Board

President, Attorney

Maureen C. Karhut

“My heart has always been pulled to helping adolescents in different ways. I raised two girls while working as a full-time litigator.  I recognize the vast disparities, though, between the advantages taken for granted in my girls’ lives, compared with the difficulties faced by teens who are either not so fortunate, or are facing challenges which they need help to overcome. It’s especially for those young people that I embrace Teen Health Connection’s mission.  I’m so happy that my good friend, one of our founding members, introduced me here!”

-Maureen Creehan

Vice President

L. Michelle Reese

“The first decade of my career was dedicated to educating and empowering adolescents and their caregivers to adopt healthy attitudes towards reproductive and sexual health.  I firmly believe in the power of education, access to quality health care, and opportunities for young people to be a part of positive change.  I hope to support the sustainability of high-quality services and health education for all adolescents across Mecklenburg County.”

-L. Michelle Reese

Secretary - Belk, Inc.

Nicole Ramsdell

“I joined the Teen Health Connection Board to support and advance its mission to improve the health of adolescents by providing adolescent medicine and behavioral health services, education, advocacy, leadership development, and research through connections among adolescents, parents, and the community. Our community has a great need for the wholistic approach to healthcare for adolescents that is provided by Teen Health Connection. I am honored to be a small part of this important work. Adolescents are our future and I believe it is vital to invest in their well-being and success.”

-Nicole Ramsdell

Treasurer - Summit Coaching Solutions

Kristin Washam

“I have been serving Teen Health Connection in some capacity now for 10 years. In that time, I can continue to find more reasons why the mission of Teen Health Connection is so vital to our community. Not only have I served as a volunteer and Board member, but my teens also benefit from the behavioral health services provided in our clinic. As the mother of teens, I see how vital Teen Health Connection is to our community’s success. In a world where the need to normalize behavioral health concerns is on an exponential climb, places like Teen Health Connection must continue to exist to create awareness and provide a place for our teen population to feel heard and served.”

-Kristin Washam

Vice Treasurer - JELD-WEN

Corbin DiMeglio

Equity Holding Group

Shaun Caldwell

“As the African proverb goes, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”  As the parent of a teenager, I often felt alone and lost. Teen Health Connection helped me to be at my best when my teen needed me the most. I joined the Board of Directors because I wanted to give that gift to other parents and teens. Through my talent and influence, I hope to do just that.”

-Shaun Caldwell

Community Leader

Tom Gettelman

I have been a proud supporter of Teen Health Connection for over twenty years. I became aware of the extraordinary vision of this organization back in 2000 when I was the Director of Clinical Services for what is now Atrium Health’s behavioral health facility on Billingsley Road. Teen Health Connection was located at the Northpark primary care clinic at that time and was one of the first medical clinics to understand the critical importance of incorporating behavioral health services into a primary specialty care clinic.

We had several excellent mental health therapists integrated into their medical team. Teen Health Connection has grown substantially since then and has become one of the most unique adolescent specialty care sites in the country. The commitment to using only evidence-based treatment options, providing invaluable psychological evaluations for some of our most vulnerable youth whose circumstances necessitate them being involved with the Department of Social Services, the high-quality parent and teen education offered, and their commitment to outcome research truly sets the Teen Health Connection apart from anything in this region. Teen Health Connection lives its mission and strives every day to deliver its vision.

Community Leader

Jerri Haigler

Atrium Health

Tracie Mullins

“Almost 20 years ago, when serving as a mental health clinician for my primary role, I first learned about Teen Health Connection, particularly of their care of children in the foster care system. Fast forward to 2014. Clinical work is no longer my primary job; however, I learned of an opportunity for my 13-year-old daughter to get involved with Teen Health Connection as a ‘Teen Ambassador’. We learned more about Teen Health Connection’s mission and all that the organization offers the community, and what it would mean to serve on the Teen Advisory Board. My 13-year-old applied and was accepted to be a “TABBY”. After five years of active and engaged participation, she loved every minute of her experience. I was a firsthand witness, and ultimately a supporter, of the leadership development, education, and advocacy offered through involvement with the Teen Advisory Board. I too loved every minute of her experience.

As the Atrium Health Liaison Board member, it is my hope that I show up in spaces within our organization to advocate for Teen Health Connection and that I serve as a conduit to relay information to the team or the other Board members that help them better understand the impact of the Atrium Health/Teen Health Connection relationship. And as a Board member in general, it is my hope to share with others about how Teen Health Connection lives its mission every day.”

-Tracie Mullins

MassMutual Carolinas

Todd Paris

“I have been involved as a Board member of Teen Health Connection since 2019. As a parent of 3 sons, I was initially interested in finding out about how the organization’s mission could impact teenagers’ well-being and health, versus the traditional healthcare programs and doctors I was used to. I quickly learned that the organization was equipped with doctors and therapists who are specialists in adolescent care and could help with many of the struggles that teenagers face. One of the reasons I joined the Board was to help make more parents aware of the services offered by Teen Health Connection and how to tap into them.

As I learned more about the Board and the youth version, the Teen Advisory Board, I became aware of how the organization is also shaping Charlotte’s youth to become leaders. Having met many of the TAB members over my time on the Board, I can say with confidence that the experiences the teenagers gain from their time on the Board will serve them well as adults and future leaders of their communities.

I serve on one of the Board committees that nominates and evaluates new potential Board members. One of my goals on this committee is to leave the Board in better hands than when I joined by bringing in leaders that share the vision and mission of Teen Health Connection and have a passion for helping our youth.

As a parent, it’s always inspirational to hear from other parents who have taken the parenting courses offered at Teen Health Connection, and how they have been able to help foster stronger conversations and relationships with their teenagers. It is also very rewarding to speak with the TAB members to hear their personal stories of how the TAB experience has helped them become better equipped to handle what life throws at them daily.”

-Todd Paris

Higher Ground Accounting

Amy Phillips

Atrium Health

Kedra Reynolds

“I have spent the last couple of years looking for opportunities to serve on a Board that aligns with my core values. It was not until I was introduced to Teen Health Connection that I identified a nonprofit organization’s mission and vision that aligned with what I was looking for. I truly believe in the mission and vision of Teen Health Connection. Serving on the Teen Health Connection Board of Directors has allowed me to be able to give back to what was given to me when I was a teenager. Being a teenager is probably one of the hardest times in our lives. During my high school years, I had a great pediatrician who constantly poured into me and always told me that if I believed in myself that I could be anything I wanted to be. I also had a high school teacher who worked with teen girls that came from single-parent homes and gave us the groundwork to succeed in life, the first step of which was to go to college. These two amazing women shaped my life and gave me several tools to help me succeed along the way.

I will never be able to repay them for the positive impact they had on my life. However, I can pay it forward by having a seat at a table where I can support and contribute to decisions about services that impact the physical, emotional, and mental health of pre-teen and teen patients.

Being on this Board has truly been a full circle moment and my goal is to ensure that the best interest and well-being of individuals that Teen Health Connection serves is at the forefront of our discussions in my role on the Board.”

-Ankedra Reynolds

Advocate Health

Jim Rush

South Piedmont AHEC

Joann L. Spaleta

“Teen Health Connection is a wonderful organization that serves teens. Serving on the Board is my opportunity to give back and be of service to others. Connecting teens and parents with appropriate resources to impact the physical and behavioral needs of the teens is part of my purpose. The investments we make in teens will impact their lives now and in the future. I want everyone to know about Teen Health Connection and how this organization provides a needed service for the community. My purpose is “my why” and is not what I do, but who I am from within as a servant leader.”

-Joann Spaleta