Meet Our Team
Meet the team dedicated to transforming health care in eastern North Carolina. Together, we’re supporting innovative care, the health sciences student experience, enhancing community health and making a lasting impact. And we’re here to guide you through every step of your philanthropic journey, ensuring that together, we can create a healthier future for the 1.4 million residents we serve.
Karen Bean
Executive Assistant for Health Care
Karen Bean
Executive Assistant for Health Care
Karen joined the foundation team in 2014 as an executive assistant and is referred to as a true “administrative multi-tasker”, responsible for providing logistical and administrative support to the foundation team.
Karen grew up in Farmville and went to Pitt Community College where she received her associate’s degree in business administration. Karen is a twin and has a large family (three brothers and one sister). She enjoys watching college basketball and NFL football and her favorite team is the Dallas Cowboys. Her nephews are competitive bowlers; therefore, she spends a lot of her free time traveling with her sister and family to different competitions and tournaments.
“I enjoy being able to assist and be a resource to our board members, donors and my fellow team
members. In addition, it is rewarding to see where and how the philanthropic dollars that are raised by the ECU Health Foundation are making a difference in the lives of citizens in eastern NC.”
Gianna Bonfiglio
Annual Giving Coordinator
Gianna Bonfiglio
Annual Giving Coordinator
Gianna joined the Foundation team in 2025 as an Annual Giving Coordinator. She works with all nine ECU Health Community Hospitals spread across eastern North Carolina and assists with fundraising efforts. Her primary focus is to help our community hospital development councils with updates and mailings to bring awareness to each hospital and their population.
Gianna is from Waxhaw, North Carolina, and graduated from East Carolina University with a degree in Public Health with a concentration in Community Health. She integrated into philanthropy through her degree at ECU and, being from what was once a very small town, she connected with the issue of healthcare limitations, specifically rural counties. In her free time, Gianna loves summer and winter sports such as snowboarding and wake surfing. She has a passion for health and fitness and loves to learn new ways to incorporate that into her daily life. You can always find her on the pickleball courts or on a nice stroll through the many trails Greenville has to offer. Reading, crafts and baking are her homebody hobbies. She is also very passionate about content creation for brands and has been able to build a social media platform dedicated to this space where she’s able to be creative and work with some of her dream brands.
“From my degree in Public Health, I fell in love with learning and working with health care in rural counties. I earned many certifications within the scopes of rural health and working with areas that need assistance in their health care systems. I find it most rewarding that I am able to bring my passion into reality, working with our hospital system throughout eastern NC.”
Elizabeth Briney
Executive Assistant for Health Sciences
Elizabeth Briney
Executive Assistant for Health Sciences
Elizabeth joined the Foundation in 2006 and currently serves as the Executive Assistant for the Health Sciences team. She assists Dr. Herb Garrison, Senior Officer, and the ECU Health Foundation Board of Directors. In addition, her role consists of various responsibilities that include office management, stewardship, and planning of special events.
As a Greenville native, she attended East Carolina University and received a Bachelor of Science degree in Child Development & Family Relations. She and her husband Paul have two girls who are very involved with sports and activities. On the weekends when they are not sitting on a sports field, you can find them enjoying the beach and/or pool!
“My favorite part of my job is stewarding donors during special events. Thanking donors for their incredible contributions is very rewarding and also a great way to build long-term relationships to those who support our mission.”
Scottie Brown
Annual Giving Coordinator
Scottie Brown
Annual Giving Coordinator
Since joining the Foundation team in 2022, Scottie’s role at the ECU Health Foundation is to collaborate with our ECU Health Sciences and regional community hospital partners to develop effective fundraising appeals. Using a variety of media channels, she works with our team to develop letters, emails, giving pages and social media posts that relay the impact of philanthropy on the region.
Scottie lives in Colorado with her family and three dogs. As a graduate of Colorado State University with both a bachelor's and master's degree, she has more than 20 years of professional experience working in higher education and healthcare fundraising, including five years working in University Advancement at East Carolina University. She and her husband have two children, a college junior and a high school junior. In their free time, she and her husband can be found enjoying the outdoors, hiking and running.
“I'm excited to be back in familiar territory working with the ECU Health Foundation remotely. Knowing the role I play improves lives and is making a difference, is the best part of my day.”
