Laura Wells

Executive Director

Laura is originally from NC and returned here in 2020 after 20 years of living and working for multiple nonprofits in Atlanta GA. She has experience in working with people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) from early intervention all the way through adulthood. Her background as a clinical social worker provided her with a wealth of experience in assessment, evaluation, case management and counseling with families of children with IDD. She has non-profit start-up experience as well as over 10 years of non-profit program development and management.

Laura got a bachelor's degree in Psychology from Duke and Master’s in Social Work from UNC-CH. She and her husband live in Chapel Hill and have 2 children as well as a houseful of pets.

Deja Barber

Self-Advocate Coordinator

Deja is a self-advocate who lives in Raleigh and is currently finishing her master’s degree in Rehabilitation Counseling at NC State. She works with HOPE NC to ensure the voices of people with lived experience are at the center of all of the work that we do. She is also working with another collective impact initiative and peer mentorship program in the Triangle.

Collin Flake

Community Facilitator

Collin has lived in the North Street Community for two and a half years now, first at the Friendship House and now at the Isaac House. He is a graduate of Duke Divinity School, with a passion for creating community among all residents. He previously worked for First in Families supporting families and individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. He also has experience as a Direct Support Professional. Collin was hired by HOPE NC to be the North Street Community Facilitator as part of a one-year pilot project to evaluate the impact of this role. He is excited to serve North Street in this new role and to promote the flourishing of residents with and without disabilities who live in the community. 

Collin grew up in small-town Georgia, where he gained an appreciation for the outdoors and for knowing his neighbors. He holds bachelors degrees in Philosophy and Theology as well as a certificate in community development from Wheaton College, and he is a recent graduate of Duke Divinity School. He has worked with and learned from non-profit organizations that center disability, homelessness, and peacebuilding. He is also a candidate for ordination in the Anglican Church in North America. Collin has lived in the North Street Neighborhood in Durham for two and a half years, and he is deeply grateful to his friends and neighbors there both with and without disabilities for shaping his idea of the good life and flourishing community. In his free time, Collin can usually be found reading a good book, hiking in the woods, or playing a new board game with friends.

Kevin Davis Giff

Collective Impact Project Director

Kevin holds a Masters of City and Regional Planning from UNC Chapel Hill and worked for Habitat for Humanity of Orange for the past 5 years. HOPE NC has partnered with the Health Sciences Community Practice Lab at UNC-CH to fund Kevin's position assisting with the collective impact work. He is responsible for coordinating all of the partners across the region who are committed to the social change needed to create inclusive housing.

Karen Oldoni

Community Facilitator

Karen Oldoni is the new Community Facilitator at Grosvenor Gardens and brings more than twenty years of experience working with college-aged I/DD students to the role. As an Instructor and Independent Living Advisor at Lesley University’s Threshold program in Cambridge, Massachusetts, she collaborated with young adults in the classroom and in their apartments to develop and apply the skills they needed to live fulfilling and vibrant independent lives. Karen is delighted to join the team at HOPE NC and looks forward to working with residents to promote meaningful relationships and an atmosphere of belonging for all in the community. Karen is a graduate of Colgate University.

Orah Raia

Co-founder

Orah has over 35 years experience in the area of special education, specifically regarding the inclusion of students with disabilities in schools and communities. She has a Master’s Degree in Special Education. She began her advocacy career working for the NJ Statewide Parent Advocacy Network (SPAN). She worked collaboratively with many school districts in New Jersey and with the New Jersey State Department of Education and the New Jersey Council on Developmental Disabilities on several state initiative projects. In addition she has taught graduate and undergraduate courses in the area of inclusion and conducted numerous workshops, both locally and nationally. She has served on several nonprofit Board of Directors. Her son Brian, who has developmental disabilities, was one of the first students included in general education classrooms, with supports, in New Jersey. He is the driving force in her passion to provide inclusive opportunities for people with intellectual/developmental disabilities in their communities. Orah and her family moved back to New Jersey in July, 2024, after living in North Carolina for 14 years, to be closer to family. In addition to Brian, her family includes their daughter, who lives in Vermont. The lack of supports for her son in North Carolina was also a leading reason for the relocation. Regardless, she remains committed to HOPE’s mission and will continue to be a Board member.

President: Colin Mellor

North Carolina Department of Transportation Environmental Policy Unit

Colin began his career at NCDOT in 1994. Since then he has worked both as a public servant and in private industry as a geologist and a geophysicist, gradually changing paths through environmental coordination and permitting roles to NEPA/SEPA (National/State Environmental Policy Act) analysis and environmental policy. Currently with NCDOT’s Environmental Policy Unit he oversees project environmental planning and compliance for the eastern half of the state and is one of NCDOT’s technical leads on Governor Coopers climate change-focused Executive Order 80. He earned a Bachelor's degree in Geology from the University of Wollongong, Australia, and a Master’s degree in Geology from UNC Chapel Hill. He is a North Carolina Licensed Geologist.

