BOARD OF DIRECTORS

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Corey Arnold, Chris Stallings, Rick Holder, Jimmy Norton

Angela Yarman, Debra Smith, Andrea Gray 

(Not pictured: Kim LaPlante, Cindy Palmer, Doug Blevins, Andrea Campbell)

Andrea Gray, Chair

Andrea P. Gray currently serves as the Chair of the McDaniel Tichenor House Board of Directors.  Andrea is an attorney with her own law firm, Andrea P. Gray, LLC, whose 18-year career has focused on local government law, environmental law, and estate planning.  She has provided counsel on the largest environmental permitting projects in Georgia and served as legal counsel for multiple billion-dollar economic development projects in Georgia, including some of the largest to date – Takeda (fka Baxter), the Newton Facebook Data Center, Morning Hornet Data Center, and Rivian.  She has and continues to represent multiple development authorities, cities, and counties in the region. 

She is a 30-year resident of Monroe where she graduated from George Walton Academy (salutatorian); she then went on to obtain a bachelor’s degree in economics with a minor in history from Emory University and her law degree from the University of Georgia.  Andrea takes pride in giving back to the Walton County community and enjoys volunteering her time in the service of others. 

Her love of Georgia history and of the McDaniel Tichenor House began when she was a teenager attending events at the house. Her appreciation for the house and its supporters only grew as her own daughter experienced princess camp in recent years.  Andrea lives in Monroe with her husband and two children.  When not working, she enjoys supporting her children in their many activities and spending time as a family at the lake.

Chris Stallings, Vice Chair

Chris Stallings currently serves as Vice Chair of the McDaniel-Tichenor House Board of Directors and the Chair of Strategic Legacy Development. Originally from New Orleans, Louisiana, Chris attended the University of Georgia where he met his wife while playing trombone in the Redcoat Marching Band. When his wife graduated vet school in 2004, they moved here to Walton County and have lived here ever since. While playing in the Athens Symphony Orchestra in the early 2000’s, Chris was able to set the plans for his future in becoming an independent, wealth advisor.

While earning a Bachelor’s in Business Administration, he also received a minor in Spanish. His love for Spanish led him on several mission trips to Bolivia and he had the honor of starting a missions sending organization (501c3) that was responsible for six missionaries, both in the United States and abroad, most notably in South America and Africa. Chris has a heart for restoration, having added his office, The Nowell-Wheeler House, to the historic register for Walton County. He is also in the process of adding the home that served as birthplace for the first mayor of Between, Jim Summerour Briscoe, to the historic register once restoration is completed.

Professionally, Chris is in his third decade of experience in the financial services industry after getting his start at Morgan Stanley in 2000 where he received an award for outstanding performance. He launched his company, Abundance, in 2008 and was most recently named to the 2022 and 2023 Bulldog 100 list, the top 100 fastest-growing companies owned or operated by alumni of the University of Georgia. He has been working with individuals and families for decades and has seen how focusing on the longevity of wealth, while at the same time working with the entirety of a family, can lead to wealth being stewarded generationally with great success. Chris is gifted in vision and strategic life planning, particularly in identifying obstacles that are inhibiting individuals and families from realizing a life fully-lived. In addition to the McDaniel-Tichenor House, he currently sits on the boards of the I AM Foundation and the board for A Word from the Lord, the teaching ministry of Rev Dr Foley Beach, the Archbishop of the Anglican Church.

Debra Smith, Secretary

Debra Smith currently serves as the Secretary of the McDaniel-Tichenor House Board of Directors. Debra owns Allen-Smith Consulting, a community and economic development grant writing and administration firm for cities, counties, and development authorities across Georgia.  Allen-Smith Consulting will celebrate its 30th Anniversary in 2024. Debra and her staff provide consulting services to Development Authorities for some of the largest economic development projects in the state. Some of those projects include KIA, Takeda, Rivian, Hyundai, Archer Aviation, and Aspen Aerogels.  Since 1994, when Patsy Allen and Debra started the company, Allen-Smith Consulting has secured over $595,000,000 in grants for its clients, and those grant funds have benefitted over 146,000 people.

