ANSWER Scholarship Governing Board
Susan Andersen, Founder and Executive Director
Susan Andersen is founder and executive director of ANSWER Scholarship, Inc. She has led ANSWER’s growth since its founding in 2006, including its Mentors for Mom and Professional Development programs.
Andersen has received wide acclaim for her vision of a scholarship fund that would help mothers earn college degrees and achieve a better life for their families In 2020, The Charlotte Ledger named her to its inaugural class of 40 Over 40, an award saluting people aged 40+ who have made Charlotte a better place. Andersen was also named one of the city’s 50 Most Influential Women by The Mecklenburg Times.
Previously, The Charlotte Observer’s editorial board honored Andersen in its annual tribute to leaders whose good works enrich our region. She is also the recipient of the Heart of Grace Award from Pfeiffer University.
The Saturday Evening Post is among those who have profiled Andersen and her work. She has been featured or quoted in many local media outlets, including The Charlotte Observer, The Charlotte Business Journal, WFAE, and six local TV stations.
Andersen holds a B.A. in Business Administration from UNC Charlotte. She has two children: Emily is a graduate of Auburn University and David received his master’s degree in aerospace engineering from Georgia Tech.
When Andersen isn’t busy trying to build economic mobility in Charlotte one mom at a time, you’ll usually find her on a bike.
Elizabeth Bradley
Elizabeth Bradley is a former ANSWER scholar and currently serves as a mentor. A high-honors graduate of both Montreat College (B.S. in Psychology & Human Services) and Gaston College, she now serves as a therapeutic foster care supervisor and behavioral health consultant.
During her time as a scholar she led fundraisers and appeared in local media speaking openly about overcoming poverty, family mental-health challenges, childhood domestic violence, abuse, and becoming a teenage mother.
Her children reflect the mission of ANSWER in action: her daughter holds a bachelor's and master's in education from Appalachian State, and her son has earned multiple certificates in machining, welding, and diesel mechanics.
Elizabeth Brock
Elizabeth Brock brings more than 20 years of experience in research, analytics, and insights. She currently serves as a research director in Consumer Banking at Ally Financial, and before that, she led a global policy and research team at the International Baccalaureate, an education organization, overseeing projects studying the impact of programs and services for schools worldwide.
She holds an MBA in finance and international business from NYU's Stern School and a B.A. in sociology from Binghamton University.
Brock and her husband now call Charlotte home. They have two sons.
Bill Girone
Bill Girone has been making a difference in people's lives for over 40 years in the life insurance and wealth management business. Girone's reason for supporting the mission of ANSWER is personal. He tells the story of how in the spring of 1945, his mother was accepted at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. She walked into her living room with the acceptance letter in her hand and showed it to her father. He read it, stood up and threw it into the fireplace, stating that there wasn’t any reason for a woman to have anything more than a high school education.
He and his wife Kathy split their time between Charlotte and their home in Richmond so they can be closer to their 3 grandchildren.
Paula Goolkasian
Paula Goolkasian is a professor emeritus at UNC Charlotte. She retired from her position as professor of psychology and director of cognitive science after 42 years at the university. Her interest in ANSWER stems from her long history of mentoring graduate and undergraduate students who worked in her Perception Lab on their dissertations, master’s theses and undergraduate research projects.
Currently, she is an associate editor of Frontiers in Psychology: Cognition and active in research projects with the visualization laboratory at UNC Charlotte and the W. G. (Bill) Hefner VA Medical Center - Salisbury, NC.
She and her husband, Francis Martin, enjoy living at Lake Norman. They have a son, Christopher, who lives in Atlanta.
Hilda Gurley
Hilda Gurley is an attorney, pharmacist, and frequent speaker on legal and healthcare topics. She has over twenty years of experience advising government agencies and Fortune 20 companies, along with leadership roles in health systems and tech-enabled pharmacy organizations. She now leads her own law firm and runs Pharmacy Compliance Strategies, LLC.
Gurley is passionate about empowering women financially and supports several organizations with that mission. As a mom of two young adults, she was drawn to ANSWER's commitment to helping mothers further their education and succeed. She has volunteered with ANSWER on several programs over the years.
She also serves on the board of the North Carolina Society of Health Care Attorneys.
