
Board of Directors
LaVeeda Battle (she/her)
Birmingham, AL
LaVeeda Battle is an attorney and owner of Battle Law Firm, LLC.
Dr. Chad Berry (he/him)
Berea, KY
MRBF Board Vice President
Chad Berry is the Goode Professor of Appalachian Studies and Professor of History, former Academic Vice President and Dean of the Faculty, Berea College.
Ashleigh Gardere (she/her)
New Orleans, LA
MRBF Board President
Ashleigh Gardere is Senior Advisor to the President and CEO of PolicyLink. She also serves as Director of PolicyLink’s All-In Cities Initiative.
Dr. Micah Gilmer (he/him)
Durham, NC
Micah Gilmer is a Senior Partner at Frontline Solutions.
Jerry Gonzalez (he/him)
Atlanta, GA
Jerry Gonzalez is the CEO of GALEO.
Dr. James Mitchell (he/him)
Selma, AL
Dr. Mitchell is the President of Wallace Community College Selma.
Holt Mountcastle (he/him)
Washington, DC
Holt Mountcastle is a consultant at RE Tech Advisors.
Kara Mountcastle (she/her)
Durham, NC
MRBF Board Secretary
Kara Mountcastle is an Operations Analyst for Modern Energy.
Kathy Mountcastle (she/her)
Lake Wales, FL
Kathy Mountcastle is a former producer for CBS News.
Ken Mountcastle (he/him)
Washington, DC
MRBF Board Treasurer
Ken Mountcastle is former Corporate Relations Officer at the American Humane Association.
Laura Mountcastle (she/her)
Ann Arbor, MI
Laura Mountcastle is former Vice President of Investor Relations and Treasurer at CMS Energy.
Mary Mountcastle (she/her)
Durham, NC
Mary Mountcastle is a community and political volunteer. She formerly held senior staff roles at Self-Help and the Center for Responsible Lending.
Stephanie Tyree (she/her)
Fayette Co., WV
Stephanie Tyree is Executive Director of the West Virginia Community Development Hub.
Directors Emeriti:
Dr. Otis Johnson (he/him)
Savannah, GA
Dr. Otis Johnson served as Mayor of Savannah from 2004 to 2012.
Barbara Millhouse (she/her)
New York, NY
Barbara Millhouse is founder of the Reynolda House Museum of American Art.