LEES-MCRAE COLLEGE - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Trustees
- Trustee
- President of Bissell Management Services
- Trustee / Department: Board of Trustees
Mrs. Kopczynski has worked in her family's commercial real estate business for over 30 years. After graduating from UNC-Chapel Hill, she started as a broker with The Bissell Companies and learned the ropes working side by side with her father Smoky Bissell. She took some time off to raise her 3 children but remained active on the Bissell Companies' Board of Directors as well as serving on various other boards such as the YMCA, Christ Church, and Charlotte Country Day School.
Mrs. Kopczynski is currently president of Bissell Management Services, which is an asset management company that oversees commercial properties in the Charlotte, North Carolina area.
A former ballroom dance competitor, Barbara lives an active lifestyle and enjoys tennis, pickleball, hiking, traveling, and of course dancing. Her love of the mountains started as a child. She grew up coming to Linville year-round with her family and she attended many summers at Camp Yonahlossee located near Blowing Rock, North Carolina.
Mrs. Kopczynski and her husband, Todd, live primarily in Charlotte, North Carolina but spend a lot of time in Linville in a home they bought, renovated, and named Edelweiss after the beautiful flower referenced in "The Sound of Music" that only grows in the mountains. Todd is a board-certified OB/GYN who practiced in the Charlotte area for over 30 years and now volunteers his time with Atrium Health 3 days/week on a mobile medical unit he and Barbara helped start called "Drive to Thrive." Their combined family has 7 children ranging in age from 18 to 27. All are either in college or in the "real world" working in their field of specialty. The kids are spread across the country in Washington, D.C.; Ohio; Texas; Pennsylvania; Tennessee; Virginia; and North Carolina. Mrs. Kopczynski's eldest son, Jack Hallow, is a senior at Lees-McRae and will graduate Fall 2023 with a degree in Outdoor Recreation Management.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Trustees
- Trustee
- Trustee / Department: Board of Trustees
Mr. Blake is retired from Joseph Cerniglia Winery, Proctorsville, VT, where he served as partner, vice president and Director of Marketing and Sales. He set up and managed a national marketing system comprised of over 200 wholesalers in 42 states. He also owned Tyler Enterprises, a real estate development company specializing in the planning and approval for subdivisions. Barry also held marketing positions with Schenley Industries in New York and Heublein, Inc. in Harford, CT. He earned his BA in Economics from Denison University and his MBA at the University of Pittsburgh. He and his wife, Ann, are residents of Elk River Club and Mt. Pleasant, SC.
Job Titles:
- Vice President for Finance and Business Affairs / CFO
Job Titles:
- Executive Vice President for Strategic Operations and Public Relations
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Trustees
- Trustee
- 99 ( Vice Chair
- Trustee / Department: Board of Trustees
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Trustees
- Trustee
- Trustee / Department: Board of Trustees
Job Titles:
- Director of Health Services
Job Titles:
- Assistant Director of Online Enrollment Services
Job Titles:
- Vice President for Athletics and Club Sports
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Trustees
- Trustee
Edgar Hall Tufts Jr. took over the helm, following the passing of his father in 1923. He served as administrative head of the college and the first president of the Edgar Tufts Memorial Association until his own death in 1942.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Trustees
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Trustees
- 99 ( Vice Chair
Job Titles:
- Data Management Specialist
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Trustees
- Trustee
- Trustee / Department: Board of Trustees
A graduate of Rutgers University, Mr. Kaplan worked in accounting and banking before founding United Financial Group, Inc., a commercial equipment financing company in 1981. He serves as Chairman of the Board while his son manages the company. He served in the USMC. Harold has served on the first Rutgers Alumni Association Board and in 2013 received the Rutgers Scarlett Oak Meritorious Service Award for Excellence in Alumni Leadership. He is a Board member of FORUM, and he was a Board member and Treasurer of Beech Mountain Club Men's Golf Association, treasurer of the Jewish Federation in Orlando, FL, and served on the Appalachian State University Community Advisory Board of the Center for Judaic, Holocaust and Peace Studies. He and his wife, Rosalind, reside in Orlando, FL, and Beech Mountain.
Lee King became the 16th president of Lees-McRae on June 1, 2018. Prior to Lees-McRae, King served as Vice President for Institutional Advancement at Hampden-Sydney College in Hampden-Sydney, Virginia, where he was responsible for all development, alumni relations, and career services. Earlier in his career, he served vice-presidencies at Hollins University and Ferrum College. His leadership experience spans across the higher education spectrum from institutional advancement, to first-year experiences, to intercollegiate athletics.
