President: Curtis CJ Jackson (NC State)
Curtis “CJ” Jackson Jr (He/Him) is a servant leader who believes greatness and leadership are rooted in an individual’s willingness to be of service to others. CJ has served as an Assistant Director for Residence Life at North Carolina State University since January of 2015. Prior to NC State, he served as a Community Director at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and completed his graduate studies at Ball State University where he served as an Assistant Residence Hall Director. He is known and been recognized locally and regionally for his contributions to the Housing organizations he has been a part of as well as his contribution to mentoring young professionals in the field. CJ has devoted a majority of his career to researching and identifying best practices to address the issues that impact the recruitment and retention of Black Males in higher education. His work architecting Black Male Initiative living learning program at NC State has attracted attention of practitioners from peer institutions. Away from the office CJ is devoted to his family and cherishes his role as a father to his two beautiful and intelligent daughters. In his free time, CJ participates in competitive contact flag football where he has earned three (3) World Championships.
As a member of the NCHO Executive Board, CJ looks forward to serving the organization that played a major role in the foundation he established while supporting our member institutions in achieving the mission and vision for their departments and institutions.
President-Elect: Erin Schneller (Wake Forest University)
Erin Schneller is a Community Director at Wake Forest University. Prior to Wake, she worked at the College of Coastal Georgia as a Residence Hall Director. She first fell in love with NCHO while working as a Graduate Hall Director at Winston Salem State University so she is excited to take on this opportunity with the NCHO Exec Board. Outside of work, Erin loves to spend time with her son Carson, her husband Austin, and their two dogs.
Past President: D’Najah Pendergrass
D’Najah Pendergrass Thomas (She/Her) is a practitioner whose work is centered around organizational behavior with a focus on recruitment, professional development, and career advancement. Committed to helping organizations and communities bring about transformational change in these areas, she currently serves as director of The Placement Exchange (TPE) – a partnership of ACUHO-I and NASPA, in collaboration with NACA, NODA, ASCA, and AFA. In this role D’Najah works closely with a planning committee of professionals from across the field of Higher Education and Student Affairs to drive equitable and inclusive practice and innovation to deliver transformative networking communities, knowledge resources, job search, and recruiting experiences that cultivate and sustain a diverse and robust workforce in higher education.
Business Manager: Stephanie Rewitzer (UNC Charlotte)
Stephanie Rewitzer is the current Business Manager for NCHO and serves as an Assistant Director of Residence Life at UNC Charlotte. She previously served as an Assistant Director and Resident Director at Georgia Southern University before coming to the beautiful state of North Carolina. Outside of work, she enjoys watching reality tv or spending time outside soaking up the sun with her dog, Fitz.
Member-at-Large: Joey Gemuenden (Wake Forest University)
Joey Gemuenden is a Community Director at Wake Forest University. He received his Master of Education in Higher Education Leadership from Mercer University and his Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering at Kennesaw State University. Prior to his role at Wake Forest, Joey served as a Coordinator for Residence Education at the University of Arkansas. Outside of work Joey spends his time with his dog Edie and cheering on the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals!
New Professional Representative: Victoria Jackson (William Peace University)
Tori Jackson, Area Coordinator for First Year Communities at William Peace University, serves as the New Professional Representative for NCHO. She received her Master of Arts in Higher Education from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock in December 2018. Prior to her role at William Peace, Tori served as an Area Coordinator at her alma mater, UA Little Rock.
Tori joined NCHO as the New Professional Representative because she is passionate about helping others get acclimated to their new roles in HigherEd and build strong relationships from the start of their career.
ARHC Liaison: Gene Washington (Wake Forest University)
Gene Washington is a current Community Director at Wake Forest University. Prior to coming to North Carolina, he served as an Interim Resident Director at West Chester University (PA) and Resident Director at Rowan University (NJ). He has a passion for student leadership and is excited to work with the Association of Residence Halls for the Carolinas. Outside of work, Gene enjoys visiting family and friends in New Jersey.
Senior Housing Officer Representative: Ramona Richmond (UNC School of the Arts)
SEAHO Representative: Gia Lee (Wake Forest University)
Gia Lee serves on the Governing Council for SEAHO as the NCHO SEAHO Representative. Gia has spent her entire career in the SEAHO region by attending the University of West Georgia for undergrad and graduate school. Gia has a Masters of Education in Professional Counseling, College Student Affairs, and a Bachelor of Science in Political Science. Gia has worked at UNC Asheville, Ferrum College, NCCU, Georgia Tech, and Wake Forest University!! She loves to spend time with her husband, Steven and their puppy Winifred Salem Lee aka Winnie. If you have any questions or concerns for SEAHO let her know!
HBCU Representative: Liz Shepard (Winston-Salem State University)
Small College & University Representative: Donovan Smith (Guilford College)
Technology Coordinator: Caroline Carpenter (NC State)
Caroline Carpenter is the Marketing Manager for University Housing at North Carolina State University. She received her Bachelor of Arts from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she was a Resident Advisor for three years. Outside of work, Caroline enjoys reading, photography, and trivia night with her friends.
Communications Coordinator: Medina Thompson (Wake Forest University)
Medina Thompson serves as the Manager of Staff Training and Development at Wake Forest University. Prior to her current role, she worked at Elon University in the Office of the Dean of Students and at Regent University as an Area Director. She received her Master’s of Education in Student Affairs at Regent University in 2019. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her husband Zack, going to concerts, and serving in her local church.
Graduate Student Representative: Vacant (Western Carolina University)
Professional Development Committee Chair: Savannah Matherly (NC State)
Professional Development Committee Chair-Select: Abbey Rhoads
Abbey Rhoads, a Community Director at Wake Forest University, serves as our Professional Development Committee Chair-Select. She received her Masters of Education in Student Personnel in Higher Education from the University of Florida, and her Bachelors of Science in Business Administration from Florida Southern College. Born and raised in Florida, Abbey is excited to call North Carolina her new home. In her free time, Abbey enjoys thrifting, spending time with her cats (Maevey and Moose), and FaceTiming her friends and family.