Step by Step

Step by Step Staff/VISTA Bios

Step by Step’s programs and initiatives are made possible by a team of commited individuals . Some are permanent staff, others are VISTAs who serve 1-3 years, and others may just be able to join us for the length of one program. Consequently Step by Step, like our programs is ever changing and evolving. Here is a list of our current staff/VISTAs (as of March 2009). This page is a work in progress, so check back later to see if more photos and bios have been added.

Kay Adams, Project Flow Site Instructor and Tutor (Harts Primary)

Robert Adkins, Bus Driver (Harts Primary)

Kristen Ashworth, Youth Development VISTA (Lincoln County High School) In January, Kristen began her service as a VISTA at Lincoln County High School in Hamlin, WV. This year, Kristen will increase parent involvement, provide service opportunities for students, and introduce Zumba, a Latin cardio exercise class, to the community. Kristen will also support a Substance Abuse Prevention grant and a Counseling grant. Before becoming a VISTA, Kristen was employed by Amazon.com as a Human Resource Specialist in Recruiting.

Tracie Blummer, VISTA Leader Tracie serves as a VISTA Leader with Step by Step at the Big Ugly Community Center in Lincoln County. Her work at Step by Step focuses on supporting the needs of VISTAs, recruiting VISTAs, coordinating trainings, and organizing Step by Step’s Listening Project. Prior to her service she was a VISTA with ABLE Families in Mingo County, WV, taught English in Baoji, China, and volunteered with Yunnan Mountain Heritage Foundation in Shangri-La, China. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Computer Aided Design from Temple University.

Francis “Tad” Boyle, Project FLOW Instructor (East End Family Resource Center) As a Project FLOW Instructor, Tad is teaching water conservation & current West Virginia water related issues with the assistance of the WET (Water Education for Teachers) curriculum. He was born, raised and most recently spent another 10 years as a West Virginian while completing his undergraduate studies in Communications — Video Production and beginning work on his Masters in Media Studies at WVSU (West Virginia State University). Growing up in the mountain state of West Virginia Tad’s hobbies were naturally outdoors types including photography, skiing, road & mountain biking, kayaking, white water rafting, and hiking. His family has Lone Willow Farm in Spencer. It is about an hour north of Charleston and has 5 greenhouses to grow plants which they sell at the Capitol Market (located on Smith Street in Charleston) under the name of Roane Grown. Tad has worked in a wide variety of jobs including: video & audio editing, computer repair, computer lab technician, carpentry, and numerous restaurants & bars.

Erika Browning, Activities Instructor (Omar Elementary)

Sherrie Browning, Maternal Infant Health Outreach Worker (Lincoln County)

Brooke Castle, Activities Instructor (Omar Elementary)

Christine Castle, Activities Instructor (Omar Elementary)

David Chairez, Deputy Director

Maurice Clemmons, Bus Driver (Omar Elementary)

Linda Clevinger, Youth Development & Resource VISTA (Big Ugly Community Center) Linda works with teens on programs like the Front Porch Project, and helps find resources for the local community and the Big Ugly Community Center. She is certified in Electronics, Construction and Mine Maintenance, and has helped in the construction of three churches and three school rooms in the Chapmanville area. She is also a florist and owned her own shop for nine years. She has done web pages for local churches, and small computer repair. She has two children; a son, 20, and a daughter, 16.

Larry Colley, Custodian (Omar Elementary)

Lucy Compton, Activities Instructor (Omar Elementary)

“KC” Kathy Cook, 21st Century Instructor for Too Good For Drugs and Violence KC works with children ages 5-18 in the afterschool programs at Big Ugly Community Center, and Harts Primary. The Too Food For Drugs and Violence program consists of activities to teach the children about the affects of using drugs, and to stay drug free. Kathy is from Virginia but has lived in West Virginia for the past 25 years. Kathy likes to go walking in the mountains and likes all things about nature. Her hobbies include Egyptology, all kinds of art, and writing (mostly about the mountains).

Rhonda Cooper – Strategic Prevention Framework – State Incentive Grant Coordinator Rhonda coordinates substance abuse awareness activities in communities in Lincoln County. Programs that she helps coordinate include: Natural Helpers, Maternal Infant Health and Outreach Workers (MIHOW), and Too Good For Drugs. Rhonda has her master’s degree in counseling and is a licensed social worker. She has 11 years experience working with others in a wide variety of settings. The loves of her life are her two children Maddie and Haley.

