United Way of Henderson County adds six new board members

Press release from the United Way of Henderson County:

United Way of Henderson County (UWHC) has added six community leaders to its 2021 Board of Directors: Kirsten Bunch, Pauline Carpenter, Pam Combs, Sonia Giranda, Kimbela McMinn and Carol Stefaniak.

“We are thrilled to welcome these new members to the United Way Board,” said Sherri Holbert, United Way Board Chair. “Their expertise, community connections, and passion for our community and United Way’s mission and work will make them real assets to our team. Our organization is fortunate to have a wise group of leaders serving on our board who are fighting for the education, financial stability and health of everyone in our community.”

Bunch currently serves as the Vice President for Student Services at Blue Ridge Community College and enjoys the work that she does to support the students at the college where she has served since 1998. Bunch holds an associate’s degreein applied science from Blue Ridge Community College, a Bachelor of Science from Mars Hill University, and a Master’s of Arts in education from Western Carolina University.

Carpenter is the Regional Director of Operations for Resource Corporation of America where she has worked for the past 10 years.In this role, she manages teams in NC, TN, KY and GA that work with hospital revenue cycles as a resource to capture at-risk dollars and convert them into sources of revenue for these facilities. Her community volunteerism includes participation with Dialysis Patient Citizens, VISION Henderson County, Thrive, Vocational Solutions, Camplify and The Storehouse. Carpenter was the recipient of United Way of Henderson County’s 2019 Edward C. Brisley Award for volunteerism as she has been actively engaged with Rising Leaders, Women United, and as a member of one of UWHC’s funding allocation panels.

Combs is the Program Manager for the Power Distribution and Control Assembly division of Eaton Corporation. Before taking this role in 2019, she held positions of growing responsibilities over her 27 years with Eaton. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science in computer engineering from Clemson University, before taking her first job with Westinghouse Electric in Asheville NC as a new product design engineer. Combs has served on the 211 board in Buncombe County, was a member of Women United of Asheville and Buncombe County, and assisted Eaton with United Way campaign drives and fundraisers. Four years ago, she joined Women United of Henderson County and currently serves as the chair of the Women United Executive Committee.

Gironda serves as the Executive Director of Smart Start Partnership for Children and has been there for 15 years. Her passion and commitment to children and families is demonstrated in her 28 years of direct social work and strong leadership in the community. She holds a master’s degree in mental health counseling.Gironda stepped in to serve a partial term in 2020 and will now serve a full year term on the board as an Agency Representative.

McMinn is the Vice President, Financial Sales Manager, and Community Small Business Banker at First Citizens Bank & Trust. She has been with First Citizens for more than 20 years. She is also extensively involved with community organizations, currently serving on the Carolina Village Board of Directors and the African American Cultural Committee, and previously on the boards of the Henderson County Community Foundation, Habitat for Humanity, and the Henderson County Arts Council.McMinn was one of the founding members of UWHC’s Women United affinity group and served on the WU Executive Committee.

Stefaniak is the Chief Nursing Officer at Pardee Hospital. She has over 25 years of nursing experience, with the last ten years working in acute care leadership. Stefaniak holds a master’s degree in nursing administration and is a member of the American Organization for Nursing Leadership and the American College for Healthcare Executives. She has served as an Item Writer for the American Nurses Credentialing Center-Nurse Executive Certification Exam and is a current member of Safelight Board of Directors.Her passion is in the identification and development of leaders and team formation to bring about culture change for an improved patient and family experience and quality outcomes.