Colin resides in rural Orange County with his wife Kim and his two children Henry and Anna. He is actively involved as a coach and a Board member with the Mebane Youth Soccer Association.

Treasurer: Randy McNeill

Randy was a CPA licensed in NC from 1987 to 2023, and retired at the end of 2021 after 7 years as VP-Finance for Habitat for Humanity of Orange County NC. Prior to Habitat, he worked for 25 years at Hanesbrands and RJR Nabisco in Winston-Salem, in various roles of increasing responsibility in accounting and financial planning and analysis. Randy is a graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill, and upon graduation he worked for Ernst & Young in Raleigh.

Randy and his wife live in Graham, and love to take driving vacations across the state and beyond. They have two daughters and three grandchildren; their daughters are both educators, one in the Alamance Burlington School System and one at NC State as an assistant professor teaching courses in special education as well as elementary education. Randy enjoys playing golf, hiking, gardening, and spreadsheets.

Secretary: Ginny Dropkin

Co-founder

Ginny has been actively involved in the developmental disabilities arena since her son was diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum, at age 4 (he's now 40).  She has a Master’s Degree in Social Work from the UNC-Chapel Hill. Ginny served on the Board of Directors at Frankie Lemmon School. She's been a member of the Arc and the Autism Society. Her advocacy is now focused on joining efforts with others to find solutions to the critical question of what happens to these young adults when their parents and caregivers are no longer alive or able to offer support and care. She was a Board Member of Autism Community Initiative, an effort to create supported housing. Her experience with ACI eventually led directly to her current efforts with HOPE, which she co-founded. She continues collaborating with other parents and looking for solutions.

Vice-President: Alisa Ginyard

Outreach Coordinator, Reality Ministries

Alisa Ginyard is currently the Outreach Coordinator at Reality Ministries, an inclusive community of belonging and support where adults with and without disabilities make friends and grow together in finding their own gifts and talents and share them with one another. In her work she supports parents and caregivers of people with disabilities and is the welcoming presence for people wanting to become a part of the programs. Alisa is also part of the Executive Strategic Leadership Team at Reality. 

Alisa connection to the world of disability support came from raising a son with Autism and volunteering at Reality Ministries when she saw the love and care that they had for her son and so many others there. Her son David is 31-years-old and has a passion for animation.  After spending time at Reality for a couple of years, she was asked if she would consider becoming a permanent part of the staff in 2017.  She is currently working towards building connections to do international disability support work in South Africa after recent travel there. 

She is a grandmother who lives with her family, which includes her husband Tony, in the North Street Neighborhood in Durham. She is part of an advocacy team working on continued growth and development of that community.

She has lived in four countries outside of the United States including, Norway, Taiwan and Kenya besides Belgium and has worked in and traveled to many countries besides those while working for the U.S. Department of State for 12 years.  She was also a U.S. Delegate to the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva in 2012.

Barrett Joyner

Former President, SAS North America

Barrett Joyner spent the prior 8 years raising funds for a non profit shelter for homeless men and women addicted to drugs and alcohol. Previously, he spent 25 years in high technology developing and implementing marketing and sales strategies for: Mi-Co, software company focusing on hand writing recognition and mobile data capture activities with the Mi-Forms form design platform, FullSeven, email marketing software, SciQuest, software focusing on strategic procurement for academic, healthcare and research-centric organizations and 16 years at SAS Institute, the world's largest independent software vendor serving as Software Sales Director, VP of Sales and Marketing and President of SAS North America. Barrett graduated from UNC, did graduate work at NC State, and has worked at RTI (Research Triangle Institute).

Barrett has previously served on the Board of Directors of the Eastern North Carolina Chapter of the MS Society and is a strong supporter of the nonprofit, Rebuilding the Triangle.

Barrett loves calling the Triangle area home having lived in Carrboro, Chapel Hill and Raleigh. Barrett now lives in Cary with his wife Stephenie.

Grant Pearson

Self-Advocate

Grant moved to North Carolina from Richmond, VA in 1999 and graduated from C.E. Jordan High School in 2004. He currently participates in weekly activities at Reality Ministries where he enjoys socializing with friends. In his spare time, he enjoys cooking, visiting Duke Gardens in the spring and summer, and doing yard work at home.

Paul Fogleman

Attorney and Partner at Womble Bond Dickinson

Paul Fogleman is a partner in the firm's Capital Markets group, which represents banks, non-traditional lenders, and borrowers in a variety of finance transactions, including term and revolving facilities, construction facilities, asset-based lending, and receivables financing.