His professional background extends beyond the scope of higher education, serving as both Executive Director and Director of Development at the Patrick Henry Family Services where he created the organization's first strategic plan, launched comprehensive facility renovation efforts, and multiple fundraising efforts. King also has extensive marketing and public relations leadership, including institutional rebranding efforts.
Since arriving at Lees-McRae, King has led the campus in creating a new facility master plan to guide campus infrastructure development in the decades ahead, and has encouraged Lees-McRae to embrace its uniqueness to differentiate itself in the crowded landscape of higher education. During his presidency, the college has nearly doubled its endowment and is aggressively building new partnerships with alumni and the local community to benefit our students. He has been elected to the Executive Committee of the North Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities, and serves as a board member of both Conference Carolinas and the Avery County Chamber of Commerce. He is an active leader in scouting with Troop 100 in Boone, is a member of the Order of the Arrow, and is a member of Omicron Delta Kappa.
King received his Doctor of Education in educational leadership from The University of Virginia, his Master of Education in educational administration from Lynchburg College, and his Bachelor of Arts in English and history from Hampden-Sydney.
Job Titles:
- Associate Director of Admissions
Job Titles:
- Vice President for Student Affairs
Job Titles:
- Assistant Director for Online, Graduate, and Transfer Admissions
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Trustees
Job Titles:
- Director of Financial Aid
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Trustees
- Trustee
- Trustee / Department: Board of Trustees
Mr. Haigler lives in Wilmington, NC where he is the co-founder and partner of Taft, Taft & Haigler, P.A. He graduated from Duke University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Law. His business interests include partner/developer in multiple real estate ventures including apartments, condominiums, shopping centers, office buildings, mini-storage, residential neighborhoods, and raw acreage. Ken belongs to the Wrightsboro Baptist Church in Wilmington.
Job Titles:
- Senior Vice President for Enrollment Management
- Vice President for Enrollment and Student Affairs at Lees - McRae College
Kevin Phillips has had a long and successful 29-year career in enrollment management and admissions, serving at four different colleges and universities with increasing levels of responsibility.
Kevin is currently the Vice President for Enrollment and Student Affairs at Lees-McRae College. Since joining Lees-McRae in September 2019, Kevin has overseen new initiatives that have led to a significant increase in applications and enrollments for first-year and transfer students. Lees-McRae has enrolled three of its largest four classes during this time frame. In addition, he is leading a team that is currently developing many new partnerships with the North Carolina Community College system, including the establishment of Guaranteed Admission Programs and Program-to-Program Articulation Agreements.
Prior to arriving at Lees-McRae, Kevin served as the Senior Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management at the University of New Haven in Connecticut. With his previous roles there as both the Director of Undergraduate Admissions and the Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management, he experienced tremendous application and enrollment growth that saw full-time undergraduate enrollment rise from under 2,000 to over 5,000 today. The last three enrolling classes at the university were the three largest in its nearly 100-year history. These three classes were also the most academically talented and were enrolled while decreasing the overall discount rate.
In 2018, Kevin oversaw significant growth of incoming graduate and international students as well. Spring international graduate enrollments at the University of New Haven increased from 123 to 201 over the previous year, and incoming domestic graduate enrolling credit hours increased by nearly 1,000. He was responsible for redesigning enrollment communication plans, significantly increasing the number of campus visitors, implementing a career progression plan for admission employees, and enrolling the second largest number of incoming transfer students at all private colleges and universities in New England.
Kevin started his career as an admissions counselor and assistant men's basketball coach in 1994 at Sacred Heart University. During his time there, applications and enrollments nearly tripled, and the University moved its athletic programs from NCAA Division 2 to NCAA Division 1. He now also serves as an Assistant Men's Basketball Coach for Lees-McRae.
A former college basketball player, Kevin is widely known as an innovator and forward thinker. He has significant expertise in event planning, marketing, quality service initiatives, public speaking, financial aid leveraging, social media strategies, athletics, and Esports. With a team approach, he has helped to develop numerous successful enrollment management professionals over the years. He is a member of NACAC, NAFSA, NAGAP, and AIRC.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Trustees
- Trustee
- Trustee / Department: Board of Trustees
Mrs. McPhail attended the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and graduated in 1980 with a B.A. in Business Administration. Upon graduation, she began work with Western Publishing Company; a subsidiary of Mattel, Inc. After leaving Western Publishing, Kim started an automotive collision repair facility in Charlotte, NC where she was the owner and vice president for 25 years. The business grew to become a certified repair facility for Mercedes Benz USA. Kim retired in 2007 and she and her husband David split their time between Hilton Head, Charlotte, and Banner Elk. She serves as a community volunteer for charities in Hilton Head and Charlotte.
