Leadership

Tosheria Brown, previously the Program Coordinator for the Oak City Outreach Center since its opening in 2014, is now the Director of Programs and Services at Oak City Cares. Prior to her current work in the non-profit field, Tosheria worked in the for-profit sector for over 15 years where she developed her skills in customer service, project management, and relationship building. Tosheria has a Master’s Degree in Social Work and a true desire for serving our friends experiencing homelessness and other levels of transition. She sees the humanity in each person she encounters and has a compassion that allows her to exemplify a caring, empathetic, and nonjudgmental spirit.

David joins Oak City Cares after two years working in university campus ministry. He attended Appalachian State University where he majored in cmmunication. Through his classes and volunteering with his campus ministry, Reformed University Fellowship, he was deeply engrained in learning about poverty from rural to urban contexts and meaningful, legitimately helpful ways to help neighbors who experience poverty. He is particularly indebted to the staff and patrons of HOPE for the Inner City in Chattanooga, TN for giving him the passion and experience which inspired him to come on staff with Oak City Cares. In this role David oversees fundraising and communication activities for the organization. In his free time, David enjoys reading, spending time outdoors, yoga, watching Durham Bulls games, interior design, and gardening.

Rick Godette lives his life by the motto, “One positive thought in the morning can change our whole day.” Rick has a heart for caring for people in need. Prior to joining the Oak City Cares team, Rick held many roles in fellowship and outreach at his church, St. John’s Metropolitan Community Church. Through St. John’s MCC, Rick currently provides a hot meal in Moore Square for Raleigh’s homeless population Tuesday through Thursday, and he previously started the food pantry for families in need. Rick is excited to continue caring for our friends experiencing homelessness at Oak City Cares and to remind everyone that there are brighter days ahead. In his spare time, you can find Rick working in the yard and tending to his plants.

Tamika is a Raleigh Native and has more than 10 years of background and a Degree in Healthcare and Business Administration. Tamika has held leadership roles in various capacities such as Inpatient Mental Health & Community Engagement in the private sector. Tamika aims to inspire and encourage people to be their best version of themselves in any situation. Tamika brings to Oak City Cares Strong Administrative, Organization and Team building skills. In this role, she will work closely and support the Executive Director by assisting and carrying out the mission of the organization while providing operational support.  As a part of self care Tamika enjoys Travling,DIY projets, Zumba, and cooking.

Laura Martin has spent the last decade learning and leading in the Triangle area non-profit sector. She most recently served as the Executive Director of Dress for Success Triangle, seeking to broaden the economic opportunities available to women seeking careers. Prior to joining DFST (Dress for Success Triangle), Laura spent eight years at Raleigh-based, StepUp Ministry. Laura has a strong commitment to local workforce development efforts and specifically to better economic access and opportunity for all.

Kenyetta Boone joins the Oak City Cares team as a SOAR Specialist (SSI/SSDI, Outreach, Access, Recovery). In this role, she aims to remove the burden of navigating the disability benefits application process, from individuals who may be experiencing homelessness. Prior to joining Oak City Cares, Kenyetta worked as a Disability Examiner with Disability Determination Services. Having 12 years of experience processing disability claims for the State of North Carolina, she brings a wealth of knowledge about the Social Security Administration program and looks forward to helping others manage this complex application process. Understanding the detailed criteria required for someone to get approved for disability benefits, Kenyetta strives to do everything possible to help our guests, who meet that criteria, secure their benefits as quickly as possible. She is happy to serve as an advocate for our guests with chronic disabilities.

Casey Slock shares great enthusiasm for serving those experiencing homelessness, especially those with severe and persistent mental illness.  That passion coupled with her varied marketing and program management experience brought her to Oak City Cares where she is excited to support the Resource Development Team.  Away from work, Casey is devoted to supporting her family and Wake County schools community.

Amber earned her BSW from the University of South Carolina and her MSW from North Carolina Central University.  Amber began her career working in Head Start as a Family Social Worker working for children and families in the program by creating and working on family goals, employment assistance and housing assistance.  She later transitioned in her career working with families experiencing homeless by working to find permanent housing.  Amber is passionate about working with people who face housing hardships in her community.

Before moving to North Carolina, Lottie Anderson spent over 20 years as an electrician in Brooklyn, NY, and a Peace Officer (law enforcement) for 12 years on Roosevelt Island. Lottie moved to NC and changed career paths and was a Residential Counselor at a group home and later worked at Passage Home as the Project Safe Neighborhood Coordinator. More recently, Lottie worked at the South Wilmington Street Center (right next door to OCC) serving as a Guest Service Technician seeing to the needs of the homeless men population in Wake County. Lottie wholeheartedly believes our society works best when we all work together to assist each other who are in need, that’s what it means to be human

Oak City Cares welcomes Otis Whitaker to the team as our Basic Needs Services Coordinator. Otis first became involved with Oak City Cares as a dedicated volunteer, and now is on the OCC team full-time. Otis finds joy in helping people and seeing them develop and achieve their goals, all while making someone smile or laugh. He will ensure a smooth and fair process is experienced by all and hopes to always be a lending hand to neighbors in need.

Marie Brady joins the Oak City Cares team with a diverse skill set and over 30 years of professional experience. With prior roles in the retail, banking, pharmaceutical, and multi-family housing industry, Marie brings her expertise to the team as the Finance and Operations Coordinator. Marie is recently retired and is looking forward to giving back to the community through her role at Oak City Cares. Originally from Pittsburgh, Marie has called North Carolina home for 22 years.

Kitty Banks has always seen food as a way to bring people together, or in her words, minister to people’s souls. Prior to joining the Oak City Cares team, Kitty worked at Inter-Faith Food Shuttle for over 17 years where she held several roles, including Catering Kitchen Manager. With over 19 years of nonprofit experience in the Triangle area and over 30 years of experience in the food industry, Kitty brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to Oak City Cares as the Weekend Meals Coordinator and Coordinated Entry Support Specialist.