Board of Directors

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Rick Gilbert

Rick Gilbert, along with wife and two children, are the coordinators for Room in the Inn at St. Luke Catholic Church. For over 24 years, his efforts have helped feed, house, build relationships with hundreds of the local homeless population thru the Urban Ministry Center (Now Roof Above) sponsored program. Rick has worked at Sam’s Club for the past 30 years. The associates, managers, corporate, and members have nicknamed him “The Mayor”. Rick never meets a stranger and it has become a joke between family and friends that you cannot go anywhere without someone knowing him. Rick has been married for 34 years to his wife, Debby. Rick is from Upstate New York where he was raised on a dairy farm. He has lived in England and Texas, courtesy of Debby’s enlistment in the United States Air Force. Rick and Debby have now lived in North Carolina for the past 30 years. Rick has always made sure that his children come first and has strived to ensure that they know the importance of seeing the individual and not their situation.
Rick began turning his dream into a reality in 2018 after speaking with family and friends. Through working with the Room in the Inn program for over 24 years, he saw there was a desperate need for of more than just one night during the harshest months of the year. After build relationships with many neighbors that participated in the program, he saw the need for affordable housing. One of the neighbors quickly became an inspiration to Rick to see the dream come true. This individual lost his battle to sickness because he was living on the streets and was not able to afford rent in the Charlotte area. Rick believes everyone deserves to have a place to call home. Rick’s vision is to see an end to homelessness. He is striving to have Home Again Foundation to be the game changer in the Charlotte area and then eventually nationwide.

Executive Director

rick@homeagainclt.org

Mike Silvestri

EDUCATION UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA-COASTAL CAROLINA COLLEGE,

Conway, South Carolina.

Bachelor of Science Degree (8/89 – 8/93) Majoring in Psychology with a Minor in Business.

EXPERIENCE THAT WILL BE VALUABLE

· Extensive working knowledge of the insurance industry.

· Working as An insurance claims adjuster for 9 years. Proficient in Xactimate (Software program that is used as the industry stand for evaluating all kinds of property damage).

· Vast knowledge of construction and building codes.

· Experience in supervising and managing others (Manager at Sam’s Club for 16 years). Goal setting and motivating others to achieve the goals at hand.

· Completed an addition on my house on my own.

· Experience running my own business (restaurant for 8 years).

· Presently on the board of another Non-Profit (Sabrina’s Second Chance - Aids pregnant individuals, who are considering aborting the pregnancy, with options and connections to other individuals that are willing to adopt.

Sedgwick CMS

5260 Parkway Plaza Blvd. Suite 101, Charlotte, NC 28217

Liability Claim Adjuster, July, 2017----present

· Investigate all product and delivery claims presented while making contact with the claimant in a 24 hour period.

· Obtain parts for testing or tender to appropriate parties for handling. Obtaining the technician notes for each file.

· Inform client of reserves and reserve notifications over $20,000.

· Maintain communications with the client, builders, subrogation companies, delivery agents and claimants.

· Dispatch field adjuster when necessary.

· Negotiate & settle if found to be at fault.

· Issue payments when necessary.

· Prepare files for subrogation when necessary.

· Close claims.

All-lines Adjuster

Self-employed, August, 2011 — July 2017

9322 Hanworth Trace Drive, Charlotte, NC 28277

· North Carolina License 17048305, Texas License 1848352. Self-employed – (9/07 – present) I have been a field inspector for both home and commercial inspections since 2007 and have been a licensed North Carolina Adjuster since 2011

· I have been responsible for researching all claims that are assigned to me in a timely fashion with respect to the individual client’s needs

· Write complete estimates to ensure the client is satisfied

· Ensure all forms are properly filled out with proper documentation, pictures and drawings

· Excellent communication skills

· Proficient with Xactimate 28.0 and rapid sketch programs

Assistant Manager

Sam's Club 8219 March, 2001 — July, 2017

1801 Windsor Square Drive, Matthews, NC 28105

· EXPERIENCE Sam's Club Donald Taylor, Club Manager 704-847-6742 Assistant Manager - (3/2001 – 7/ 2017)

· My responsibilities require me to oversee the day to day operations of the Fresh Meat Processing, Bakery Department, Deli Department, Club Café, Rotisserie Area, Cake decorating, Freezer/cooler and dry goods. Also worked as a manager for Sales and Marketing team. Performing B2B sales when necessary.

· Supervising all associates, ensuring they perform their required responsibilities. Total supervised associate would total 60 employees.

