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Staff Bios

Lisa Bales, Executive Director, began her job at RBBBS in January 1995. A native of Fredericksburg Virginia, she received her BA from Mary Washington College, including a stint of studying at Oxford. Having worked in retail while in college, Lisa joined the Admissions Office at MWC upon graduating and become a recruiter, traveling throughout the states north of Virginia, as far as New England. She began to find her niche in non-profit administration when she became the Executive Director of Fredericksburg Personal Counseling Service, an agency that provided individual, marital and family counseling; she worked there for over seven years.

Lisa then left the non-profit arena for a while to devote her attention to her two young children, Patrick and Laura. Jobs at the Free Lance-Star and as the editor of The Germanna Community College Educational Foundation newsletter, provided some interesting variety during her early motherhood. She also enjoyed serving a term on the Board of Directors for the Mental Health Association and became trained to be a Hospice volunteer, in addition to serving on the Vestry and as a Lay Reader at Trinity Episcopal Church.

Lisa will never forget the day she saw the job ad in the paper for Big Brothers Big Sisters and felt a “magnetic pull” towards “an organization that has such a tremendously positive mission.” She has enjoyed the challenges of helping the agency grow over the past 13 years. Says Lisa, “I have always had a strong sense of community … Fredericksburg is a wonderful place to live and I am proud that our organization plays a big role in enhancing the quality of life here.”

Donna Boyd, Project Manager, Mentoring Children of Prisoners Program, is a native of Fairfax Virginia. She brings a wide range of experience to her job. Most recently, she was a Test Administrator for the US government, administering the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery Exam to applicants wishing to join the military. She has also been a graphics programmer for the Department of Defense as well as a data analyst for a publishing company. While living in Virginia Beach, she served as a volunteer coordinator with the Virginia Beach school system coordinating more than 150 volunteers a year. She currently volunteers with the Bridges to Books Program at the Thurman Brisbane Homeless Shelter.

For the past 2 1/2 years Donna has been the Mentoring Coordinator for King George County. RBBBS was recently awarded a grant by the US Department of Health and Human Services to mentor children of prisoners and Donna will be working on that project as the Project Manager. We hope to serve 300 children of incarcerated parents over the course of the next three years through this project.

When Donna started work, RBBBS had 7 children participating in King George. In the two years she has been working with us, we have increased that number to 66. According to Donna, the best part of her job is seeing the very real difference that one person can make in the life of a child. For the volunteer, it requires less than 30 hours a year to change a child’s life and Donna is always on the lookout for a volunteer willing to give that 30 hours.

Stacy Boyd, Enrollment and Match Support Specialist, was born in California and grew up in Virginia Beach. She earned her BA in Sociology from the University of Mary Washington in May of 2007. She is currently pursuing an MA degree in Professional Counseling from Liberty University. Prior to joining RBBBS, she worked at Remuda Ranch as a Mental Health Technician and has been a volunteer for 5 years at the Rappahannock Council Against Sexual Assault (RCASA) as a Victim's Advocate. Stacy also worked part-time for two years for RBBBS while she was working on her BA degree. During this time, Stacy served as Assistant Mentoring Coordinator for the King George Bigs in Schools; among other tasks, she also conducted volunteer and child enrollment and assessed and referred families for alternative or additional services as needed. During her free time she enjoys shopping, painting, museums and the beach. She is happy to be back at RBBBS because she enjoys working with the Bigs and the Littles to make sure that the experience is fun and rewarding for everyone.

Andrea Springer Collins, Recruitment & Partnership Development Coordinator, is responsible for volunteer recruitment and partnership development in the Mentors of Children of Prisoners, Community Cares project. A native of Little Rock, Arkansas, Andrea has a BA in print journalism with a minor in voice from Southern University in Baton Rouge. She began a career in radio news and has been teaching students with emotional difficulties and learning differences for the past 12 years. Her proudest successes include her marriage to her recently retired Navy husband, and her elementary school age daughter and son. Currently a graduate student in Communication at an area campus of University of Oklahoma at Norman, Andrea aspires to motivate others to mentor a young person and make a life-changing contribution.

Kristin Kesecker, Administrative Assistant, is originally from Pennsylvania and moved to Virginia after receiving her BFA in photography from Shepherd University in 2004. Prior to RBBBS, she worked with Gold’s Gym in central Virginia as a Regional Customer Service Director and Graphic Designer until April 2008. Kristin loves her time outdoors, taking pictures and mountain biking but loves the indoors and being creative just as much. Her two pugs are always by her side while she is at home, working in her studio.

