she was a treatment worker dealing with troubled families at Social Services, a counselor in mental health and alcohol related issues in Mental Health and then went to work in the school system with "high risk" adolescents.  In 1996 Amy decided to go in a different direction and she got her Real Estate License.  She always loved helping people but decided she wanted to assist families a bit differently. Amy opened her first Real Estate company with a business partner in 2001 until 2014.  They were very successful and had grown to be one of Wilkes Counties largest real estate companies. 

In July, 2014 Amy decided to start her own company, Blair Properties located off of Main Street N. Wilkesboro.  Blair Properties represents buyers and sellers in residential, commercial and land transactions as well as a property management division which entails managing over 180 rentals.  Housing needs in Wilkes and surrounding counties are are an all time high right now and inventory is at an all time low.  Blair Properties has worked very closely with The Hospitality House in the past helping find homes for those in need.  This is one of the many reasons Amy chose to join our Board along with the many other boards she serves on that are listed below: 

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Amy Blair, ABR, CRS, GRI, SFR, SPS

Voted BEST REALTOR in Wilkes 2018, 2019, 2020Vice Chairperson for Wilkes EDC

Council Member for the Yadkin River Greenway 

Community Advisory Board for Truist Bank in Wilkesboro, NC

Town of Wilkesboro Historic Preservation Commission

While a high school student in Austin, TX, Tiffany volunteered at a local church with folks living in homelessness. That church offered a big breakfast, showers, clothes, pick-up basketball games, dental care, medical care, haircuts, AA meetings, acceptance and friendship. As a teenager, visiting their tent camps and developing relationships were formative in Tiffany's understanding of the complexities of homelessness, as well as her commitment to face the challenges of systemic poverty. Additionally, Tiffany participated in a weekend poverty simulation that further instilled compassion and empathy toward all people. While studying at Baylor University, Tiffany attended Church Under the Bridge in Waco, TX. where congregants met under the Interstate 35 and South 4th Street each Sunday. Today, now thirty-two years later includes over 250 people in worship. 

Tiffany has served on the Board of Directors for Habitat for Humanity (Family Selection, Family Support, Co-President), Wilkesboro Parks and Recreation, Safe Spot Child Advocacy Center. and Families First Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Agency, where she was a longtime volunteer. She is an active member of First Baptist Church of North Wilkesboro. She and her husband Bert and have three daughters -- Lily Kate, a junior at Appalachian State University, Gwyneth, a senior in high school, and Ainsley, a Freshman in high school.  She joined the Hospitality House Board of Directors in Fall of 2024 and is so honored to be a part of the great work being done. 

Hannah’s life has been a transformational journey in the truest sense of the phrase. She grew up in-and-out of homelessness with her family and during her childhood the family was heavily reliant on the resources provided by Hospitality House.

In her own words: “The housing assistance, food, shelter and true compassion and care provided by Hospitality House was unlike anything I had ever experienced before. People in the community and at the shelter even purchased Christmas presents for my brother, sister, and I. That memory has been in my head shaping everything I've done in my life. Although I was just a child, I knew that we were homeless - I just wasn't sure why. I attended nearly every school in Watauga County (Hardin Park, Cove Creek, Parkway, Blowing Rock, Green Valley, Valle Crucis, and the Watauga High) just because we would stay with anyone willing to house us at times. I watched as my family allowed my older brother to drop out of school and I decided to push myself and find a way to succeed. 

I joined the Upward Bound program which is designed to help low-income and first-generation students go to college, as well as the Mountain Alliance program. I was able to find positive role models that would help shape me into the resilient woman that I am today. I graduated from Watauga as a first-generation high school graduate and was able to work for Upward Bound at App State for 2 years. During that time, I also started attending Caldwell Community College and was finally able to graduate after five years with an Associate in Arts Degree. I then I enrolled at NCA&T and graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Economics in December 2022.

