Board Members

The IHN staff and families greatly appreciate the persons listed on this page. The Board of Directors are people in the community who have a wide variety of backgrounds, educations and professions. They give selflessly of their time, talents and resources to help in building the community of faithful IHN members, supporters and followers.

This is Becky's third year on the IHN board. She has been a coordinator for IHN at Grandview Christian Church since 2007. Becky grew up in Atlanta and came to Johnson City as a student at Milligan College where she met her husband, Kevin. After living in Johnson City for a few years, Kevin's job took them to Texas for 19 years but they returned to Johnson City in 2003. Becky retired from the Mountain States Health Alliance Information Systems department in December 2011. She and her husband have 2 children and 5 grandchildren.

Sharon, recently retired as pastor of Covenant Presbyterian Church to care for an elderly parent, is in her third year on the Board. Before coming to Covenant ten years ago she was the director of Kingsport Community Ministry Center, and has served as a hospital chaplain and pastorates in the Kingsport area. She and her husband, Jim have two teenagers. In her free time you will find her reading, cooking, hanging out with her kids and walking with her two dogs.

This is Garys second year on the IHN Board. He and his family moved to Johnson City in 1990 with a job transfer. Gary's wife Sandy was on the original Board of Directors of the Johnson City IHN and helped to welcome the first families into the program in September of 2000. Gary and Sandy have been active in the IHN program ever since. Three years ago Gary's life changed dramatically when he left the world of industrial manufacturing and became employed as the Youth Director for First Presbyterian Church in Johnson City. He has since moved to the position of Director of Adult Discipleship there.

Paul is faculty in the East Tennessee State University Department of Social Work. He has served the department as chair, undergraduate program director and director of field instruction. Dr. Baggett and his wife Shelly have 2 teenage sons, Jimmy and Michael. Paul attends First Christian Church where he is a middle school youth leader. Dr. Baggett has undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees in social work. He has been a Licensed Clinical Social Worker for 20 years. Paul has worked most extensively in mental health and healthcare. He is Executive Director of Phi Alpha Honor Society. He served on the boards of Associated Catholic Charities of East Tennessee, National Association of Social Workers-Tennessee, and Department of Children's Services Johnson City Boys Group Home. He enjoys gardening, traveling, exercising and coaching youth basketball and baseball.

Matthew, a Nashville native, joined the Board of IHN in 2012. He is a member and Elder at Watauga Avenue Presbyterian Church. He and his wife, Karen, have been married for 28 years. A graduate of ETSU, he served as Legislative Intern in the 106th Tennessee General Assembly in Nashville. He is a member and past board member of Bowmantown Ruritan with 7 years perfect attendance, and also served as The District Convention Chair of the Davy Crockett District Ruritan. Matthew is also a former member and board member of the Johnson City Community Theater, past member of the Kiwanis Club of Jonesborough, and is a licensed insurance broker.

Paul Helphinstine is the Senior Minister of Harrison Christian Church in Johnson City. This is Paul's second year serving on the IHN board, and he is tremendously excited about this opportunity to serve this amazing organization. Paul and his wife of twelve years, Emily, have two sons, John and Isaac. Emily is the Literacy Coach for the Middle Schools in Kingsport, Tennessee. Paul is a graduate of Milligan College and Emmanuel Christian Seminary. Prior to working at Harrison Christian Church, where Paul has been for the past three years, he was the Youth Minister at First Presbyterian Church in downtown Johnson City. It was there that Paul became acquainted with IHN of Greater Johnson City. And so, with the help of a wonderful coordinator, Delores Fox, Harrison Christian Church came into the program as a support church in 2011. Harrison Christian worked with Unaka Avenue Baptist in 2011 and 2012 and now assists host church Antioch Baptist. Paul is currently serving as the Vice President of IHN and on the Program Committee and the Spiritual Life Committee.

This is Doug’s first year on the IHN Board. He is an active member of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Johnson City and serves on the Building Committee. In the past he has also served as junior and senior warden on the vestry. He graduated from West Virginia Institute of Technology, Montgomery, West Virginia with a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering. He is Owner and President of Hungate Engineering, P.C. that is in its 27th year of operation. He resides in Johnson City and has two grown children. Doug is currently serving on the Development and Facilities Committees. In his spare time he enjoys attending athletic activities for various team sports and traveling.

Jeff Keeling has been a Johnson City resident since 1989. He settled here one year after taking a reporting job at the Kingsport Times-News following graduation from Western Washington University in 1988. Following a stint in graduate school at ETSU, Jeff worked at the Johnson City Press from 1992-1999, during which time he met (1994) and married (1996) his wife, Angela, and began raising his kids, Zach and Sydney, who are now 22 and 20. Jeff took an offer to work at the Johnson City Housing Authority, leaving the Press (for the first time) in August 1999. He served as Resident Services Director at JCHA until January 2007, when he returned to the Press. He was Business Editor there until September 2010, when he became the first ever Communications and Community Relations Director for Washington County, a job envisioned by Mayor Dan Eldridge. That position was eliminated in September 2011. Jeff then spent four months at Eastern Eight Community Development Corporation before taking an offer to become Marketing and Community Relations Director for the Washington County Economic Development Council, where he started January 30, 2012. The breadth of Jeff’s experience, his family, volunteer and church life, and his love for Johnson City have helped create for him widespread connections through the community. He hopes his connections and experience can be an asset during a season of volunteering for Interfaith Hospitality Network.

I have been married to my wife Barbara for 36 years and have three adult children, Kerri, Andrew, and Kristen. I have been blessed with three beautiful grandchildren, Kaitlyn, Joshua, and Peyton. I spend my work days as a partner of Klem, Gentry and Torbett, a financial planning practice of Ameriprise Financial. We moved to Johnson City in 1994. In my leisure time, Barbara and I enjoy traveling and spending time with family. I have enjoyed many years of mentoring youth by coaching girl’s fast pitch softball. When asked to serve on the board of IHN, I wanted to pursue helping in an area other than finance. I will be chairing the facilities committee and look forward to helping IHN/Family Promise as they look to fulfill the five year plan of 2X.

This is my third year on the IHN Board. I also currently serve as President of the Buccaneer Athletic Scholarship Association at ETSU. I am a Farm Bureau Insurance agent, serving in the Jonesborough office. I have lived in Johnson City since 1992, moving here from Valdosta, Georgia. My husband Gary and I are members of St. John's Episcopal Church. We have both served in various leadership roles at St. John's as well as the Episcopal Diocese of East Tennessee. We both serve as IHN overnight hosts and as volunteers for the Chasing Snakes 10K Road Race which raises funds for IHN. I have a 21 year old daughter, Claire Napert and a 32 year old stepdaughter, Heather Mabrey who both reside in Johnson City. I have a 36 year old stepdaughter Megan Mabrey Tesnar who resides in Atlanta with her husband John. Gary and I enjoy ETSU athletics, traveling, watching movies, and volunteering in the community.

Nicole Vanover is a native of the Tri-Cities area. She resides in Johnson City with her daughter and niece. Nicole works in an outreach lab office for MSHA. She has been involved with IHN for three years and this is her second year as a board member. Nicole began as an Families moving home participant in 2010 and began attending committee meetings and volunteering at the day center in 2011. Nicole is grateful for the opportunity to serve on the board and to witness the everyday miracles that are made possible by the people who give their time, knowledge, and skill to help others at IHN.