Dr. David Kolar and Dr. Christine McBride, Grant Evaluators, each have a Ph.D. in Social Psychology from the University of California at Riverside. Dr. Kolar is an Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, VA, teaching Introduction to Statistics, Advanced Statistics, Experimental Social Psychology, and several other courses in Psychology. Dr. McBride is a Professor of Psychology at the University of Mary Washington, teaching Research Methods for Psychology, Introduction to Statistics, Advanced Statistics, Experimental Social Psychology, and several other courses in Psychology. Dr. Kolar and Dr. McBride have extensive experience conducting research and program evaluations, most recently as the Assessment and Evaluation coordinators on the USDE grant awarded to RBBBS. For this project, they were responsible the entire evaluation component of the grant, including developing several assessment devices, overseeing data collection, analyzing data, and writing reports for both RBBBS and for the USDE. In addition, Dr. Kolar and Dr. McBride have published research in peer-reviewed journals in the areas of Social Psychology, Personality Psychology, Health Psychology, the Teaching of Psychology and Program Evaluation. They also present research in these areas at professional conferences.

Marci Malinowski, Graphics Specialist, joined RBBBS in June 2004. She specializes in print design, contributing her talents to the agency newsletter, event flyers, logos and all major print pieces produced through this office. She has a BFA in art from James Madison University with a concentration in graphic design. She resides with her husband and three daughters in Fredericksburg and is owner of FinePrint Graphic Design.

Cynthia Osband, Bigs in Schools Coordinator, received her education through the University of Maryland and enjoyed a 22-year career with the United States Navy, in the Communications field. She currently volunteers as a Big Sister in the Community Based program, an experience which has equipped her well for her role on the Agency’s staff. She also volunteers for the Senior Visitors program with the Mental Health Association in Fredericksburg. Previously, she volunteered with the Literacy Reading Program and Habitat for Humanity. Cynthia works with Lori Yelverton coordinating the RBBBS Bigs in Schools program.

Crystal Peterson, Casework Supervisor, Campus Pals Coordinator & Customer Relations Specialist, earned her BS in Psychology from the University of Maryland University College in July of 2006. She is currently pursuing a Master’s in Counseling Studies from NOVA Southeastern University. Prior to joining RBBBS, Crystal worked for a non-profit in Stafford County as a Patient Advocate and Certified Housing Counselor. In addition, she has also worked as an Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) Therapist and Consultant for families in the Fredericksburg area whose children have autism.

Regina Price, Matching & Match Support Specialist, joined RBBBS in December 2007. She received her Associates Degree in Business Administration in 1994 from Strayer University and is currently pursuing her Bachelor's of Arts in Business Administration through Strayer University with a graduation date of 2009. Regina also received a Diploma of Arts Degree in Pastoral/General Church Leadership with emphasis on mentoring women and children from World Harvest Bible College in Columbus, Ohio, May 2005.

She has previous Case Management experience through New Vision, a Faith Based Organization. New Vision is a non-profit that focuses on Prison Re-Entry for Women Offenders/Ex-offenders. Her past experience as a Youth Minister, Big Sister with RBBBS in the late ‘90's and employment with the Rappahannock Juvenile Center in Stafford, Virgina as a Resident Supervisor also brings a broad range of knowledge and skill working with children. Regina's motto is "A child doesn't know how or why unless we teach, train, and mentor them".

Alison Sullivan, Enrollment and Training Specialist, earned a BLS in psychology from the University of Mary Washington in December of 2004. She graduated with distinction and as a member of the Psychology Honor Society, Psi Chi. Alison began graduate study in Clinical Social Work in the Fall of 2005 and will graduate with her MSW from Virginia Commonwealth University in May 2008. In the fall of 2007 Alison was invited to join Phi Kappa Phi, our nation’s oldest and most selective honor society. Alison joined RBBBS in April 2005 as one of the Spotsylvania County Bigs in Schools Mentoring Coordinators. In her current position, Alison enrolls Community Based Bigs, develops and implements agency wide training for all new and existing mentors. Alison has past and current experience volunteering with RCASA, Hope House and Fredericksburg Counseling Services.

Lori Yelverton, Bigs in Schools Coordinator, earned a degree in Business Administration from Michigan State University. She spent several years with US Steel in Atlanta, Georgia before moving to Alexandria Virginia, where she enjoyed fifteen years in trade association management, specializing in financial and human resource management. She has been with RBBBS for three years and loves working with children. Lori feels fortunate to be making an impact in our community through her work in the BIgs In Schools Program. Says Lori, “The smiles on those kids when they talk about their Bigs make all the paperwork worthwhile!” In addition to being a Mentoring Coordinator for Bigs in Schools, she “manages” three sons, a job which she considers her most difficult and most rewarding.

