Board Of Trustees

Meet Your Trustees

Jean Kitchin, a resident of Mayview Park and the Chairman and a member of the Executive Committee of the BRCA Board of Trustees. Jean graduated from UNC Chapel Hill; and following a career producing and hosting television shows for local and statewide stations, she took over as the CEO and President of three independent pharmacies, which she sold after running them for 16 years. She continues to host and produce multiple television shows and is also producing video projects as a volunteer in Blowing Rock. She has served in leadership positions on the UNC Chapel Hill Board of Trustees, the Rocky Mount Chamber of Commerce, Nash UNC Hospital, and the Nash-Rocky Mount Board of Education. In Blowing Rock she is a member of the Blowing Rock Methodist Church and the Blowing Rock Historical Society.

Jane Whitt Sellers, is a resident of Wonderland Drive and the Vice Chairman and a member of the Executive Committee of the BRCA Board of Trustees. She and her husband David have been homeowners in Blowing Rock since 2017. Janie graduated from Hollins University and subsequently earned a MS from Virginia Tech and a JD from the University of Virginia School of Law. Now retired, Janie had a long career with the law firm of McGuireWoods LLP where she became a senior partner, concentrating in corporate finance, corporate governance, securities and mergers and acquisitions. Janie has served in leadership positions on numerous boards including the Alamance Country Club, the Episcopal Church of the Holy Comforter - Burlington, NC, The Burlington School, The University of the South (Sewanee), St. Margaret’s School, Church Schools in the Diocese of Virginia, and the Virginia State Bar Business Law Section. In Blowing Rock Janie is a member of BRAHM and the Blowing Rock Historical Society. She attends Rumple Presbyterian Church and St. Mary’s of the Hills Episcopal Church.

Tom Barrett, a resident of Green Hill and a member of the Executive Committee of the BRCA Board of Trustees and serves as Vice President. Tom is Founder, President, CEO of SIAA MidAmerica, Inc. The company founded a fifteen-state region of SIAA in 1997. After growing SIAA to $10 billion in sales and 8,000 retail locations, a private equity group purchased the company in April 2021. Tom attended Western Kentucky University followed by a forty-three year career in the property/casualty insurance industry, serving as a producer, agency owner, and program manager working in Raleigh, Los Angeles, and Chicago prior to SIAA. Tom and his wife Tina have been full time residents of Blowing Rock since 1998. He has served as an Advisory Board member of Western Youth Network and Teach United and is a vestry member of St. Mary of the Hills Episcopal Church. His philanthropic interest includes several local, national, and international efforts.

Joseph Bogdahn, a resident of Laurel Park and a member of the Board of Trustees of BRCA and is a member of the Executive Committee. Joe received his BBA in Business/Economics from the University of Mississippi where he served as the President of the Student Body and of Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity. He also received his Certified Investment Management Analyst designation from the IMCA program at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. He is a member of the National Town Builders Association and the Congress for New Urbanism. Joe is Director and Partner of Six/Ten LLC, a small private equity firm based in Winter Haven, Florida, where he oversees design and construction. He retired in 2014 as the Chairman of The Bogdahn Group/And Company Consulting, as independent registered investment advisory firm that he founded. At that time, the firm advised over $55B assets, providing governance and investment consulting services for institutional investors throughout the United States. After retirement Governor Snyder of Michigan appointed him to serve as a Trustee of the Investment Committee of the City of Detroit’s Police and Fire Pension Fund, where he continues to serve as chairman.

Barry Buxton, a resident of Green Hill Circle and a member of the Executive Committee of the BRCA Board of Trustees. Barry is a native of Blowing Rock and was born in 1949 in the old Wallingford Clinic. Barry is the retired president of Lees-McRae College in Banner Elk. In a diverse career spanning 35 years, he has been a real estate developer, science museum director, writer & editor, teacher, researcher, and community leader. As Vice President of the Savannah College of Art and Design, he helped establish campuses in Atlanta, Hong Kong, and Lacoste, France. Dr. Buxton has extensive international experience in Europe and China. In 1987 he received the Distinguished Service Award from the Blue Ridge Parkway for his research on such sites as the Moses Cone Estate and Mabry Mill. He had the honor of working with former President H.W. Bush and Barbara Bush to establish and direct the Houston Museum of Health & Medical Science. In 1989 his centennial history of Blowing Rock, A Village Tapestry, received the Best Community History Award from the NC Society of Historians. He has served as a consultant to such diverse organizations as the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Tennessee Board of Regents, National Endowment for the Humanities, and Texas A&M University. He is the former president of the NCAA Conference Carolinas. In 2016, Governor Pat McCrory awarded Dr. Buxton Order of the Long Leaf Pine, the highest civilian award in the state. In retirement Barry is an avid golfer, tennis player, and cyclist.

