Newsletter August 2023

Welcome New Members!

August Meeting • August 9, 2023 – 12:30-1:30

Do you remember who your WPF sponsor was? Of course you do! Bringing a new member into WPF is a gift that we can pass along and we appreciate our members who went through the application process as sponsors and co-sponsors. We’re excited about the WPF New Member Class of 2023 and are sure you’ll enjoy meeting your 15 new WPF sisters.

Bannister side bottom to top:  Tina Okonkow, Amanda Cromartie, Christine Byrd, Jennifer Noble, Elizabeth Paul

Wall side bottom to top: Kellie Burgess, Karen Foster, Melissa Burroughs, Young Kye

Brooke Alyea: Brooke has worked for Lincoln Financial for over 17 years, and currently serves as its AVP of Strategic Planning. She has a Six Sigma Green Belt Certification and a J.D. degree from San Diego School of Law.

Kellie Burgess: Kellie is a musician and non-profit leader and has served as the Executive Director of the Music Academy for over 10 years. She has both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Cello Performance from UNCG.

Melissa Burroughs: Melissa is Assistant Treasurer for Cemala Foundation, where she manages grants and helped establish Ready for School, Ready for Life, an advocacy program for early childhood education. She earned a B.S. from Appalachian State University.

Christine Byrd: Christine is Director of Development and Communications for Habitat for Humanity of Greater Greensboro. She holds a BA from Furman University, a BFA, from Converse College and an MBA from UNCG.

Amanda Cromartie: Amanda is a CPA with nearly 20 years of accounting experience. She recently started a new position as the Assistant Controller for Elevate Textiles, a division of Cone Denim.  She holds BA and M.S degrees from UNCG.

Sheeba Dawood: Sheeba is the co-founder and CEO of Minerva Lithium, which was spurred by work with the National Science Foundation. Sheeba and her partner have won multiple spin competitions with the company’s compelling product. She earned a PhD in Nanoscience from UNCG.

Karen Foster: Karen is the Co-Owner of Foster-Vosburgh Realty Group. In addition to being a real estate broker, she coaches and trains real estate agents. She earned a BA degree from University of North Florida.

Young Kye: Young is a businesswoman and designer who attended graduate school in San Francisco and earned her Master’s Degree in Korea. She now is co-owner of Craftroom GSO, a home goods and gift shop in Greensboro specificalizing in handcrafted items.

Jennifer Noble: Jennifer has practiced law for over 20 years and now focuses on Trust and Estates at Fox Rothschild. She earned a BA at College of William and Mary and a J.D. at Northwestern University School of Law. 

Tina Okonkow: Tina earned multiple professional degrees and holds licenses as both a family nurse practitioner and a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner. She currently serves as Executive Director of Rising Hope Healing and Helping Hands, providing mental health services.

Elizabeth Paul: Elizabeth is VP of Donor Impact, shift_ed (formerly Say Yes). She was previously Development Manager at UNCG and has a BA from University of South Carolina in Journalism and a J.D. from Charleston School of Law.

Chris Rama: Chris is Executive Medical Director of UpStream Care Continuum and

Patient Journey. She earned her M.D. from Wake Forest University and previously practiced at Cone Health in Internal Medicine. 

Sarah Nudelman Schiavone: Sarah Schiavone is an attorney at Brooks Pierce, Greensboro. She is a summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Duke University and obtained her J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School. She also served on the University of Chicago Law Review.

Joy Shavitz: Joy is president and owner of JCS Investments, a Commercial Real Estate Management and Investment Company that handles purchase, sale, and management. She holds a BA from University of Georgia.

Kelly York: Kelly is a Benefits Consultant at Scott Insurance and her team serves middle market companies in the employee benefits space. She graduated cum laude from University of Notre Dame, with a BBA degree in Marketing

2023 HOLIDAY BAZAAR SIILENT AUCTION

New this year to our fabulous WPF Bazaar will be a mini silent auction.  We are inviting members to join in the fun by donating “experience” related items for attendees to bid on during the Bazaar. Examples:

• Vacation home week/weekend• Spa package

• Theatre and dinner for a small group• Golf package

To make this a significant donation to the WPFF, we are setting the minimum value for the silent auction donations to be $1000. (Several members could put together one silent auction package, if desired).  We are seeking just a small number of silent auction items for this year’s Bazaar.  Please contact Sue Pedaline susan.pedaline@conehealth.com with questions or to arrange for your donation.

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WPF FOUNDATION NEWS

A Message from Kim Eder, WPFF President

I hope this newsletter finds you well and enjoying your summer with your family and friends.  The Foundation Board has been doing the same.  And during this quieter time of our year, we are spending time working on our grant application and review process to make it more efficient and better for the applicants.  Non-profits, especially the smaller groups we work with, spend a lot of their limited time on grant applications.  We want our process to be as easy for them as we can make it while still supporting our mission and our ability to assess their program.  We look forward to sharing this new process in our 2024 grant cycle.  Additionally, I would like to acknowledge the hard work and leadership our Foundation Board exhibits constantly.  They are a caring, supportive, and all around great group of people.  I am honored and thankful to work with them.