Debra was born in Dallas, Texas; her parents moved to Georgia when she was 9 years old. Debra grew up in Alma, Georgia where she graduated from Bacon County High School – 1oth in her class. She received a full academic and leadership scholarship to Troy State University (now Troy University) and graduated from TSU with a Bachelor of Art in English. Debra is a graduate of Leadership Walton and Leadership Georgia. Debra loves being involved in the community and has served on the Walton County Chamber as Chairman, former Crepe Myrtle Festival Committee, Monroe Museum Board of Directors, and Boys and Girls Club Board of Directors (Founding Member).

Debra servres at First Baptist Monroe as Treasurer of the Missions Team, coordinator of the annual Hanging of the Green service and co-teacher for Young Adult Sunday School. She serves with Nudge Ministries in Ghana, Africa. For the last 27 years, Debra, her husband, Ron, and their daughter, Hannah, have called Monroe home.   Debra loves Monroe and Walton County.  What first drew Debra to the McDaniel-Tichenor House was the name and the beauty of the house.  Debra’s maternal great grandparents were Tichenors (in Texas).  After being asked to serve on the board, Debra fell in love with the McDaniel-Tichenor history and the house itself.  When not working, serving on a board or at church, Debra loves to play golf with her husband, Ron.

Corey Arnold, Treasurer

Mr. Corey Arnold currently serves with the McDaniel Tichenor House as Finance Committee Chair and member of the Executive Board.  Corey is a graduate of the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business with a bachelor’s in business administration and is a former member of the UGA Redcoat Marching Band.

Mr. Arnold is a successful Entrepreneur with 25 years of Mergers & Acquisitions experience, having built, bought, and sold over 2 dozen organizations. During his career, Mr. Arnold has employed thousands of people, owning & operating regional brands such as Peachtree Pest Control, Atlanta Wildlife Control, Keep Smiling Plumbing, Georgia Insulation, Legacy Brand Management, and many others. Today, Corey serves as Founder & President of Georgia Boy Properties LLC, a commercial real estate investment group specializing in the provision of lease space to Industrial and Manufacturing facilities across North Georgia. Mr. Arnold is owner and lead Coach of Legacy Brand Management, LLC working with business leaders across the country to improve organizational health and develop flourishing personal lives.

A lifelong native of the Monroe, Georgia area, Corey is active with his Church, Bethlehem Christian, a member of the Monroe Chamber of Commerce, an avid outdoorsman, and enjoys spending time on their Walton County farm with his wife of 16 years and 2 young daughters.

Rick Holder

Rick Holder was born in Walton County Georgia in 1948. He attended a one room school house, Pleasant Valley Primary. In 1966 Rick graduated from Monroe High. Rick went on to attend the University of Georgia. He currently serves on the Property Management and Cultural committees for the McDaniel-Tichenor House.


Rick has many accomplishments to his name. He served as the Chairman of the Walton County Board of Commissioners from 1993-1996. He helped restructure the Walton County Development Authority and the Hard Labor Creek Regional Reservoir. Rick has moved 5 historic homes including the well known historic Wright-Henson House.  In the early 2000s Rick started Alcovy Mountain Lumber which later turned into Georgia Reclaimed, which is a family operated business that re-manufactures reclaimed wood from barns, factories and warehouses.  In 2010, Rick purchased the Walton Mill with his sons Gabel and Whit. The re-development for the Walton Mill is an ongoing project for the Holders. 


Some of Rick’s fondest memories are when he helped Ms. Anita B. Sams with the book, “Wayfarers in Walton.” He worked at the Walton Tribune in the late 60’s when he got the opportunity to work with her. He notes she was a wonderful lady and he was fascinated by the Civil War letters that Governor Henry McDaniel wrote to his wife Hester.  Though his contribution was a printer’s helper, he “felt that he was helping something important.” To this day, “Wayfarers in Walton” continues to be a sought after book. Rick’s foreman was George Prather, husband of Eleanor Prather, long time Board of Governors member. He was big influence on Ricks life and of course Eleanor has been a role model for all who know her and she is a wonderful friend and Ambassador for the house.


