Board of Directors
LAUREN SMITH
President
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Lauren Smith is the EEO Compliance Director for Leidos Inc., an innovative solutions company providing support for government and private industries. After 12 years of private practice as an employment lawyer, Lauren brings a strategic approach to a variety of issues impacting Leidos’ 44,000 plus employees, focusing on the changing landscape of federal and state employment laws, affirmative action plans, audit responses, government reporting, and internal processes.
Lauren lives with her husband and two sons in Huntsville and spends as much time as she can reading outdoors.
VERONICA A. CRAM
VICE PRESIDENT
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Veronica, Founder and CEO of InSight Strategic Solutions, brings a wealth of both education and experience to her clients. With over two decades working in financial operational capacities, and eight years studying accounting and business, she has cultivated her gift for identifying “any holes in the boat,” providing solutions to plug those holes, while setting a successful course to a business’s destination.
Her formal education began at New Mexico State University, where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Accountancy. Initially enrolling for a Management degree (with the dreams of becoming an entrepreneur), she found studying accounting made perfect sense, and could not understand why others did not find it was logical as she did! She quickly changed her program of study to Accounting and earned a Master of Accountancy from The University of Alabama in Huntsville. Fifteen years after initially choosing to venture down the Accounting path, she earned her Executive Master of Business Administration from Auburn University.
Veronica has worked in a variety of industries, including nonprofit healthcare clinics, vehicle fleet management, manufacturing, defense, and for-profit education. No matter the industry, she learned that numbers speak the truth, and simply reducing expenses in an effort to become profitable can stifle growth. She works with clients today to lead them to success by continuously exceeding goals, resulting in higher cash flows and increased profitability. From one-person start-ups to multi-faceted businesses, Veronica’s guidance has proven invaluable to clients in a variety of industries across the country. Her deep understanding of business, combined with the appreciation of what work-life balance really means, has allowed Veronica come full circle, becoming that entrepreneur by utilizing her extensive education and professional experiences to solve the financial and accounting challenges her clients face on a daily basis. Her successes speak for themselves.
When she’s not working with business owners, she can be found with her husband and daughter cheering on the Auburn Tigers football team, walking their three rescue dogs, or just enjoying life.
AMBROSIA PATTERSON
SECRETARY
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Ambrosia Patterson is the Huntsville Practice and Strategy Lead at Accenture Federal Services (AFS). Prior to joining AFS, she was the FBI’s Huntsville Change and Transition Program Manager. She also served as an FBI leadership coach.
Ambrosia is passionate about coaching individuals and building well-functioning organizations, teams, systems and processes. She enjoys spending time with her husband Justin, son Pax, and daughter Esthero. She also loves to write.
Ambrosia holds a Master of Accountancy degree from The George Washington University and a Bachelor of Science in business management from Case Western Reserve University. She earned her Leadership Coaching Certification through the Georgetown University Institute for Transformational Leadership.
Emilie Gilliland
treasurer
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Coming Soon!
Allie
Komara
treasurer
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Coming Soon!
MELANIE THORNTON
Past President
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Melanie Thornton is the CEO of Burritt on the Mountain, a leading cultural destination in North Alabama. She oversees a 167-acre campus that includes a historic park, nature trails, the 1930s Burritt Mansion, and a Folk School offering hands-on heritage arts. With a team of 48, she leads the museum’s year-round programming, including festivals, educational initiatives, and weddings at The View—welcoming more than 55,000 visitors each year.
Melanie brings over 20 years of experience in nonprofit leadership, public history, and strategic communications. She has consulted with historic house museums across the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic, helping them refine interpretation and audience engagement. Her previous roles include Executive Director of Madison Visionary Partners—where she raised over $2 million for community projects—and Director of Public Relations for the Huntsville-Madison County Public Library. Earlier in her career, she served as a public affairs officer for the U.S. Department of the Interior, contributing to national crisis response efforts including Deepwater Horizon.
She holds a Master of Arts in Public History and a Bachelor of Arts in Communication. Melanie currently serves as President of the Board for the Women’s Economic Development Council and is an alumna of the Alabama Leadership Initiative. Originally from Louisiana, she is committed to building stronger communities and preserving the stories that shape them.
MONA
MILLER
Director
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Mona is a seasoned leader, strategist, and community connector. She is currently on her second sabbatical, focusing on renewal while exploring new possibilities that support community impact and purpose-driven opportunities.
In her most recent chapter, Mona supported small business owners through education, training, and technical assistance—leading programs, building partnerships, and connecting entrepreneurs to funding and resources. She also helped start a small business, giving her practical, firsthand entrepreneurial experience.
Her career spans leadership roles across NASA, higher education, nonprofits, and the defense industry, with expertise in workforce development, STEM education, mentorship, recruitment, finance, and strategic planning—experience she brings to her board service.