Betsy Wilcox, is a resident of Green Hill Circle and the Secretary/Treasurer and a member of the Executive Committee of the BRCA Board of Trustees. Betsy grew up in Concord, NC, and has lived in Charlotte and Blowing Rock for 30 years with her husband George Wilcox. Betsy is a graduate of UNC Greensboro and worked as the manager and agent in Wilcox & Co., a financial consulting, life, health insurance, and investments company. She is a member of BRAHM, the Blowing Rock Methodist Church, the Blowing Rock Historical Society, and the Blue Ridge Conservancy.

Robert J. Arey, Jr., a resident of Mayview Park and a member of the Board of the BRCA. Robert is the fourth generation of Areys to have a home in Blowing Rock. Robert attended Woodward Academy, Lenoir Rhyne University, and the US Army Defense Information School. He is the retired CEO of Arey Companies, a petroleum, real estate development, and trucking company. In 1980 Robert founded One Stop Food Stores and built or opened twenty-seven stores over a 25-year period. He has served on and/or chaired most community boards in his hometown of Shelby, NC. As a member of the World President’s Organization (WPO) Robert has been a member of the same forum for over 30 years. He is a member of the Blowing Rock Methodist Church, the Blue Ridge Conservancy, and the Blowing Rock Art & History Museum. Robert and his wife Candy have three sons and six grandchildren.

Gregg Bergstrom, a resident of the Norwood neighborhood of Blowing Rock is a native of Durham, N.C. and a graduate of Wake Forest University. He held key positions in product transportation with several major companies before starting his own business as a manufacturer’s representative of gift and hardware products in North and South Carolina. He then successfully owned and managed an ACE Hardware store in Charlotte for a number of years. Gregg became a licensed real estate broker and acquired various properties that he manages through a property management firm that he owns. Gregg has done extensive volunteer work for church, schools, associations and other organizations. He is a member of Blowing Rock Methodist Church, the Blowing Rock Country Club, and other notable local organizations.

Laura Bingham, currently residing in the South Valley Blvd neighborhood and a member of Board of Trustees of BRCA. Laura’s career spans public policy, philanthropy and higher education, most recently as President of Peace College (1998-2010), following executive roles at Hollins University, Ft. Sanders Foundation, and the Duke Cancer Institute. She currently serves as an independent director of Sterling Capital Funds, an SEC-registered trust advised by an institutional investment firm of Truist Financial (NYSE:TFC), and represents investors on advisory boards for a real estate investment fund and a tech platform for precision medicine. Laura was board chair for Leadership North Carolina, and among other boards, served the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust, Duke Raleigh Health and PBS/NC. She was awarded the Order of the Long Leaf Pine and the Triangle Business Journal’s Lifetime Achievement Award, and, holds degrees from UNC-CH (AB) and Indiana University (MA) and is published in Philanthropy in America (2002). Laura and her husband Warren have been Blowing Rock homeowners since 1999 and are members of BRAHM.

Randy Birchmier is a resident of Tarry Acres and a member of the Board of Trustees of the BRCA. Randy is the founder of Birchmier Construction and RRB Development Management in Maitland, Florida with over 40 years of experience in commercial development and construction. He is currently active in the business and holds licenses as a general contractor in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina. He earned a B.S. degree in Civil Engineering from Iowa State University and has served on a number of church committees at St. Margaret Mary Church in Winter Park, Florida and on the Orlando Diocesan School Board. He is currently a member of the Recreation Committee at the Blowing Rock Country Club and enjoys living and promoting healthy lifestyles.

