Meet our Board

Jen Watkins | Executive Director

Jen Watkins has worked at Evergreen since 2006, beginning as an Academic Support teacher before transitioning to Associate Director of middle school in 2016, and into her current role as Executive Director in 2023.

She grew up in Atlanta, Georgia, and lived in several different states before settling in Asheville. After graduating from Furman University, she began her career as a classroom teacher before joining the Evergreen community. Her children both graduated from Evergreen and she cherishes her experience as an Evergreen parent for many years. She is an avid soccer player, runner, paddleboarder, and hiker, and loves working with children and families to make Evergreen such a special place to grow and learn.

TJ Toothman | Board Chair & Parent

TJ earned a B.S. degree in Physics from the United States Air Force Academy and an MBA from Arizona State University. He served in the Air Force as a Logistics Officer. He has a background in manufacturing, logistics and quality operations and business management. TJ is the father of two Evergreen students. He spends his recreational time playing soccer, riding bikes, tinkering in the garage, and exploring in the woods with his family.

Susanne Sichta | Vice Chair & Parent

Susanne is an appellate attorney with The Sichta Firm LLC, focused on criminal justice advocacy. She earned a B.S. in Environmental Studies and Writing from Northland College, and a J.D. from the University of Idaho College of Law. Her work has resulted in the reversal of death sentences, corrections of illegal sentences, and sentence reductions. In her down time, Susanne enjoys reading, tending to her gardens, and exploring the outdoors with her husband/law partner, Rick, and their two young daughters.

Rick Brown | Board Treasurer & Parent

Rick has lived in Asheville since 2006. He has worked with youth in residential treatment, foster care, and also taught high school mathematics locally for 10 years. He is now a Certified Financial Planner working for a fee-only financial planning firm. His two children have been part of the EverAfter Program and Evergreen Summer Adventures. He loves the culture, music, and outdoor opportunities that our mountain community offers.

Katie Edwards| Faculty

Katie has a BA in Anthropology and an MAT in Elementary Education, both from East Carolina University. She began teaching in Greenville, NC in 2006, and this will be her seventh year teaching first grade at Evergreen. She enjoys camping, hiking, swimming, kayaking, and traveling.

Julie Carlinnia | Faculty

Julie is happily rejoining the Evergreen community in 2022 as the 7/8 Exceptional Children's Teacher. She recently completed her Master's degree in Special Education K-12 at WCU to follow her passion for working with neurodiverse learners and students with learning differences. She previously served as the K-3 AIG Specialist at Evergreen and as an Orton-Gillingham tutor for EverLearning from 2019-2021. This is her 28th year in the classroom and she has taught students from preschool through 12th grade during her career as a classroom teacher, English Language Arts and Social Studies teacher, high school speech and debate coach and high school Exceptional Children's teacher. She and her husband have two wonderful young adult daughters and a new puppy named Oscar.

Ashley Shores-Bobowski| Community Member

Ashley Shores-Bobowski is a proud Hickory, NC native. She was granted a scholarship to attend High School at The Asheville School and that was the beginning of falling in love with the mountains. After attending UNC-Chapel Hill and earning a BA in Religious Studies and a minor in Biology, Ashley joined Teach For America (TFA). TFA brought Ashley to Memphis, TN where she taught High School Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Science and AP Biology. After her TFA commitment, Ashley joined The Soulsville Charter School in South Memphis in 2010 and had the opportunity to spend thirteen years in various roles like teacher, Dean of Curriculum, HS Principal for six years and Managing School Director for four years. Ashley lives in Asheville, NC with her husband Andy and two young children and spends her non-work and family time traveling, running and listening to as many podcasts as possible.

Emily Wright-Moore | Parent

Emily is a design researcher and the co-founder of Bloom Works, a Public Benefit LLC, where she focuses on improving access to foster care and early childhood services for traditionally underserved families. Emily also volunteers as a Guardian ad Litem in Buncombe County. She moved to Asheville in 2018 from the Bay Area and lives with her family in West Asheville.

Isaac Rowles | Parent

Isaac is a CPA working in assurance service with DMJPS PLLC. At DMJPS he works with a variety of industries including hospitality, manufacturing, construction, real estate development, and non-profit.  He moved to Asheville in 2010 to complete a BS in accounting at UNC Asheville. Prior to becoming an accountant, Isaac worked as a professional chef for over 12 years across the east coast, starting his cooking career with a degree in Professional Cooking and Baking from Baltimore International College. Isaac is a member of the Board of Directors for Homeward Bound of WNC whose mission is to prevent and end homelessness in our community through permanent housing and support. He is also assistant treasurer at the Hatch Innovation hub and advisory board member for the UNCA Department of Management and Accountancy.  In his free time, Isaac enjoys cycling, cooking, baking, camping, and spending time with his wife and two kids.