Michele Cherry, MPA
Grants Director
Michele Cherry, MPA
Grants Director
Michele joined the Health System in 2008 and joined the Foundation team in 2022. As the grants administrator, her role includes tracking, monitoring and compliance for all grants awarded to ECU Health. This involves providing technical assistance to all ECU Health entities for the life cycle of each grant from pre-award (grant seeking, application preparation), grants management (reports, accounting), and post award (close-out). She ensures all laws, rules, and regulations are followed surrounding grant funding.
Michele was born and grew up in Brooklyn, NY and moved to Edgecombe County with her family where she graduated from Tarboro High School. She received both her undergraduate and graduate degrees from East Carolina University. Her professional experience began in 2001 where she worked in the grants space at local government and then joined the health system in 2008 as a project manager for the Edgecombe County Breast Cancer Taskforce with a grant from Susan G. Komen for the Cure. In her free time, she loves spending time with her family, enjoying road trips, and genealogy. She and her husband Victor have four adult children and eight grandchildren. Her grandchildren are the joys of her life!
“The most rewarding part of my job is securing funding to help the health system, patients, and our communities complete the critical work of improving health and wellness in eastern NC. My favorite part of working in the Foundation is being a part of a supportive team that works hard, has great and supportive leadership, and has fun! For the first time in my career, I feel challenged, excited, purposeful, empowered, and exactly where I am supposed to be!”
Christy Deardorff
Director of Annual Giving
Christy Deardorff
Director of Annual Giving
Christy joined the foundation in 2020 and works to engage as many community members as possible by sharing inspirational stories that show the vital role donors play in fulfilling our mission - to improve the health and well-being of eastern North Carolina.
Christy was born and raised on her family farm in West Virginia. As a college student in Virginia, she had the opportunity to call alumni to chat about the college and the impact their donations had on her college experience. She regularly volunteered her time in high school and college, but that was the first time she experienced talking with donors about their gifts. This experience had a major impact on the trajectory of her career. She has lived in Greenville since 2006 and she met her husband, a Pitt County native, at ECU. Their son is soon to be 17 and is the goalie for the JV soccer team. A lot of her free time is spent on the road to and from soccer games. She loves to cook and bake and has a soft spot for rescue dogs. They adopted their second dog, Luna, in 2020 after losing their first heart-dog to cancer that same year.
“Connecting donors with an area or program they are passionate about and seeing their eyes light up with pride and joy as that area grows and improves patient outcomes is the most amazing part of my job at the Foundation.”
Dana Everett
Operations Manager
Dana Everett
Operations Manager
Dana joined the foundation team in 2019 and manages and oversees everything data related at the foundation. As a Salesforce administrator, she manages and maintains the integrity of the database, oversees gift processing, research, and overall data operations.
As a graduate of ECU, Dana received her in bachelor’s of science degree in business management. In her spare time, she can usually be found at a park with her family or watching college softball. She loves to travel and enjoys a good white water rafting trip. As an avid reader, she also always has a book in her bag. She considers herself the “unofficial Chief Games Officer” for creating fun team building events at the foundation and loves a little friendly competition.
“My favorite part of working for the foundation is being able to do the type of work that I love (data) and know that I’m contributing to the health and betterment of eastern North Carolina. I would never get the same fulfillment working to make profits for a private company.”
Herb Garrison, MD
Senior Officer
Herb Garrison, MD
Senior Officer
Since joining the Foundation team in 2023, Dr. Garrison’s role as a Senior Officer includes serving as a member of the leadership team while providing fundraising support for the Laupus Library and the Brody School of Medicine.
As a native of Charlotte, Dr. Garrison received most of his education (BS, MD, MPH) at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He completed his residency training in emergency medicine at ECU Health Medical Center where he was the first fellow in pre-hospital emergency medical services. He was a member of the faculty of the Brody School of Medicine for 29 years serving as a Professor of Emergency Medicine and, most recently, the Associate Dean for Graduate Medical Education. He served for three years as the Interim President of the ECU Medical & Health Sciences Foundation and assisted in the formation of the ECU Health Foundation.