Paul has extensive experience representing borrowers and real estate owners in many aspects of real estate transactions, including real estate secured financings, acquisitions and sales, developments, leases, title review, and due diligence analysis. He regularly serves as North Carolina counsel in the issuance of local counsel real estate and enforceability opinions.

Within the community, and aside from his involvement with Hope NC, Paul is active on the board of the Poe Center for Health Education. He also regularly handles residential closings and general corporate matters on a pro bono basis for Habitat for Humanity of Wake County.

Paul is a graduate of North Carolina State University and the University of South Carolina School of Law.

Harriet Able

Retired Professor of Special Education at UNC-CH

Harriet Able is a mother of an adult with high functioning autism and a retired professor of special education from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She has been in the disability field for over forty years. Her primary work has focused on family support initiatives for children, youth, and adults with disabilities. While a professor at UNC-CH, Harriet received numerous grant awards from the U.S. Office of Education focused on preparing interdisciplinary professionals to be leaders in family centered practices. Her research and advocacy work has focused on helping individuals with disabilities and their families be informed consumers and advocates for needed services.

Chris Cole

CPA and Certified Fraud Examiner, CliftonLarsenAllen

Chris Cole is a CPA and Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE).  He joined CliftonLarsenAllen CPA firm (top 10 CPA firm in the US) in January 2022 as their Quality and Wellness Director. Among his responsibilities is assessing and monitoring the impact of workload and culture on engagement quality across the firm.  He's originally from Connecticut and upstate New York, and lived in North Carolina since 1982.

 Chris and his family currently reside in Hillsborough.  His hobbies include reading, golf and travel with his wife, Amy, and son, Jay.  His son is a senior at Georgetown University and in Air Force ROTC and his wife is an IT Project Manager at UNC Chapel Hill Medical School.

Holly Riddle

Retired Assistant Director in the NCDHHS’ Office of the Senior Advisor on the ADA

Holly Riddle leads Olmstead Plan Development for the NC Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) as an Assistant Director in the NCDHHS’ Office of the Senior Advisor on the ADA.  Over her four decades in government, she has served, in addition, as policy advisor to the NC Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Use Services; executive director of the NC Council on Developmental Disabilities (NCCDD); general counsel to the former NCDHHS Division of Youth Services; and a staff member of Wright School and the Whitaker Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility.  Ms. Riddle holds bachelor’s in English and master’s degree in Special Education from UNC-Chapel Hill and a Juris Doctorate from Georgetown University Law Center.  She is a former member of the American Bar Association’s Commission on Mental and Physical Disability Law; a member of the National Advisory Board for the College of Direct Support; a member of the boards of the NC Guardianship Association and Housing Options for People with Exceptionalities (HOPE NC); a graduate of Leadership North Carolina; former chair of the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities’ (AAIDD) Legal Process and Advocacy Committee; and Fellow of the AAIDD.  In 2013, the NCCDD created an award in her name, recognizing excellence in professional leadership in the field of developmental disability.

Alex Nickodem

Broker/Realtor with Terra Nova Global Properties

Alex lives in Chapel Hill with his wife, a professor at UNC, and their son. He has been practicing real estate in the Triangle since early 2018. In 2022, he joined Terra Nova Global Properties in Chapel Hill. His practice areas include residential sales, new construction, and he has extensive experience with first time homebuyers. As a former fundraiser for Habitat for Humanity, he is passionate about making people’s home dreams become a reality. 

His greatest joys in life are found in time with his family, whether that be splashing in Morgan Creek, exploring the NC Botanical Gardens, or chasing his son around the lawn at Weaver Street Market. He loves exploring the natural beauty to be found in the Triangle, from Eno River State Park to the Hillsborough Riverwalk to Coker Arboretum.

Greg McGrew

Retired Attorney and Parent Advocate

Greg McGrew has been involved in the developmental disability community since his son was diagnosed with autism, at age 3 (he is now 29).  Over the years, Greg has held leadership roles in the disability community, including serving as President and board member of Disability Rights, North Carolina from 2002 to 2005, and as President and board member of First In Families of North Carolina from 2007 to 2012.  Greg is an attorney licensed in North Carolina and recently retired at the end of 2024 after a 27-year career as Assistant General Counsel at Ciena Corporation.

Greg resides in Apex with his wife, Cherly, and their son, Jacob.  Their daughter, Megan, currently lives in New York.  Greg is actively involved with the Boy Scouts of America and serves on the local board of directors.

Kelly Friedlander

Kelly Friedlander is the Owner & Principal Consultant of Community Bridges Consulting Group. Kelly consults primarily on stakeholder engagement, advocacy, and developing innovative solutions to meet systems changes. Kelly also oversees the business development and outreach at Community Bridges. Kelly has 15+ years of progressive responsibility in advocacy, policy analysis, and program development/administration.

