ANSWER Scholarship Governing Board

Russell Blaise is a patent attorney at Alston and Bird in Charlotte.  His practice focuses on helping inventors secure, protect, and monetize their innovations.  As a member of the firm’s pro bono committee, he’s always on the lookout for opportunities to give back to the community.  At ANSWER, Blaise sits on the Professional Development Committee in an attempt to ensure our Scholars are equipped with not only the education necessary to succeed, but other valuable skills that aren’t taught in the classroom.

Tani L. Seymore is the senior accountant with Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte. She has been with the diocese for nearly 13 years, and has more than 25 years of experience in governmental and nonprofit accounting and financial reporting.

Seymore connects with the mission of ANSWER because she was a mom, wife and full-time student while completing her MBA. She recognizes the hard work and sacrifices mothers make to achieve their educational goals. Seymore holds a bachelor’s degree in business and an MBA in accounting. She also earned a Master of Public Administration degree from North Carolina Central University in 2019.

Seymore is the mother of two grown children.

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.

Kevin MacMurphy first connected with ANSWER in 2015, serving on and eventually leading the Professional Development Committee. The Professional Development Committee serves to support ANSWER scholars by providing meaningful development opportunities so that our scholars are equipped for success following graduation. As a committee, we also seek ways to facilitate valuable networking opportunities for our scholars. 

MacMurphy and his wife, Angela, have two children, Sully and Addie. MacMurphy leads the person lines group for ECM, a large Charlotte-based independent insurance agency.

Lori Myers is a senior director at TIAA, where she leads a team that focuses on the internal customer experience with desktop technologies. Myers has 25 years of experience in the financial services industry in technology and business management roles. Since joining TIAA, she helped create the IT Women’s Council’s group mentoring program. She also co-chairs the Women’s Employee Resource Group in Charlotte and serves as a career coach.

Myers is an active volunteer as a member of ANSWER’s Professional Development Committee and the Belmont Abbey College Alumni Board. She holds an M.S. in Management and Leadership from Montreat College and a B.A. in Liberal Studies from Belmont Abbey College. Myers is a Distinguished Toast Master and served in the United States Air Force.

Myers lives in Cramerton with her husband, Clint. They have three children.

Felix P. Nater, CSC, is the president and owner of Nater Associates, Ltd., a human resource security management consulting practice focusing on workplace violence prevention consulting, workplace security consulting and security awareness.  Nater is retired from federal law enforcement as a United States postal inspector with more than 30 years of investigative, law enforcement, program management and security experiences. He is also a retired Army Reserve sergeant major. 

Nater is married to Elizabeth Jackson-Nater and they have 6 children.

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.

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.

Brian Wallace is a Charlotte native and works as an operations vice president for LPL Financial. He received his B.S. in Business Administration with a concentration in accounting from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and his MBA from UNC Charlotte. Wallace is a firm believer that education is a critical component to enriching your life and realizing great career success. He also believes each of us must find a way to give back and pave the road ahead for those coming up behind us. For fun he enjoys running, attending sporting events, spending time with family and friends, and being a foodie.