Deborah Miles, Executive Director

Deborah is responsible for overall organizational management, staff supervision, programming direction and fundraising efforts as well as specific initiatives for UNCA. Deborah received her BA from Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas in 1975. Following her move to Asheville, she became a worker-owner of Stone Soup Restaurant. Later she taught at Our Place Pre School and directed the Shalom Children’s Center at the Jewish Community Center. In 1995 she founded the Center for Diversity Education. In 2005, Deborah received the nationally recognized Nancy Susan Reynolds Award for race relations from the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation. In 2007, she was presented with the Evan Mahaney Civil Liberties Award from the WNC chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union. She and her husband Marc Rudow are the parents of three sons who all attended (and attend) Asheville City Schools.  dmiles@unca.edu

Julia Shuster, Programming Director

Julia organizes and directs all K-12 programming at the Center.  Her responsibilities include coordinating annual school programs and field trips, teacher and staff trainings, and supervising pre-service educators interning at the Center's office. Julia received her B.A. from Penn State in German Studies and her M.A. in International Education from the School for International Training.  Her previous professional titles include Housing and Customized Program Manager at the Institute for the International Education of Students in Berlin, Germany and an Intercultural Competency teaching position at Wake Forest University.  She currently lives in West Asheville with her husband, Rene, and her three cats.  Being a native of Pittsbugh, PA, she is also a true Steelers fan.  jshuster@unca.edu

 Board of Directors

Laura Simmelink, Chair

Joe McGuire, Vice Chair

Mary Belle Carroll, Secretary

Teresa Calloway, Treasurer

 Board member Mary Belle Carroll knows how to "Start a Conversation."