Rachel Miller – Vice President Coming Soon
Gary James, Secretary
Gary James has over 25 years experience in integrated marketing and business communications. His slogan - “it’s all public relations” -attests to experience that includes business launches, strategic communication and marketing planning, creative advertising, copywriting/design and professional public relations services. Jamesgang is “virtual,” offering direct client services or support to agencies and marketing directors, utilizing the internet to its maximum potential by offering flexibility, technology and demands for communications, top graphic and web design without costly overhead.
Brian Jennings – Treasurer Coming Soon
Amy Fowler, Chief of Staff
Amy Fowler graduated Summa Cum Laude and received her Bachelor of Arts at Mars Hill College in 2001. She has worked in the marketing department of CarePartners Health Services for the past 3 years. She has been influential in the branding and advertising campaigns during her tenure. She has recently acquired public relations responsibilities for CarePartners. Amy has also been a board member of the Junior League of Asheville and been on the Executive Committee for the Healthy Buncombe Coalition.
Jaime McKee, Communications Chair
Jaime McKee graduated from Mars Hill College in 2000 with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and a minor in Spanish. She has worked in the online department for the Asheville Citizen-Times for the past nine years and has held the position of online editor since 2003.
Kasey Gruen - Communications assistant chair
Kasey Gruen is the owner of Gruen Photo & Design, a Graphic Design, Photography, and Wedding Photography establishment which has serviced the Southeast for over 7 years. Kasey graduated Cum Laude from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 2004 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a Concentration in Graphic Design. She also has extensive photographic and design training with the latest techniques and software. In addition to Gruen Photo, since 2004, she has worked as a Graphic Designer, Photographer, and freelancer with both large international and small local companies. Prior to giving birth to her son, Kasey worked full time with Pardee Hospital in Hendersonville as a Graphic Designer. Currently, she contracts services with local companies in the medical care field, retail establishments, non-profit organizations, and many other local independent companies. Kasey lives in Arden, NC with her husband & son, and enjoys outdoor activities, exercising, reading, and cooking.
Angela Betancourt – Membership Chair
Angela Tucker Betancourt is the former Vice President of Hunter Public Relations in New York, NY. As a former manager of the Balance Bar account, she oversaw a national grants program for amateur athletes, nutrition trend stories, and professional athlete spokespeople. She also managed the Redwood Creek wine account and helped plan the Taste of Adventure dinner, which won a PRSA Silver Anvil. Redwood Creek’s Campfire Classic, a competition in which finalists paired their best campfire dish with Redwood Creek wines, won a 2007 Magellan Gold Award. She also managed Turning Leaf Wines, Grey Poupon, and supported a variety of consumer food brand accounts including Oreo Cookie. Angela graduated from the University of Central Florida with degrees in Organizational Communication and Advertising/Public Relations.
Angela can be reached at: membership@prawnc.org
Alicia Knighten - Member at large
Alicia Knighten is a WNC native with over 20 years in sales/marketing & public relations. She has served on many boards both locally & nationally such as ECO, Bele Chere, & the International Travel Consortium,. Alicia co-owns Action Digital--a company specializing in web development, eCommerce, SEO, & client events. Alicia can often be found teaching web & marketing-related courses at Blue Ridge Community College.
Alicia can be reached at: webmaster@prawnc.org
Elisabeth Bocklet - Member at large
Elisabeth Bocklet holds a BSW from Warren Wilson College and attended an intensive training program for community organizers through the Southern Empowerment Project. Her education and career has centered on helping individuals and groups identify strategies for change as well as promoting those opportunities and accomplishments. Currently she is employed as the Marketing and Communications Associate for United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County. Her main responsibilities include event coordination, web maintenance, serious amounts of schlepping, as well as material design and general promotion for United Way's two in-house programs: Hands On Asheville-Buncombe and 2-1-1 of WNC. Prior to taking this position in the summer of 2008, Elisabeth worked for 15 years within area non-profits. She recently left the board of the Empowerment Resource Center which houses the low powered radio station WRES and currently sits on the board of Francine Delany New School for Children. She was raised in NY and has lived in Asheville for 18 years. She lives with her partner and their puppy in west Asheville where she tries to earn extra income from her knitting obsession.
Judy Davidson - Member at large
Judy Rhew Davidson has been with Buncombe County Government 20 years. Judy started with Buncombe County as the Finance secretary then moving up to the County Manager’s Administrative Assistant. She has managed the government access channel –BCTV- which is the County’s Government Access Channel since its conception in 1999. Her duties include overseeing the daily operation and programming of the channel while supervising a staff of two full time video technicians. A North Carolina native, Judy was born and raised in Asheville. She is married and has a blended family of one daughter, three sons and one grandson. Judy enjoys spending time with family and occasionally playing a game of golf.
Kathy Thielke - Member at large
Kathy Thielke has been with Four Seasons, a non-profit end-of-life care provider serving WNC, for four years. She currently works as their Community Relations Coordinator, and has also served as Event Coordinator for the organization. Working in the Development Office, she promotes Four Seasons in the community to ensure that all individuals and families who need end-of-life care services receive them.
A former preschool teacher, Kathy also writes preschool church curriculum for LifeWay Christian Resources. She previously worked in marketing and communications at both United Way of Greensboro and United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County. She graduated from Winthrop University in Rock Hill, SC, with a BA in Mass Communications and a minor in Professional Writing. Kathy is a native of North Carolina and has lived in Asheville, Charlotte, Greensboro, Hickory, and Hendersonville.
Sandra Adams - Member at large
Coming soon.
Jennifer Perez, Past president
Jennifer Perez is a Marketing Representative for Park Ridge Hospital in Fletcher. Working in the Business Development office, she works to promote the hospital in the community through coordinated media efforts, event planning and development of advertising campaigns and promotional materials. She also works to facilitate employee communications throughout the health care organization.
Jennifer is a 2006 graduate of The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and Mass Communication and a minor in Spanish. Though a recent graduate, Jennifer has honed her marketing and public relations skills working as a Marketing Coordinator with The Summit Marketing Group in Hendersonville and as a Public Relations Specialist with Pardee Hospital, also in Hendersonville.
Jennifer can be reached at: Jennifer.perez@ahss.org