Leslie joined the Foundation in January 2008 as Executive Director. Prior to her arrival, Leslie served as Vice-President and General Counsel to the University of North Carolina.  She has also served as general counsel to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education and in the North Carolina Senate.  She was an adjunct professor at UNC-CH School of Law; was partner in the law practice of Ferguson, Stein, Watt, Wallas, Adkins & Gresham; was staff and managing attorney for Legal Services of Southern Piedmont, Inc. and served as law clerk to the Honorable James B. McMillan, Judge of the US District Court for the Western District of North Carolina.  Leslie is a native North Carolinian and has spent her career as a public interest lawyer and public servant in North Carolina. Over the course of her career Leslie has worked on issues including civil rights, gender equity, affordable housing, public education, and higher education. <click here to download the complete bio>

A native North Carolinian, Joy received a BA in Politics from Wake Forest University and a MPA from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.  The Kennedy School named her a Lucius N. Littauer Fellow for her academic achievement and contributions to the school.  After internships in the NC Governor’s Office and The White House, Joy Began working with the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation in 1998.  As the Director of Policy Initiatives, she is responsible for the Foundation’s work in its Democracy and Civic Engagement focus area and works on special projects across the Foundation’s five focus areas.  She has served on the Board of Trustees and Board of Visitors of Wake Forest University, the Board of the Environmental Grantmakers Association, and was a founding member of the boards of the NC Network of Grantmakers, NC Center for Afterschool Programs, and NC Civic Education Consortium.

Mary joined the Foundation in 2001 and is responsible for the Community and Economic Development Focus Area.   Prior to joining the foundation, she served as policy analyst and director of research and policy at the North Carolina Department of Labor where she focused on workforce and economic development; development director for the North Carolina Center for Public Policy Research; and music teacher in the public schools.  Mary has served on the local advisory committee for LISC and the board of the Partners for Homeownership and the North Carolina Community Development Initiative.  She was a Friday Fellow through the Wildacres Leadership Initiative, is an American Marshall Memorial Fellow through the German Marshall Fund, and has been active in her church and neighborhood associations.  Donnan grew up in southwestern Virginia, is a graduate of Davidson College, and received her masters degree in Environmental Studies from the University of Adelaide in South Australia.  She carries ongoing interests in music, family, gardening, and home renovation.

Hawley Truax served as senior policy advisor to Governor Michael Easley from 2000 to 2008, focusing on energy, environment, transportation, economic and workforce development issues.  He joined the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation in December 2008, where he is responsible for the Environment focus area.  Hawley also serves on the North Carolina Building Code Council and has been selected as a 2009 Eisenhower Fellow from the Research Triangle International Leadership Initiative.  Prior to joining the governor’s office, Hawley served as Grants Manager and Senior Planner for City of Cambridge, Massachusetts; consultant to the Boston Foundation's Persistent Poverty Project; and deputy director of Environmental Action Foundation, a national environmental organization.  Hawley graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Amherst College and received his Masters in Public Policy from Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government.   He is co-editor of Approaches to Community Capacity Building, 1997, The Boston Foundation; and editor of Our Earth, Ourselves:  A Citizens' Guide to Saving the Planet, 1990, Bantam Books. 

James Gore joined the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation in February 2009, where he is responsible for the Social Justice and Equity focus area. For the past three years, he had worked as program director with One Economy Corporation, focusing on efforts to bring broadband access, online content, and technology resources to low-income families. Most recently, he worked with the Indiana Lieutenant Governor’s Office and the Office of Community and Rural Affairs to develop technology strategies for communities around workforce development, business development, and education. Prior to joining One Economy, James spent eight years with the Winston-Salem Foundation as a program officer and donor services officer. In addition to his grant making work at the Foundation, he led the Black Philanthropy Initiative and initiated Grant making Partners, a tool for donor engagement. James received his BA in Political Science from Yale University. He has been a volunteer board member with many local and national organizations including National Center for Black Philanthropy, Prodigals Community and Neighbors for Better Neighborhoods.

