Board of Directors

Tim is a Senior Vice President at Truist and manages the in-house creative design studio. He lives in Kernersville, NC with his wife and three children. Helping others has become a lifelong commitment that began in college, where he spent Saturdays volunteering with children in the community. This desire to have an impact on the lives of others was the spark that grew into years of involvement in church ministries, local organizations and volunteer opportunities. Tim has led team projects for the United Way Day of Caring, Habitat for Humanity and the Truist Lighthouse Project. Arts for Life provides him another avenue to live out his personal purpose of helping and inspiring others by leading with compassion and creativity.

Charissa McCullers has more than 15 years of experience in IT.  She has worked in leadership roles at HPE and SimpliVity. She is currently the Sr. Director of Nutanix Worldwide Support in Durham, North Carolina, where she leads a diverse team of leaders and engineers.  Charissa loves volunteering with organizations that support children.  She volunteered at Fuller Magnet Elementary School in Raleigh, North Carolina, where she served as the Vice President for several years even though she had no children that attended the school.  Charissa also serves on the Trustee Board of Maple Temple United Church of Christ.  She holds a Master’s Degree in Management, Strategy, and Leadership from Michigan State University.  Outside work, she enjoys attending North Carolina Symphony and Opera performances.

Fritz Porter is the Chief Investment Officer and Portfolio Manager for WestEnd Advisors in Charlotte, NC. A graduate of Davidson College, Fritz completed his MBA at Duke University Fuqua School of Business and also holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.

Fritz and his wife, Mary Margaret, are avid art collectors and enjoy supporting local artists and arts organizations like Goodyear Arts and the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art among others. Fritz is honored to be able to serve at Arts for Life to help bring the joy of art and creativity to children in the hospital and their families. Fritz and Mary Margaret have two teenage boys, and they enjoy traveling, skiing and hiking in the mountains.

Doris Rouse, Ph.D. is the Vice President of RTI International’s Center for Global Health. She manages the coordination of diverse disciplines to address major global health needs and has extensive experience in forming public and private consortia. Dr. Rouse has been the Project Director for grants from the National Institutes of Health and the Bill & Melinda Gates

Foundation to advance public- and private-sector collaborations to develop improved technologies for global health needs. As a Peace Corps Volunteer, she taught science in a small village in Liberia. Living in Durham with her husband, Blake Wilson, Doris has served her community with the Friends of Durham Library, David’s Table, Girl Scouts, and the Compass Center for Women and Families in Chapel Hill, NC.

Mary Edith Alexander has been with the Bank of America Art Collection since 2004, curating exhibitions for the bank’s Art in Our Communities program and providing curatorial support for projects in the bank’s real estate portfolio. Trained as a studio artist, Mary Edith received her undergraduate Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Painting from Guilford College in Greensboro, North Carolina and a Master of Fine Arts degree in painting from Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. Her work has been shown nationally, as well as in local and regional exhibitions Levine Museum of the New South, the McColl Center for Visual Art, and the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art (SECCA). Mary Edith has also taught art at various levels and institutions; she likes to say she’s “taught folks ages 4 to 84!” She also serves on the Executive Committee of Arts at Queens University, and also volunteers for various programs at her church including supporting Westerly Hills Academy and Trees Charlotte.

From the musical page to the digital stage, Sarah Cooke is an advocate for creative entrepreneurship and strategic communication with a focus on living local. She pursued her education through her Bachelor of Arts in Music and Interdisciplinary Minor in Humanities from Furman University and her Master of Science in Entrepreneurship & Innovation from the University of Edinburgh Business School. Sarah founded her blog and business in 2015 and specializes in content creation and digital marketing management for companies in the arts, literary, and technology spaces. 

Sarah’s excitement for Arts For Life comes from her combined focus on art as a means for solace and her interest in supporting pediatric hospitals, specifically in her connection with facility dog programs. 

She enjoys traveling from South Carolina to Scotland and beyond, discovering serendipity in her daily life. Between these international adventures, Sarah searches Instagram for fun lattes at independent coffee shops and peruses Little Free Libraries for romance novels.

Sharon is a 1998 graduate of North Carolina Central University (NCCU) with a Bachelor of Arts degree in General Arts/ Art Education. Sharon is NC licensed art educator currently teaching art at Voyager Academy Elementary School in Durham, NC. Sharon has over 15 years of teaching experience, working with general classroom students to special education on the elementary level. She has taken her love for art education and created an art business, Time For Art, LLC. Sharon’s goal is to provide a social and emotional connection for my young artists through arts.

Sylvia is an active member of Tau Theta Zeta chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated where she enjoys service projects for causes that she has a passion for. A big believer in service, Sylvia supports organizations such as March for Babies, Sickle Cell Awareness and Autism Awareness. Sylvia is married to Clinton Hicks and has two adult sons and a daughter-in-law. She is a North Carolina native and is a member of Friendship Missionary Baptist Church in Charlotte.

