Embedded Files
Note: There will be NO coffee service this week. You may bring your own in a mug with a lid, so plan accordingly!
The Minitorium at the Nesbitt Discovery Academy is in the same building as the Buncombe County Schools Central Office located at 175 Bingham Rd. You will park on the side of the building where the BCS offices are, not on the side of the building where the Nesbitt Discovery Academy sign is.
Click here for an aerial photo of the building with the parking lot circled, and the entrance noted. There is also a photo of the entrance to the building.
Presenter Bios
Presenter Bios
Terry Van Duyn
After graduating with a degree in economics from the University of Illinois, Terry began a career in the then new field of data processing working as a systems analyst. In 1992 she moved to Asheville with her husband and two children.
Terry turned to public service more than 20 years ago. After her son was diagnosed with high-functioning autism, she began volunteering at his school and advocated for the autistic community. She went serve in leadership positions with Meals on Wheels and, later, with Pisgah Legal Services. When the Affordable Care Act was introduced in 2010, Terry became a Healthcare Navigator and helped many people secure insurance, often for the first time in their lives.
Terry was appointed to the North Carolina Senate after the death of her predecessor, Senator Martin Nesbitt, in 2014. Elected Democratic Whip by her peers in her freshman year, Terry worked hard to improve public schools, protect the environment, and advocate for a more transparent and effective government.
Dr. Tony Baldwin has served since 2009 as Superintendent of Buncombe County Schools and will be retiring from his post on November 1st . A graduate of T.C. Roberson High School, he has spent his career in K-12 education in Buncombe County schools.
During his tenure, several key accomplishments include the creation of the Williams-Baldwin Teacher Campus which opened in the spring of 2017 and provides 24 units of affordable housing for new teachers in the Buncombe County and Asheville City schools. Likewise, the Nesbitt Discovery Academy, opened in 2013, represents the first STEM high school in Western North Carolina.
Prior to becoming Superintendent, Dr. Baldwin served as Principal of A.C. Reynolds HS, during which time the school received the National Blue-Ribbon School of Excellence Award from the U.S. Department of Education in addition to being recognized as a NC School of Distinction for four consecutive years.
He has been awarded the North Carolina High School Athletic Association’s Superintendent of the Year; Western Region Superintendent of the Year and nominee for the North Carolina Association of School Administrators Superintendent of the Year.
Dr. Baldwin is a graduate of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, where he received both his BA and MA in Education. His Doctorate in Education was obtained from Northwestern State University.
Dr. Jim Causby
Click here for Dr. Causby's bio
Dr. John D. Gossett
Dr. John D. Gossett joined A-B Tech Community College as its seventh president in July 2020. He previously was president of McDowell Technical
Community College in Marion. Gossett's career in higher education began as a Business Administration instructor and department chair at Mayland Community College. He also served Mayland as Assistant Vice President for Academic Services, Associate Vice President for Workforce Development, Director of Research and Planning, and Vice President of Student Development. He joined McDowell Tech in 2012 as Vice President for Learning and Student Services and became its president in 2016.
Gossett serves on the Economic Development Coalition Board for Asheville and Buncombe County, the Mountain Area Workforce Development Board, and the YMCA of Western North Carolina Board. He has served on numerous local, regional, and statewide boards and committees in support of community college education and economic development initiatives, and currently is co-chair of the Faculty & Staff Recruitment and Retention Planning Team in support of the NC Community College System Strategic Plan. His professional interests include community and small business development, as well as leadership development for staff and students.
Gossett holds a B.S. in Marketing from the University of Tennessee, an M.B.A. from Appalachian State University, and an Ed.D. in Adult and Community College Education from North Carolina State University. His doctoral dissertation focused on the role of community colleges in economic development. He and his wife Julie are the proud parents of four adult children, two daughters-in-law, one grandson and one granddaughter.
Dr. Nancy J. Cable
A nationally recognized leader in higher education, educational access, financial aid and affordability, and liberal arts and sciences curricula, Dr. Cable is the eighth permanent chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Asheville. She served as Dean at Denison University from 1977-1986, Guilford College from 1986-1991, and Vice President and Dean of Admission and Financial Aid at Davidson College from 1991-2005. Together with Davidson trustees, faculty, staff, and student leaders, she helped to lead efforts to advance selectivity, diversity, financial capacity, and to implement a strategic plan that advanced Davidson College’s standing as one of the strongest liberal arts colleges in the U.S. From 2005-2009, she served as Vice President for Development in the College of Engineering at the University of Virginia and later with UVA’s Semester at Sea Program. Following three years of service as Bates College’s Vice President, the Bates College Board of Trustees elected Dr. Cable as Interim President, a position that allowed her to help lead college wide efforts on governance, faculty and curricular issues, and matters of diversity and inclusion. Prior to becoming chancellor of UNC Asheville, Dr. Cable served as president of the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations.
A member of Phi Beta Kappa, she earned her B.A. from Marietta College, a M.Ed. from the University of Vermont, and a Ph.D. from the University of Virginia. She also completed the Harvard University Institute for Educational Leadership.
Dr. Cable is one of the charter founders of the University of Virginia Semester at Sea Desmond Tutu Program in Global Understanding and the C.Y. Tung Scholars program on U.S.-China Relations. She was named a Fulbright Senior Specialist and has consulted with the Director of the Fulbright Center in Hong Kong on the development of the liberal arts curricula within the evolving Chinese higher education system.
