CHAIR

Veronika Gunter is a Southern Appalachian native, the daughter and sister of immigrants, who also descends from proud hillbillies. Veronika is co-owner of a renewable energy company and provides strategic communication services to nonprofits and B corporations.

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Over the past 30+ years Veronika’s service has included being a Big Sister, conserving our Southern Appalachians, co-founding two community radio stations, and serving on boards including YWCA-Asheville. Veronika provides direct service to our homeless/houseless neighbors, fosters animals, and directs snowsports youth programs. Veronika earned a B.A. in Mass Communication from UNC-A, a Master’s in Technical and Professional Communication from ECU, and the Duke Certificate in Nonprofit Management.

BOARD DIRECTOR

Bo Hess, BSW, MSW, LCSW, LCAS, lives in Asheville, NC. Elected to Asheville City Council in 2024, Bo is also a practicing social worker and psychiatric clinician. Bo has a small private practice and works with numerous organizations in the social, political, and mental health fields. 

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Bo’s professional roles and activities include: men’s DBT clinician at Next Step Recovery in Asheville NC, Lead Clinical Resident Trainer and member of the acute Behavioral Emergency Response Team in a large psychiatry department, Board member of North Carolina Harm Reduction Coalition, Clinical Staff Consultant at Our Voice, Curriculum advisor for the Human Services Department at Asheville Buncombe Community College, and law enforcement and first responder crisis intervention trainer. Outside of work, Bo enjoys playing drums, writing poetry, reading, relaxing on the beach, walking and cuddling with his miniature Australian Shepherd, road trips, hiking, flying in airplanes, going out to eat, and studying at coffee shops.

TREASURER

George Sieburg is a North Carolina native and has lived in Asheville for over twenty years. For 15 of those years he ran, with his father, Able Rent-A-Jon & Waste Services (yeah, that’s right, a portajon company). Since then, he has worked as Director of Finance, Operations & HR for Homeward Bound and Director of Operations for Jordan Peer Recovery. He was also the interim Executive Director of the Asheville City Schools Foundation as well as a board member there for four years.

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Last year he was honored to be an Equity Fellow with the Center for Racial Equity in Education (CREED). He now serves as Chair of the Asheville City Schools board of education, is writing his first novel, and is starting a business renting out vintage and classic cars.

George earned his BA in Creative Writing from Northwestern University and his MS in Curriculum & Instruction from McDaniel College outside of Baltimore, MD. 

BOARD DIRECTOR

Asheville City Councilwoman Antanette Mosley has deep roots in the Asheville community. At the age of five, she was the very first student to integrate Saint Eugene Elementary school in North Asheville. This experience helped shape her passion for achieving equality and equity for all persons.

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"My family has resided in the area for five generations, including my late father, Rev. Dr. Charles R. Mosley, a minister in the East End neighborhood, and my late mother, First Lady Lue R. Mosley, who taught in Asheville City Schools for more than 30 years. I know and understand the needs of our community because I have grown up here and have witnessed the changes, both good and bad," said Councilwoman Mosley, “and I am committed to continuing the legacy of being a voice for the unheard and an advocate for the underserved.”

Ms. Mosley graduated from the Asheville School, then attended UNC Chapel Hill, majoring in Psychology. After graduating from UNC Chapel Hill, she earned her law degree from Georgia State. Antanette has been a practicing attorney for more than two decades and is also a proud, active member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

BOARD DIRECTOR

Valentina Pallin is an Asheville native, born abroad. As a first-generation American raised by the Asheville community, she feels a kinship to WNC that goes deeper than familial ties. Valentina is a grassroots organizer and communications professional with a passion for developing local campaigns and initiatives through building meaningful connections.

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After becoming bilingual by living and working in Guatemala, Valentina returned to Asheville to graduate from UNCA with a degree in Spanish Literature. Her early career spanned libraries, restaurants, and providing Spanish interpretation services to in-home community providers, helping families with young children access vital resources.

Now, she has taken her hospitality skills to the next level, providing project management and event planning services to electoral campaigns and cause campaigns. Valentina also serves in leadership roles on several boards and organizations, such as TCP, BCYD, and the NCDP SEC. In her free time, you can find her attending concerts or singing with her husband and his band, taking walks with their rescue dog, and curling up with their three-legged cat to read a good book.