Mary joined the Foundation in July 2008 as the 2008-2010 Fellow.  She graduated from UNC-CH, magna cum laude, with degrees in Sociology and Public Policy.  A member of Phi Beta Kappa, Mary was also a William M. Lamont, Jr. Carolina Scholar; the 2007 recipient of the Jane Craige Gray Memorial Award; and a member of the Order of the Old Well.  In 2005, Mary founded Extended Disaster Relief, an organization that provides multi-year relief and rebuilding support for communities affected by natural disasters.  Mary has studied abroad in Southeast Asia and Ecuador and during her senior year, taught an accredited course entitled “Issues of Migration in Southeast Asia.”  She maintains a strong interest in migration and education policy and enjoys cooking and backpacking.    

Tom joined the Foundation in 1978 as Executive Director and now continues to serve the Foundation as senior fellow.  Throughout his career, Tom has dedicated himself to the people of North Carolina and has worked in a variety of capacities.  He was on the campaign staff of gubernatorial candidate Terry Stanford, was assistant to the chair of the NC Democratic Party, and was administrative assistant to Governor Sanford.  From 1965 to 1969, he was an administrator at the Smith Richardson Foundation in Greensboro, and from 1969 to 1978, he worked as administrative assistant to U.S. Representative Richardson Preyer.  Tom has served on numerous Boards, including the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Winston-Salem State University, the Public School Forum of North Carolina, the NC Rural Center, and the Hunt Institute for Educational Leadership. <click here to download the complete bio>

Pat Williamson is a native of Greensboro, North Carolina, and has been with the Foundation since 2002.  Prior to moving to Winston-Salem, she lived and worked in Raleigh, NC as an Administrative Officer with the State Library of North Carolina in the Department of Cultural Resources, and worked in Washington, DC on Capitol Hill for a number of years before returning to the state.  She is a graduate of Virginia State University in Petersburg, Virginia and received a graduate degree from North Carolina Central University in 2000.   She enjoys reading, writing and spending time with her daughter, Brittany, and their dog, Puff.

Barbara joined the Foundation in 2000 and works in accounting and grants and database management.  Before coming to the Foundation, she was an Office Manager with McGladrey & Pullen, LLP.  Barbara has earned an AAS in Accounting and an AAS in Business Administration from Surry Community College, both with honors. She is currently enrolled at SCC in Information Technology. She is interested in photography, gardening, and technology and enjoys spending time with her family and animals.

LaRita Bell has been with the Foundation since 1990 in the areas of accounting, grants management and travel.  She is currently the Travel/Meetings Coordinator for the Foundation.  Before coming to the Foundation, LaRita worked as a Secretary in the Law Department of R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, where she was responsible for the legal accounting system and month-end closing, and as a National Sales Assistant in the Traffic Department of WXII TV 12.  LaRita attended Salem College and enjoys reading and spending time with her family.

Gloria Puckett has been with Foundation since 2003 as Administrative Assistant.  Before coming to the Foundation, Gloria worked as Supervisor for the Winston-Salem office of Easter Seals of NC and as a Scheduler/Production Planning Assistant with ARMTEX, Inc.  She has earned an AAS in Accounting and an AAS in Business Administration from Surry Community College, both with honors.  She is married to Petty Officer Adam Puckett and they live in King, NC.  She has two children, Emily and Zach.

Jill Ray has been with the Foundation since January 2, 1997 as an administrative assistant.  Before coming to the Foundation, she was employed as a buyer’s clerk in Purchasing for four years and secretary for six years at AT&T/Lucent Technologies.   She attended Forsyth Technical Community College where she earned a Microcomputing Certificate.  Jill has two children, Taylor and Cady, and a dog, Toby.  She enjoys sports and attending her children’s ballgames.