Job Titles:
- President of Lees - McRae
Lee King became the 16th president of Lees-McRae on June 1, 2018. Prior to Lees-McRae, King served as Vice President for Institutional Advancement at Hampden-Sydney College in Hampden-Sydney, Virginia, where he was responsible for all development, alumni relations, and career services. Earlier in his career, he served vice-presidencies at Hollins University and Ferrum College. His leadership experience spans across the higher education spectrum from institutional advancement, to first-year experiences, to intercollegiate athletics.
His professional background extends beyond the scope of higher education, serving as both Executive Director and Director of Development at the Patrick Henry Family Services where he created the organization's first strategic plan, launched comprehensive facility renovation efforts, and multiple fundraising efforts. King also has extensive marketing and public relations leadership, including institutional rebranding efforts.
Since arriving at Lees-McRae, King has led the campus in creating a new facility master plan to guide campus infrastructure development in the decades ahead, and has encouraged Lees-McRae to embrace its uniqueness to differentiate itself in the crowded landscape of higher education. During his presidency, the college has nearly doubled its endowment and is aggressively building new partnerships with alumni and the local community to benefit our students. He has been elected to the Executive Committee of the North Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities, and serves as a board member of both Conference Carolinas and the Avery County Chamber of Commerce. He is an active leader in scouting with Troop 100 in Boone, is a member of the Order of the Arrow, and is a member of Omicron Delta Kappa.
King received his Doctor of Education in educational leadership from The University of Virginia, his Master of Education in educational administration from Lynchburg College, and his Bachelor of Arts in English and history from Hampden-Sydney.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Trustees
- Trustee
- Trustee / Department: Board of Trustees
Job Titles:
- Financial Aid Counselor / Work - Study Coordinator
Job Titles:
- Director of Counseling Services
Job Titles:
- Director of Events and Campus Visitation
Job Titles:
- Assistant Director of Admissions
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Trustees
- Trustee / Board of Trustees
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Trustees
- Trustee
- Trustee / Department: Board of Trustees
Mr. James A. "Jim" McDaniel served as Vice Chairman of Investment Banking at Raymond James Financial, Inc. prior to retiring in 2016. Mr. McDaniel joined Raymond James in 1969 as an investment banking professional. He left Raymond James in 1976 to pursue a career in the energy industry and in 1979 was one of the founders of Regency Exploration, Inc. Mr. McDaniel also served as president of K & E Petroleum, Inc. and was a consultant to Washington Energy Resources, the energy production subsidiary of a major public utility. He rejoined Raymond James in 1994 as co-head of the Raymond James energy investment banking group and in 2000, Mr. McDaniel became co-head of the firm's Investment Banking Department. In addition to managing the department, he was a member of the Capital Markets Committee and was responsible for recruiting efforts within the Investment Banking Department. Mr. McDaniel holds a bachelor's degree from Northwestern University and an MBA degree from the J. L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Trustees
- Trustee
- Trustee / Department: Board of Trustees
Mrs. Hopkins, a lawyer with more than 30 years of experience in a range of practice areas, has developed a reputation as a strategic thinker and a creative problem solver and facilitator who works to get things done.
Born and raised in Petersburg, Virginia, during a turbulent time in race relations, Mrs. Hopkins still vividly remembers the White Only and Colored Only signs that marked many of the locations throughout the city. At an early age, she decided that she wanted to become a lawyer and be an agent of change, and she has spent her life being guided by that vision.
Mrs. Hopkins began her professional career with a civil rights law firm Hill, Tucker and Marsh, the law firm of one of her heroes, civil rights icon and Brown v. Board of Education attorney Oliver Hill. She worked on a variety of cases in the two years she was there, including employment issues and police brutality. Mrs. Hopkins left the firm to become an assistant attorney general in Virginia assigned to colleges and universities, then moved on to become a federal prosecutor, first in Richmond, Virginia, and then later, in Shreveport, Louisiana. Ultimately, Mrs. Hopkins returned to her undergraduate alma mater, Wake Forest University, where she served initially in the office of the legal counsel, and then later as the inaugural director of the Smith Anderson Center for Community Outreach at the law school.