· Ensuring all specifications are met in all departments

· Ensuring that all compliance regulations are maintained

· Ensure proper ordering in all departments

· Review all schedules and insure proper staffing

· Food safety is the first priority only to be followed by member service and quality

· Sam's Club provided extensive training for food safety

· As a manager, I am required to be Safe Serve Certified as well as HACCP certified

· Other responsibilities include counting daily deposits, keeping register lanes moving, and ensuring no out of stocks in the rest of the club

· Other positions held including: Operations Manager, General Merchandise Manager, Membership Manager and Grocery Manager.

Co-Owner Restaurant

Dahlia’s Fine Dining Italian Restaurant

362 Avenue C, Bayonne, NJ 07002

· Family owner business, with my brother and cousin were the head chefs.

· Daily meetings, set goals formulate specials.

· Run the day to day operations of the business.

· Visit surrounding business and create relationships to drive business.

· Place all food order daily as well as alcohol, linens, cleaning supplies, uniforms and other various items needed to run the business.

· Wait tables, attend to the customers and ensure an enjoyable dining experience.

· Supervise the other wait staff.

· Prepare drinks and food orders should the kitchen need assistance.

Chair

Eric Thomas

Hi, my name is Eric Thomas. I am best known from my days as the Chief Meteorologist for WBTV over the past 33 years between 1988 and 2021. It was always a privilege getting up everyday knowing I had been given the responsibility to serve the greater community that would help them plan their lives when the weather was quiet, and potentially save their lives when the weather was dangerous.

Since retiring at the end of 2021, I have fulfilled my dream of returning to the other side of the camera and embarking on my photography and filming exploits. I have always enjoyed telling stories through the lens of a camera. Not long ago, Rick Gilbert hired me to tell the story of the Home Again Foundation which I gladly did. It came naturally to me as most of my time shooting video had been for other important nonprofits promoting their causes such as breast cancer, pediatric cancer, sarcoma, children with disabilities and the agencies helping foster children find permanent, safe and loving homes.

But in the case of Home Again Foundation, Rick Gilbert and I formed a special bond and he asked me to join his board of directors, I gladly and humbly accepted his invitation. It is my hope, with my background, that I can help spread the word and educate our community on the growing crisis and homeless population in our region.

Debby Gilbert

Born and raised in central New York, Debby has worked with the homeless for over 20 years. She graduated from Tompkins Cortland Community College ( TC3) with a associate degree in Human Services and State University of New York (SUNY) at Cortland with a Bachelor of Science degree in health science with a concentration in community health. She then severed 4 years in the US Air Force as a medical logistics specialist. Upon separation from the Air Force, Debby relocated to Indian Trail, NC with her husband Rick and continued her career in the medical field working a case manager. She was recruited by Griffin Home Health Care and started her career in the medical equipment field in 1995. She worked for Griffin Home Health Care and Carolinas Medical Equipment in a variety of management/ Director roles before taking on her current position at Atrium Health at Home. Looking to do more with her passion To help others Debby became involved with the Room in the Inn program at St Luke Catholic Church and eventually took over coordinating the program with her husband Rick and children Rachel and Brad. She even encouraged her mother in law to help out! In addition to Room in the Inn Debby has also served on the Servant Leadership Team at St Luke and has been a Girl Scout leader. In her spare time Debby enjoys reading, ceramics and spending time with her family, especially her grandchildren.

Adam Hargett

Adam M Hargett is an assistant vice president for Woodforest National Bank in Indian Trail, North Carolina. He has been in his role with the bank since 2006. Before beginning his banking career, he attended college at UNC-Charlotte and received a bachelor’s degree in financial management. He loves serving his community in several different capacities. He has been teaching financial literacy to families in the charlotte and surrounding areas for over a decade now. During his time teaching classes, Adam’s passion for affordable housing started devolving more and more. He realized that in our community there is a huge opportunity to provide houses for everyone that is affordable. With that passion, he began volunteering with The Matthews Chapter of Habitat for Humanity in 2009. He lead the charge with his company and they sponsored an entire home build. Adam spend countless hours and days on the job site along with the future home owner. Seeing someone achieve their dream of home ownership is one of the greatest feelings. The reason he wanted to be even more involved with Habitat was to be able to allow more great individuals and families the opportunity to change their lives with home ownership. During his time with Habitat, he received an opportunity to be selected to the board of directors in 2014. He spent several years helping grow the organization and even helped develop a succession plan that would last for years to come with the organization. In 2018 , he was offered an opportunity to become the vice chair and served in the role until May of 2023. Adam has been able to see so many lives changed forever by having their home ownership dreams become a reality and he hopes to see so many people achieve their financial and housing goals.

