Leadership
Phyllis Caldwell-George
President and CEO
Earlier in her career, she received recognition for assisting in creating a housing counseling program for five Native American Tribes as part of President Clinton’s initiative to increase Native American homeownership.
Phyllis is a passionate advocate of the importance of asset building for low-to-moderate income households and as a leader in the community, she has partnered and collaborated with government agencies, funding partners, and other non-profits. She has served as trainer, speaker, and educator for many housing counseling and financial education conferences, workshops, and training events.
Education
B.A., Not-for-Profit Management, Salem College and Excellence in Nonprofit Leadership and Management at the Southeast Center for Organizational Leadership, High Point University
Service/Certifications/Membership
- Affordable Housing Group of North Carolina, board member
- New Horizons/Fair Housing Summit Planning Committee of the Winston Salem Human Relations Department
- S.G. Atkins Community Development Corporation, board member
- Steering Committee Member, Affordable Housing Network/Prosperity Now
- North Carolina Housing Coalition, member
- Leadership Winston-Salem, class of 2009
Ryan Gerace
Finance Director
Education
B.S., Accounting, Clarkson University
Service and Memberships
- Member, High Point Elks Lodge
- Asset Building Coalition of Forsyth County, board member, treasurer
Russell Dye
Employee Experience Coordinator
Russel joined Financial Pathways in October 2023. He is a native of Waldorf, Maryland, a suburb of Washington, D.C., as a committed servant of the community, he is one of the 2021 Triad Top 40 Under 40 nominees. Russell joins our team from ActionCOACH a business coaching firm byway of Goodwill, where he was a Workforce Development and Community Engagement Manager, as well as the recipient of the 2020-2021 Rookie of the Year award. Russell holds a Master of Arts degree from Liberty University in Family Counseling with preliminary studies in Human Services Counseling and a Graduate Certificate in Organizational Communication. Russell comes to Financial Pathways of the Piedmont having served the Triad community for nearly 16 years; with experience working within the Guilford County School system and the NC Division of Vocational Rehabilitation.
Education
M.A. in Family Counseling, Liberty University
Graduate Certificate in Organizational Communication
Brittany Wissick
Chief Development Officer
Brittany joined Financial Pathways in October 2023. She brings a wealth of knowledge in fundraising and development, volunteer management and non-profit leadership. She has a Master’s Degree from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in Public Administration with a concentration in Non-Profit Management. Brittany serves on the Advisory Committee for Greater Winston-Salem’s 40 under 40 group. She is passionate about providing opportunities for financial well-being, building generational wealth through homeownership, and understanding root causes to the issues that face our community.
Education
M.A. in Public Administration, University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Patti Sears
Representative Payee Program Director
Education
Appalachian State University, Boone, NC. Concentration in Special Education
Shareka Williams
Financial Management and Education Director
Sharon Thomas
Housing Director
Education
B.S., Business Administration, Winston-Salem State University
Service/Certifications/Membership
- Certified Credit and Housing Counselor, by National Foundation for Credit Counseling
- HUD Certified Counselor
Meet Our Staff
Ada Harshaw
Certified Credit and Housing Counselor
- Certified Credit and Housing Counselor through the National Foundation for Credit Counseling
- Certified Housing Counselor through the North Carolina Association of Housing Counselors
- Certified HUD Counselor
- Serves on the Forsyth Eviction Diversion Committee
Ada@FinancialPaths.org
Kelly Kliman
Financial Counselor
- B.A. in History and Minor in World Religions, High Point University
Kelly@FinancialPaths.org
Jaceda Cherry
Housing Educator and Counselor
- Certified Credit and Housing Counselor through the National Foundation for Credit Counseling
Jaceda@FinancialPaths.org
Deborah Litaker
Counselor, Senior Financial Care
- Certified Credit Counselor, Housing Counselor, and Student Loan Counselor through the National Foundation for Credit Counseling.
- Certified Reverse Mortgage Counselor through the North Carolina Housing Finance Agency
- Certified through the N.C. Seniors Health Insurance Information Program to provide insurance counseling (SHIIP)
- Certified Options Counselor
- Nationally Qualified HUD/HECM Reverse Mortgage Counselor
- Completed training in Foreclosure Prevention
- Completed HUD training in Loss Mitigation
- Associate Degree in Business Administration Management from Salem College
Deborah@FinancialPaths.org
Yolanda Anukwuem
FPP Receptionist/Administrative Assistant
Info@FinancialPaths.org
Sheryl Hardin
Representative Payee Program Coordinator
- Experience working with individuals with IDD and special needs for 25+ years
Sheryl@FinancialPaths.org
Brianna Doss
RPP Benefits Counselor
- Associates Degree, Pace University
Brianna@FinancialPaths.org
Tracy Thomas
Representative Payee Program Assistant
- B.A. in Psychology, Winston-Salem State University
Melissa Smrdel
Representative Payee Program Assistant
Melissasmrdel@FinancialPaths.org
Linda Thorns
Center for Homeownership Program Assistant