Chris Pernell, Director, Partners in Health and Wholeness
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Chris is a native Kentuckian and the daughter of missionary parents who served Eastern Kentucky for more than 40 years. She relocated to North Carolina in 1981 and has come to call NC home.
Prior to coming to the Council, she spent several years in corporate America with The Diabetes Treatment Center and Honeywell International before joining a faith-based, nonprofit medical clinic serving the uninsured and under-served of Franklin County. Chris is excited to be a part of the Council's PHW program where she can utilize her background in health care and service. She and her husband, Joey, have two children, a cat, and a surprisingly friendly bearded dragon.
In her free time, Chris enjoys reading, basketball, and traveling, especially to the mountains.
Brandy Murray, Program Coordinator, Partners in Health and Wholeness
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Brandy Murray is a native of Rocky Mount, NC. She received her undergraduate degree from the illustrious Winston – Salem State University in Political Science. She has a Master of Divinity from Wake Forest University School of Divinity. Her ministry research focuses on Hip Hop Theology and intergenerational worship. She brings innovative communications and social media management skills to the PHW team. During her spare time she likes to create memories with her Sorors of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Incorporated, family and life long friends.
Rev. Jessica Stokes, Associate Director, Partners in Health and Wholeness, Mental Health Advocacy
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Rev. Jessica Stokes is the Associate Director of Partners in Health and Wholeness leading our state-wide mental health advocacy efforts. Jessica earned her Master of Divinity from Wake Forest University and BS in Clinical Psychology from Averett University. She is an ordained Baptist minister and joined the Council’s staff in 2016 after directing an interfaith non-profit in Washington State. Jessica’s background includes non-profit work, hospital chaplaincy, interfaith campus ministry, and the local church. Her convictions are rooted in experiences that range from ministry in Appalachia, as a chaplain in a psychiatric hospital, to learning about systemic issues Eastern NC while living in Greenville and Wilmington, as a PHW Regional Coordinator. She seeks authentic and earnest conversation. Jessica’s work for PHW includes a focus on mental health education and advocacy, specifically tailored for faith communities. Jessica is based in Durham with her wife, Vanessa, and two pets.
Elizabeth Brewington, Associate Director, Partners in Health and Wholeness, Overdose Response
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Elizabeth is a native North Carolinian, who spent most of her life in Greensboro before deciding to explore the Midwest for college. She graduated from the College of Wooster in Ohio, where she received a dual Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Religious Studies. After college, she returned to North Carolina and did a year of service through the Episcopal Service Corps. Elizabeth joined the Council in 2018 and loves being a part of the Partners in Health and Wholeness Program. Her work is focused on ending the overdose crisis, harm reduction, and drug policy. In her free time, she loves watching TV with friends and family and constantly annoying them with her many references.
Nicole Johnson, Associate Director, Partners in Health and Wholeness, Denominational Support
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Nicole has had the wonderful opportunity of living in different countries, having been born in Belize City, and currently calling North Carolina home. She is deeply convicted in her belief that faithful congregations can meet the environmental, social and ethical challenges of the 21st century in practical and tangible ways. Her travels and beliefs have motivated her to seek ways of merging faith, health, sustainability, justice and ethics. She is thrilled to have the opportunity to be working with congregations and individuals in creating and supporting more healthy communities. Nicole is a graduate of Salem College and of the dual degree MDiv/MA program in sustainability at Wake Forest University. Her favorite things to do include traveling, hiking, growing things, trying new recipes, and spending time with her husband and two boys. Nicole began her time with PHW as an intern and has remained as a regional coordinator.
Rev. Karen Richardson Dunn, Associate Director, Partners in Health and Wholeness, Healthy Aging
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Rev. Karen Richardson Dunn is a native of North Carolina. Although she currently resides in Asheville, she has also lived in New York City, Edisto Island and Charleston, SC, and Northumberland, England. Karen received her MDiv from Wake Forest University School of Divinity in 2011 and was ordained in the United Church of Christ in 2013. She has served as a parish minister, hospice chaplain, and as the director of the Creation Justice Network of the UCC's Southern Conference. She most recently has worked as the program coordinator for Wake Forest School of Divinity's Food, Health and Ecological Well-Being program. Karen is also an editor and writer, and mom to two fine sons, Dylan and Roan. They are members of First Congregational UCC in Asheville.
