Kristina supports the Advocate program in our Chapel Hill office where she oversees recruitment, training, and ongoing support for our volunteer Advocates. She also provides training and assistance for the Chapel Hill student leadership team, and works closely with this team to best support Members and Advocates in their work together and ensure our Advocates receive top quality training. Kristina love to dance and watch anything that Shonda Rhimes has created. Just not at the same time. She is in the process of learning to cook and welcomes any and all friendly advice and delicious recipes.

Maggie works part-time as Staff Support in CEF’s Chapel Hill office. She engages with Members, Staff, Advocates, and people coming to the CEF office for Coordinated Entry. Maggie has many opportunities to listen, encourage people and offer support. When she isn’t at CEF Maggie coordinates catering for Carrboro’s Open Eye Cafe. Maggie and her husband, Paul, are empty nesters with 3 amazing kids they miss named Maisie (25), Colin (22) & Martin (20). Maggie & Paul met at the University of Maryland (Go, Terps!) in 1984 and moved to Chapel Hill in 1999. In her free-time Maggie loves to travel, visit her kids, go on long walks, try new beers, pray, cook, watch movies in the front row at Silverspot with her feet up, create charcuterie plates to share, read books and ponder practical theology, and nap with her cat, Kitty, and dog, Jessie.

Diiv oversees service delivery to all of the Members in the Chapel Hill office, ensuring that Members receive the services they seek working with CEF Advocates. Diiv supports and coordinates with  Advocates to help them find the right resources to assist Members in reaching their goals and to identify helpful strategies for working together and building effective Member-Advocate relationships. Diiv also oversees the OC Hub in the Chapel Hill office, coordinating partner agencies to co-locate services and provide coordinated care across systems countywide. Diiv is passionate about Social Justice (think globally/build locally!), cooperativity and interdependence (food coops, farming coops, housing coops, consensus building, coordinated care, etc.), post-colonial literature, growing edible things, eating edible things (especially sweets), and building strong relationships with their (big, messy, complicated, blended) family, friends, and community.

Yvette is the captain of the ship in the Chapel Hill office, leading the front of the house including reception, welcoming, and administration. Yvette also leads community advocacy efforts in Chapel Hill and is the creator and director of the CEF Advocacy Choir! Yvette is the first face many Members and Advocates see when they enter the office, and effectively ensures that everyone who walks through the door is cared for and leaves happy (and keeps CEF’s Office Agreements!).

Tawana serves as CEF’s Growing Household Income Fellow, an AmeriCorps VISTA position facilitated through CEF’s partnership with the IDA and Asset Building Collaborative of North Carolina. She will oversee efforts to build capacity in CEF’s workforce development services, integrate CEF’s financial capability services into countywide workforce services and partnerships, and increase capacity of the Chapel Hill program team to enhance delivery of all CEF services in the Chapel Hill geography. In her free time, Tawana likes to research, journal, watch a good documentary and spend time with family.

ari leads CEF’s Development and Finance Team. She is responsible for engaging individual, corporate, and foundation donors; managing internal accounting systems; processing payroll; and overseeing all external communications (e-newsletter, social media, Annual Report, etc.). ari believes deeply in the importance of ending the racial wealth gap, practicing radical financing, and engaging in community wealth building practices (i.e., reparations, cooperative economics, and supporting locally-owned businesses). When she’s living her best life you can find her growing, cooking, or preserving food; biking on country roads; eating ice cream; forest bathing; swimming in the ocean; rowing a canoe; reading a book; or writing letters to dear ones. [ari’s headshot is by Bethanie Hines Photography.]

Steven was recruited to help out with bookkeeping after a short stint as an Advocate. What he loves most about CEF is the belief that is the foundation of the Member-Advocate relationship: that everyone is creative, resourceful, and whole. Steven has a background in sustainable agriculture and food access. He is passionate about growing the personal and financial freedom of people who are presently or have historically been denied that freedom. In his spare time he enjoys travel, surf fishing, cooking and eating, political and legal podcasts/discussions, and playing video games. He currently lives in Carrboro with his wife, Robin, and their brand-new daughter, Ada.

Lauren works on the Development and Finance team where she supports the donor engagement, manages all CEF Safe Savings account records, and oversees the development and implementation of CEF’s communication strategy. She also provides support to Members and Advocates in both CEF offices. Lauren passionately believes that entire communities must make conscious efforts, through the creation and support of policies, practices, and movements, to end the racial wealth gap and increase the prevalence of financial freedom in historically disenfranchised communities. In her free time, she enjoys trying new vegetarian/vegan dishes, watching YouTube, doing unique protective hairstyles, and being outside!