EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Joyce Clevenger is beginning her 5th year as the Executive Director of Moore Buddies Mentoring and second year as the Executive Director of the C.A.R.E. Group, Inc. She is a true Southerner and has been a Moore County Resident for over 30 years. She and her husband of 38 years have two beautiful daughters who are both married, and two very perfect, energetic granddaughters who lives too far away in Ohio and another one on the way!

Joyce came to Moore Buddies after working 35 years as a youth Minister. She thought she had retired, but her love of youth brought her to Moore Buddies as she truly believes in the work that we do. Joyce believes that every child has value and significance, just because of who they are. They all have something to contribute to the world and it is up to us to help them find what that is. Her motto is the old adage that “kids do not care how much you know until they know how much you care.” When they are loved and valued then they begin to trust and listen to the encouragement and counsel that a mentor can bring to the relationship. She is passionate about helping and loving kids.*

CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER

Jackie is an Ohio native who has come to enjoy the charm and history of Moore County. She considers herself an activist, and compassionate about the revitalization of small historic towns, such as Aberdeen. By serving on local boards and committees, and she is one of the leading forces behind their family focused events and activities in the Downtown area. She is passionate about sharing Moore Buddies and the Moore County Literacy Council’s mission and services via social media and other outreach processes.

She and her husband enjoy spending time with friends and having their families visit the area every year. They have one fur baby, Floki, that enjoys taking up a lot of their time and attention!

FINANCIAL OFFICER

Leslie recently re-located to Aberdeen, NC from Pittsburgh, PA where she was a Paraprofessional with Hill, Barth & King LLC, a CPA firm, for nearly 30 years. She recently joined The C.A.R.E. Group, Inc. and is excited to be part of such a wonderful organization.

MENTORING COORDINATOR

Cynthia was born and raised in NC where she graduated from Western Harnett High School. She is a mother of two wonderful teenagers.

After High School, Cynthia attended Shaw University in Raleigh, NC where she majored in Mass Communication. After spending a year studying at Shaw, she realized her passion was in helping people, especially children. She then went on to finish her Associates Degree at Fayetteville Technical Community College, and went on to received her Bachelors Degree in Criminal Justice from Fayetteville State University where she was selected to take part in a Drug Study Seminar at the Legislation building in Raleigh, NC. Due to her outstanding work, she was nominated and even won the “Criminal Justice Leadership Award” from Fayetteville State University. After graduating she went on to Ashford University to receive her Master’s Degree in Criminal Justice with a specialization in Law Enforcement and Corrections. Cynthia graduated with honors and was inducted into the Golden Key International Honor Society.

Cynthia has worked with children and families for over 10 years as a substance and mental health counselor. She has experience with adolescent disorders, children with autism and has even spent some time working in a group home for the mentally impaired.

Cynthia joined Moore Buddies Mentoring in October of 2020 and is so excited that she decided to do so. She has a love for children for they are our future. She sees herself as being dedicated, outgoing, caring and full of life. She loves helping people and has the biggest heart. Cynthia always try to make the best out of everything and her spirit is contagious while her smile tends to light any room. She is ecstatic about being a part of such an amazing and beneficial organization like Moore Buddies. Her motto is “It takes a village” when it comes to molding, shaping and nurturing children. She truly believe that as a team we can achieve so much more.

MENTORING COORDINATOR

Katie became a mentor for Moore Buddies about 12 years ago for three years. She then began working as a preschool teacher and is now working as the Community Mentor Coordinator for Moore Buddies Mentoring. She has also been a swim instructor for the past 14 years. Katie has lived in Moore County for 30 years and loves calling it home. She became a board member in September 2019 before joining our staff. Her family attends The Village Chapel where she also teach Sunday school for ages 8-11. She look forward to continuing to work with the program and help our community support these children.

LITERACY PROGRAMS DIRECTOR

Heather holds a BA from The University of Massachusetts, Amherst, in Elementary Education with a Fine Arts concentration.  She also holds a M.Ed. in Curriculum Design and Instruction from Lesley University with a focus on Creative Arts and Learning.  Heather is a former Elementary School teacher in the disciplines of Language Arts, Math, Science, and Technology.  She has successfully completed the training to be a certified Motheread/Fatheread® Instructor, and spearheads the Motheread/Fatheread® classes that are held throughout Moore County.

Heather and her husband, David, who is a music teacher at The O’Neal School, moved to Aberdeen in 2015.  They are busy raising their two teenage children.  When time permits, Heather enjoys drawing, crafting, singing, taking long walks, and getting to the beach whenever she can.

ADULT LITERACY PROGRAM COORDINATOR

Judith has a total of 33 years’ experience as an educator. She retired in 2019 with 23 years as a teacher and administrator with Moore County Schools and 10 years in New York City. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education; a Masters Degree in Reading; a Masters Degree in Educational Leadership and Doctoral credits in Educational Leadership. She states that her love of education; a passion and profession she holds dearly to her heart resulted in her not choosing to “sit at home” after retirement. She loves interacting with children and adults and believes developing relationships is a prerequisite to educating an individual. You have to care about the individual and they need to know you have their best interests. 

She is an active member in her church. She loves to travel and spend quality time with her adult children, her grandchildren and friends.

MOTHEREAD/FATHEREAD® PROGRAM COORDINATOR

Nancy and her husband Bruce recently moved to North Carolina from Oregon. In Oregon, Nancy was an elementary teacher for 27 years and an instructional coach for 5 years. What she most loved about her educational career was making a positive impact on the lives of students, families, and colleagues. Nancy is dedicated and determined to make the same impact in Moore County.

Nancy’s husband, Bruce, is a teacher at Pinecrest High School. They have two grown children, Connor resides in New York and Gabrielle and her husband Mike live in North Carolina. The desire to be closer to their grown children is what motivated them to make the trek across 13 states last summer to arrive in Moore County. They are happy they made the move and plan on being active members of their community.

OUTREACH & RECRUITMENT OFFICER & MOTHEREAD INSTRUCTOR

Patty is a graduate of the University of Sonora (ITSON, Bachelors in Business Administration).

She is a professional tax preparer. She is raising her two young children, Keila and Sammy, with the love of her life, her husband Raul. Patty has been Moore County resident since 2011. She is passionate about helping her fellow Latinos be successful.

ADULT LITERACY PROGRAM SPECIALIST-SEVEN LAKES CAMPUS

Maureen graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary Education from St. Andrews University and holds a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership from Queens University of Charlotte. Prior to becoming an educator, Maureen worked in a management position for United Parcel Service in Ohio and North Carolina for 21 years. During the past decade, she has taught both first and second grades for Moore County Schools and is currently teaching fourth grade science at The Academy of Moore County.

Originally from Northeast Ohio, Maureen and her daughter, Hayley, moved to Pinehurst in early 2007. She loves spending time with her family, enjoying sweet tea while reading a great book on a shady porch, and travelling to both new and old-favorite places.

EMOTIONAL SUPPORT, COOKIE INSPECTOR, & PROTECTOR

Floki enjoys his part-time employment at the CARE Group and takes his position very seriously. He provides cuteness and laughter for his co-workers, but he also has to ensure that all dog cookies in the office are safe for consumption. He has protected us from those wishing to use the copier without proper payment (aka The Cookie Tax) and from evil stuffed animal invaders.