Through her strong track record of leadership, she has consistently exhibited a wide range of personal and professional characteristics that are supportive of diversity and inclusion within the community. In addition to her many professional accomplishments, Mrs. Hopkins has crafted regulatory legislation, bylaws and constitutional provisions for the United States Tennis Association, the Southern Tennis Association, and the North Carolina Tennis Association and served as chairman of the Constitution and Rules committee for the United States Tennis Association.
Notably, during her time as Director of Community Outreach for the law school, participation in the Pro Bono Project-which she directed-went from 10 percent of law students to more than 60 percent, resulting in 6,000 hours of service. Upon her retirement from that position in 2016, the dean of the law school commented that "Professor Hopkins, you have made this law school a better law school and it will remain that way." The dean went on to add that the Public Interest Initiative stipends that are awarded each year to students who pursue public interest opportunities would be thereafter called the Hopkins Pro Humanitate Award, in her honor.
A 1973 cum laude graduate of Wake Forest University, with a major in Asian History, and a 1977 graduate of William and Mary Law School and a recipient of the 2018 William and Mary Citizenship Lawyer Award, she is married to the late Dr. Lawrence D. Hopkins, who graduated from Lees-McRae College in 1970. They have two children, Michelle and David.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Trustees
- Trustee
- Trustee / Department: Board of Trustees
An active volunteer, Ms. Hoyt currently serves on the FORUM Board; WEDU Public Television Board, Tampa, FL; Mountain Lake Community Service Board; as the class secretary of Madeira School, Greenway, VA; and the Mountain Ambulance Foundation Board, Beech Mountain, NC. She earned her B.A. from Wellesley College. Nancy has three sons and three granddaughters and was raised in Nashville, TN. She and her partner Dr. Murray Miller are residents of Beech Mountain and Lake Wales, FL in the winter. She is a member of Mountain Lake Country Club.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Trustees
- Trustee
- Trustee / Department: Board of Trustees
Mr. Ramo worked his way up in the retail industry from being a stock boy for Burdines Department Stores in Miami, Florida, to Executive Vice President of Lord & Taylor Department Store in New York to the President of Carson Pirie Scott Department Stores in Chicago, Illinois. He and his wife, Marilyn, have three sons, two daughters-in-law, and five grandchildren. The Ramos reside at Linville Ridge. Neil serves as an advisor to the AEPi Fraternity at Appalachian State University and as a Board member of the Avery Humane Society. He previously served on the Board for the Center of Judaic, Holocaust and Peace Studies at Appalachian State University and as a Board member of the Temple of the High Country in Boone.
Job Titles:
- Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dean of Faculty
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Board of Trustees
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Trustees
- Trustee
- Trustee / Department: Board of Trustees
Job Titles:
- Assistant Director of Admissions
Job Titles:
- Director of Regional Recruitment
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Board of Trustees
- Trustee
- Trustee / Department: Board of Trustees
Mr. Edmondson graduated from Wake Forest University and the University of North Carolina School of Pharmacy. Recently retired, Sonny was co-owner/manager of four independent drug stores from 1981 to 2016. He served six years in the U.S. Army reserve and twelve years on the Asheboro City Schools Board of Education. Sonny is currently the owner of Valley Farm, an operational/certified tree farm in Rockingham, NC. He enjoys fishing and hunting. He has two grown children. He and his wife, Judy, reside in Asheboro, NC and Blowing Rock.
Job Titles:
- Vice President for Institutional Advancement
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Trustees
- Trustee
- Trustee / Department: Board of Trustees
Mr. Porter has owned, operated, and managed the East Pass Marina in Destin, Florida since 2010. In addition, the Porter Family owns commercial real estate in South Florida and Welding Supply Distribution Centers across the Southeast. He attended Florida State University before beginning his early career with the Linde division of the Union Carbide Corporation in Houston, TX.
A former motocross competitor, Mr. Porter lives an outdoor lifestyle, and enjoys golf, tennis, fishing, and traveling. He and his wife, Debbie, are residents of Elk River Club and Miramar Beach, FL, but spent many years in Birmingham, AL raising three children. Mallory resides in FL, Chad lives in NY working on Wall Street as an investment banker, and Cassidy lives in Birmingham, AL attending the UAB physical therapy doctorate program. Todd's nephew, Colton Porter, attended Lees-McRae and was a member of the men's tennis team.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Director of Admissions
Job Titles:
- Assistant Director of Admissions and New Student Engagement
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Trustees
- Trustee
Job Titles:
- Executive Director of Distance Learning and Transfer Programs