Dr. Michelle Mickle Foster is the President and CEO of The Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation (TGKVF), a philanthropic leader that helps donors, nonprofits, and other collaborative partners strengthen the community so that all of the people and places served have the opportunity to thrive. With approximately $340 million in assets under management, TGKVF is the largest community foundation in Central Appalachia and ranks 82nd among community foundations nationwide. TGKVF distributes over $13 million annually to health, education, community economic development, basic needs, and arts and culture initiatives targeting Boone, Clay, Fayette, Kanawha, Lincoln, and Putnam counties in West Virginia, as well as statewide scholarships. Before joining TGKVF in 2016, Michelle was the CEO of the Kanawha Institute for Social Research & Action, Inc. This nonprofit organization strengthens families through health, employment, asset development, and learning initiatives. Michelle’s original career in chemical engineering brought her to West Virginia in 1993 to work for Union Carbide (now Dow).
Michelle’s academic journey is a testament to her commitment to learning and growth. She holds an undergraduate degree in chemical engineering from City College of New York, two master’s degrees – one in community economic development (CED) from Southern New Hampshire University and another in engineering management from Marshall University, and a doctorate in CED. Her professional development includes studies in impact investing at the University of Oxford, Saïd Business School, and nonprofit management and leadership at Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government. She is a certified economic development and housing development financial professional and, in 2021, became a professional coach. Her work has been recognized with numerous awards, including recognition from President Barack Obama in 2012.
Michelle lives a life of community service and actively engages with several organizations in West Virginia, the Appalachian region, and nationwide. The Mayor of Charleston appointed her to the Charleston Regatta Commission. She serves as Vice President of the Community Foundations National Standards Board and is a member of the Invest Appalachia Board. She is a Women for Economic and Leadership Development (WELD) board member, leading their development efforts, and is a founding member of African American Philanthropy in Action (a giving circle). Michelle is the immediate past co-chair of the Appalachia Funders Network Steering Committee and a former Philanthropy West Virginia board member. She is the president of the Charleston-Institute Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and the immediate past president of the Charleston-Institute (WV) Chapter of the Links, Incorporated, also serving on the Central Area Fund Development Committee for the Links. She is the immediate past president of the Charleston Rotary Club, the largest Rotary Club in West Virginia. Additionally, she has served as the Minister of Administration of Ferguson Memorial Baptist Church since 1997. Over the years, Michelle also served on the boards of the WV Community Development Hub, Kanawha County Library, WV Center on Budget and Policy, WV Non-Profit Association, and Our Children Our Future.
Michelle is not just a leader in her field, but also a person with diverse interests and hobbies. In her spare time, she enjoys attending musical and theatrical productions, candle-making, and soul line dancing. She also values spending quality time with her extended family. Her podcast, Fostering Solutions, is a reflection of her multifaceted personality. You can find it wherever you get your podcasts. Michelle’s first book, Maximizing Impact: Success Strategies for Dynamic Nonprofits, was published in February 2023, and she is currently working on a companion journal for this book.
Kristin joined The Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation team in May of 2017. She received both her BSBA, Accounting emphasis, and MPA from West Virginia University. Kristin has been a licensed CPA since 1999. Prior to her work at the Foundation, Kristin spent the majority of her career in the public accounting industry working for both Ernst & Young and Dixon Hughes Goodman. She also served as Deputy Commissioner for the WV State Tax Department. In her role as Chief Financial Officer, Kristin provides leadership, supervision, oversight and management of the Foundation’s finances and investments. Kristin enjoys spending time with her family, traveling and cheering for the Mountaineers.
Stephanie joined The Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation team in 2012. In her role as Chief Program Officer, Stephanie oversees the Foundation’s Program Department, including its competitive Grant, Scholarship, and Affiliate programs. She also manages the Foundation’s education and arts grant portfolios and leads its nonprofit capacity building efforts. Stephanie currently serves as Coordinating Committee Co-Chair for the Rural News Fund, a program of Press Forward Central Appalachia, through the Appalachia Funders Network. She also serves as a Board Director for Philanthropy WV and Arts Amplified. Stephanie is a 2017 class member of Leadership WV. She received her MA from the University of Georgia and BA from West Virginia University. Prior to her work at the Foundation, Stephanie was the director of a small, basic needs assistance agency and before transitioning to the social sector, she taught composition and rhetoric to college freshman. As a certified yoga instructor, Stephanie has volunteered at various nonprofits to guide practitioners through relaxation and stress management. She enjoys spending time with her family, reading, and traveling.
