BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Fiscal Year Beginning 07/01/2026
Chair: Craig DeBrew, Henderson County
First Vice Chair: Bill Yarborough, Haywood County
Second Vice Chair: Shelley White, Haywood County
Immediate Past Chair: Karen Hammett, Haywood County
Treasurer: Edie Cecil, Buncombe County
Secretary: Jeffery Owen, Buncombe County
President: Dean Kanipe, McDowell County
Vice President: Jimmy Cowan, Henderson County
President Emeritus: K. Ray Bailey, Buncombe County
Chivous Bradley, Rutherford County
Sophie Dixon, Buncombe County
Steve Duckett, Buncombe County
Russ Harris, Jackson County
Tammy Jackson, EBCI
Laura Leatherwood, Henderson County
Kaleb Rathbone, Haywood County
Randy Rogers, Haywood County
Zeb Smathers, Haywood County
L.T. Ward, Buncombe County
Tammie Whitlock, Madison County
Ross Young, Madison County
LIFETIME BOARD
- W. Louis Bissette Jr., McGuire, Wood & Bissette
- F. Ed Broadwell, Buncombe County
- E. Charles Dyson, Bladen County
- Jacob F. Grigg, Madison County
- Sam H. McGuirt Jr., Henderson County
In Memory
WNC Communities has been fortunate to have great leadership through the years in two of our region’s finest, Morris L. “Mac” McGough and Patricia Brinkley Shulimson.
Pat Brinkley
Pat Brinkley, Past President of WNC Communities, faithfully served our communities and agriculture for over 25 years. Her belief that rural communities are the backbone of our mountain region was present everyday and her work. In addition, Pat was passionate about supporting area youth on their journey to higher education. The WNC Communities’ Board of Directors established the Pat Brinkley Shulimson Memorial Scholarship to award to one of our Journey Scholars that presents exceptional leadership skills, just like Pat.
For a fascinating oral history about community development in the mountains of North Carolina and the great work of Pat Brinkley go to: http://toto.lib.unca.edu/findingaids/oralhistory/VOA/A_C/Brinkley.P.html
Mac McGough
Mac McGough was the father of community development and the catalyst behind so many of the great pieces of infrastructure we all continue to enjoy to this day including; the WNC Farmers Market, WNC Ag Center, NC Arboretum and the Mountain Research Stations.
Mac McGough came to Western North Carolina in 1948 as part of a Rural Area Study, which took a careful and thorough approach in creating an appraisal of the agricultural resources in our area. The study created a plan to bring farmers and businessmen together to push forward with agricultural development of our region.
In February of 1949, over 700 leaders representing, farms, businesses and the State, attended a Chamber of Commerce meeting to hear an explanation of the study and the proposed Rural Development Program at the Asheville City Auditorium. Approval was enthusiastically given and a new movement was underway.
The Asheville Agricultural Development Council was formed and adopted the slogan, “Business, Agriculture and Labor Working Together to Build a Prosperous and Stable Community.” Mac McGough was hired as the manager to implement the plan within the mountains of North Carolina. When Mac McGough spoke to George Cecil about the Asheville Agricultural Development Council sponsoring the first rural development contest, he advocated for the idea that ‘you’ll never do anything in rural development unless it comes from the bottom up’.
The Western North Carolina Rural Community Development Contest gave $1,000 in prizes to three top communities. Over 60 years later this program, now called the WNC Honors Awards, is still going strong.
In the words of Richard Wynne, “Mac McGough should be at or near the top of Western North Carolina’s ‘unforgettable’ list, a visionary who could get things done. Once he decided on a course, he pursued it relentlessly. If the cause got opposition, he met it head-on or circumvented it, depending on the situation.”
WNC Communities’ Board of Directors created the Morris L. “Mac” McGough Endowment to continue Mac’s legacy of work in community development. Gifts to this endowment fund can be mailed to WNC Communities, 594 Brevard Road, Asheville, NC 28806.