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.

Jalah Clayton is a Public Health Professional passionate about building capacity within communities by leveraging local assets and resources to better engage with and empower community members. She believes that everyone should be supported in the pursuit of holistic health and healing, by prioritizing economically feasible options for quality health care and disease prevention.Using a social justice and health equity lens, Jalah finds the most joy in advocating for programs and policies that increase access to resources and reduce barriers that negatively affect health outcomes. During her early career endeavors, Jalah has had experience advocating for improved maternal health outcomes, increased access to local, affordable food options, and access to quality care in clinical settings.

Jalah is a graduate of UNC Greensboro (Go Spartans!) where she achieved her Master’s in Public Health concentrated in Community Health Education and an alumni of UNC Chapel Hill (Go Tar Heels!), where she obtained her Bachelor of Arts in Exercise and Sports Science and Sociology. During her time at UNCG she earned her Certifications as a Health Coach and CrossFit Level 1 Trainer, and established The Black Light Foundation, a family-operated, 501(c)(3) non-profit developed to honor her mother’s legacy and support individuals living with mental health challenges. Over the course of her personal and professional experiences, Jalah has found purpose in striving for a culture where we all take better care of one another, physically, mentally, spiritually, and emotionally, and provide communities with pathways to holistic wellness. In her leisure time, you can find Jalah engaging in radical rest practices, exercising, growing/making/eating delicious food, and spending time with her family and loved ones.

Shaunessy Lofton is a North Carolina native and Public Health professional. She received her Master of Public Health with a concentration in Community Health Education from her alma mater, the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. During her studies as a masters student, she also obtained a certificate in Ethnic and Rural Health Disparities from East Carolina University Brody School of Medicine. As a public health professional, Shaunessy has contributed greatly to the NCDHHS’s NC Community Health Workers statewide initiative, developing a toolkit where she provided technical assistance for Advanced Medical Homes to integrate and optimize community health workers into their clinics. She believes that this work is integral to understanding the Social Determinants of Health that contribute to one’s health status. Shaunessy advocates for true equity being a priority in all care systems and knows that there is always space for bidirectional learning.

Shaunessy‘s professional goal is to normalize a culture that prioritizes equitable measures in research, implementation, and integration of strategies. Her dream is to live in a world where there’s a normalized culture that enables patients to be empowered in clinical settings to discuss biological, cultural, social, and psychological perspectives that contribute to health outcomes.  Shaunessy has a passion for bringing qualitative data and the community’s voices to all decisions being made on the behalf of a community having created and facilitated many focus groups and advisory boards to help inform the work being done. During Shaunessy‘s spare time, you will generally find her volunteering in vulnerable communities with local organizations, spending time with her daughter, cooking, or traveling.

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.