Angela Dobson, a native of Dunbar, is an Accountant at The Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation. She started working with the Foundation in October 2017. Before joining the Foundation Angela worked 17 years for the Kanawha Institute for Social Research and Action, Inc. (KISRA) as Executive Assistant to the CEO and then as the Quality Financial Manager. During her time with KISRA, she was responsible for accounts payable, accounts receivable and payroll along with some human resource duties.
She graduated from Dunbar High School before attending West Virginia State College. Angela is very family oriented. She and her husband love spending time with their three children and three grandchildren. She also enjoys traveling the world, reading, watching sporting events and working out.
Todd came to The Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation after nine years with the West Virginia Department of Transportation’s Division of Public Transit (DPT) where he was charged with implementing the Federal Transit Administration’s State Safety Oversight Program over the Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) in Morgantown, WV. He has a Bachelor’s degree from West Virginia State and he attended Graduate School at Ball State University’s College of Architecture and Planning. Todd was the Executive Director of the King Park Area Development Corporation where he assisted the city of Indianapolis with a $4.5 million HUD-awarded grant to demolish vacant and blighted houses, build 269 new homes, rehabilitate 44 homes, improve streets and infrastructure, and develop a system of parks and green space. This project, known as “Fall Creek Place,” is one of the country’s most successful residential/mixed-use redevelopment projects. Fall Creek Place has won several national design awards and has been designated as best practices in architecture and redevelopment. Todd later went on to work for the city of Indianapolis as a city planner specializing in writing zoning ordinances and eventually being appointed Township Administrator.
Tiara Brown
Executive Assistant
tbrown@tgkvf.org
Tiara joined The Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation in 2026 as the Executive Assistant to the President & CEO. Before joining the Foundation full-time, she served as the Network Coordinator for the Foundation’s Narrative Change Collaborative on a contractual basis.
Her greatest passion is serving others, something she practices both within her role and throughout her personal life. Tiara pours into the local community through her work on the leadership committee for Up Next Charlie West, the Friends of the Library Steering Committee, and the Arts Amplified Marketing Committee. She also volunteers with local youth, reading to elementary school classes and facilitating leadership development workshops.
Tiara graduated from Marshall University with a degree in Broadcast Journalism and has applied those skills in various storytelling roles since graduation. In her free time, she enjoys practicing the banjo and returning home to Fayette County to explore the trails of the New River Gorge National Park & Preserve.
In all she does, Tiara aims to inspire and support positive change in West Virginia
communities, and she looks forward to continuing that effort through her work at the Foundation.
Katie Ferrell’s history with The Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation (TGKVF) began in 2010 as a TGKVF scholarship recipient. She left the Upper Kanawha Valley to pursue her Bachelor’s Degree in English Literature from Marshall University. Upon graduation Katie took her first job in downtown Charleston, leaving her cubicle a year later to pursue full-time entrepreneurship. After years in the wellness industry, she found herself with the perfect opportunity to serve others and spread the joy of reading as a Programming Associate and Branch Manager in the Putnam County Library System. With hundreds of story times and countless community connections on her resume, she found her way back to TGKVF, this time joining The Foundation’s Program Team as their Program Associate. She served in this position until transitioning to Scholarship Program Officer in fall of 2023. While Katie deeply loves her work of connecting with others, developing relationships, and joining in efforts to build better communities, she truly believes there is no place like home. Outside of TGKVF you will find Katie on a hiking trail, curled up with her cat and a good book, or spending time with family and friends.
Lesley Kimbler may be the first face you encounter if you visit The Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation’s office. She has been the Receptionist at the Foundation since joining the staff in December 2022. Lesley was raised in Danville, West Virginia and graduated from Scott High School. She currently resides in Boone County and enjoys cheering on the Pittsburgh Steelers. Lesley has three children as well as a dog and cat; among them all, they help keep life very interesting.
Candace Krell began working with The Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation (TGKVF) as a consultant in 2016 and transitioned to full-time work with the Foundation in 2018. She received a BA in visual communication from the University of Kansas in 2009 and a BS in Elementary Education from Fort Hayes State University in 2016. Prior to her work with TGKVF, she worked as a graphic designer, email marketing coordinator, customer service representative, and student teacher. Candace has worked in a number of different industries and held various kinds of jobs, but finds that she is happiest when she is doing work that is meaningful.
