ALP Team, Board & Advisory Council

Shannon Blair graduated from The University of South Carolina Honors College and pursued a career in teaching English, first at the secondary and then post-secondary level. After teaching for more than fifteen years as an English professor at Central Piedmont Community College, she embarked on a new career path during the pandemic as a freelance writer with a nutrition certification. During that time, while supporting her own children with remote schooling, she discovered the important work ALP was doing in the community and wanted to become involved. She began tutoring with ALP in 2021 and grew increasingly fascinated by and committed to literacy intervention. Shannon joined the ALP staff as a site coordinator in 2023 and is thrilled to support other tutors, new and experienced, in their efforts with aspiring young learners.

I have been an ALP tutor for five years. I am a wife, mother of three CMS elementary students, and native Charlottean. I enjoy cooking, gardening, and spending time outside with my family. I am invested in the future of our city and believe the kids who live here are our greatest asset. I am looking forward to the upcoming school year diving into a new learning community with tutors and scholars to help meet the literacy needs in our city.

Grey Timberlake Brownlow is a native Charlottean, a graduate of Davidson College, and a former teacher with Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools. She most recently served as a third grade teacher at Selwyn Elementary, and she is also a former ALP tutor. Grey and her husband Robbie are parents to three young adult children. Grey is thankful for the opportunity to serve and make an impact on the community through ALP.

bio coming soon!

Vernon Carr Jr graduated from Towson University with a BA in Sociology and M.Ed. in Educational Leadership from Oakland University. He then spent 15 years in education as a Counselor Aide, College Advisor, Behavioral Specialist and Dean of Students. Vernon is grateful for the opportunity to serve under ALP and is excited to combine his educational background and passion for being a Servant Leader to help others overcome their educational challenges. Vernon lives in Charlotte with his wife and 3 children.

Judy Degernes joined ALP as a tutor in 2017. Tutor friends recommended Augustine to her and she felt an immediate connection with the work that was being done by ALP. She has a love of reading, and hopes to instill that love in young struggling readers. Judy has been involved in education for many years, as a volunteer and as a staff member. She was a Teaching Assistant at Providence Day School and also worked in the PDS Admissions Office for 6 years. She has lived in seven different states and is happy to call Charlotte home.

Kate Degernes joined ALP as a Site Coordinator in August of 2023. She has been involved in education for many years working in admissions for schools in New York and California. Kate is passionate about education equity and believes reading is the foundation of education. She is excited to join ALP and to help aspiring readers in the Charlotte community. Kate has a Bachelors degree from Drew University. A native New Yorker, she is happy to be a North Carolinian. Kate lives in South Charlotte with her husband and is raising two little southern girls. When not in carpool, she enjoys practicing yoga, doing crosswords, and baking.

I have been living in Charlotte for 15 years, and I enjoy the city life. I chose to join ALP because I have a passion for education and a desire to support students overcoming challenges to achieve their academic goals.

Lauren Dorsey joined the ALP team as a Site Coordinator in September of 2023. Having over 16 year of education experience she has taught children at the Transitional Kindergarten level all the way through High School. Lauren’s most recent education experience was in an adapted curriculum, Special Needs classroom where she was able to work alongside speech, occupational, and physical therapists who have helped broaden her skills on teaching the “whole” child as every child learns differently. Lauren’s passion for children and seeing the light in their eyes when accomplishing something they have been striving for is what brings her the most joy, this is what led her to ALP as she believes that our program is one that is impacting the lives of children, who may have otherwise fallen through the cracks. She believes “We ALL can do Hard Things” and strives daily to live this out in her own life experiences. An Ohio native, Lauren has called Concord NC, home since the age of 10 and is a product of Cabarrus County Schools. Lauren lives in Cabarrus County with her two sons, and three Doodle pups. Her interests involve attending her sons’ sporting events, lifestyle and family photography, camping, hiking, and volunteering in her community.

Carolyn Drake began tutoring for ALP in 2022 and joined the training team soon after. Carolyn comes to ALP with 20 years of high school English teaching experience. She holds a Masters of Arts in teaching and is at the associate level in Orten Gillingham. She is excited to be part of an organization that is meeting the literacy needs of our children. Carolyn is from Albany, New York and has lived in Charlotte for 12 years. She, her husband and two daughters enjoy traveling, cheering for the Buffalo Bills and playing tennis together.