“My favorite and most rewarding part of my job is working with my colleagues and donors to use philanthropy to improve the health and well-being of the people of eastern North Carolina.”
Kahla Hall
Director of Community Benefit Grants Program
Kahla Hall
Director of Community Benefit Grants Program
Kahla has been with the Foundation since 2000 and through her role with the grants team, she works with organizations across eastern North Carolina who want to partner with ECU Health to improve the health, well-being, and quality of life for their fellow community members.
As a native of Craven County, Kahla attended Chowan College in Murfreesboro, NC. Once Kahla moved to Greenville, she continued her education at East Carolina University where she received a bachelor’s degree in business administration with an MIS concentration. Her first experience with philanthropy was in high school, through participation in a 5K Walk/Run to raise funds for the March of Dimes. She then began volunteering with local non-profits to help organize and participate in local mission days and fund-raising events. One of those organizations was the United Way, where she was able to learn about the many needs that people in our local community are facing. This instilled a desire for Kahla to work in the non-profit arena to try to make a difference in the lives of others. In her free time, Kahla enjoys spending time with her husband, family, and friends.
“Each year when we distribute grant funds, we gather the non-profit organizations together for a funding distribution session. This gives the grant recipient organizations an opportunity to share with other community partners and with us, how the funded programs will improve the lives of people in the community. We hear amazing success stories from the grantees that leave everyone in the room feeling uplifted and with a sense of joy! Throughout the year, we hear from grantees and community members how the grant dollars are being used to impact their lives and help to provide them with increased opportunities to achieve better health. We also learn that some of the grant funds we award, at times are a catalyst for financial leverage, subsequently enabling our community partners to be awarded grant dollars from other funders. We also love reading their End of Year reports, where we ask them to share examples of how the funds are positively affecting the lives of the individuals in their community. There are numerous personal success stories about individuals who have been able to improve their health. Many share that the services received have resulted in their improved nutrition, access to healthier foods, and how their increased exercise levels have improved their overall health and quality of life.”
Katie Holder
Donor Relations Specialist
Katie Holder
Donor Relations Specialist
Katie joined the Foundation team in 2024. In her role, Katie has the opportunity to share the impact of donor generosity in the community. Katie is responsible for digital marketing and communications for the Foundation, and she works closely with our team to highlight how gifts made to the ECU Health Foundation are improving the overall health, education and well-being of eastern North Carolina.
Katie graduated from Arkansas State University in 2018 with a bachelor’s degree in multimedia journalism with an emphasis in broadcast. She worked as a reporter and news anchor for several years before making a shift to marketing and communications. While she’s new to the nonprofit world, Katie is excited to apply her storytelling skills to showcase the impact and importance of gift giving. In her free time, Katie enjoys reading and gardening. She and her husband also love to travel and hope to visit every National Park in the United States.
“Getting to talk with students, patients and donors and share the impact the ECU Health Foundation continues to have in eastern North Carolina has been so rewarding. I’m looking forward to sharing more of the incredible work our team does within our community.”
Elise Ironmonger
Director of Programs for ECU Health Foundation and Children’s Miracle Network
Elise Ironmonger
Director of Programs for ECU Health Foundation and Children’s Miracle Network
Elise joined the Foundation team in 2013 where her primary role is to manage the Children's Miracle Network Program. She is responsible for the overall planning and logistics for the CMN Radiothon, Telethon and the Extra Life Program. Additionally, Elise stewards and manages relationships with National Partners while assisting with fundraising efforts for Maynard Children's Hospital and multiple third-party events.
Growing up in the Seattle area, she graduated from Western Washington University with a bachelor’s degree in human services. Elise enjoys spending time with her husband and two daughters and supports their school through her involvement in the PTA and volunteering in the community.
“The most rewarding part of my job is that every single day I know that I'm making a difference for local children.”
Rhonda James
Executive Director of Health Care Philanthropy
Rhonda James
Executive Director of Health Care Philanthropy
Rhonda lovingly joined the foundation team on Valentine’s Day in 2005. As the Senior Director of Health Care Philanthropy, she provides leadership and direction for the health care development team in the design and implementation of strategic and operational fundraising activities for the ECU Health system.
