Meet our Board of Directors:
Dale Champion, Executive Director
Dale grew up in Pittsburgh and graduated from Penn State University with a B.S. in industrial engineering. He has held numerous management positions in industry and has also owned his own company. He has been a youth Sunday School teacher, "Big Brother" and board member, Mt. Bethel UMC administrative council member, president of the Wisconsin chapter of the American Institute of Industrial Engineers, and has coached youth sports for 20 years. In 2003, he began working with disadvantaged youth by developing and delivering programs that would help children prepare for their adult lives. Key areas addressed in those programs include leadership, teambuilding, finance, diversity, conflict resolution, and life skills sessions His commitment stems from the fact that a dire need for help exists in the at-risk population as less than 20 percent will graduate from high school. Such children absolutely require additional support with opportunities for them to be successful citizens in their communities.
Born and raised in the Wichita, Kansas area, Sam graduated from Wichita University (now Wichita State University) with a B.S. in business. After serving as an officer in the military for two-and-a-half years, he entered business as a private accountant. During his career, he worked for Boeing Aircraft, Santa Fe Railroad, and Cabot Corporation. In 2002, he retired from Cabot after 28 years of service. Sam has since been active in a number of ways—teaching Sunday School; volunteering with Mt. Bethel United Methodist Men and Habitat for Humanity; serving as a church advocate for Samaritan House of Atlanta and volunteering with Mt. Bethel Older Adult Center. He has mentored three young men with Opportunity Knocks for Youth and earned the 2009 Atlanta Journal-Constitution Heart in Hand Volunteer of the Year award for his work with the organization.
Tricia LeVeque Eoff, Secretary
Raised in a military family, Tricia grew up overseas and in various regions of the United States. She earned a degree in journalism from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. She has worked for the Department of Defense and several corporations, both large and small, in the private sector. She is currently employed by the Cobb County School District. She enjoys traveling, relaxing at the beach and in the mountains, reading, and spending time with worthwhile volunteer opportunities. For the past ten years, she has volunteered with a variety of organizations that serve youth, teens, and young adults.
Bill Spell, Director of Mentor Recruitment
Having begun his broadcast career in 1969, Bill retired on December 31, 2007 as vice president of sales and marketing for Cox Television, Inc. He previously served as director of sales for WSB-TV Channel 2, Atlanta, from 1990 to 1996. Among his professional activities, Bill is a member of the Atlanta Ad Club and the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. He is past president of the Atlanta Broadcast Advertising club. Active in the community, Bill is a member of the Cobb YMCA, of which he is a former director. He is past president of the Izaak Walton Conservation League, and he was a member of the1992-93 Class of Leadership Atlanta. He is also a member of NATAS, The Flint River Sportsman club, and the Mt. Bethel United Methodist Church. A native of Wrightsville, GA, he earned his B.B.A. and M.B.A. from Georgia State University. Bill enjoys hunting, fishing, gardening, tennis and reading.
Josh Champion, Director of Grants
Josh grew up in Atlanta and graduated from Walton High School in Cobb County. At the University of Georgia, he received a B.A. in real estate and works for Prudential Mortgage Capital in Atlanta as a senior investment analyst. Josh likes any activity involving the outdoors— golf, tennis, fishing, camping and hunting to name a few. He is an Eagle Scout and a member of the Association of Young Real Estate Professionals. He is an avid supporter, mentor and contributor for helping disadvantaged youth succeed in life
Jill Drake, Director of Personal Fundraising
Jill had the privilege of growing up all across the country as an Air Force dependant, but is now proud to call Marietta home. She graduated from the University of Georgia with a B.S. in education and taught high school history in Virginia. Jill is a member of Mt. Bethel United Methodist Church and has enjoyed serving as a Sunday school teacher, Vacation Bible School volunteer, soccer coach, and mentor for OK youth. Jill enjoys spending her free time outside and traveling with her husband and two young children.
Marjorie S. Preston-Ward, Co-Director of Programs
Marjorie is an information technology (IT) consultant with more than 25 years of experience in various industries and roles. In her free time, she enjoys playing tennis, traveling, reading and participating in outdoor activities with her son and daughter. Marjorie has volunteered as a Sunday School teacher, a tutor, an IT mentor, and mentor for Opportunity Knocks for Youth.
Amy Head, Co-Director of Programs
Having recently moved to Marietta, Amy is Owner of New Perspectives for Life, LLC, a counseling and life coaching practice located in the heart of East Cobb. A native of Boston, MA, Amy graduated from high school in Smyrna, Georgia, earned her BA in Philosophy from Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina, and earned her MSW from the Kent School of Social Work/University of Louisville in Louisville, Kentucky. Amy is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker specializing in work with children, teens, marriage and the family. She has worked in various settings including operating a grant-funded program through the Jefferson County Public Schools in Louisville, KY, where she oversaw and provided all administrative and programming aspects aimed at helping at-risk students and families to remove barriers to successful education. Amy is also a Group Fitness Instructor nationally certified through the American Council on Exercise, and certified Zumba Instructor. She is an active volunteer at her children’s schools and at church. Amy resides in Marietta with her husband, Kevin, and children Jenna and Joshua.
Joyce was born and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana, and graduated from Ball State University with her B.S. in Psychology. She then moved to Atlanta, GA to earn her M.A. in Educational Psychology with a focus on Adolescent Socialization and Development from Georgia State University. Joyce has worked with disadvantage youth and their families in several capacities over the past eighteen years with such organizations as the Indianapolis Parks and Recreation and Devereux Adolescent Treatment Facility. Her responsibilities have included DFCS Foster Care Case Manager and DFCS Regional Independent Living Coordinator. As the regional ILC, she provides basic skills and resources to assist young adults in transitioning from foster care to adulthood through programs that focus on employment, housing, post-secondary education, health and life skills training. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc and continues to serve her community through local service projects. Her interests include reading, music, outdoor activities, and spending time with her nephews.
Karla Bright, Director of Marketing and Public Relations
Karla is a native Georgian who has lived in Marietta for over 30 years. She graduated from Georgia State University with a B.S. in early childhood education, University of West Georgia with a M.A. degree in education and an educational specialist degree from Lincoln Memorial in curriculum and aupervision. She has taught in Cobb County elementary schools for 15 years as a classroom teacher and an Instructional Lead teacher before going into private Christian education. She is the elementary school principal at Community Christian School. She has been active in Mount Bethel United Methodist Church for more than 25 years as a Sunday School leader, youth sports camp director, basketball coach, and soccer coach. She has worked with middle and senior high students and been on several mission trips with the youth. Her passion is children and she enjoys mentoring young people.