Bill Carter, a resident of Tarry Acres and a member of the Board of Trustees of BRCA. Bill graduated from The Citadel and Central Piedmont Community College. He is the President of The Carter Land Company in Statesville, a regional commercial real estate sales and management company. Bill started his real estate career in New York City with the firm of FJ Pons & Assoc. After several years he returned to his home in Charlotte and over a number of years worked for The Wallace Corporation, Century Homes of Charlotte, David R. Krug & Associates, and RB Russell & Assoc. In 1984 he formed The Carter Land Company, Realtors. His family has been in construction, real estate development and property investments continuously since 1822 in North and South Carolina. He is a member of the Board of Director of MHProperties, Inc, a publicly held Southeastern real estate investment company. As a member of the Oasis Shriners Board of Directors, he served as the chief executive officer in 2020.

Tama Coleman is a resident of the Chestnut Circle neighborhood and a member of the Board of Trustees of the BRCA. Tama has 30 years of business experience, most recently as a consultant, managing budget and resource allocations and supporting a team of professionals developing, deploying and enhancing features for a customer-facing online portal for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina. Previously, for 25 years, Tama served in roles of increasing responsibility with Verizon Communications focused on project management, sales and marketing, business development and compensation planning. She has served as a Board member and Communications Committee Chair for Gardens on Glenwood HOA in Raleigh where she designed and implemented a community-wide portal and document repository. She has served on the boards and committees of a number of non-profit community organizations, including service on the Trip Committee at BRAHM in Blowing Rock. Tama earned a B. S. in French/Education at Southern Connecticut State University, an MBA in Marketing at George Washington University and also holds a Project Management Certification.

Dr. Charles “Bunky” Davant, a resident of Chestnut Circle and a member of the Board of Trustees of the BRCA. Bunky moved to Blowing Rock in 1948 and attended Blowing Rock Elementary School and graduated from Woodberry Forest School, Duke University, the University of North Carolina School of Medicine at Chapel Hill; and he did a 3-year Family Medicine Residency in Virginia. He is board certified in Family Medicine and was one of the first physicians to be board certified in Geriatric Medicine. Bunky graduated with honors from medical school and has served as the president of the county medical society and as the hospital medical director and has spent over 20 years on the Board of Medical Review of NC/Carolina Center for Medical Excellence, as well as other medical organizations. He was a contributing editor for Medical Economics Magazine and was a member of the Geriatric Medicine test committee. Bunky and his wife Teena have lived in Blowing Rock since 1975. He spent almost 20 years on the Blowing Rock Planning and Zoning Board and around 10 years on the Blowing Rock Board of Adjustments, serving as chairman or vice-chairman most of those terms. He is a member of St. Mary’s of the Hills Episcopal Church and continues to practice medicine part time at Blowing Rock Medical Park.

John Gentille, a resident of Mayview Park, and his wife Sally retired to Blowing Rock in 2020 following careers in Washington, DC in association management and government relations. They have owned a home in Mayview since 2006. Among the positions John held were Chief Operating Officer of the Associated General Contractors of America and Chief Executive Officer of the Mechanical Contractors Association of America. Additionally, a foundation named after John (The John R. Gentille Foundation) funds scholarships and other support activities at colleges and universities across the United States for students interested in professional careers in the construction industry. In addition to their BRCA membership John and Sally support the Casting Bread Food Pantry, where Sally serves on the Executive Committee, the Blue Ridge Conservancy, High Country Caregivers and the Mayview Park Homeowners Association, where John serves as President.

David T. Goodson, currently a resident of Mayview Park and a member of the Board of Trustees of the BRCA. David and his wife Paula have been Blowing Rock homeowners since 2017, initially in Chetola. David graduated from NC State University and is the Owner and President of Goodson and Associates, which he founded in 1992. Prior to that he was in Agricultural and Horticultural Sales. David has served in leadership positions and on various committees including the NC State Student Aid Association, the North Carolina Nursery and Landscape Association, Wake Forest Baptist Church, Wake Forest Presbyterian Church, and Chetola. He is a member of the Blue Ridge Conservancy, BRAHM, Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust, and Waterfall Keepers on NC.