Rhonda is a true eastern North Carolina native, as she was born, raised and currently resides in Robersonville, NC (Martin County). She is a graduate of East Carolina University and following graduation, she worked for Eastern Area Health Education Center for 10 years before joining the Foundation team in 2005. Originally, she began her career with the foundation as the coordinator for the Children's Miracle Network program. Through that program, she was responsible for managing the CMN efforts, oversaw the children's hospital capital campaign and served as the Director of Development for Maynard Children's Hospital. During those years, outside of pediatric fundraising efforts, she has managed the team member giving program and assisted with other capital campaigns and fundraising initiatives as needed. She has been married to her husband, Brian, for 28 years. They have two sons, Josh and Jacob as well as two dogs and a cat. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with family, reading, and being outside. Her favorite outdoor activities include spending time on her deck, sitting in the sand at the ocean listening to the waves, and enjoying the serenity of the mountains!
“After nearly 20 years here at the foundation, I can say that I do what I do and have been here this long because I love it. It is a true labor of love. Meeting patients and their families and hearing the difference our hospital has made in their lives gives me a sense of purpose to know that I played a small role in their journey. Also, being able to connect donors with their passion is rewarding. Most all gifts made to our foundation are personal. The donors are "giving back" for a multitude of reasons. Some are looking for an outlet to express their gratitude, some are looking for a way to "pay it forward" for the care they received and others are simply trying to ensure other patients and/or families have the best experience possible and they know their philanthropic support provides us with the resources we need to make that happen.”
Jon Jones
Assistant Dean and Senior Director for Advancement and Alumni Affairs
Jon Jones
Assistant Dean and Senior Director for Advancement and Alumni Affairs
Jon joined the foundation team in 2019 as the Senior Director of Development for the ECU School of Dental Medicine, where he is responsible for fundraising and philanthropic efforts of the school. Through his role, he invites alumni, faculty, staff, corporations, foundations and friends to support the mission of the School of Dental Medicine which is to provide oral health care to the people of North Carolina while educating the next generation of dental leaders.
Jon grew up in Northern Virginia. He attended college at Georgia Tech where he worked as a student with the GT Alumni Association. This started his career in alumni relations and philanthropy. He has been married to his wife, Melissa, for 19 years and they have three boys. Soccer is their sport of choice, so his free time is spent cheering them on, while also helping with youth ministry at his local church in Greenville.
“I love seeing the way we are able to transform the smiles of our patients, especially those that aren't able to afford it. I also enjoy seeing the way that our donors appreciate making a difference in the lives of our students, giving some of them the opportunity to be the first doctor in their family. Lastly, I love how everyone is focused on the mission of serving others.”
Bobbie Lapiejko, MAML
Development Director for Community Hospitals
Bobbie Lapiejko, MAML
Development Director for Community Hospitals
Bobbie joined the foundation team in 2018 and through her role, she works with our community hospital development teams to guide the fundraising efforts for their communities, their patients and their team members. The goal of Bobbie’s work with the community hospitals is to improve the health and wellbeing of people in eastern North Carolina through philanthropic activity.
Bobbie grew up in Greenville, NC. She attended DH Conley High School and then continued her education at East Carolina University and received her bachelor’s degree in communications. After many years working on her career, she decided to go back to school for her master’s degree in management and leadership from Liberty University. She began working at ECU Health in 2011 and made the switch to the ECU Health Foundation in 2018. Her path into philanthropy was not traditional but rather by chance. She started with ECU Health as the Chair of the ECU Health Town Halls and then transitioned to her role with the Foundation. She is now thriving in her role as Director of Development for Community Hospitals. She has a wonderful family that brings her joy! Bobbie describes her husband Kevin as her rock and best friend. She has a 17-year-old son and a 15-year-old daughter. Their family loves spending time with their two German shepherds, Hank and Waylon. In her free time, Bobbie enjoys spending time with family and friends, shopping, and going to ECU football games! Go Pirates!
“My favorite part of working at the foundation is the people. My co-workers are amazing, and the people of eastern NC are truly special. I am thankful to work every day to fulfill our purpose...to give hope to eastern North Carolina and beyond by inspiring philanthropy to improve health, education, and well-being.”