Pam Corey – Controller of Step by Step After participating in accounting for non-profits in West Virginia for many years, she apprenticed with a master craftsman doing stained glass, and took the leap of faith required to start her own business as a craftsman. Pam still dabbles in her art but her primary focus these days has been Step by Step’s continued financial well-being. She began working there in January 2007 and believes in its mission, loves the people, and feels great being a part of the organization. Another passion is horses. She’s owned, ridden, and drawn horses all of her life, and currently has a few rotten horses, 2 kitties and one old dog in her household. Her two kids are grown up; her daughter, Corey (a teacher and musician) lives nearby in Morgantown. Pam’s son, Karl (a chef) and his wife, Gina, are in Austin Texas. Pam’s co-conspirator in life is Keith Lahti, a potter and musician. Her newest adventures are building a house in the country and being an aspiring electric bass player.

Andy Couch, Project Flow Instructor at Omar Elementary Andy runs the Project Flow program at the Omar After-School Program where he teaches 3rd and 4th grade about water, water conservation and the environment. He grew up in Canton, Ohio and has lived in Logan, West Virginia since June 2008 after running mission trips in the area. Andy loves the arts and just hanging out with the kids. In October, he is marrying the most beautiful girl in the world. And then again this is me just

Donna Curry, Activities Instructor (Omar)

Terry Daniels, Bus Driver (Big Ugly Community Center)

Ebony Easley, Youth Development VISTA (East End Family Resource Center) Ebony is originally from Columbus, Ohio, though she graduated from George Washington High School in Charleston in 2002. She attended WVSU from 2002-2006 studying Criminal Justice and Communications. She interned at Walt Disney World in 2004 as a “Merchanteer” where she learned the true meaning of service. Ebony enjoys socializing, playing games, spending time with friends and family, and giving back to the community. She has one sister and one brother who are both near and dear to her heart. She attends church regularly at Praise Cathedral in Charleston where her pastor is also her surrogate God Father whom she is very close with.

Shawn Farmer, After-School Site Coordinator (Omar Elementary) Shawn is the Site Coordinator for the 21st Century After-School Program at Omar Elementary School. Shawn is from Stirrat, WV. She is blessed with a wonderful husband and three beautiful children, Haliegh, 13, Hayden, 9, and Evan, 7. She loves to come up with new and exciting ideas. Shawn also loves to visit waterfalls, picnic, fish and boat ride with her family.

Emmanuel “Manie” Fernandez, Techonology VISTA (East End Family Resource Center) Manie has been a resident of West Virginia since 1976. He received his Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science from West Virginia State University and did training with Cisco System Network as a Network Engineer. His wife, Andra, is an O.R. nurse at CAMC and they have three kids—Katrina, Steven and Josh—who are all currently attending college. Two are in the medical field and the youngest is taking chemical engineering at West Virginia University. Manie is constantly striving for the latest computer technology network.

Nell Fleming, Library VISTA Nell is a recent graduate of Library school at the University of Illinois who is especially excited about her work at the Big Ugly Community Center library this year. She is a mother of an adorable six year old daughter who attends Weberwood Elementary in Charleston. Her current hobbies include attending a post-graduate program at the University of Illinois where she will complete a project studying the demographics of children’s picture book covers in the last decade. Her studies will gain speed again in 2010 – 2013.

Sandra Frye, Custodian (Harts Primary)

Rick Goosman, Arts & Culture VISTA Rick is a local artist and musician who is interested in sustainability within the arts community. So far with his work at Step by Step, Rick has proved himself to be a bit of a Mural Master–with two completed, and one in the works. Rick designed and painted a mural on the side of Habitat for Humanity’s Restore with the help of East End youth. He also designed a mural project where hands came together to form Martin Luther King, Jr.’s profile. An upcoming mural project will be designed by East End youth and painted inside the Restore.

Andrea Gould, Office/Payroll Manager Handles all money transactions including payroll for Step by Step. Andrea was born and raised in West Virginia but considers Daytona Beach her second home. She loves the outdoors, health and animals. Andrea’s past work experience includes holistic health care and real estate. After a long search for a more rewarding and meaningful job she found Step by Step. Now I am going to write one more sentence here so that we do not run into spacing i Jennifer Harless, Cook (Harts Primary) Miranda Jensley, Literary Instructor

Laura Herberg, Marketing & Capacity VISTA Laura grew up in Seattle and graduated from Lewis & Clark College in Portland, OR in 2006 with a B.A. in Psychology. Aferwards she moved to Scotland and Ireland where she worked in cafes and mingled with the locals. She then took a two month solo train journey across the US where she decided that working as the Marketing VISTA for Step by Step in West Virginia was in fact to be the next installment of her life. As the Marketing VISTA so far, Laura’s biggest projects have been putting together an E-Newsletter and serving on the steering committee for Charleston’s Sustainability Fair. Before she leaves she hopes that she will have helped clarify Step by Step’s work so that it can be clearly and easily communicated to the public. She feels very much at home with her Step by Step family, greatly enjoys her job, and feels like she is constantly learning about the region.