Tim Gupton currently residing in the Chestnut Circle neighborhood, is a past President of BRCA. Tim graduated from UNC Chapel Hill to become a CPA. He is a retired partner with KPMG in Fort Lauderdale and Hughes Pittman & Gupton, LLP in Raleigh and was involved as the start-up CFO and co-founder of seven biopharmaceutical companies in the Research Triangle. Tim remains an active partner with HPG Wealthcare Advisors, LLC. He served on community and industry non-profit boards in Fort Lauderdale and Raleigh before moving to Blowing Rock full-time in 2015. Tim serves on the Village Foundation board and is a member of BRAHM, the Blowing Rock Historical Society, and the Chamber of Commerce. In recent years, he served on the boards of the Blue Ridge Conservancy, Mayview Homeowners Association, and Blowing Rock Tourism Development Authority.

Sandy Hogan is a resident of the Green Hill neighborhood and a member of the Board of Trustees of the BRCA. Sandy has had an over 45-year career of officer and leadership positions in Corporate Banking, Finance, Marketing and in the Securities Industry as an Institutional Bond Trader for Wall Street firms based in Dallas, New York City, Los Angeles and San Francisco (trading stocks, investment grade and distressed corporate and municipal bonds, mortgage-backed bonds and special situation bonds), as well as Private Equity and Financial Analysis. After retirement from her years in the Securites Industry, Sandy served on the Congressional Staff of a US Congressman for US District 13 located in the Tampa Bay area for four years.

Jay Howard is a resident of Mayview Park and a member of the Board of Trustees of the BRCA. Jay is the founder and CEO of CSM Production, one of the nation’s premier event and corporate meeting production companies serving major corporations and professional sports and entertainment industries across the country. This business ultimately grew from his early career successes managing opening ceremonies, the Performance Racing Network and live entertainment at the Charlotte Motor Speedway. Jay is a Concord, North Carolina, native and a graduate of Appalachian State University where he earned a B.S. in business administration. He serves as a member of the Speedway Children’s Charities board of directors.

Steve Kimsey, a resident of Main Street and a member of the Board of Trustees of the BRCA. Steve and his family have been in Blowing Rock for 8 years after having been in the High Country at Grandfather Country Club for 8 years. Steve is the owner of SBS-NC, LLC, a commercial HVAC company operating in ten states in the Southeast. He is also a restaurant investor, having owned and invested in restaurants both domestically and internationally. Steve serves on the High Point University Board of Visitors, and he is also on the board of the Blowing Rock Methodist Church.

Thomas Lucido, a resident of Morningside and a member of the Board of Trustees of the BRCA. Tom graduated with a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture from Michigan State University. Tom is President of Lucido & Associates located in Stuart, Florida. Lucido & Associates provides clients with a full spectrum of services in land planning, landscape architecture, comprehensive planning, local governmental coordination, and environmental analysis. Tom’s expertise is in large scale planning for mixed use communities. Lucido & Associates has been recognized through numerous local, state, and national awards. Recently Lucido & Associates has been involved in various local projects, providing landscape architecture for private residences and for landscape improvements for the Blowing Rock Country Club and Diamond Creek Country Club.

Neal Orgain has been a homeowner in Bowing Rock since January 2009 and is a resident of the Country Club neighborhood as well as a member of the Board of Trustees of the BRCA. She is a community leader in Hickory, North Carolina where she has served as President of the Hickory Museum of Art, President of the Catawba County United Arts Council, Chairman of the Community Relations Committee for the City of Hickory, President of the Hickory High School PTA, President of the Episcopal Church Women at The Episcopal Church of the Ascension, Vice-President of Girl Scouts Carolinas Peaks to Piedmont and in many other leadership and charitable fundraising roles. In addition, for many years, Neal was at Lenoir-Rhyne University serving in senior administrative roles. Neal is a graduate of Salem College where she earned a B.A. in Economics with a minor in Communications; she also studied economics at The American University, Washington, D. C.

Chip Perry, a resident of Mayview Park since 2007, has an extensive record of business success as an engineer and sales associate with Bechtel Corporation, an associate with McKinsey & Co., a Vice President with the Los Angeles Times, the Founder and CEO of Auto Trader. com, and CEO of TrueCar. Chip is a graduate of the University of Virginia where he obtained a Batchelor degree and a Masters degree in Civil Engineering, and of the Harvard Business School where he obtained a Masters Degree in Business Administration. He is a Member of the Board of Cartrade Tech in Mumbai, India. Chip is a generous contributor to Blowing Rock organizations and charities.

