Staff and Advisory Council

Elizabeth joined Appalachian State University in August 2023 with administrative oversight of An Appalachian Summer Festival, the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts, and the Schaefer Center for the Performing Arts, and all programming in those venues, including the Appalachian Arts series during the academic year and the APPlause! K-12 Performing Arts Series.  The Turchin Center also oversees the annual Rosen Sculpture Exhibition and the biennial Arts Corridor Exhibition on campus.

She has served as a presenter and panelist for numerous regional and national arts organizations, including the National Endowment for the Arts, the Association of Performing Arts Professionals, the International Society for the Performing Arts and South Arts Performing Arts Exchange. She has held leadership positions with numerous organizations dedicated to cultural exchange, including the Arts Presenters Inaugural Leadership Development Initiative and has led Center Stage Cultural Diplomacy site visits and interviews. She has also presented for numerous organizations on topics related to the arts in medicine and health care.

Elizabeth holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Louisiana State University and a Master of Fine Arts degree in theatre management from Florida State University.

Mary Anne Redding is a visual arts curator and writer; she serves as the senior curator of the Turchin Center. She recently completed an M.A. in Creative Leadership from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. Additionally, she holds a B.A. in English Literature from Ohio University, an M.A. in Arts Administration from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, an M.L.S. from the University of Illinois, Champaign Urbana, and an advanced certificate in Museum Studies from Arizona State University. She has written and published numerous essays on photography and contemporary art. Before taking her most recent post as the Curator at the Turchin Center, Redding was the Curator at the Sioux City Art Center in Sioux City, Iowa, for 13 months. Redding previously served for nearly 6 years as the Curator at the Turchin Center. Past positions include working as the Curator of the Marion Center for Photographic Arts and the Chair of the Photography Department at Santa Fe University of Art & Design, and as the Curator of Photography for the Palace of the Governors/New Mexico History Museum. Redding has more than forty years experience working as a curator, archivist, librarian, educator, and arts administrator. Her publications include A Country No More: Rediscovering the Landscapes of John James Audubon with photographer Krista Elrick (2021); Gila: Radical Visions/The Enduring Silence with photographer Michael Berman (2012); the introduction for Light in the Desert: Photographs from the Monastery of Christ in the Desert, photographs by Tony O’Brien and an essay by Christopher Merrill (2011); Through the Lens: Creating Santa Fe (Museum of New Mexico Press, 2009); and, Grasslands/Separating Species an exhibition catalog for 516 ARTS in Albuquerque, New Mexico; as well as an essay in Land/Art New Mexico, published by Radius Press in 2010.

Mary Lois returned to her hometown of Boone after spending 15 years in Wisconsin. She holds a B.S. in Sociology and Social Justice from Northland College and brings over a decade of experience in nonprofit leadership and community engagement.
Mary Lois currently works as the Director of Business Services at the Office of Arts Engagement, where her financial skills support the organization’s artistic and community goals. She is excited to contribute to the arts in a meaningful way while combining her administrative expertise with her passion for creativity.
Outside of work, Mary Lois cherishes time spent with her husband, two children, and two dogs.

Christy has a passion for arts and learning. Since 2012, she has facilitated education programs for the Schaefer Center for the Performing Arts and the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts, including the APPlause! K-12 Performing Arts Series. Influenced at an early age by arts education, Christy pursued a vocation that promotes learning in and through the arts and connecting university arts resources to community members of all ages. She works closely with university faculty and staff, community organizations, and the network of public, private and home-schools across a ten-county region. Christy has held positions in public schools and arts organizations. She has a B.S. in theatre arts education and an M.A. in arts administration.

After several years of leading the TCVA Open Studio workshops and photographing gallery events, shauna (she/her) joined the full-time staff in 2019. shauna is an artist, educator, curator, and scholar who uses multimedia and photographic processes to honor land, familial connections, sacred relationships, and transformation. Through her work, she explores collaborative opportunities for the expansion of Appalachian placemaking through the arts and loving community. She received BFAs in both Studio Art and Art Education, an MA in Appalachian Studies, and an advanced graduate certificate in Non-profit Administration at Appalachian State University.

Hank has worked at Appalachian since 1993. University Advancement was his home division for more than a decade. In his 32 years at the university, he has held many leadership positions, including serving as chief communications officer and founding director and chief curator of the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts, where his research focus found its culmination in more than 200 exhibitions. Hank is a first-generation college student who earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina Charlotte in 1986 and a master’s degree from Appalachian in 1995.

Melinda joined Appalachian State University in the fall of 2016 and in addition to her position at the Turchin Center, she also serves as director of development for the Office of Arts and Cultural Programs and the Hayes School of Music. Prior to her arrival at Appalachian State, she served as the director of alumni relations at Valdosta State University, and as the director of development at Thomas University, in Thomasville, GA. Melinda is a graduate of Valdosta State University and Andrew College, where she majored in sociology with a double minor in criminal justice and biology.

A Boone native with deep personal ties to the arts, Lacy joined Appalachian in May 2025 to support fundraising and engagement efforts for the Turchin Center, Hayes School of Music, and Arts Engagement. She holds a BA in Arts Administration with a minor in Music from UNC Greensboro and previously worked with Harmony Music School, a nonprofit community music school in Greensboro, and in automotive sales in Boone. With a strong passion for arts advocacy and community engagement, she works to build meaningful relationships and philanthropic support that enhance the cultural and educational experiences across campus and the broader High Country region.

Rachel Merritt (she/her) is a graduate of Appalachian State University, holding a BA in Art and Visual Culture – Studio Art and minors in American Sign Language and Gender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies. Originally from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, her passion for gallery work began at a young age within the Old Salem Museum and Gardens Apprenticeship Program. This spark continued to grow when she began volunteering, and eventually working, within the museum’s pottery workshop, replicating period accurate pieces through historical techniques. Having served as both a tradesperson and interpreter for over 8 years, she is inspired by both the artistic and informative sides of the museum experience. Within her own studiowork, she utilizes a variety of fiber art and mixed media processes. Her most recent exhibition, 2025’s Dissect, Dissent: The Art of Punk Feminism, served as her senior honors thesis show. Within this body of work she explored themes of rebellion and resistance through a variety of fibers techniques such as embroidery, crochet, needle felting, and hand sewing.