Gina Long
Grants and Technology Specialist
Gina Long
Grants and Technology Specialist
Gina joined the foundation team in 2022 and serves as the application administrator for the grant management software. She works with the team to provide training and support for our project managers across the system. She is also responsible for updating the Grants Office websites.
As a native of eastern North Carolina, she and her husband enjoy traveling in their free time.
“I enjoy the people that I work with and helping to support a system that serves my community during important seasons of life.”
Bridgett Luckey, MHA
Director of Community Hospital Grants and Outreach
Bridgett Luckey, MHA
Director of Community Hospital Grants and Outreach
Bridgett joined the Foundation team in 2022 and her primary role is to connect the pieces of the grant puzzle for community hospitals from the time they submit the grant until they spend the last dollar!
From the birthplace of Food Lion and Cheerwine (Salisbury, NC), Bridgett is a proud alumni of Winston-Salem State University where she earned her Bachelor's degree in Chemistry and Master's degree in Healthcare. She truly believes that philanthropy found her. It’s a beautiful collision of personal mission and professional need. She and her husband Eric are the proud parents in a wonderful daughter, Erica. In her free time, she enjoys finding new recipes to try and spending time with family and friends.
“The most rewarding part of my job is seeing the impact of our work throughout eastern North Carolina. It’s definitely a team effort!”
Glenn Elizabeth Maxwell, MA, MA
Senior Director of Development for the College of Nursing
Glenn Elizabeth Maxwell, MA, MA
Senior Director of Development for the College of Nursing
Glenn Elizabeth joined the foundation team in 2017, and her primary role is to facilitate and build relationships with those who have an interest in learning more about the ECU College of Nursing and its impact on nursing and healthcare here in eastern North Carolina. Glenn Elizabeth works with donors to understand their wishes, and ensure their vision is realized and the positive impact of their philanthropy is felt. Through her role, she helps others understand the impact of faculty support, research endowment, scholarships and more. Glenn Elizabeth finds it extremely satisfying to see the excitement and joy as individuals begin to understand what their gift will mean to students, the college, the region and, in some cases, even globally. She considers her job a privilege because over time, the great individuals she works with know they can trust her. Getting to know the individual stories is something she treasures deeply, and she loves her job for those stories and the work the Foundation team accomplishes for better patient outcomes thanks to philanthropic individuals.
Glenn Elizabeth grew up in Pink Hill, NC, but lived mostly in Lexington, Va as an adult. She returned to her family's farm in 2011 to care for her aging parents for several years so they could both die at home. Graduating from WFU (doubled in science and religion), she later attended Smith College and received a Master of Arts degree in Religion and attended UVa and received her Master of Arts degree in Clinical Ethics. She taught college for 21 years and has 23 years in fundraising experience. Between she and her second husband, they have 5 children and 5 grandchildren. She loves living on the family farm with its legacy and memories, her family, her horses, gardening, cooking, playing the organ and piano, dancing and anything to do with water. She and her family enjoy entertaining friends and family from far and near.
“Matching donor desires and the College of Nursing needs brings me a tremendous amount of joy because I am from eastern NC. By devoting myself to this work, I know I am improving healthcare throughout eastern NC and beyond. This work will last long beyond my days on earth.”
Christopher Molina
Budget Finance Specialist
Christopher Molina
Budget Finance Specialist
Since joining the Foundation in 2022, Christopher deals with post award for grants and handles the financial responsibility for Disaster Response (Eastern Healthcare Preparedness Coalition). For post awards, he assists with budget revisions, review expenditure reports and handles journal entries each month to make sure they are up to date and are staying in compliance with their respective grant contracts. For the Disaster Response team, he handles all finances and will occasionally deploy out with the team to help with logistics.
As a resident of Virginia, Chris received his undergraduate degree at Virginia Commonwealth University and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in business administration. During his college days, he swam for the club team, was a member of the pep band and worked as a scare actor at Kings Dominion during the Fall seasons. In his free time, he can usually be found visiting theme parks as he has a strong passion for them and has even operated some rollercoasters! Hockey is his favorite sport, and he can be found cheering on the Norfolk Admirals!