Kathy Graham began volunteering as a tutor with ALP in 2019 and joined the recruitment team in 2024. Kathy has a very active volunteer history with her church and her children’s schools. She has recruited and coordinated volunteers throughout the years for both. Kathy is a graduate of Appalachian State University – Go Mountaineers! She has a MA in Communication Disorders and worked as a Speech Language Pathologist for a CMS school as well as an adult rehabilitation center. She expanded her knowledge of reading development and instruction by completing the Orton-Gillingham training with the Institute of Multi-Sensory Education. Kathy strongly believes that reading and writing are essential communication skills. Her experience as an ALP reading tutor, Speech Language Pathologist, and avid volunteer drives her desire to recruit and train ALP tutors to impact the literacy development of more students in our community.

Juanita Green, Program Coordinator/Site Coordinator, joined ALP in August 2023. She is mission driven and comes with 10 years of nonprofit experience. Juanita is excited about sharing her love for reading with all children. In her spare time you can find Juanita roaming around town in search of Art, good eats, second hand books, and waterfalls.

Abby Gruber, Data Operations Lead, joined ALP in October of 2024. She is originally from Columbia, Maryland and graduated from the University of Maryland, starting her career at a federal technology consulting company. She later transitioned to a role at the US Department of Agriculture as a supervisory statistician, managing a team of data analysts and statisticians within the Food Safety and Inspection Service. She is extremely excited to be part of the mission and vision of ALP, and to enter the nonprofit world. She is a mom of two boys and enjoys CrossFit, reading, and exploring Charlotte with her husband, Joe.

Steve is a thoughtful and action-oriented leader with strong ties to the Charlotte non-profit community. He served as Head of School for the Brookstone Schools where he partnered with ALP on tutoring services and became a strong advocate for our mission. He currently serves on the board of Thompson Child and Family Focus where he and his family have served as foster parents since 2010. Steve has also served on the ALP finance committee. Steve brings strong business experience in operations and an engineering background steeped in systems and process excellence.

His deep passion for service, commitment to helping children to succeed, and his broad experience, have positioned Steve to capitalize on an important moment in the early education of children. We are confident that he will galvanize the ALP family and our community to drive growth and serve more aspiring readers.

Steve and his wife, Wendy, have been in the Charlotte Metro area since 1998 along with their kids, Josiah and Haven who attend NC State.

Jess Heath, Communications Specialist, joined ALP in May 2012. She spends her time managing ALP’s social media accounts & communications and preparing for special projects & events. Jess loves working for ALP; she says, “Everyone at ALP, the staff, board and tutors, are such an inspiration. It is amazing to see the amount of dedication they selflessly devote to the students they work with.” With two little readers at home, Jess knows the importance of reading and is honored to be a part of ALP’s mission to assist struggling readers that might otherwise not receive the help they need.

Kari Heyink joined ALP as a virtual tutor in Fall 2020, transitioned to in-person tutoring for two years at Oakhurst STEAM and then became a Site Coordinator in August 2023.  She graduated with a BA in Elementary Education and went on to earn a Master of Arts with a Literacy Concentration, both from Michigan State University.  She holds a current teaching license and has ten years of elementary teaching experience.  She has been an active volunteer at her children’s schools and also serves on her neighborhood association board.  For the past six years she has been raising two young readers of her own.  But as a teacher she experienced firsthand the impact strong reading and literacy skills have on a child and is grateful for the opportunity to support CMS students, tutors and teachers through the ALP mission.  A Michigan native, she has called Charlotte home since 2007.  Kari lives in East Charlotte with her husband, two children and two Australian Shepherd dogs.  Her interests involve visiting family in Michigan and Ohio in the summer, tent camping and hiking all around North Carolina in the fall and spring and getting lost in a good book.

Shellie Hubbard is a Charlotte native and graduate from N.C. State University where she earned a B.S. in Elementary Education. Shellie is very passionate about children’s education and wrapped up her seventh year of teaching this past June. She has worked with ALP Tutors as a teacher and saw the wonderful things they did for her students’ progress and confidence. Shellie is excited to be a part of the ALP team where she can support children’s learning in a different way!

Jessica Klasinski, Director of Development, comes to ALP with 15 years of nonprofit experience in a progression of leadership roles, most recently as the Operations Manager of Women’s Impact Fund (WIF) where she saw the meaningful impact of collective giving and gained a deep insight into the challenges that face our community. Prior to WIF, Jessica served as the Executive Director of Reading Enriches All Children (REACH) in Norfolk, Virginia, a literacy-based nonprofit focusing on at-risk and homeless children in the Hampton Roads region. Jessica holds a BA in Communication Studies from University of North Carolina at Wilmington.

Bio coming soon!

Bio coming soon!

