Holy Ground Board Members

Diane Amos, recently retired and moved to the Asheville area after owning two businesses and serving on several non-profit boards. She is enjoying deepening her spiritual path through Holy Ground offerings and membership at the Center for Creative Living. She is also spending time expanding her musical talents with Womansong, the Mountains of Asheville Flute Ensemble and the music program at CFCL.

Peter Boggs, Montreat, NC, has deep Presbyterian roots, but recently has been drawn to groups made up of individuals from varied religious backgrounds. In particular he has been actively engaged with Western Carolinians for Peace and Justice in the Middle East, an interfaith group which seeks to raise awareness and solidarity in order to help bring about a just resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Sarah Brown, is the Director of Development and Marketing at OnTrack Financial Education and Counseling. Sarah enjoys advancing at a snail's pace in her Kung Fu training, telling (and hearing) funny stories, being colorful and daydreaming about retiring in 25 years as a tour guide in Alaska.

Amanda Hendler-Voss, Asheville, NC, is the Faith Communities Coordinator for Women's Action for New Directions. Amanda serves as a member of the Domestic Violence Institute and the Wellspring Clergywomen's Alliance of the Black Church. She has a background in case management and experience working with people with HIV/AIDS and single parent families. Amanda is ordained in the United Church of Christ.

Beverly Cutter Modlin formed her own consulting firm providing planning and development counseling for higher education and other non-profit organizations in 2002. She moved to Asheville from Chapel Hill in 1989 when she became Vice Chancellor for University Relations at UNCA. Beverly's greatest peace occurs when she is quilting, hiking or playing with her grandchildren.

Deborah Pirie, Asheville, NC, recently retired after many years working as a program planning and evaluation consultant in educational and non-profit settings. She participates in leadership roles in various organizations in Asheville, focusing her efforts on consensus and community building. Music is her passion. She is a long-time Unitarian Universalist.

Elizabeth Rucker, Asheville, NC, is a ritualist, workshop leader, and registered art therapist who uses art, Jungian theories in dream work, and the creative process to assist people in listening to and following the deeper voices within. She has a gift for creating beauty and exquisite gardens.

Chris Slusher, Asheville, NC, served as Executive Director of Neighborhood Housing Services of Asheville, a non-profit affordable housing developer that assists low- and moderate-income people in attaining homeownership. Currently, Chris is using his life-long love of textiles and fabrics to create a home-based business, Portable Style, Inc.

Bob Smith, Asheville, NC, has been director of Asheville-Buncombe Community Relations Council for 23 years. Bob spends much of his time resolving conflict and mediating in the Asheville community. A native of Asheville, he attends the Asheville Friends Meeting.

Holy Ground Staff

Director, Laura Collins, has served in ministries in the Presbyterian, Quaker, and Catholic traditions, as well as in interfaith and secular organizations working for social and ecological change. She has studied Gestalt Pastoral Care in New York and contemplative spirituality at the Shalem Institute in Maryland, as well as graduating from McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago. She lives in West Asheville with her son Luke and their pets.

Consultant for Program and Development, Sandra Smith, co-founder of Holy Ground, is a graduate of Candler School of Theology, Emory University. Sandra is a certified Enneagram instructor and combines her theological background with the Enneagram Personality System to companion people on the spiritual journey. She is often found in the forest or on the mountain top, her places of worship and sanctuary.

Co-Founder Dorri Sherrill, Asheville, NC, is a chaplain at the Mission-St. Joseph's Health System. She is ordained in the United Church of Christ.