Prior to co-founding Community Bridges, Kelly was the founder and principal of Catalyst Consulting, where she worked on stakeholder engagement and policy analysis projects for clients such as the National Association of State Directors of Developmental Disabilities Services, RHA Howell, the National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities, and Anthem Healthcare. Prior to this role, Kelly served as the Director of Systems Change Management at the North Carolina Council on Developmental Disabilities where she oversaw the strategic planning and program implementation of $1.5 million of Council-funded initiatives annually.

Kelly holds a Master’s of Social Work, a Master’s of Public Administration, and a Bachelor’s of Social Work. In addition, she is a graduate from the National Leadership Consortium on Developmental Disabilities Leadership Institute.

Ann Turnbull, PhD

Distinguished Professor Emerita,  Department of Special Education

Ann Turnbull has been a professor, researcher, and advocate for individuals with disabilities and their families for almost five decades at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and University of Kansas. She has authored 37 books and over 300 articles and chapters. Ann and her husband, Rud, were selected by the National Historic Preservation Trust on Developmental Disabilities as two of 36 individuals who “changed the course of history for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities in the 20th Century.” She served as President of the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disability and has received Lifetime Achievement Awards from four national disability organizations. Ann is quick to say that her “best professor” was her son, Jay (1967-2009), who experienced multiple disabilities and had what she describes as an “enviable life” through inclusive community supports.

Tracey Hawkins

Tracey Hawkins is a native of North Carolina - originally from Morehead City, NC and proudly holds degrees from both UNC-Chapel Hill and North Carolina Central University. Tracey values service, community connection, and advocating for the needs of the autistic community. Managing her beloved family, the transition to mothering two children with autism while balancing full-time work commitments has become a centralized focus in Tracey’s life. She most recently was appointed by Governor Roy Cooper to serve as a member of the Commission on Children with Special Health Care Needs. The commission monitors and evaluates the availability and provision of health services to children with disabilities in North Carolina and monitors and evaluates services provided under the Health Insurance Program for Children.

Tracey is the CEO & Founder of Thriving on the Spectrum; a tech startup company that develops interactive and digital supports tailored to address the unique needs of the neurodiverse community. Inspired by her middle son, James Preston, she created the Thrive App. The Thrive App offers a comprehensive and multifaceted approach to leveraging technology to aid in the development of emotion-regulating behaviors and strategies for individuals and their main supporters. To learn more about Thriving on the Spectrum, please visit www.thrivingonthespectrum.org.

Tracey and her husband, Zack, along with their boys proudly reside in Durham, NC House District 31!

Roger L. Perry

Mr. Perry is the President of East West Partners. A few of East West Partners’ more well-known projects include Downing Creek, Meadowmont and East 54 in Chapel Hill, Falls River in Raleigh,  Cary Park in Cary, Riverbend, Fairway Row and Davis Lake in Charlotte and Adams Farm in Greensboro.

 Mr. Perry is a member of the UNC-Chapel Hill Foundation Board of Directors, UNC-Chapel Hill Real Estate Company, UNC Institute for Arts & Humanities Advisory Board, and the Institute for Defense and Business Board of Directors. He also is Co-Chair of the UNC Development Campaign Committee, serves on the Executive Committee of the Center for Real Estate at Kenan-Flagler Business School and is a member of the Messer Construction Board of Directors.

Mr. Perry is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and The Executive Program at UNC’s Kenan-Flagler Business School. He lives in Chapel Hill with his wife, Linda.

Pam Shipman

Expert Consultant in Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

Shipman’s career of more than 40 years is characterized by extensive engagement with people that have disabilities and chronic health conditions; people that are disadvantaged by poverty and other social determinants. Her success is based on a deep knowledge of the healthcare system at large, as well as strong communication skills, political sensitivity, and the ability to develop enduring partnerships with people served, public officials, community organizations, elected representatives, and other stakeholders.

Pamela Shipman continues her work on behalf of people with disabilities by consulting with several organizations. She also volunteers with the Olmstead Workgroup and with the DSP Workgroup, an organization consisting of parents and others interested in working toward better wages for Direct Support Workers serving people with disabilities.

Shipman served as the Executive Vice President at Monarch of NC from 2016 – 2021. Monarch, a non-profit organization providing services for people with mental health and intellectual/developmental disabilities in 50 North Carolina counties. Her role involved working on special projects, including serving as Monarch’s lobbyist in the General Assembly. Prior to her employment with Monarch, Shipman was the CEO of Cardinal Innovations Healthcare Solutions from 2011 until 2015 and served as COO from 2001 through 2011.