Philisha Orr, joined ALP as a tutor in January 2023. While being a Therapeutic Foster parent, she realized that many kids that came into her care were struggling readers and she wanted to continue to make a huge impact in their lives, not only by opening her home but also opening their minds to a world of possibilities while in her care. This led her to ALP while seeking out volunteer opportunities to learn how to teach reading skills to aspiring readers. The growth that she saw in her student while tutoring has made the biggest impact in wanting to get behind the ALP mission and help drive the organization forward. Philisha graduated from The University of Phoenix with a BS in Business Management. She is a true Charlottean and can be found at the Zmax Dragstrip (need for speed) or riding the trails after a rainy day (all things muddy) with her husband, 3 boys and a slew of bonus kids that call her Mom.

Martha Overaker, Director of Recruitment Strategy and Engagement at ALP, brings over 15 years of experience in event management and nonprofit leadership. Most recently, she served as Director of Volunteers, Charity, and Events for the Wells Fargo Championship, a signature PGA TOUR event. Her expertise spans strategic planning, volunteer management, and community engagement, highlighted by impactful initiatives like the “Reading Champs” literacy program and overseeing nearly $6M in annual charitable contributions.

Originally from Knoxville, Martha moved to Charlotte on a golf scholarship and holds a B.A. in Corporate Communication from Queens University of Charlotte. She is passionate about volunteering, with active involvement in organizations such as the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and Carolina Breast Friends. She also enjoys reading, playing golf with her husband Jeremy and two daughters, Olivia and Lillian, and taking walks with her rescue Labrador, Mills.

A Pennsylvania native, Renae came to Charlotte for college and never left! She attended UNC Charlotte where she graduated with a B.S in Elementary Education and a M.ed. in Curriculum and Instruction: Teaching English as a Second Language. She taught for almost 10 years in both public and charter Title I elementary schools. She also worked for Caterpillar Ministries along the way as an ESL Teacher, Program Coordinator, and Tutoring Director. After piloting ALP’s first curriculum with Caterpillar students, she was honored to join the ALP staff on their newest endeavor. She is so grateful to be able to combine her educational background and her passion for helping others who are overcoming challenges. She lives in Huntersville with her husband and young daughter.

Lester Ranson joined ALP as a volunteer Virtual Tutoring Facilitator in 2021 and joined the ALP team in 2024 as a Virtual Tutoring School Monitor. He graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a BS in Business Administration. He then spent 30+ years with Bank of America in multiple capacities, including HR Business Partner, Benefits Design, Process Design, Business Systems Analyst and HR M&A specialist. Lester understands the importance of literacy intervention and is excited by the power ALP’s virtual delivery channel has to significantly expand the reach and impact of ALP. Lester’s interests include hiking, camping, working out, volunteering and visiting family in the Pacific Northwest during the summer. He is a native Charlottean and lives with his wife Becky (an ALP Tutor since 2018).

LaShonna Smith joined ALP in November 2022.  She comes with over 16 years experience in education. With teaching experience at the elementary, middle and high school levels, she set out on a mission to impact more children educationally by joining the ALP team. She is excited to use her knowledge, passion, leadership skills to help meet the needs of aspiring readers in the Charlotte community and beyond.

LaShonna has a Masters degree from North Carolina Central University and a Bachelors degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She resides in the Charlotte Metro area with her husband and three boys.

My name is Sara Smith, and I am a proud native of Los Angeles, California. Life took an exciting turn during my sophomore year of high school when my family and I moved to Charlotte, North Carolina. I graduated from Central Piedmont Community College and am currently pursuing my undergraduate degree at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNCC).

I am happily married and a devoted mother to two wonderful children who are currently in elementary school. I have had the privilege of working with students from kindergarten to fifth grade, including those with special needs and behavioral challenges. I find immense joy and fulfillment in working with children and firmly believe they are the key to shaping the future.

When I’m not busy juggling my studies and family life, I love spending quality time with loved ones, traveling to explore new destinations, and playing pickleball. Reading is another favorite pastime of mine, allowing me to journey through endless worlds. My true happy place, however, is the beach where the rhythm of the waves brings me a sense of peace and joy.

Caroline Walsh, Learning and Development Facilitator, comes to ALP with eleven years of elementary education experience. Most recently, Caroline taught at Trinity Episcopal School in Charlotte as well as in other schools in Pennsylvania, New York, Arizona and North Carolina. She holds her Masters in Teaching and is Orton-Gillingham certified. Caroline attended both the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Duke University but is a loyal Tar Heel fan. Caroline is a native Charlottean and enjoys traveling, working out, and and spending time with her husband, John, her daughter, Liza, and her Golden Retriever, Archie.