Kimberly is currently an independent consultant and Endowed Professor in the Department of Mass Communication at North Carolina Central University where she also teaches in the School of Business. Previously she served for 15 years as the Vice President of Marketing and External Relations with North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company. Her experience includes writing, editing, project management, marketing plan development, quantitative and qualitative research, higher education curriculum development as well as board leadership specifically in fundraising and stakeholder development. She is currently on the Development Committee of the UNC Chapel Hill Hussman School of Journalism and Media Foundation Board. Her board memberships include Lincoln Community Health Center Foundation and the Duke Health System Chancellor’s Advisory Committee. She also serves as the Chairman for Christian Education for North East Baptist Church. Kimberly grew up in Raleigh and has Bachelor’s and Ph. D. degrees from UNC Chapel Hill in Public Relations and a Master’s degree in English from NC State University. She lives in Durham with her husband, Eric, and sons, Elliott and Edward.

A pediatric hematologist/oncologist at Dell Children’s Medical Center, Dr. Priola completed her pediatric residency at Case Western Medical School and her Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Fellowship at UNC Chapel Hill. During her medical training, she also volunteered and worked with the American Red Cross/Americorps, and currently also serves on the Medical Advisory Board of Sebastian Strong.

“As a physician, I have had the opportunity to see firsthand the incredible impact that Arts For Life has on my patients and their families. I have trained and practiced in many different medical centers and love how integrated the Arts for Life staff and volunteers are with the medical team. I will never be able to adequately thank the volunteers and staff that create that impact but I am excited for the tremendous opportunity to serve on the Board of Directors of Arts for Life to advocate for the continue sustainability of this irreplaceable organization. While our kids and their families courageously battle their various illnesses, it is Arts For Life that engages their imagination to allow them to express their feelings and find the strength to continue their journey.”

Scott has been involved in business and sales for most of his career. His time outside of work is focused on family, but he also wants to make his community a better place to live. He enjoys volunteering for causes that he believes in. While he was not familiar with Arts for Life initially, he was “drawn” to the need that exists for families who have loved ones in the regional hospital systems. His volunteer time with Arts For Life has far exceeded his expectations. Scott is married and has two college aged children and lives in Kernersville, NC.

Allison joined the financial services industry in 2003 and is currently an Assistant Vice President and Business Manager with Greiner, Ezell & Associates at the Merrill Lynch office in downtown Asheville.  Prior to joining Merrill in 2015, she held several compliance and operations roles at other firms.

Allison was born and raised in Johnson City, TN.  She completed her Bachelor of Science in Justice and Policy Studies at Guilford College and a Master of Science in Negotiation and Dispute Resolution at Creighton University Law School.  Prior to her career in financial services, she worked as a relocation consultant in Beijing, China and Hong Kong for six years.  

She lives in Asheville with her husband, John, and their dogs, Sandy and Biggie.

Morgan Mathieu Tran is a devoted arts advocate and leader, serving the Charlotte community for nearly ten years in both nonprofit and commercial art realms. Morgan currently serves as the Director of Elder Gallery of Contemporary Art in South End Charlotte. In this role she executes the gallery’s vision through her curation of exhibitions and programming, as well as oversight of artist development, client relations, operations, staff management, and community outreach. As an artist herself, Tran is dedicated to amplifying and centering artistic voices, serving as a champion for both creators and collectors.

Tran earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Visual Arts with a minor in Business Administration from Meredith College. She has previous experience in both associate and managerial roles at SOZO Gallery, LaCa Projects, and The New Gallery of Modern Art. She is a member of many of Charlotte’s arts museums and organizations, and is also an active volunteer with The Catawba Riverkeepers and her church.

When she isn’t attending art events and curating exhibitions, Morgan can frequently be spotted hiking in the Blue Ridge Mountains, getting lost in a new book, or creating in her home studio.

Amanda Wise is the Director of Nonprofit Partnerships for SHARE Charlotte, an online engagement platform that powers social good by connecting the community to more than 630 Charlotte-Mecklenburg nonprofits. Before coming to SHARE Charlotte, Amanda worked in foster care and at Electrolux on the Global Brand Licensing team as the Licensing Manager. For the past twenty years, she has worked in corporate relationship building, sales, and special events planning. In addition to her contributions in the professional realm, Amanda is heavily involved in her community. Both a volunteer and a leader, she serves through her involvement with Samaritan’s Feet, Foster Village Charlotte, and Suicide Prevention. Amanda’s other interests include rooting for the Carolina Panther’s football team, playing tennis, and learning to play Mahjong.