LEA THULLBERY
Director of Diversion & Outreach
Lea began her relationship with CwD in 2013 as a volunteer organizer for the Overflow Shelter, and immediately identified outreach work as a passion she did not even know she possessed. In the summer of 2015 she left her full time job to find out all she could about the systems that supported our neighbors experiencing homelessness.
She is a founding member of the non-profit and leads CwD’s Case Coordination and Street Outreach Team.
RUTH COLE BURCAW
Executive Director
Ruth joined the CwD team in July of 2021. Her curiosity, passion, leadership, and collaboration skills make her uniquely suited to lead City with Dwellings. Ruth earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology at Moravian College in Bethlehem, PA. She worked for the first female mayor of Winston-Salem, the Honorable Martha Wood. While in city government, she earned her Master of Public Affairs from UNC Greensboro. She later co-founded a corporate event management firm, specializing in experiential marketing. Most recently, Ruth served for nearly a decade as the Executive Director of the Board of Cooperative Ministries for the Moravian Church, Southern Province, engaging and supporting Moravian faith communities throughout the southeastern U.S.
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CARLOS TOLBERT
HEART Peer Support Specialist/ Project CHEFF Coordinator
What brings Carlos the most joy in being part of the CwD team is being present and walking alongside people in our community on their individual journeys. He first got involved with the Overflow Shelter as a volunteer overnight monitor in 2013, and has worked as a monitor at First Presbyterian every year since.
In May of 2019, Carlos joined our staff as a full-time Peer Support Specialist. The HEART (Housing Emergency Assistance Response Team) Project’s unique approach combines housing with consistent, supportive services and resources for chronically homeless individuals in our community, helping them develop and achieve
their short and long-term goals for health and housing stability.
KRISTA O'CONNELL
Diversion and Outreach Specialist
Being part of the CwD team has brought Krista joy through the unconditional relationships she has made with community members both similar and different from herself. She started volunteering for CwD in 2015, and joined the staff as Organizational Administrator in the fall of 2018. Krista transitioned into her current role October of 2020.
MARK DOCKERY
Transportation & Street Outreach Specialist
Mark is proud to be part of the CwD team because we see everyone in our community as equal, treat everyone with respect, and have compassion and empathy for people facing crisis moments. He was one of the first volunteers at the Community First Center when it opened in 2017, joined the Overflow Shelter staff as a monitor in 2018 and began his new full-time role with CwD in October of 2020.
CHRIS WILSON
Outreach Transportation Assistant
In his new role at CwD, Chris provides transportation to folks from open hours and at other times in the week.
He is also currently assisting us with winter shelter check-in. Chris is a veteran and has great experience with a variety of marginalized populations.
BETH STAFFORD
Office Manager
Though she primarily works in the office in the morning, you may see her friendly face around the building. Beth is retired from Winston-Salem State University and has a background in public service, having previously worked with the Winston-Salem Housing Authority and the City of Winston-Salem's office of the mayor.
ERIC VAUGHN
Outreach Specialist/ Project CHEFF Trainer
Eric joined the CwD Staff as the HMIS Specialist in October of 2021, before transitioning to a more outreach-centered role. He is certified Peer Support Specialist, worked many years as a monitor at Bethesda Center for the Homeless, and is a world class chef. Project CHEFF (Cultivating Healthy Eating, Food, and Fund) is designed to promote healthy habits and self-sufficiency in food preparation, cultivate belonging through community gardening, and overcome a variety of nutritional challenges common during housing insecurity. Eric is born and raised in Winston-Salem and now raises his daughter here as well. He is passionate about this community because of his love for people and desire to make changes in the homeless systems.
TANISHA MORELAND
Peer Outreach Specialist
Tanisha has been a part of the City with Dwellings Community through the Women's Overflow Shelter at St. Timothys for several years. Her passion for caring for her community through mutual respect, understanding, and empathetic care led her to join the CwD team at a Peer Support Specialist in the fall of 2021. In 2022, Tanisha began work as our first peer outreach specialist, walking alongside women in our community and reminding them of their worthiness. She facilitates the women's support group, Women of Valor, each week in the Community First Center.
SUZIE LAVENTURE
Communications Manager
Suzie began in her role as CwD's Communications Manager in November 2023. She'll be working hard to share the stories of City with Dwellings' work with volunteers, donors, and the wider community through the
e-newsletter, social media, and other sources. She is excited to work at this wonderful organization, following her retirement from Davidson-Davie Community College. Community is key!
JESSY BURCAW
Data Manager/Outreach Specialist
Jess joined CwD in the summer of 2023 to help us overcome a data backlog. A full-time educator specializing in instructional technology facilitation after years as a classroom teacher, Jessy's computer and data management skills are most welcome, but it's her people skills we really appreciate. We're glad she chooses to spend some of her off hours working part-time improving life for our neighbors.