In her free time, Candace enjoys traveling with her daughter, spending time with friends and family, and enjoying the many blessings that life has to offer. She is an avid knitter and a firm believer that all you need is love.
Emily has always been community-minded. Her volunteer work through the 4-H program and desire to serve others led her to become an AmeriCorps member, where she served a small youth-focused nonprofit for six years. During her service, Emily enrolled in online classes and graduated from West Virginia University with her Masters of Social Work in 2023. She was licensed the same year and is proud to be a third-generation social worker. Her love of serving her community drew her to join the Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation team in December of 2023.
Emily continues to volunteer with her local 4-H program, but when she isn’t serving her community, she finds her joy DIY-ing with her husband, gardening, and training her horse and two rescued dogs.
Jane is the Communications Director for The Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation. She is responsible for directing and administering all aspects of TGKVF’s marketing and communication programs as well as management of the Foundation’s special events. After a career in retail, Jane joined the Foundation in 2012. She is a native of Charleston and graduate of West Virginia Wesleyan College in Buckhannon.
Jane is an active community volunteer and enjoys working in her garden. She writes a weekly garden-based column “Good to Grow” for the Charleston Gazette-Mail. She is also steward to a Little Free Library, which spreads her love of reading throughout her neighborhood and surrounding areas.
Megan is the Program Director at The Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation and has been at the Foundation since May 2015. She is a Parkersburg, WV native and a graduate of Purdue University. Before coming to TGKVF she worked at a public relations firm in Indianapolis that focused on several disease awareness campaigns and this is where she developed her passion for Public Health. She returned to West Virginia in 2010 and before starting at the Foundation worked as a Program Specialist at the American Lung Association. In her role as Program Director, Megan oversees the Grant and Scholarship Program Officers. She also manages the Foundation’s health and dental portfolios. In 2022, Megan was named a Grantmakers in Health Terrance Keenan Institute Fellow for Emerging Leaders in Health Philanthropy.
Megan is a former board member of the West Virginia Children’s Advocacy Network and Awareness Committee and a Big Brothers Big Sisters mentor. She currently serves on the Friends of the Library steering committee for Kanawha County. She was the co-chair for the Appalachian Funders Network Health Group. Megan enjoys spending time with her friends, family, reading and cooking.
Christine joined The Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation team in 2007. Previously, she was the Accountant/Grants Manager/AmeriCorps Director for the United Way of Central WV/LifeBridge AmeriCorps. In 2014, Christine furthered her education by earning an MBA from the University of Charleston. A strong community advocate, she volunteers by reading to at-risk youth, fundraising for charitable causes, and providing tax return assistance to marginalized populations. Her professional interests include accounting, taxes, program, and development. Christine serves as a site manager for the VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) program; she is also a member of FAOG and the Charleston Estate Planning Council, as well as the Treasurer for the WVNPA Board of Directors. Beyond her professional and volunteer pursuits, Christine is very family-oriented. She and her husband love spending time with their daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter, Carleigh and grandson Brooks. Outside of her family and community building activities, Christine enjoys crafting, Zumba, concerts, reading, and traveling.
Almeda joined The Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation team in March 2022. She obtained a Bachelor of Science in Business with an Accounting and Finance focus from Wright State University and passed the CPA exam in Ohio. Almeda also obtained an Executive Master of Business Administration from Bellarmine University. Almeda spent 12 years as the Treasurer on the Board of her Homeowner’s Association. She also performs volunteer work within her community and for Habitat for Humanity. Prior to working at the Foundation, Almeda’s career focus was mostly working for TC Energy (Columbia Gas) as a Project Manager and Owens Corning in various accounting roles including Financial Controller. Almeda is very family oriented. She and her husband enjoy spending time with their son, daughter-in-law and grandson. Almeda likes movies, music, reading and traveling.
Derek joined The Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation team in 2019. Before coming to the Foundation, Derek worked in fundraising strategy and grantwriting at a number of West Virginia nonprofits. In his role at the Foundation, Derek strives to support local nonprofits and others in the community as they go about their life-changing work.
Derek is a graduate of West Virginia’s public school system as well as Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. When not in the office, Derek enjoys sitting on the front porch with friends and family, adding too many books to his reading list, and traveling.