Teri Kubbs
Teri Kubbs is a retired educator from Ohio, having served for 36 years as a classroom teacher, high school administrator and principal. She believes strongly in the power of an education. Kubbs has been actively involved at ANSWER Scholarship since 2018. She currently serves as a mentor, the Community Awareness Chairperson, and the ANSWER representative who walks applicants through the scholarship application process. Kubbs says that ANSWER is one of her favorite organizations. “An ANSWER Scholarship not only changes the life of the scholar but indeed changes the lives of all the children inside the home. Our scholars now have a community that is behind them and won’t let them fail!”
Teri is the proud mother of two amazing sons, two delightful bonus daughters (daughters-in-law), and two spunky granddaughters. Teri is also extremely involved in her church, Lifepointe Church in Fort Mill.
Adam Messner
Adam Messner is a certified public accountant and a senior technology information specialist with national business services firm CBIZ, Inc. He has many years of experience in the field of corporate and non-profit tax compliance. Before focusing on accounting and business services, Messner worked in higher education for fourteen years. Messner lives in Concord with his wife, two children, and one dog. Spending time with family, reading, making and fixing things, and playing video games bring him joy.
Gwyndolan Swain
Gwyndolan L. Swain is founding director of the first master’s level program in the history of Belmont Abbey College, the Master of Health Administration. She is also professor of health administration and holds a doctorate in that field from the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston.
Swain previously served as a professor and administrator at Pfeiffer University, teaching both undergraduates and graduate students. As a testament to her passion for teaching, she was awarded the university’s inaugural Webb Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2019, a recognition that is determined by the student body. Swain was recently named president elect of the Greater Charlotte Healthcare Executives Group.
Lisa Toppin
Lisa Toppin, Ed.D., is a seasoned HR leader and currently serves as senior vice president of organization development and market expansion at the Carson Group. She's held major HR roles across both U.S. and global companies. Alongside her corporate career, she also consults, coaches, and leads training programs.
Lisa holds degrees in speech pathology and psychology, plus a Master's in Industrial Relations and Human Resources from Rutgers, and an Ed.D. in Human Resources Development from George Washington University.
She's currently writing a book on The Genius Method, her signature framework that helps people tap into their strengths and live more fulfilling lives.
Sharon S. Townsend
Sharon S. Townsend is a retired attorney and judge. Townsend received her Juris Doctor degree from the University of Connecticut School of Law in 1979 and was admitted to the New York State Bar in 1980. In her legal career she served as a court clerk, associate attorney and adjunct professor. Her judicial career began in 1985 when she was elected to the Williamsville Village Court. In 1992 she was elected judge of the Erie County (NY) family court where she served for 10 years. In 2003, Judge Townsend was appointed administrative judge of the eight counties of Western New York, shortly before her election to the New York State Supreme Court in 2004 where she served until 2017. In her 38-year career, she received multiple awards for her dedicated service to the law, the courts, women and children.
Judge Townsend moved to North Carolina in 2018 and lives on Lake Norman with her husband Brad, a retired attorney. They are the parents of two grown children and four grandchildren.
Nancy Valentine
Nancy Valentine is a senior business developer at Duke Energy who focuses on clean energy and supply chain management. She also has experience in economic and workforce development.
Valentine received her bachelor's degree in international affairs from University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee and two master's degrees in city and regional planning and public policy from the Georgia Institute of Technology. For Georgia Tech’s scholarship fund, she has interviewed candidates in the Charlotte area and recommended awards.
She and her husband Phil have two young children. She coaches her son's youth soccer at the YMCA and participates in 5K races with her daughter.
Charles Wallace
Charles Wallace is an assistant vice president at the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond's Charlotte Branch, where he leads a team of financial economists and quantitative analysts. He brings more than 30 years of experience in finance, with a background that spans investment management, banking, and financial data science.
Wallace earned his bachelor's degree from Trinity College and his MBA from the University of Chicago. He and his wife moved to Charlotte in 2021 and have two college-aged kids. Outside of work, he loves reading, watching movies, and spending time with his family - including their two miniature poodles, who are pretty sure they run the household.
Sheila Williams
Sheila Williams holds a B.S. in Management with a focus in organizational psychology. She has spent more than 20 years leading in the retirement services industry. She's currently director and lead consultant for the business risk and controls office at TIAA, where she's been since 2015. Williams also serves as a TIAA career coach.
Williams is also the CEO and founder of S. Williams Coaching and Consulting, a life strategy and business coaching firm she launched in 2003. Her work has ranged from teaching financial literacy to designing a highly successful second-chance program for the Clayton County Juvenile Justice System--serving over 1,000 youth with only a 5% re-offense rate.