Tonya Huff, Bullying Awareness & Prevention VISTA Tonya is a mother of five school age children in Kanawha County who has been working on bullying issues through Step by Step since November 2007. Before that she worked with children with disabilities in the schools for over seven years. As a parent she went on national television to speak on the issue of bullying. She knows from experience the pain and hardship bullying can cause the victim, their family and community. She has conducted several workshops for youth and adults on Bullying Awareness at conferences and afterschool and summer programs across West Virginia. She has also developed an anti-bullying poster and had a Proclamation signed by Governor Manchin to declare a week in October as West Virginia Bully Awareness Week.

Dencil Johnson, Bus Driver (Omar Elementary)

Elizabeth “Ann” Johnson, School Age Connections VISTA (Beards Fork Community Center) Ann graduated High School in 1981 and received a degree for Medical Administrative Assistant in 1983, however this was not really what she wanted to do so she never really used it. She got a Data Entry/File Clerk degree in 1987 and did use this degree many times, however she still always felt like she had a dead end job and not a career. She went back to school in 2002 and finally received a Bachelor’s in Print Management in December 2008. While at WVU Tech in Montgomery she discovered the AmeriCorps VISTA program and through TECH’s Career Services, obtained a Summer Environmental VISTA position in 2005. After graduating she was approached by the director of an area community center who needed a VISTA and the rest is history. Now she is the Step by Step, School Age Connections VISTA out of Beards Fork Community Center and loving every minute of it.

Leah Jones, Bus Driver (Omar Elementary)

Avonnell Lambert, Tutor (Big Ugly Community Center)

Steven Light, Bus Driver

Marta Pate, VISTA Leader Marta Pate is an AmeriCorps VISTA leader who has served as a Marketing and Capacity building VISTA with Step by Step for the past two years. She works to build capacity for our partnership with Community Shares of West Virginia–a collective group of non-profits–and recently initiated a service learning program at West Virginia State University. Marta also loves to cook, read, do cross stitch, and is an “honorary techie” (though some think she has an unfair advantage being married to Step by Step Technology VISTA, Bob Pate).

Bob Pate, Technology VISTA

Rhonda Preece – Parent Involvement VISTA (Omar Elementary) Rhonda works with parent involvement at Omar Elementary School in Logan County, and is going on her third year as a VISTA. Rhonda has been married for 14 years and is the mother of two handsome boys—Jacob, 11, and Joshua, 8. Rhonda spends most of her time with her family who loves to hunt, fish and be in the outdoors. In her free time, Rhonda also loves to cook. I am going to continue to type stuff but hopefully you will

Earl W. “Red” Pruitt, Activities Instructor (Big Ugly Community Center) Red is currently the Project FLOW Instructor at the Big Ugly Community Center. He likes reading, many fields of research, the study of the Paranormal, and working with kids. [I am going to write stuff just to take up room and then I am going to save this stuff in white ink. No one will ever know that it is here unless they try to copy and paste this page. Oops I need to keep writing. Need to keep writing.]

Justin Reed, Custodian (Harts Primary)

Laura Riffe, Activities Tutor (Harts Primary)

Iosif Simiryan, Technology VISTA

Doug Skeens, Bus Driver (Big Ugly Community Center)

Kathy Smith, Big Ugly Community Center Director Kathy is the Director of the Big Ugly Community Center (BUCC) and also coordinates the afterschool and summer programs. She has been married for twenty-two years and has two terrific children of her own. About three years ago, she and her husband got custody of a five and six year old, so they have started all over again. She has been with Step By Step since 2000. During this time she had the pleasure of being an AmeriCorps member for two years in the school system at Harts. Then she was a literacy VISTA for one year at BUCC and went on to complete a year as the Youth Leadership Coordinator, also at BUCC. She came back to Step By Step to coordinate their summer and afterschool programs and direct the Big Ugly Community Center. She enjoys being around children and socializing. She loves the beach and the great outdoors.

Terry St. Germain, VISTA

Will Taylor, Sustainability VISTA Will is a graduate of WVSU with a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications. He is active in Charleston area community theater and is a singer. Will is currently part of a community based effort called Kanawha Valley Connections, a sustainability fair. The fair is focused on examples of sustainable communities and what they may look like. A VISTA since November 2008, Will is excited about the possibilities of being in service to others. In July, Will will be part of a Green Team with youth conducting an energy audit workshop at the Faces of Leadership Conference held in Charleston.

