�鶹��

Board of Trustees

The governing body of �鶹��, the board of trustees, is responsible for upholding the mission and vision of the university.

Leadership

Gabi Kelly — Gabi Kelly '01
Assistant Secretary
Charlotte, NC
Executive Search Consultant, Coleman Lew Canny Bowen

Mickey Payseur '73 — Mickey Payseur '73
Chair
Cherryville, NC
CPA

Janie Peak — Janie Peak '73
Secretary
Gastonia, NC
Retired High School Teacher, �鶹�� Education Department

Hunt Shuford
Vice Chair
Hickory, NC

Boyd Wilson — Boyd Wilson ’74
Treasurer
Hudson, NC

Members

Perrell D. Bess — Perrell D. Bess, '06 JD '16
Weddington, NC
Vice President of Compliance and Operational Risk, Bank of America

The Rev. Dr. Eric Childers — The Rev. Dr. Eric Childers
Charleston, SC
Senior Pastor, St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church

Rob Fritz ’76 — Rob Fritz ’76
Boone, NC
Retired from Pfizer

Samantha Howell — Samantha Howell ’90
Conover, NC

Tammy Ice — Tammy Ice ’95
Wake Forest, NC

Margaret Jackson — Margaret Jackson ’69
Newton, NC
Business Owner (retired)

Jearld Leonhardt — Jearld Leonhardt '69
Newton, NC
Retired EVP and CFO of CommScope, Inc.

Dr. Summer McGee — Dr. Summer McGee
Hickory, NC
President, �鶹��

Stephen Misenheimer — The Rev. J. Stephen Misenheimer ’76 LTSS ’82
Knoxville, TN
Retired Lutheran Pastor

David Moore — David Moore ’76
Hickory, NC

Isaiah (Ike) F. Oglesby — Isaiah (Ike) F. Oglesby ’91
Greensboro, NC
Broker/Owner, Oglesby Realty

Chris Peek — Chris Peek
Gastonia, NC
President and CEO CaroMont Health

Frank Surface — Frank Surface ’85
Gainesville, VA

Michael Thomas — Michael Thomas, JD
Hickory, NC
Partner: Patrick, Harper, Dixon

Christopher Webb — The Rev. Christopher D. Webb ’93 LTSS ’97
Hickory, NC
Senior Pastor, Holy Trinity Lutheran Church

Ex Officio Membership

The Rev. Dr. Rachel Connelly
LTSS Advisory Chair

Bishop Emily Hartner — Bishop Emily Hartner, Ex-officio
NC Synod, ELCA

Summer McGee — Dr. Summer McGee
�鶹�� President

News & Events

2026 Aerobears rocket team, 8 members, at IREC with their rocket

We do big things: AeroBears prepare for a new season

Broad knowledge and teamwork are the AeroBears’ superpowers. After a successful 2026 launch season, �鶹��’s rocket team is building toward a new competitive season — and aiming even higher in 2027.

Two students compare written and laptop notes in the audience at an event

Bears Engage explores freedom and responsibility in America at 250

Bears Engage brings music, theater, scholarship and conversation together as �鶹�� marks America’s 250th anniversary and considers where we'll go in the years ahead.