A passionate advocate for women in leadership and STEM education, Mona has served on the boards of organizations including Drake State Foundation, Girls Inc., Junior League, Leadership Greater Huntsville, and WEDC. During her sabbatical, she’s leaning into her creative pursuits—usually powered by yoga, strong coffee, and a growing stack of books.
Kanique Mighty Nugent
DIRECTOR
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Kanique is a wife, mother and entrepreneur whose aim in life has been to help her fellow entrepreneurs put their best foot forward when it comes to their online presence. A native of Jamaica and the last of 3 children, she is the definition of a hard worker with a fierce determination to succeed at whatever she puts her mind to.
She is CEO/Founder of her own business, Komposition LLC, a Web Design and Live Video Strategy company, which she opened in 2010 in Baltimore, MD while being a stay at home mom. In 2011 her husband Kirk received a call to work as Director of IT at the Southern Africa-Indian Ocean Division based in Pretoria, South Africa. This is where they called home for 4 years before moving back to the states to Huntsville, AL in 2015 to serve as CIO (him) and Webmaster (her) at Oakwood University.
In 2018 she moved her business to Huntsville, AL and in 2020 Kirk joined the business full time as the Live Video Coach expert and developer of that side of the business which has been quite a success as he has also developed a platform for himself on YouTube.
Komposition has been honored to be named in the top 3 Web Designers in Huntsville for 2 straight years, 2021 and 2022 and winning the CommunityVotes - Huntsville AL Best Web Designer for 2023.. We have also had the amazing opportunity of being featured in a virtual interview with Vistaprint in 2021 and were a part of the Spectrum Reach Pay It Forward Program in 2022. Kanique is a 2022 Dare to Dream recipient and has been featured in the Canvas Rebel digital magazine.
Kanique has served in volunteer opportunities such as; VP of Fundraising for her children's school PTO, Chair and Co-Chair of the Recognition Committee and also Co-Chair of the DEIB Committee in the Women's Economic Development Council organization, she recently accepted a seat on the Reify board and has held multiple leadership positions in her Business Network Internation (BNI) Gateway Chapter. She has also had the opportunity to speak on various occasions on the topic of Entrepreneurship, a popular topic during the pandemic.
Kanique is wife to Media Pastor Kirk Nugent of the Oakwood University Church and mother to two children, Karsyn 14 and Khenzi 13.
Amy
Roark
Director
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Amy Roark is Contracting Officer with the Missile Defense Agency’s SM-3 Missile program. She is a graduate of Birmingham-Southern College, The University of Alabama School of Law, and Leadership Greater Huntsville’s Connect Class 19. She cofounded give256, a giving circle that makes philanthropy accessible to everyone, and she has served the community in many roles including as the President of the Junior League of Huntsville and as a member of the Committee of 100 YP and of Huntsville Hospital’s Development Council, among others. She loves headbands, Huntsville history, and themed parties, and her favorite Taylor Swift album is Reputation.
KATHI
TEW
Director
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Kathi Tew serves as the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of the Baron Institute, a Huntsville-based nonprofit dedicated to enhancing public safety, advancing educational outreach, and supporting economic growth through innovative weather instrumentation. Central to that mission is the Baron Institute Alabama WeatherNet, which delivers timely and accurate weather data to communities and emergency response teams, helping protect lives across Alabama.
In March of 2025, the Baron Institute proudly opened its multimillion-dollar How We Know the Weather exhibit at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center. This dynamic, hands-on experience immerses visitors in the science of meteorology and the wonders of weather.
Beyond her work with the Baron Institute, Kathi is deeply committed to strengthening nonprofits across Greater Huntsville. She has chaired more than fifty-five fundraising events, raising millions of dollars, and has partnered with hundreds of nonprofits to provide governance training, financial guidance, and innovative fundraising strategies, while mentoring leaders and teams.
Kathi serves on numerous nonprofit boards and is widely recognized for her ability to connect resources, ideas, and people to create meaningful impact. She and her husband live in Madison, Alabama, and are blessed with two daughters and six granddaughters, all of whom live nearby.
tenesha
Thomas
Director
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Meet Tenesha – a dynamic nonprofit consultant who thrives at the intersection of strategy, leadership, and impact. As the founder of On Board Solutions, she brings a wealth of experience in municipal government, nonprofit management, and community service to help organizations move from good intentions to measurable results. With a keen ability to facilitate strategic plans that inspire action, cultivate boards that function with confidence, and promote workplace cultures rooted in purpose, Tenesha ensures that the organizations she works with aren’t just maintaining momentum – but scaling their mission for long-term success. She believes that missions and visions are only as strong as the people behind them, which is why she infuses solutions from a people-first approach, guiding teams to not only serve their target demographic but to do so in a way that is sustainable, intentional, and meaningful.