Rick has 3 children, Whit, Gabel and Gracy Bondy.

Dr. Kim LaPlante

Kim serves as the chair of the Marketing Committee. She retired from a 30-year middle school teaching career in 2019 and transitioned to a second career as a Realtor. Kim consistently ranks in the top 5% in her brokerage where she is on the leadership team. 


Kim grew up in southwest Georgia outside of Albany. She moved to the area to attend the University of Georgia from which she graduated in 1986 with an English degree. Kim then earned her Master’s Degree in English Education from UGA and later her Ed.D. in Teacher Leadership from Walden University. She taught in Gwinnett and Walton counties and served in various leadership roles in the schools.


Kim has a passion for helping teachers and schools. She provides lunch and treats for teachers at schools in Walton County throughout the school year and has led campaigns to provide bookbags and food baskets for local school children and their families. She serves on the Board of Directors for the Walton County Christian Learning Center. 


Kim lives in Monroe with her husband, two dogs, and 6 chickens. She and her husband of 34 years are leaders in the Marriage Ministry at Grace Monroe. They have two adult children; one lives in Monroe and one lives in Alpharetta. Kim enjoys reading, long walks, the beach, eating tacos, and spending time with friends.

Cindy Palmer

Cindy serves the McDaniel-Tichenor House Board as leader of the Cultural & Educational Committee. She has an interest in historic properties and worked at the McDaniel-Tichenor House for six years as a House Manager. Cindy is employed by Faith In Serving Humanity (aka FISH). She graduated from the University of Georgia and continued her studies at St. Mary’s University in Minnesota.

As a former youth minister, Cindy led the Inaugural Ulster Project Atlanta, a successful peace project with teens from Northern Ireland matched with teens from USA. A national newspaper requested to purchase a newspaper photo she had taken of the Ulster project. She became a freelance photographer for 25 years after that for The Georgia Bulletin Newspaper. That opportunity allowed her to photograph the parishes of the Archdiocese of Atlanta, several liturgies, and events of bishops and unexpected fun like the Braves visiting the nuns and patients at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Home. She co-produced the musical Godspell at IHM Church in Atlanta.

Cindy took a gap year during college years to travel with the international performing group, Up With People. Cindy lived in Mexico and the USA with 73 different host families and traveled with students from around the world. She also lived in Spain one summer to take Spanish 101-104. She learned hospitality and safety as a flight attendant. She assisted a Cotillion leader who taught etiquette to students in Atlanta. Cindy enjoyed her time at another historical home – the William Harris Homestead -where she helped lead field trip tours for youth to experience life in the late 1800’s and helped manage their plant nursery.

Cindy spends her free time enjoying birds, time at church, cycling, gardening, cooking, and visiting with friends and family. Cindy’s goal is to invite the community, old and young, to learn about the McDaniel-Tichenor House, so they can help preserve and enjoy this beautiful, historic property that has blessed Monroe since 1887.

Angela Yarman

Angela Yarman brings 30+ years of non-profit management experience to the McDaniel-Tichenor House and chairs the Education and Cultural Committee, which plans community events that allow the public to learn more about the house and the families who lived here. 


A native of Monroe, Angela is passionate about the preservation of our history and traditions while working to move our community forward as a great place to live, work, and raise families. She served as executive director of the United Way of Walton County for 20+ years and Student Success Alliance until 2023. Her early career was with chambers of commerce in Athens and metro-Atlanta. 


Angela has been active in the community, chairing the Walton County Chamber's education, small business, and ambassador committees. She was named Chamber Ambassador of the Year in 2004 and was named Member of the Year for the Student Success Alliance in 2015. She has been a member of the Rotary Club since 1995 and served on the board of directors of the Monroe Museum. The Walton Tribune recognized her with the Community Spirit Award, its citizen of the year, in 2007.
 