Gigi Poole, a resident of Laurel Park and a member of the Board of the BRCA. Gigi received her undergraduate degree from Furman University to become a CPA and her MBA from Georgia to become a CFA. She worked for Ernst & Whinney before joining Wells Fargo managing non publicly traded companies for trust customers. Since then, she has provided consulting services in forensic accounting and executive compensation. She grew up in Fort Mill, SC, and lives in Litchfield Beach, SC, when not in Blowing Rock. Gigi is a member of BRAHM, the Blowing Rock Historical Society, and St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, at which she serves on the Altar and Flower Guilds. She also serves on the Board of Directors of The Village Foundation,

Robert Reid, a resident of River Lake Estates and a member of the Board of Trustees of the BRCA. Robert grew up in Richmond, VA. He graduated from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill and received his M.Ed from Virginia Commonwealth University. Robert is a serial entrepreneur. After teaching for a year in the Richmond public school system, he founded his first business, Reid Courier Service, in 1994. Over ten years he grew and evolved this business in Courier One, the largest same-day, on-demand courier company in Virginia with three locations in Richmond and Norfolk. He sold the business in 2004.

Marshall Sealey, a resident of Norwood Circle and a member of the Board of Trustees of the BRCA. In 2018 he and his wife Harriet moved from Charlotte to Blowing Rock after being seasonal residents since 2000. Marshall grew up in Raleigh and graduated from NC State University with an Engineering degree. He worked in engineering and construction for more than 40 years. He worked for the Jones Group of Companies in Charlotte for most of those years. His work was on Industrial Projects, primarily Power Plants located throughout the US and in a number of foreign countries. Marshall was responsible for Quality Engineering, Procured material/equipment, and Construction. During those years Marshall participated in volunteer roles within Industry Groups- American Society of Mechanical Engineers and the American Welding Society. Marshall co-authored technical books related to power plant materials, inspection, and testing techniques. While living in Blowing Rock, Marshall has been active, working closely with the Town Planning Board in reviewing and offering opinions (positive and negative) on town planning documents and proposed in town projects. He is a member of BRAHM.

Morgan Tarbutton, a resident of Blowing Rock and a member of the Board of Trustees of the BRCA. She is a graduate of Appalachian State University and has lived in Blowing Rock since age twelve. At the large and renowned Chetola Resort in Blowing Rock, Morgan is the Director of Outdoor Activities, including the Orvis Fly Fishing program, skeet shooting, and other adventures. She has extensive operational and management experience in several Chetola Resort business operations. Morgan participates in many notable service, business, and community organizations, including Trout Unlimited, Youth Commission International, the Blowing Rock Chamber of Commerce, Orvis Adventures, and the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, on which she is an Advisory Board Member.

Billy Worsham, a resident of Country Club and a member of the Board of Trustees of the BRCA. Billy grew up in Smithfield, NC and graduated from UNC Chapel Hill. Billy and his wife Vicki have lived full time in Blowing Rock for 10 years. Billy represents furniture manufacturers and has been in the furniture industry for the past 43 years. Prior to moving to Blowing Rock, they lived in Nashville, TN, for 30 years. They had family in Blowing Rock so visited quite often since 1997. He is a member of Rumple Memorial Presbyterian Church in Blowing Rock, where he serves as an Elder and a member of the Finance, Property, and Building Committees. He is also a member of BRAHM, the Blowing Rock Historical Society, and numerous other nonprofits in the High Country.

George T. Wilcox, is a resident of Green Hill Circle and a past president of BRCA. George graduated from Eastern Kentucky University, and he attended graduate school at Vanderbilt University. George is the CEO and owner of Wilcox & Co., a financial services firm. He previously was a business manager for Merck & Co. after holding positions in marketing for two other major corporations and in broadcasting for several companies. He served on the Executive Board of the Blowing Rock Hospital, the Board of Advisors of the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce, and the Board of Directors of Oasis Shriners. He has also served as emcee for the Blowing Rock Community Foundation’s “Groovy Nights” programs and other community events. He is a member of the Blowing Rock Methodist Church, BRAHM, the Blue Ridge Conservancy, and the Blowing Rock Historical Society.