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Board Bios

Michelle Bohn has worked and managed various Title Companies for about 20 years in Virginia. She currently owns Blue & Gray Title in Fredericksburg. Passionate about our mission, Michelle joined the Board to contribute to a worthy community service organization and to support children and families in need of the positive reinforcement that Rappahannock Big Brothers Big Sisters provides.

Michelle comes from a challenged family and understands first-hand the challenges our agency’s children face every day. She has seen first hand the changes we can make in our children by mentoring the children in our community. A resident of Stafford County , Michelle is a proud Navy mom. Her son and daughter keep her busy, along with her career and active participation in our community.

Matt Caspersen is a local orthodontist and a former Big Brother. He attended the Medical College of Virginia for dental school and received his masters in orthodontics from the University of Iowa. He lives in South Stafford with his wife, Stephanie, and his two daughters.

Ali Chohan has worked for Dan Wallace Enterprises/Arby’s for 9 years. He is currently a District Manager.

Ali joined the Board to contribute leadership, dedication to the mission, energy, and hard work. Ali is a native of Pakistan, where he grew up and received his education. He and his wife, Amy, live in Spotsylvania.

Allison Graves works for Coldwell Banker Carriage House as a commercial realtor and property manager. She has volunteered for the SPCA and Habitat for Humanity and, for the past two years, has enjoyed her experience as a Big Sister to a young boy at Hugh Mercer Elementary, in the RBBBS Bigs in Schools program. This opportunity has given her the chance to see the results of our program first hand, which she thinks will enable her to be a better Board member. Allison received her BS in Natural Resource Recreation/Forestry from Virginia Tech. She resides in Fredericksburg.

Patricia Hurley, Practice Guideline Specialist for the American Society of Clinical Oncology in Alexandria, Virginia, joined the RBBBS Board in January 2008, having relocated to Fredericksburg from Canada. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from York University in Toronto, Ontario with a concentration in Social Sciences and a Master of Science degree from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario where her program of study was Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics/Health Research Methodology. Her extensive list of publications includes journal articles, assessment tools, technical reports, software programs, and presentations. She has dedicated her career to medical research.

Patricia has a great deal of volunteer experience. She comes to RBBBS with past experience as a member of the Board of Directors at Big Brothers Big Sisters in Hamilton, Ontario from 2001-2005 and as a Big Sister mentor at the same agency from 2000-2005. Her other volunteer experience, all of which took place in Ontario, includes serving as a Publications Committee member for Bruce Trail Association (2003-2007); providing support with fundraising efforts for the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (1998-2007); serving as an academic tutor for two young boys (1998-2001); and serving as a Community Outreach Worker with Dellcrest Children's Centre (1991-1992).

John Patrick Johnson is a Fredericksburg native. He has a BS degree in Political Science with a minor in Anthropology from James Madison University. For the last twelve years, John (J.P.) has worked for The Free Lance-Star newspaper as an advertising consultant. As a result, he has made numerous professional and personal contacts. John believes that if you are not helping kids succeed, you may be hindering them. He is currently a Big Brother in our Bigs Plus program and serves as President of the Board of Directors. John, his wife, Drea and two sons live in Spotsylvania.

Kathleen Llewellyn-Duncan joined Allen, Allen, Allen & Allen in 2007 and works in the firm’s Fredericksburg office. She is experienced in the courtroom, having represented hundreds of criminal defendants in her former position as a criminal defense attorney for Virginia’s Indigent Defense Commission. This organization provides lawyers for criminal defendants who cannot afford legal representation. Kathleen also serves as an adjunct professor at Strayer University where she is designing a curriculum for a degree in Criminal Justice.

Immediately after law school, Ms. Duncan worked for the Los Angeles Justice Center. She focused on providing affordable legal services to the local community in the areas of personal injury law, family law, and contracts. More recently she has worked as an attorney for AHC. There, she handled both the negotiation of hospital liens with patients and the appeals process for hospitals looking to ensure that health care plans and insurance companies pay hospital bills they owe on behalf of patients.

Her education includes a BS from the University of Virginia (1988), an MA from the University of Mary Washington (1993), a JD from Southwestern University School of Law (2002), and a course of study at the Virginia College of Trial Advocacy. She is licensed to practice law in Virginia and California.

Kathleen served as a Big Sister for 10 years at Rappahannock Big Brothers Big Sisters and was awarded Big Sister of the Year in 1991. Along with RBBBS, she has also contributed community service for the Pet Orphans Fund. She resides in Spotsylvania.

Richelle Moore came to RBBBS through her participation in our Bigs in Schools Program where she has served as a Big Sister for the past three years, to a young girl at Ferry Farm Elementary School. Richelle lives in Fredericksburg with her husband and two daughters and is a partner in the law firm of Parrish, Houck and Snead, PLC. She received her undergraduate degree from James Madison University and her Doctor of Jurisprudence at the University of Tennessee College of Law. Richelle also serves on the Advisory Board of the Rappahannock Council Against Sexual Assault.

