Board of Directors

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 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 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.

BIO: 

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 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 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 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.

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 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. 

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