Michael Tierney, Step by Step Executive Director Michael has developed community service and leadership projects for over 30 years including founding Step by Step in 1988, developing the cultural journalism program MOSAIC at South Boston High School (1979-1987), and helping start service learning offices at both West Virginia State University (2008-ongoing) and Concord College (1989-93). He currently teaches the first Intro to Non Profit Management course at WV State (or in the Charleston area). He has lived on Big Ugly Creek in Lincoln County since 1987, but first fell in love with West Virginia as a 20 year old intern with the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial in 1978 in Mingo County. He has made soup as part of the Catholic Worker community on the Bowery in New York, worked with street children in Cali, Colombia on a photographic portrait of their lives, developed an Appalachian Studies project at the community controlled ridgetop Big Laurel School of Learning, and created a magazine with the Powis Mods (a self named “gang” in a housing project in Aberdeen, Scotland). He visited South Africa, Zimbabwe, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Palestine, Israel, India and Ireland as a Kellogg International Leadership Program (KILP) fellow from 1995-1999. He is married to Marcelle St Germain, has two children (Luke and Mary), and five dogs and one cat on Big Ugly. He is a songwriter, photographer, and a passionate advocate of children’s books.

Oneida Toppins, Maternal Infant Health Outreach Worker (Lincoln County)

Matthew Walker, Sustainability VISTA (Big Ugly Community Center) Matthew holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Studies and 3D Design from Temple University and has worked professionally on environmental projects in China and the United States. Walker worked in China teaching English and piloting a hood vent project that reduced indoor air pollution. He served as an AmeriCorps VISTA last year in Mingo County, and coordinated water-themed Summer Camps, wrote grants, newsletters and press releases for environmental programs, and designed curriculum, evaluation forms and educational tools for a Project FLOW (Future Leaders of Watersheds) program. This year, based at the Big Ugly Community Center in Lincoln County, he wrote and received additional Project FLOW funding and is currently coordinating the program at four partnering Step by Step sites. He is also the Global Youth Groups Coordinator with Young People We Care, a non-profit focused on International Sustainable Development.

Teresa Watts, Cook (Big Ugly Community Center)

Melissa Williams, Grant Compliance Specialist for Step by Step Melissa was born and raised in the Motor City – Detroit, Michigan. She started off as an optician at the Detroit Optical Center, and later moved on to work as a data entry specialist and administrative assistant at Focus: HOPE, a forty year old non profit organization. Melissa married Jeff Williams in June of 2005. Jeff accepted a job to provide litigation support to federal attorneys in Charleston & Beckley, which prompted their move to wild and wonderful West Virginia that same month. She began working for Step by Step six months later in January of 2006. Melissa’s main job is to ensure that the organization consistently has grant money coming in by making sure all financial and narrative reports are submitted to funders on a regular basis and by reviewing all budgets on a monthly basis. Melissa enjoys watching movies and playing Mario Kart on Nintendo Wii.

Robin Wilson, Sustainability VISTA Robin has a long time interest in sustainability, from his passive solar home, to growing a year round supply of fruit and vegetables for his family, to commuting most places by bike. In addition, Robin is working on building transition communities, which plan and implement policies to proactively respond to the dangers of global warming, peak oil, and oil wars. He is a co-founder of Green Energy Action and Research (GEAR), a Roane County group encouraging local sustainable energy. He has a degree in Biology Education from Glenville State College in West Virginia. Presently he is a VISTA working on the “Kanawha Valley Connections: Creating Pathways to Sustainability” Fair May 30, 2009 and a web site to network solar, wind, water, biofuel projects in the state. He invites everyone to email pictures and descriptions to help with this project. Robin also works with the Kanawha Valley Green Team, which works with students to reach out to families, helping them save money by home energy conservation.

Jessica Workman, 21st Century Art/Literacy Instructor (Big Ugly Community Center) Jessica is currently the Art/Literacy Instructor for the 21st Century Program at the Big Ugly Community Center (BUCC). She is a past teen participant and has been involved in the programs at BUCC since she was 5 years old. After graduating from high school in 2008, she was a Summer VISTA at BUCC. This year she is applying for a summer Energy Express position. Jessica enjoys drawing and painting as well as other forms of art, and she loves the outdoors. Also, she has a big family so she has gotten used to being around them.

Alisha Young, VISTA (Southern Appalachian Labor School) Some of the tasks that she is currently working on are capacity building workshops that include bringing awareness to community members on tax information, proper bank account information, and proper benefits that can be received through the local Department of Human Health & Resources. It has been an exciting journey that she is eager to continue doing.