Christy Pauley works as an Assistant Branch Manager at First Market Bank. She holds a BA in Psychology from George Mason University and has been a member of various boards and service committees. She has also been a member of the Fredericksburg Jaycees and has been active with the Chamber. She currently serves as the RBBBS Fund Development Committee Chair and is also a Big Sister.

Christy has a very outgoing personality, leadership skills, and the ability to work well with people. She and her husband, Jason, live in Spotsylvania.

Andre Pineda graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1987 with a Liberal Arts Degree in Political Science and History. Thereafter, he went on to Southern Illinois University School of Law where he received his jurist doctorate in 1990.

Upon graduating, Andre went to work as a Legal Honors Intern with the Department of Housing and Urban Development in the Office of General Counsel working on fair housing matters and then served as a trial attorney. From 1994 through 2000, he worked as a staff attorney in the Public Financing, Ethics and Special Projects Division of the Office of General Counsel for the Federal Election Commission. He then went on to become a Special Assistant General Counsel working directly with the General Counsel on management issues.

In 2002, Andre decided to make a career change and became a financial advisor for Legg Mason Wood Walker. During his two years at Legg, he obtained an AAMS certification as well as Series 7 and 66 licenses. In the summer of 2004, Andre resigned his position with Legg to become a stay-at-home dad to care for his daughter. Andre joined Stewart Wealth Management in 2005. He currently works as a Financial Advisor with Cary Street Partners LLC.

Andre, his wife, Carol, and their two children reside in downtown Fredericksburg, Virginia.

Dan Quinton is the Vice President of Sales and Logistics for A-T Solutions, a Security Consulting and Training Company in Fredericksburg. Dan is a retired Navy Special Operations Officer who contributes his leadership, team work skills and time to Rappahannock Big Brothers Big Sisters. He has been a Big Brother to Cole for three and a half years and has enjoyed the opportunity to develop a close bond with his Little Brother by spending time and sharing many experiences together. Dan is a new RBBBS Board Member and a Finance Committee member. He has a BA in Education from Columbia College. Dan, his wife Diane, and son Jack live in Spotsylvania.

Shannon Shackelford works for his family’s business, Golden Coin Amusements. He is the son of long-time Agency supporters Ray and Susan Shackelford. Not only has he recently joined the RBBBS Board, but he has enrolled to become a Community-Based Big Brother as well. Shannon has a BIG heart for kids! He contributes time, effort and teamwork to the Board. Shannon is single and resides in Fredericksburg.

Jerry Sharp works as Market Manager for Wal-Mart. He earned his BS degree in Management and Marketing from the University of North Alabama. Jerry looks forward to contributing leadership, resources, dependability and commitment to the RBBBS Board.

Lori Simms is a partner in several real estate development projects in the Fredericksburg area. She holds a BA in Political Science from James Madison University and an MBA from the University of Richmond. Prior to her venture into real estate, she worked as a contracting officer for the Department of Defense. In her professional career, her experience covers a broad spectrum, including financial, legal and accounting matters. She has a strong desire to give back to the community and looks forward to serving the RBBBS. Lori, her husband Butch and two young daughters live in Spotsylvania.

Shawn Tesar currently works as a Financial Advisor with Merrill Lynch in downtown Fredericksburg .He holds a BA degree in Management from National Lewis University and has 19 years of experience working in the banking, mortgage and finance fields, as well as past involvement on many committees of various Boards in the community. He served as a past President of the Fredericksburg Area Business Exchange Group and is a former Board member for Rappahannock Big Brothers Big Sisters, serving as the agency’s Treasurer, along with being very active with the agency’s fundraising efforts. Shawn brings leadership, fundraising skills and expertise in the field of finance back to the agency!

Sabrina Thomas works as the Corporate and Foundation Program Manager for the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation. Her education has been through the Center for Philanthropy and Strayer University. Sabrina has six years of experience in the non-profit realm and ten years of experience in executive administration. Sabrina also works as a Certified Travel Specialist for Irie World Travel. She looks forward to contributing reliability, hard work, fundraising skills and support to the organization.

Pamela Wharton has been employed as a mortgage loan officer at C&F Mortgage Corporation for the past five years and has been in the real estate business in the Fredericksburg area for ten years.

Native to the Fredericksburg area, Pamela decided to join the Board after being inspired by friends and colleagues who had served in the past and finds it a great way to enrich the community she dwells in and loves. Pamela also serves on the Fredericksburg Area Association of Realtors Public and Community Relations Board as well as their Special Functions Board.

Pamela and her 7 year-old son, Cole, reside in Spotsylvania County.

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