Weyling White is a proud native of Ahoskie, a small rural town located in eastern North Carolina. Born and raised in Ahoskie, Weyling left to attend college and returned back to Ahoskie to bring change to his community. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science from Winston-Salem State University, and he obtained his Master of Business Administration in Healthcare Management from the University of Phoenix.
Weyling joined the Roanoke Chowan Community Health Center in 2013, as the Director of Hertford Health Access which has led to hundreds of patients receiving free or reduced health care services throughout Eastern North Carolina, as well as, improving the health outcomes of many of these vulnerable patients. In this role, he also established the TRIP program which has allowed many chronically ill patients in his community to access free rides to medical appointments and other resources.
While working to provide access to care for the uninsured population, Weyling was also instrumental in founding numerous initiatives surrounding social drivers of health, youth wellness, and health equity. He has served on the Board of Directors for Care Share Health Alliance, while also serving as Co-Chair of the Collaborative Network Committee. In 2017, Weyling took on the role as the RCCHC’s Practice Administrator and has continued to remain committed to community partnerships as he is the current Co-Chair of the Hertford Health Maintenance Alliance.
In 2019, Weyling made history as he was elected as Ahoskie’s first African American Mayor. Weyling is a graduate of the Rural Economic Development Institute with the NC Rural Center, as well as, a Leadership North Carolina Class XXVI graduate, and is a current Bernstein Health Leadership Fellow. He has a strong passion for health equity, social justice, and rural health.
Renee Harvey is a native of Washington, North Carolina. She holds an Associate in Applied Science-Medical Laboratory Technology from Beaufort Community College, as well as a Bachelor of Science in Public Health Studies and a Master of Arts in Health Education from East Carolina University. Additionally, Renee is a Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES), and a North Carolina Rural Center Homegrown Leaders East Alum.
Renee has a strong background in community health. She previously worked with the Health Assist Program as the Community Health Program Specialist where she assisted the uninsured population. Renee also served as the Catalyst Coordinator for Healthy Eating and Active Living for Beaufort County with the North Carolina Public Health Foundation. Most recently, Renee held the position of Community Health Improvement Manager for the Healthy Opportunities Pilot with Access East. The Healthy Opportunities Pilots (HOP) is the nation’s first comprehensive program to test and evaluate the impact of providing select evidence-based, non-medical interventions related to housing, food, transportation and interpersonal safety and toxic stress to high-needs Medicaid enrollees.
Renee is passionate about supporting community based organizations’ capacity to address the social drivers of health and believes authentic community engagement is one of the keys in advancing health equity.
Erin Storie is a native North Carolinian, born on one side of the state in Hickory, NC and raised on the other in Gates, NC. She holds a Bachelor of Spanish from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
She is passionate about using communications and design as a way to advance health equity and social justice. Erin has worked extensively with the Affordable Care Act as a former Certified Application Counselor with the Health Insurance Marketplace, and has experience tailoring messaging to rural and farmworker populations from her time as a medical interpreter and Communications Coordinator at a Community Health Center in Northeastern North Carolina.
When Erin isn’t at work, she enjoys spending time with her family, and trail running, especially with her two dogs.
Hollis Smith has lived in the Carolinas all of her life. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Linguistics with minors in Spanish and Social and Economic Justice from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Currently, she resides in Boone in the mountains of Northwest North Carolina.
Hollis is passionate about a systems-level approach to achieve equity. Earlier in her career, she completed a year of AmeriCorps service as a member of the NC LiteracyCorps, where she worked to build capacity in community-based literacy programs. She has also served as a Health Insurance Marketplace Navigator as part of the NC Navigator Consortium, where she performed outreach and enrollment efforts to uninsured and underinsured individuals in the High Country Region. She believes that healthcare is a human right and understands the power of the Affordable Care Act & Medicaid Expansion in creating a healthier, more equitable North Carolina.
Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her partner and pets. Hollis loves being in nature, reading, rock climbing, and doing jigsaw puzzles.
Shakira Greene is a native North Carolinian, born in Chapel Hill and raised in High Point. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminology & Criminal Justice from the University of Maryland in College Park, Maryland. Her Master’s Degree is in Healthcare Administration from Pfeiffer University. She recently completed a Doctor of Medicine Degree at St. George’s University School of Medicine in Grenada, West Indies.
Shakira has worked in the healthcare field for many years. She began her career as a medical assistant in an Ob/Gyn office and over the years advanced to an insurance specialist, and then office manager. Because of her experience working in the clinical and administrative side of healthcare, she found that she wanted to pursue a medical career and enrolled in medical school. Shakira believes that healthcare is a human right. Therefore, she completed part of her medical studies in England to immerse herself in their National Health System (NHS) to learn from what they are doing and work towards one day, hopefully, having a universal, single-payer system in the United States.
Shakira has collaborated and volunteered with several organizations in efforts to reduce health disparities and promote health equity for underserved communities. Prior to Medicaid expansion, she met with NC General Assembly members and participated in events to encourage them to expand Medicaid for North Carolinians. She engaged in this work for over 10 years and is thankful that it has finally come to fruition. Shakira is a member of Healthcare for All NC where she served as treasurer, Doctors for America, and the NC Medical Society. In the past she has also worked with the Old North State Medical Society.
In her personal time, Shakira is very active with her church as a choir member and coordinator for special health related projects. She has a large and close-knit family that she often spends time with. She also enjoys reading anything healthcare related and watching investigative series and documentaries.