“The most rewarding part of being with the foundation is working with the grants. While I do not really partake in the completion of it, I am there for the financial support and as backup for the grant managers that are doing their work to make North Carolina a better, safer, and healthier place. So, while I might not be doing anything with patient’s health directly, I am helping those who help patients in the background. I also have been told I bring joy to the Foundation building which also makes me happy that I can bring some lightheartedness to the places I visit and work.”
Ronald Murrell
Corporate Accountant
Ronald Murrell
Corporate Accountant
Ronald joined the foundation in 2022 and his role with the grants team is to help entities and different programs get grants that will help better serve the community.
Ronald is from NC and attended college at Fayetteville State University where he received his bachelor’s degree in finance. He is married has four children. His favorite sports teams are the Carolina Panthers, and the Carolina Tarheels.
“The most rewarding part about working with the foundation is that I know I am helping people.”
Martha Reavis, CPA
Corporate Accountant
Martha Reavis, CPA
Corporate Accountant
Martha joined the foundation team in 2013 in the grants office. As a corporate accountant for the grants team, once a grant award has been received, Martha is responsible for supporting grant managers with financial setup, reporting and closeout processes. This includes review of the monthly/quarterly reimbursement requests, as well as review of the expense reconciliations and financial reports. She also conducts periodic compliance checks to verify compliance with the documentation/reporting requirements and ensures that expenses charged to the grant are within the approved grant budget.
As a native of North Carolina, she received her accounting degree from Belmont Abbey College (near Charlotte). She also has an active NC CPA license. She and her husband have two dogs (a silky terrier and a Siberian husky). Martha loves supporting all the great work that our partners within the organization are doing for the community. During her spare time, she enjoys spending time with family and traveling.
“I'm so thankful to support the work our grant managers and their teams are doing for our patients and communities. I'm humbled by their care and compassion for everyone, and their dedication to our communities. I'm also thankful for their commitment to utilizing grant funds received appropriately and effectively to meet the needs of our communities, and I enjoy supporting them to ensure the financial and reporting requirements are met.”
Christina Ridgeway
Development Coordinator for ECU Health Foundation and Children’s Miracle Network
Christina Ridgeway
Development Coordinator for ECU Health Foundation and Children’s Miracle Network
Christina joined the Foundation in 2018 and works with Children's Miracle Network Hospital's to raise money for Maynard Children's Hospital at ECU Health Medical Center. She helps plan and organize fundraising events, designs newsletters and merchandise, and works with local and national corporate partners with their fundraising efforts.
Born and raised right here in Greenville, Christina graduated from East Carolina University in 2012. She participated in the Disney College Program in 2012 before graduation where she worked in Fantasyland Merchandise at Walt Disney World. She is married to her wonderful husband, and they have a beautiful little girl, Sophie. In her spare time, she enjoys shopping and doing arts and crafts. Christina also enjoys watching her favorite shows, including The Office, Parks and Recreation and 9-1-1.
“The most rewarding part of my job at the ECU Health Foundation is knowing that what I'm doing is making a real difference in the lives of local kids and their families.”
Scott Senatore, EdD, MBA
Chief Philanthropy Officer
Scott Senatore, EdD, MBA
Chief Philanthropy Officer
Scott joined the foundation team in 2016 and through his role as the Chief Philanthropy Officer, he directs and formulates policies, sets strategy, and provides the overall direction for the ECU Health Foundation.
As a North Carolina native, Scott is from Wilmington, NC. He graduated from UNC with a degree in Journalism and Mass Communication. As Scott continued his education, he attended ECU and received his MBA and doctorate degree (EdD) in higher education administration. Scott met his wife at UNC, who is from Greenville, which brought their family to the Greenville area. He started his career at the Greenville-Pitt County Chamber of Commerce as the President, and during that time, developed a deeper appreciation for health care and higher education as an important foundational piece of our community and region. When an opportunity with the Foundation became available to continue his career in the nonprofit sector through health care and higher education philanthropy, he pursued it. In his spare time, Scott enjoys spending time with his family and watching and coaching his sons' sports teams. When his family isn’t at the ball field, they also enjoy traveling in their free time.
“The most rewarding part of my role with the Foundation is knowing that we are creating a positive impact and making a true difference for our community, region, and state.”
Chris Smith, MSA, CPA
Vice President
Chris Smith, MSA, CPA
Vice President
Chris joined the ECU Health Foundation team in 2016 and is responsible for leading teams and managing resources for the day-to-day operations of the organization.