Jill Overholt | Parent

Jill is an Associate Professor and Chair of the Outdoor Leadership and Adventure Programs department at Warren Wilson College. She earned her PhD and MS from Indiana University, and has lived in Asheville since 2013. In addition to her years in higher education, Jill has worked as an instructor and course director for the Colorado Outward Bound School, and in a variety of summer camp, outdoor education and ropes course facilitation settings. She is also a returned Peace Corps volunteer, having served as an environmental educator in the Republic of Armenia. She is passionate about facilitating connection with the natural world, and has co-authored two books on the subject. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking and biking with her young daughter and husband, cooking, gardening, reading and knitting.

Keilayn Tate | Alum

Keilayn Tate is an Everlaster who graduated in 2016, and was a recipient of the Zoe Cole Weiss Spirit of Evergreen Award. She recently graduated from Howard University with a BBA in Business Management, and has begun her career at Google in HR. Keilayn is very passionate about diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging, and hopes to bring her knowledge to the board. In her spare time, Keilayn loves exploring with her dog Finley, trying new food spots, and reading. 

Nara Weatherstone | Community Member

Nara Weatherstone is an immigrant living in the US since 2016. Born and raised in Brazil, she taught English for kids and teens and Portuguese for immigrants for 5 years, while acquiring her degree in Law. She has a post-grad degree in Business and Corporate Law, in which field she worked as a lawyer for over a decade. Nara is also a musician who has always been deeply involved in the culture of her country and developed extensive research into Afro-Brazilian rhythms, a passion she cultivates until present times. She relocated with her family to Asheville in 2023, where she started her own business as an artist and is currently featured in some of Asheville's famous art venues. Nara lives and shares a life full of love with her husband and two little kids, constantly surrounded by butterflies, nature, music and friends.

Nichole Onash | Parent

Nichole is a psychiatry Physician Assistant who brings experience responding to the specific needs of children with autism, ADHD, and mental health challenges. In a previous career, she taught American Sign Language to preschool children. Nichole is a parent of two, including one Evergreen student. Nichole earned her Bachelor of Science in biology and Master of Physician Assistant Studies from the University of Florida. She moved to Asheville in 2009 to be closer to family. She spent most of her professional career working with underserved populations, including school-based health clinics. Currently, she works at Appalachian Counseling and Psychological Services, providing psychiatric medication management to the community.

Rob Durr | Parent

Rob completed a National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) Southwest semester program during college that solidified strong values in experiential education, environmentalism, and social responsibility. He went on to earn a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from the University of Denver and then completed his post-doctoral training at Northwestern University, where he continues to serve as an Adjunct Faculty member. He is a Licensed Psychologist and Health Services Provider (HSP) in the state of North Carolina and is the principal owner of Carolina Psychological Assessment Center. Rob currently specializes in psychological assessment, autism assessment, emotional intelligence, mindfulness-based executive coaching, and leadership development. He is also the President of the Western North Carolina Psychological Association (WNCPA). He and his wife Lauren have three daughters at Evergreen, and he spends his free time in nature, going to concerts, and having backyard bonfires.

Shayma Khalil | Community Member

Shayma Khalil is a Health Science Specialist with the Department of Veterans Affairs, overseeing the compliant and ethical conduct of human subjects research programs nationally across the VA system, and brings a unique perspective to her work to ensure the welfare and integrity of research participants. Shayma holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in Psychology, and attributes much of her interpersonal and professional style to her academic background and experience as a first generation Arab American. A resident of Asheville for nearly two decades, Shayma has immersed herself in the vibrant community and its abundance of outdoor activities. Alongside her roles as a professional and busy mother of two, Shayma cherishes spending quality time with her husband, children, family and friends, exploring and engaging in various outdoor adventures, and enjoys experimenting with traditional middle eastern cooking.  She strives to make a positive impact both professionally and within her community.

Taylor Delhagen | Parent

Taylor started his teaching journey back in 2006 in Crown Heights, Brooklyn with Teach For America. After his two-year commitment, Delhagen was hooked and decided to stay in the classroom. Over the next decade, he helped open two charter schools in Brooklyn based on the pillars of restorative practices and the liberal arts. In 2013, Taylor took a year away from the classroom to dig into a Fulbright research fellowship in India focused on uncovering the single story in history curriculum. Today he is a Professor of Practice and History Methods at The Relay Graduate School of Education. He is currently a doctoral candidate at Boston College’s Lynch School of Education where his studies are focused on leadership, equity, and the internationalization of higher education. While not teaching, he is searching for running trails or roads to cycle with his partner, Tiffany, and sons, Rumi (an Evergreen student) and Rivers.