In addition to On Board, she's the founder of Ready Set Holistic Wellness, a passion project turned business inspired by her own life-altering transformation of losing over 100 pounds. She believes it’s never too late to make the rest of your life the best of your life, and, through her work, she empowers clients using practical tools that cultivate balance, intention, and holistic wellness in both their personal and professional lives.
In her free time, you’ll likely find her exercising, practicing Spanish, perfecting her glazed salmon recipe, and discovering new ways to nourish her mind and creative spirit. She believes, “Personal success starts with wellness, purpose, and the courage to evolve.”
Bree Taylor Wilbourn
Director
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Bree Taylor Wilbourn is a partner with the law firm of Grace, Matthews & Debro, LLC. Her practice is centered on general civil litigation. Bree graduated from the University of Alabama in Huntsville and received her Juris Doctor from Cumberland School of Law at Samford University.
After graduating, Bree practiced law in Nashville, Tennessee before returning to Alabama in 2006. Bree is a member of the Alabama State Bar Association, Tennessee State Bar Association, and Huntsville Bar Association. Since returning to Alabama, Bree has continued to help the Huntsville Bar Association grow and has previously served as board member of the Huntsville Young
Lawyers, CLE Chair, Law Day Committee as well as other various committees.
She currently serves on the Huntsville Bar Association Executive Committee, Alabama State Bar Association Diversity and Inclusion in the Profession Committee and the Specialization and Certification Task Force. She also serves as a District One Director of the Alabama Defense Lawyers Association. Bree has heavily invested her spare time in community service as a member of the Huntsville
Hospital Foundation Board of Trustees, The Huntsville Committee of 100 Board of Directors, Women's Economic Development Council Board of Directors, Greater Huntsville Community Foundation Compass Society Committee, Leadership Greater Huntsville, and Alabama Leadership Initiative. She has previously served on the Board of Directors for Junior League, Chair of Huntsville Hospital Foundation Development Council, Committee of 100 Young Professional Chair. Bree is also an active volunteer with Holy Spirit Regional Catholic School and St. John Paul II Catholic High School.
DWAYNIA WILKERSON
Director
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OWNER/CONTENT WRITER PROSE & PENS CONTENT WRITING, GHOSTWRITING, BRAND MESSAGING
In 2016, after spending 11 years teaching English at a local university, Dwaynia Wilkerson traded her grade book and dry erase markers for laptops and coffee shops. That was the start of Prose & Pens, a brand messaging and content writing service. She works closely with CEOs, founders, and other leaders who need help using written content to build their personal brands. Her clients include leaders of both local and national organizations and brands.
Outside of work, some of Dwaynia’s favorite things include spending time with family & friends, books, LMN movies, red wine, and gift cards. She also gets a kick out of laughing loudly at her own jokes.
Dwaynia dreams of running a half marathon someday. However, there is no existing evidence that this will actually happen.
JENNIFER
LINTON
Ex-Officio Director
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Jennifer Linton serves as the Executive Director of the WEDC Foundation (WEDCF), working closely with the Board of Directors to advance the WEDCF mission. Established in 1998 by the Women's Economic Development Council as a separate 501(c)3, the WEDC Foundation supports women in our community by empowering their journey toward self-sufficiency and economic independence through higher education. To date, the WEDCF has impacted the lives of over 200 women, providing mentorship, professional networking opportunities, leadership development programs, and flexible financial assistance in the form of scholarships. Committed to offering a hand up rather than a handout, the WEDC Foundation helps scholars in North Alabama achieve their dreams of a better life for themselves and their families by investing in their pursuit of higher education.
Prior to the WEDC Foundation, Jennifer worked for HEALS, Inc. for eight years. She is a native of Huntsville and attended college at Mississippi University for Women in Columbus, MS. After spending over a decade enjoying Charleston, SC, Asheville, NC, and Phoenix, AZ, she returned home in 2010. She and her family live on Monte Sano.
Stephenie
walker
OPERATIONS & COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR
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Stephenie Walker is an award-winning marketing strategist and founder of Sweet Fig Media Solutions. A Madison County native, she has spent more than a decade helping businesses, nonprofits, and community leaders clarify their message and expand their reach.
In 2010, she co-founded Rocket City Mom Media Group, a hyper-local media company serving families across North Alabama. As Executive Editor for 12 years, she partnered with local attractions, small businesses, and nonprofit organizations to connect parents with meaningful experiences in their community.
Stephenie is deeply invested in civic engagement and public education. She serves in leadership roles with the Women’s Economic Development Council and Crisis Services of North Alabama, and supports multiple community organizations across Madison County.
When she is not working or volunteering, she is usually reading, traveling, gardening, or spending time with her husband and two dogs.