For some perspective, I went from ranking 330 out of 340 students in high school, to graduating from university with the highest honors and a 3.81 GPA. During these years I had so many bad things happen, but I stayed fighting and I accepted help from those willing to help me, and I stayed resilient and that is why I'm still here today. I made it full circle and am now on the board of directors for the same organization that sheltered me as a child. I'm now able to give back and help make sure those children get the help that they deserve. Because I was that child, and if anyone knows what they need to get past these hardships, it's me.”

Willow is a native of Boone and has lived in the high country for over three decades. She graduated from Appalachian State with a masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and has worked as a licensed clinical mental health counselor since 2019. She began her counseling career at Daymark in Ashe and Alleghany counties as a child and adolescent therapist and now works for a private company with adult and adolescent clients from across North Carolina. During her undergraduate program, Willow served as a mentor and after-school programming assistant with Western Youth Network. In her free time, she enjoys reading books, listening to true crime podcasts, cooking and baking, and spending time with her husband and their cat and dog.

Krystina is a proud single mom of two amazing kids, ages 9 and 13, and a devoted pet parent to a lively dog and three cuddly cats. Since moving to Boone in 2016, She has embraced the beauty of the mountains and the warmth of the local community. Professionally, she works remotely as a tax principal for CTBK, a public accounting firm based in Buffalo, NY. Her academic journey began at Appalachian State University, where she earned dual degrees in Accounting and Hospitality & Tourism Management. Krystina later achieved her MBA from St. Bonaventure University, fueling a passion for leadership and business.

In her free time, Krystina loves soaking in the sunrise at the beach, hiking scenic mountain trails, and attending local events and festivals. Staying active and connected with her community is a joy and a priority in her life.  This is why she is happy to be joining the board of Hospitality House where she can make a lasting difference in people's lives in our local community.

Now settled in the Bethel Community, Maryrose Carroll’s life has followed a path of unexpected twists and much good fortune. She is a celebrated artist, renowned sculptor, published poet and awarded author. Maryrose taught at Northwestern University from 1975 - 1990 and at Appalachian State University from 2004 - 2011. Along the way, she found the love of her life, Paul Carroll, but lost him to cancer in 1996.

Her work has appeared in over forty museum collections and exhibitions with public sculptures displayed across the country from North Carolina to Illinois to California. When toxic and dangerous procedures of that art threatened her life thirty years ago, she transformed into a writer and poet following in her beloved Paul's path.

Her literary works are about love and the unique mountain world of beaver dams with wagon trains and Appalachian tales. Her latest book, Love Follows Murder, is Maryrose’s first work of fiction but is based on her memory of a real murder sixty years ago, Maryrose saw the victim of a gruesome murder wheeled into Embudo Hospital in New Mexico. The hospital no longer exists, but her impressions of a terrible crime remain vivid. Love Follows Murder is a fictional account of 1962 murder.

Today, Maryrose celebrates life on her farm in Bethel with her horse and dogs, enjoying nature. Her wish is that all the world might be able to celebrate life with as much contentment.

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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. 

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.

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.

Russell served two terms on the Board (2019-2024) during which he served 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. Russell retired at the end of 2021 from the active practice of law with Lathrop GPM, a Kansas City-based law firm. 

Russell and Margaret are both ordained Deacons and Elders in the Presbyterian Church USA, and they are members of Rumple Memorial Presbyterian Church.  Russell also serves as a volunteer pantry worker at the Blowing Rock Cares Food Pantry.

Kristen served two terms on the Board (2019-2024) during which she served as the Personnel Committee Chair and Hearts of Hospitality House liaison. She continues to serve on our Advisory Council and is an active member of Hears of Hospitality House.  An avid and exceptional baker, Kristen regularly provides a "Dessert-of-the-Month" item for our annual Hope Auction and is a Bread of Life Meal Team leader with the Watauga County Democratic Party who prepares and serves fourth Wednesday night dinners in our Community Kitchen. 

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Kristen has been employed at Appalachian State University for over twenty years and currently serves as the Assistant Director of General and Experiential Education and is a member of the Undergraduate Advising Council. She and her husband Eddie reside in Zionville with their four-legged fur babies.