Welcome to our Newest Board Members!

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. 

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.

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.