Dr. Kimberly Johnson

Children’s author and educator, Dr. Kimberly P. Johnson grew up in Shelby, NC. She is married to Jeff Johnson who retired from the United States Air Force after 22 years of service and has 5- year-old twin daughters, Jessie and Allie. She is the author of 25 children’s books. Dr. Kimberly received her Doctorate in Curriculum, Teaching, and Leadership from Northeastern University in Boston, Ma. She holds a master’s degree from Clemson University, in Youth Development and Leadership. Dr. Kimberly has an Early Childhood Education Degree and a Communications Degree from UNC- Chapel Hill. She completed her post-doctorate work in the Advanced Leadership Program at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education. She recently completed a certificate in Diversity and Inclusion at Cornell University, and is studying to complete her certification as a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA). Dr. Kimberly is a creative thinker and has a passion for teaching and helping others. She is currently a faculty member at Clemson University and teaches Creative Activities for Youth, Designing Effective Youth Programs, Youth and Family, and Working with Diverse Youth. Dr. Kimberly is a course facilitator for the Leading Learning, Managing Evidence and Leading with Equity and Excellence courses at Harvard University in the Graduate School of Education. She has received numerous Community awards to include the Paul Harris Fellow Award given by Rotary International for her work in literacy, the York County Citizen of the year Award, the Walker Solomon Award from the South Carolina Educators Association, the Carl Carpenter Gold Heart Award for Community and Educational Contributions and the National Heritage Award. She has been the guest reader for President and Mrs. George Bush at the White House for the Annual Easter Egg Roll. She has been on the Today Show in New York City, interviewed by the London Times and the Tokyo Shimbun newspapers and her most recent book, No Fear For Freedom: The Story of the Friendship 9 gained national and international recognition when she spearheaded the efforts to have the sentences overturned for a group of men, The Friendship 9, who conducted a sit-in in 1961 at a segregated lunch counter in Rock Hill, SC. Dr. Kimberly is an Ambassador for The King Center in Atlanta and a program collaborator for Dr. Bernice A. King, the last living daughter of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. Kimberly is proud to be a former Head Start Kid!

Diane Yarborough

Diane received a BA in Psychology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and after graduation, headed south - to the Sunshine State. There she spent about 20 years inside the Human Resources and Operations divisions of one of the most recognized companies in the world - The Walt Disney Company at The Walt Disney World Resort.
She worked as a Training Manager, and an HR Manager in Resorts line of business and launched the Disney Cruise Line as an HR Manager for shoreside operations as well as for the opening of Disney’s private island – Castaway Cay. She received her MS from Stetson University in School Counseling and Family Consultation during that time as well.
Disney was a rich and complete education in guest service, leadership and operational excellence and gave Diane an attention to detail and a focus on excellence in leadership and operations that is engrained in her soul. The other experience she gained from her Disney experience is the power of branding, marketing, messaging, and the way to reach an audience. She had the pleasure of opening some of our most treasured resorts and businesses, celebrating the openings of park attractions and Disney films.
In Charlotte, she worked in the Financial Services, the Power sector, senior housing and for retail in Human Resources, Training and Organizational Development and now runs her own company, Cranberry Way, a culture architect firm that excels at developing innovative, and engaging employee programs to attract and retain top-tier talent. She leads this work through collaborating with company executives who wish to revitalize their organizational culture, create memorable candidate and employee experiences.
She loves bringing that special spark to her clients and has her expertise in re-engaging employees and leaders with a touch of wonder and a hint of magic.

She currently chairs the Advisory Board for Catholic Charities for the Diocese of Charlotte and have been involved in and chaired the Servant Leadership Team at St. Luke, in Mint Hill. She is also serving as a board member for OM Sanctuary, a holistic retreat center in Asheville, NC. She and her husband Doug have lived in Mint Hill for over 15 years and have two sons, Trey (16) and Greyson (11).

Dana Draa

Throughout her career, she has dedicated herself to empowering individuals with disabilities, veterans, and underserved communities. In her current role as the Director of Outreach and Blind Services at Lions Services, Inc., she develops and oversees programs that improve the quality of life for individuals who are blind or visually impaired. Dana’s experience leading strategic initiatives, fostering community partnerships, and securing funding through successful grant writing aligns with the Home Again Foundation’s goals of providing sustainable housing solutions and supportive services.

Previously, as the Community Network Director at Veterans Bridge Home and Chief Program Officer at Metrolina Association for the Blind, she has successfully managed large-scale programs, built collaborative networks, and advocated for equitable access to essential resources. Her ability to navigate complex social service systems, coupled with her passion for inclusion and accessibility, will be valuable in supporting the Foundation’s mission to provide stable housing and holistic support to those in need.

Beyond her professional roles, Dana has a deep commitment to service and leadership. Her tenure on various nonprofit boards and community initiatives has equipped her with governance experience, strategic planning skills, and a collaborative approach to problem-solving.