Angela graduated from Monroe Area High School and received her bachelor's and master's degrees in Family and Consumer Sciences at the University of Georgia. She holds a graduate certificate in organization management from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. 

Angela lives on McDaniel Street, about a mile from the House, with her husband Greg, a retired elementary school teacher. They have two adult sons, Christopher and Daniel, who are both Eagle Scouts. They are lifelong members of St. Anna's Catholic Church in Monroe.

Doug Blevins

Doug Blevins is a local insurance agent and owns Doug Blevins Agency in Loganville, GA. Starting off in the insurance industry back in 2006, Doug figured out very quickly there was a better way to serve policy holders and offer a white glove approach to insurance services. He has since been awarded Achiever of the Year, Agent of the year, Agency of the Year, House Resolution recipient, and Million Dollar Round Table which puts Doug in the top 1% of all insurance professionals in the world. Doug is honored to play a role giving back in the community and is all in for Walton County. In what free time he has, he loves spending it with his beautiful wife and kids watching UGA football. Go Dawgs!

Andrea Campbell

Andrea is a Realtor® at her family’s brokerage located in Downtown Monroe. She is a graduate of George Walton Academy, class of 1999, and later The University of Georgia, where she majored in Agricultural Communications. She lives in historic Downtown with her husband Jared, an attorney for local Preston & Malcom PC law firm, their two sons Malcom and Mac, and a yellow lab named Yeller. 

When she’s not selling houses, Andrea can be found exercising or chasing her two small boys around their family farm. Andrea & Jared attend Grace Monroe church and are active in state and local politics, representing the Georgia Republican party. Andrea has assisted with the last 2 campaigns for Governor Brian Kemp, serving as the Walton County Ambassador, and helped his wife Marty in her efforts for Women for Kemp. Before she started in real estate, Andrea worked in the tech startup space in Atlanta, GA, selling online ordering for To-Go food to national restaurant groups across the country such as Outback, Steak n Shake, Ruby Tuesday, and more. 

Her passion for The McDaniel-Tichenor House dates to her childhood when she attended several “ladies teatimes” with a friend of the owners of the home. They would dress up in their mother’s fancy dresses and hats and enjoy tea and cookies in the parlor area. Their favorite part about their visits was always the opportunity to ride the elevator! Andrea’s role with MTH is centered mainly around fundraising and helping with grounds maintenance. She is excited to be back in Monroe and for the opportunity to serve on the board for such a historic community landmark.

Jimmy Norton

Jimmy Norton is an independent business operator and civic volunteer. With a Southern American lineage from the mid-1600s, local history preservation is a natural concern and investment. He currently operates a hangar complex at Gwinnet County’s Briscoe field.


As a Snellville native, he graduated from UGA class of 1984 and began a varied career. He is recently retired as a Financial Advisor and Property Manager. Other work included Freight Logistics, Heavy Equipment  Manufacturing, Publishing, and Line Pilot for Atlantic Southeast

Airlines.


The McDaniel Tichenor House is a favorite site for Jimmy who enjoys every social event he can attend. He acknowledges being on this board is an enjoyable spot, as service has been part of the Norton family’s “duty” for generations. At the State level he has served 30 years on the

Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame at WRAFB and successfully completed a 3-year appointment to the Georgia Commission on Equal Opportunity.


Local appointments included chairing the Snellville and Grayson DDA’s, Evermore CID, and the Gwinnett Airport Authority. Other notable programs close to his heart are Boy Scouts, YMCA, Boys and Girls Club, and the South Gwinnett Cluster Foundation.

Jimmy is grateful for the prior stewards of the McDaniel Tichenor House and hopes to bring ideas and effort to preserve its grandeur. He happily resides in Monroe with his wife Susan Lemon. Jimmy enjoys the constant aggravation of golf and racquet sports, along with travel

and friends.

Advisors:

Jonathan F. Glaefke 

Stephen Felker, Jr. 

Carole Queen

Staff:

Lindsey McKinney, Executive Director

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