Thank you to our leaders ending their term and a warm welcome to our incoming Trustees
Dear Members and Patrons,
June 14th was to be BRAHM's Annual Meeting, election of officers, and send off to the wonderful Trustees who are concluding their Board terms. As you know, our elections have been electronic and by mail, and the meeting has been moved to October 11 at 4 PM. Since we are not meeting at this time, I am using this format to thank the wonderful leaders who are ending their terms and welcome our new class of Trustees for 2020-2023.
Trustees Ending their Terms
Let me begin by thanking our wonderful President of the Board of Trustees, Bo Henderson. Bo has served as President of the Board for 3 years and has led BRAHM through some of its most significant growth. He has given hundreds of hours of service each year and has been a steady and engaged leader. He has honestly been the right person in the role at the right time and we thank him for his strong leadership. He will continue to serve on the Board as Past President.
Debbie Covington joined the Board of Trustees after exhibiting strong leadership on the Art Ball in 2017. She continued to help direct the Art Ball in 2018 and in recent years has shown great leadership and insight as BRAHM reworks its internal policies and procedures, and drafts the documents to institutionalize those for the future.
Carol Dabbs - Carol is ending her second term on the Board of Trustees. She is one of those Trustees who always shows up. Time and again she is heard saying "Just tell me where you need me and how I can help." She has served on numerous committees, hosted many events for BRAHM in her Blowing Rock home, and recruited many new members to the museum. She does it all!
Lou Gottlieb- Lou is also ending his second term on the Board of Trustees. Lou is a Trustee who works quietly yet makes a big impact. He set a personal goal of seeing how many $1000 Patron Level members he could recruit for BRAHM and each year adds more members to that group. He was also one of the first donors to contribute funds to allow BRAHM to be able to be a free admission museum.
Jim Tanner - Jim has served on several committees for BRAHM and currently he and his wife Cantey are Co-Chairs for this year's BRAHM Gala. He is a willing volunteer and strong advocate for BRAHM in the community.
Trustees Joining the Board
Hank T. Foreman - Hank is Vice Chancellor and Chief of Staff of Appalachian State University. In this role, he is both the principal aide and advisor to the Chancellor on important university operational matters as well as the executive leader for the university's communication, marketing, public relations/news, strategic initiatives and external relations areas. Prior to this role, he was Senior Associate Vice Chancellor and Special Assistant to the Chancellor for Strategic Initiatives, Senior Associate Vice Chancellor for University Advancement and Chief Communications Officer and was Founding Director and Chief Curator of the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts for seventeen and a half years. Hank has been with Appalachian State since 1993 and has made many contributions to the global arts and culture sector.
Sue Glenn - Sue has been involved with BRAHM first as a Founding Board Member and then as a tireless volunteer. She helped organize and produce BRAHM’s first exhibition, helped write and produce the accompanying catalog, and played a similar role in two subsequent fundraising exhibitions and art sales. As a local real estate broker, Sue helped develop and negotiate the collaborative land lease with the Town that provided BRAHM’s present location. Since the Museum’s opening, she has served on numerous committee assignments and is an active docent. Other interests include the Blowing Rock Historical Society and Mayas for Ancient Mayan.
Miriam Kimsey - Miriam currently spends her time in Palm Beach, FL and Blowing Rock. She previously lived in High Point, NC. While there, she was involved in numerous community events and boards. In Palm Beach, she chaired three events for the Ryan Licht Sang Bipolar Foundation. Currently, she is on the board of Trustees for High Point University, the Hospitality Committee and the Spiritual Life Committee at the Royal Poinciana Chapel in Palm Beach. Miriam received her B.A. from High Point University. She enjoys hiking, cycling, barre classes and studying the Bible. Miriam has been married to Steve Kimsey for 32 years. She has a son, Stephen, who lives in North Carolina. Her youngest son, Christopher, who was an artist, passed away in 2013.
Eric Overcash - Eric grew up in Kannapolis, NC and still maintains a residence there. He currently serves as CEO of O Inc., which operates eight Kentucky Fried Chicken Restaurants. Prior to O Inc., Eric held many different positions in KFC franchise organizations. Eric and his wife Diane are members of Blowing Rock Country Club and Rumple Presbyterian Church. They plan to ultimately make Blowing Rock their permanent residence. In addition to their two children, Eric and Diane have four grandsons and one granddaughter. Eric has always had a strong appreciation for the arts and enjoys collecting.
Mary Ann Poole - Mary Ann grew up in Kentucky where she attended and graduated from the University of Kentucky in Lexington and later received a Master’s of Education from UNC Chapel Hill. She has lived in Raleigh for 50 years and has been a summer resident of the Blowing Rock area for 25 years. Mary Ann currently serves on the board of the Dorothea Dix Park Conservancy and is a member of various committees. She has been active on several nonprofit boards through the years.
Jean Wilkinson - Jean grew up in Asheboro, NC. She graduated from Peace College and UNC-Chapel Hill. After graduation, she married Walter and taught in elementary and middle schools in Honolulu, Boston and Charlotte. Jean and Walter have two children and seven grandchildren. She has served on the Board of Trustees of Peace College, Charlotte Latin School, the Junior League, Women of Vision, and the Charlotte Assembly. Jean grew up coming to Blowing Rock. She and Walter spend most of their time in this wonderful community. She has been or is currently involved in leadership roles with the Blowing Rock Historical Society, Blowing Rock Community Foundation, Blowing Rock Country Club and Blowing Rock Methodist Church.