Chris is an ECU Pirate and there he received his bachelor’s degree in computer science and a master’s degree in accounting. In his spare time, Chris enjoys spending time with his wife and three children, attending ECU football games in the Fall, and playing guitar and leading worship at his local church.
“My favorite part about working at the Foundation is that I get to play a small role in the improvement of health care across eastern NC.”
Liz Stockstill, MS
Donor Relations Manager
Liz Stockstill, MS
Donor Relations Manager
Liz joined the foundation team in 2024 as the Donor Relations Manager. Through her role, she is responsible for managing the foundation’s strategic donor relations and communications plans, with an emphasis on telling the story of impact of the foundation’s efforts and overall donor impact to eastern North Carolina and beyond. Her role also involves building brand awareness for the ECU Health Foundation within the colleges and schools of the health sciences and ECU Health through marketing and communication strategies.
Liz graduated from Georgia College & State University with a bachelor’s degree in mass communication with an emphasis on Public Relations. She then continued her education and received a Master of Science degree in Communications from the University of Louisiana, Lafayette. Liz brings more than 17 years of experience to our team in the marketing and communications field. She has a strong background and significant experience in nonprofit healthcare and pediatric dental marketing and communications, special events management, campaign creative and graphic design. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends in Greenville and exploring the eastern North Carolina region. She also loves golden retrievers, baking and decorating cakes, and during baseball season, can be found cheering on her favorite team – the Atlanta Braves!
“As the donor relations manager for the ECU Health Foundation, my goal is to provide our community, donors, and region with the story of the foundation’s impact, message, voice, and vision to improve the overall health and well-being of eastern North Carolina. I hope to be able to provide the Foundation donors and friends with communication and information that resonates to the true impact their gifts are making in the lives of the patients, families, and students they support.”
Sarah Swain, MA
Executive Director of Philanthropy for Health Sciences
Sarah Swain, MA
Executive Director of Philanthropy for Health Sciences
Sarah joined the foundation team in 2024 and leads the Health Sciences fundraising team which benefits ECU's Health Sciences campus. These schools include Brody School of Medicine, the College of Nursing, the College of Allied Health Sciences, and the School of Dental Medicine.
According to Sarah, after two "this isn't for me" majors (law and business), she finally found her fit within Communication Studies/Public Relations at Campbell University. Her grandmother was diagnosed with lung cancer her junior year in college and when looking for a senior internship, she knew she wanted to work in the nonprofit field. She landed at Duke Children's Hospital and loved it. Over her 19 year career, she has been fortunate in serving organizations whose mission she believes in and can be an advocate for. After graduation, she moved to Greenville and worked with the American Cancer Society. In 2013, she returned to Campbell to lead their annual giving program and ultimately their alumni association and areas within the advancement team. While at Campbell, Sarah earned a Master of Arts degree in Philanthropy and Development from LaGrange College. Her passion project at Campbell was their Second Chance Initiative. This program offered free associate and bachelor’s degrees to incarcerated individuals. Through the lens of grace and opportunity, she saw how a college degree can be transformational, not only for the graduate but for their family and the communities they'll be released back in to. In the three years she worked on that program, she successfully secured more than $3 million to ensure its future sustainability for the students. Sarah feels that her work in philanthropy is her calling. She believes in the power of connecting individual's passions with an organization's mission and seeing transformation at work.
“Growing up in eastern North Carolina and having worked with the American Cancer Society, I appreciate the mission of the ECU Health Foundation to improve the quality of healthcare in eastern NC. I believe our alignment with ECU has great potential to strengthen the health and quality of life in our region.”
Grace Tolson
Director of Development, Brody School of Medicine
Grace Tolson
Director of Development, Brody School of Medicine
Grace's role at the Foundation has significantly evolved throughout the years. Since she joined the team in 2015, her responsibilities have evolved from managing stewardship and donor relations to directing fundraising through leadership annual giving. Currently, her primary role focuses on building relationships with those who have an interest in supporting the Brody School of Medicine.
