Board Members
2024 Elizabeth's Early Learning Center Board of Directors
In Memorium
Elizabeth Morton Forsyth
Stella Thomas Tanner
Executive Director
Holland Coleman
Holland holds a B.S. in Elementary Education from Old Dominion University. She has over 20 years of experience in early childhood education. This is her tenth year with EELC. Holland has a 16-year-old son and two bonus daughters who are 9 and 7. In her free time, Holland and her fiance Patrick enjoy traveling, spending time with family, gardening, and beekeeping.
Vice President,
Chair Personnel Committee
Beverly Blair, M.L.S.
Bev is the Director of the Lynchburg Public Library and has been employed with the City of Lynchburg for 11 years. She has served on the board of EELC for over 6 years. She is married and has two children, both alumni of EELC. When she's not at the library or running her teens to and from activities, she enjoys playing with her two Goldendoodles, reading, and traveling.
Treasurer,
Chair Finance Committee
H.B. Hunter
H.B. is Vice President of First Bank and Trust. He is the father of a son and a daughter who both attended EELC. H.B. has served on the EELC board for 10 years helping to maneuver the finances and budget necessary for maintaining the Center. He and his wife stay busy traveling for horse youth dressage and driving marathons with his son and gymnastic competitions with his daughter.
Emeritus Board Member
Ed Polloway
Ed served on the EELC board since the inception of the Center. He served as the Rosal H Schewel Chair of Education at the University of Lynchburg, where he taught for 45 years. He was the VP for Community Advancement and Dean of Graduate Studies and the School of Education. Ed received his master’s and doctoral degrees from UVA and his baccalaureate degree from Dickinson College. He served as president of the Division on Developmental Disabilities of the Council for Exceptional Children and is a Fellow of the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. Dr. Polloway is the coauthor of 34 books and over 100 journal articles in special education. He is married to Carolyn Polloway and has a daughter, Lyndsay.
President,
Chair Development Committee
Cathie Tanner Brown
Cathie recently retired as VP, Consulting Services for Clearwater Security, based out of Nashville, TN. She has 40 years of experience in business, information technology, cyber security, and healthcare. Cathie is active in the community and proud grandmother of three. She lives in Concord with her husband Jed and her miniature goldendoodle Coal. She enjoys time with family, hiking, traveling and community service.
Secretary
Kim Gregory, M.A.
Kim holds a BA in Family Studies from Syracuse University, and a MA in Early Childhood Education from Roosevelt University. She currently works as Associate Professor and Program Head, Early Childhood Development at Central Virginia Community College. She has over 30 years of experience in the field and is most rewarded knowing she makes an impact on community college students and the children and families in their care.
Chair,
Nominating Committee
Gary Harvey
Gary is the Owner/Principal at Architectural Partners. He has been involved with the design and construction of the EELC buildings and campus since its inception and has served on the EELC board for 15 years. Gary also has a community focus serving on several other community and education boards and was a member of the LCS School Board. As an Eagle Scout, Gary is also heavily involved in Scouting- locally and nationally. He has been happily married to his wife Sharon for over 30 years and their daughter, Victoria (Tori) is an alumna of EELC.
Chair Health and
Safety Committee
Joanne Hosni, M.D.
Dr. Hosni is a board-certified physician with broad experience in family medicine, hospital medicine and the pharmaceutical industry. She works as a Hospitalist for the Hospitalists Associates of Virginia at Centra and provides medical consulting for EELC. Dr. Hosni and her husband have three wonderful children. Their oldest daughter graduated from EELC and the two younger children are currently enrolled and love it!
Chair of the Family Committee
Tyson Dummeldinger
Tyson has two children that both attend EELC. In his free time he enjoys playing sports with his kids, getting together with friends, and watching soccer. Tyson is a Data Analyst professional and works for the City of Lynchburg. He recently joined the board and is serving his first year.
Kim Price,
D.N.P., M.B.A., R.N., N.E.A.-B.C., C.P.X.P.
Kim currently serves as the VP of Patient Experience and Women and Children’s Services for Centra. She has been at Centra for 40 years in a variety of roles but has been a part of the Women and Children’s Services for 18 years. She is a Registered Nurse and holds a Doctorate in Nursing Practice from American Sentinel University. She has 2 grown boys and two grandsons. Kim and her husband enjoy traveling.
Jane Gerdy
Jane has a Bachelor’s in Child Development and a Master’s in Early Childhood Education. She has taught Pre-K, Kindergarten First grade, Third grade and Fourth grade. She also served as Assistant Director at Peakland United Methodist Preschool, Assistant Principal at Holy Cross School and Head of the Speech and Autism Team at Infant/Toddler Connection of Central Virginia before becoming the Executive Director of Elizabeth’s Early Learning Center in 2009. She retired from that position in June, 2023 and is now serving as the Education Coordinator at EELC. Jane is married to Tom Gerdy and they have four children and nine grandchildren. She enjoys spending her time with family, biking and traveling.
Chair Building and
Grounds Committee
Eric Thomas
Eric is a resident of Lynchburg and has served as a member of the EELC Board of Directors for more than 10 years. He holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Virginia. He works as an engineer. Eric is the proud father of two alumni, Kobe (Class of 2014) and Kennedy (Class of 2017). Hi is Happily married to Kim Thomas. He also serves as the Youth Coordinator at Scott Zion Baptist Church, Referee of High School Athletics in Central Virginia and enjoys traveling.
Chair, Programs (Curriculum) Committee
Stefanie Copp, Ed.D.
Stefanie is the director of the Master of Education in Reading program at the University of Lynchburg where she holds the Elizabeth M. Forsyth professorship. She has prior experience as an elementary school teacher and reading specialist. She received a Doctor of Education from University of Virginia and master’s from University of Lynchburg. Stefanie is married to Chad Copp and they have four children.
Morgan Hollister, Esq.
Morgan is the mother of three boys who all attended EELC. Morgan serves the County of Bedford employed as the Deputy Public Defender, representing individuals that cannot afford to hire an attorney for themselves. She is an avid Chiefs fan and a self-proclaimed "Swiftie" (yes, her two worlds collided in the Autumn of 2023). She is serving her second year as a member of the board, and truly loves giving back to the organization that gave her and her children so much.
Ben Larkins
Ben works as the Contact Center Manager, Medical Affairs at C.B. Fleet Laboratories. He has served on the board of EELC for two years. Ben is married and enjoys football and traveling.
Diana Brown Weeks
Diana is an alumna of EELC, and has two children who also attended EELC and are alumni. She has over 12 years of experience in healthcare, including patient care, neurology unit coordination, and is currently employed as Clinical Office Specialist at Women’s Health of Central Virginia. Diana is married to Rodney Weeks and enjoys spending time with her family and friends as well as little league sports and children’s activities.