Her professional service has included membership on many boards of trustees for schools and colleges, including Marietta College, The College Board Task Force on Equity in Higher Education, The Council of Independent Colleges, the Maine Public Broadcasting System, the Jacksonville Civic Council, WJCT Public Radio and Television in Jacksonville, the National Center for Family Philanthropy, and The Asheville School. From 2013-2017, she served as Chair of the Better Angels Society Board of Directors, which advises and supports Ken Burns’s work as America’s leading documentarian of long form historical documentaries. In January 2017, she was appointed to the Board of Trustees of the National Trust for the Humanities in Washington D.C.
Amy Barry
Rachael Nygaard serves as Strategic Partnerships Director for Buncombe County Government. In this role, she provides oversight of the County’s grant programs including the Early Childhood Education and Development Fund. An experienced public sector and nonprofit leader, Rachael is passionate about cross-sector collaboration & community impact.
Marcia Whitney was named President & CEO of Verner Center for Early Learning in May 2018. She is a collaborative leader with a 27-year career dedicated to education, nonprofit management, and fundraising. She has held numerous positions in early education and other nonprofit agencies, including The Jane Goodall Institute and The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina. She passionately believes in high-quality, comprehensive early care and education for all children, regardless of circumstances or background.
Dr. Amieris Lavender, Chief Program Officer of the YWCA of Asheville and Board Member of Asheville City Schools Foundation (ACSF) brings with her a B.A in Feminist Studies and a minor in Education and Applied Psychology from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and a Ph.D. in Education Policy with a concentration in urban education from Michigan State University. In her scholarship, Lavender has researched and worked across issues areas like organizational culture, policy and program implementation, college access programs in urban and rural contexts, college persistence for Black women, and teacher empathy towards Black male students.
Dan Leroy serves as the President and CEO of United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County. Prior to joining the United Way team in 2019, Dan co-founded Green Opportunities (GO) in 2008 as a way to ensure that higher-paying green economy jobs were more accessible to people hardest hit by racial and economic inequity. After leaving GO, Dan led the development team at NC Outward Bound School where he not only directed fundraising efforts of more than $1.5 million annually but also led a successful $12 million comprehensive campaign.
Dan moved to Asheville in 2007 from Northern California, where he launched his career in nonprofit leadership, experiential education and environmental sustainability. He earned a master’s degree in Ecology from the University of California, Davis after graduating from the University of Michigan’s School of Environment and Sustainability in Ann Arbor. Leroy lives in West Asheville with his wife Marin, and two teenage boys, Leif and Kai.
Dan is deeply committed to United Way’s mission to mobilize and support a robust network of people, partners and resources to collectively fight the root causes and consequences of poverty and the organization’s commitment to put equity at the center of its work
Copland Arnold Rudolph is a 6th generation Ashevillian and a product of our county and city public schools. She is the Executive Director of the Asheville City Schools Foundation, a group fitness instructor at the YMCA of Asheville, and a wellness provider within our carcel system through the YWCA's Light A Path program. Copland is committed to ensuring there are comprehensive wellness resources for everyone in our community.
Ways to Get Involved
Ways to Get Involved
Donate to Buncombe County Schools Family Resource Center: call 828-779-4549.
CIS/Children First of Buncombe
Big Brothers Big Sisters of WNC
Other Resources
Other Resources
Resources from Speakers
Resources from Speakers
Early Childhood Advocacy Opportunities
Recommended Reading
Recommended Reading
Bridging the divide: ACS narrows achievement gap between Black and white students, WLOS, February, 2022
The Resegregation of Jefferson County , NY Times Magazine, September, 2017
Adult Education Opportunities in WNC
Adult Education Opportunities in WNC
A-B Tech offers classes throughout the year at five locations around Asheville. Contact A-B Tech at 828-398-7900; abtech.edu.
Asheville Art Museum offers a variety of programs for college students and adults of all ages including artists’ talks, classes, concerts, film screenings, performances, workshops and more. To be included on the mailing list or for more information about any of these programs, call the Education Department at 828-253-3227, ext. 122.
The Botanical Gardens at Asheville offer a full year of botanical workshops and bird walks. The gardens are adjacent to the campus of UNCA. It is recommended that you preregister for classes as they fill up quickly. Contact them at 828-252-5190; ashevillebotanicalgardens.org.
Lenoir-Rhyne University offers non degree courses for audit. Contact the university at 828-407-4278.
The North Carolina Arboretum’s Education Program consists of more than 140 classes taught by some of the region’s leading experts. New Classes are released every six months in February and August. All classes can be found online or in the Arboretum’s “Growing in Mind” Adult Education print catalog. Classes fill up quickly, be sure to pre-register and pay in advance. Arboretum Society members receive a discount on class registration fees. Contact the Arboretum at 828-665-2492; info@ncarboretum.org.
North Carolina Glass Center offers the opportunity to experience glass blowing and make a personal item, to boot. Most classes are individual and last thirty minutes to an hour. Contact them at 828-505-3552; ashevilleglass.com
Warren Wilson College, 701 Warren Wilson Road, Swannanoa, provides some opportunities for non degree seeking students to take classes for credit or on an audit basis. The decision is made case by case through the Admission Office. It should be noted that fees for individual courses or for auditing courses will be higher than for those offered through regular degree programs. Contact the Admission Office at 828-771-2000; warren-wilson.edu.
Western North Carolina Nature Center offers ecology and zoology experiences for adults and family groups such as an evening visit to the Cataloochee section of the Smoky Mountain National Park to about and view elk. Contact the Nature Center at 828-259-8080; wildwnc.org.
Resources
Resources
POP Project (book donations)
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