Grace is proud to share a hometown with Elvis Presley, Tupelo, MS. She grew up outside of Greensboro, NC and graduated from Meredith College with a degree in communications. She was introduced to philanthropy very early in life, as her parents taught the importance of giving and investing in the community. At Meredith, she worked in the Student Call Center, cold calling alumnae to ask for their support of the college. That job, along with her upbringing, helped her realize her love for connecting with donors and helping them identify how their personal passions and interests align with the needs of an organization. Grace met her husband in Raleigh (Go Pack!). She and her husband have two busy boys - ages two and five. She likes to tell people that she wasn't born and raised in eastern North Carolina, but she got here as fast as she could! Grace loves eastern North Carolina and is very committed to the mission of ECU's Health Sciences - to increase the number of health care professionals serving our state, to improve the health and well-being of our region and to train students who will meet the needs of our state and communities.
“The most rewarding part of my work is when I'm able to align a donor's passion and interests with the needs of our colleges and schools. Out of this often comes support for student scholarships, research or faculty development. I love being able to show a donor their investment hard at work impacting the lives of our students and communities. We tell donors, “Your investment isn't simply touching the lives of the student who benefits from it, it also touches the lives of those they will one day serve!""
Blair Vick
Donor Relations Coordinator
Blair Vick
Donor Relations Coordinator
Blair joined the Foundation team in 2015 and is responsible for assisting with the planning of large and small-scale events as well as providing support for donor relations and engagement. As part of the Donor Relations team, she assists in strategies and tactics to make donors feel special while focusing on the small details that make others smile and feel important.
Blair is originally from Kinston, NC and has called Greenville home since 1999. As die-hard Tar Heels, she and her husband both graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill and are currently re-living their college days through their oldest son who is a senior there. Their youngest son is a freshman at UNC-Wilmington which has made them recent empty nesters. As Blair approaches her ten-year anniversary with the ECU Health Foundation, she has loved spending this decade focusing on healthcare philanthropy. Chips and salsa, live music, friends and family, and traveling are a few of her favorite things!
“I love being creative and thinking of new ways to share the mission of the ECU Health Foundation with others. Raising awareness through events and sharing stories of impact, is not only rewarding (and fun) but also very meaningful.”
Varessa Wall
Director of Development
Varessa Wall
Director of Development
Since Varessa joined the team in 2013, her role focuses on Major Gifts and Grants to support the Health System for Cancer Care, Hospice, Cardiovascular, Internal Career Development, Patient Medical Needs and regional hospital needs.
As a Louisiana native, Varessa graduated from the University of New Orleans with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications and Journalism. She brings more than 25 years of experience in fundraising, grant writing, volunteer recruiting and special event planning from medical schools and academic health centers such as Tulane University School of Medicine, Ochsner Clinic Foundation, and the University of Texas Medical Branch. In her free time, Varessa enjoys traveling, golfing and spending time with friends and family.
“The most rewarding part of my work is knowing that the monies raised go to help those most in need in our community and the funds stay local. Whether it is funds raised for someone's livelihood, or to help one of our team members pursue further education and certifications - my job is very meaningful to me to make a difference where I live and in a community that takes care of one another.”
Kim White
Gift Processor
Kim White
Gift Processor
Kim joined the Foundation team in 2025 as a Gift Processor. In her role, she manages and processes donations from donors through various forms of gift giving. She also assists with managing and maintaining the donor database, which may include updating contact and gift information as needed.
Originally from Belhaven, North Carolina, Kim has lived in Greenville since graduating from ECU in 1999 with a degree in Business Administration and a minor in Information Processing. Kim is the oldest of two siblings and a proud Aunt and Godmother. She enjoys spending time with family and friends making memories, traveling when possible, reading, shopping and relaxing at the beach. Originally introduced into the world of philanthropy by her best friend, Kendra, through her work with various organizations, Kim always volunteered and helped her with any event she had and through that, developed a passion and love for helping with whatever the cause was and seeing the impact it had on those affected.
“The most rewarding part about the work I do with the Foundation is knowing it directly supports meaningful causes and helps make a difference in people's lives. By ensuring the donations are processed accurately, I can help maintain and build donor trust and ensure the funds reach the programs and initiatives they are intended to support. Also, being a part of a team that promotes and facilitates generosity and change brings about a sense of purpose and satisfaction.”