OnTrack: Financial Education and Counseling

	Our Director Celeste Collins, Executive Director Celeste began her employment with OnTrack in November 1993 as a part-time counselor / educator. Over the next 10 years, her role expanded into the Director of Education & Marketing and in 2002 Celeste became OnTrack's Executive Director. Prior to joining OnTrack she was Vice President, Regional Sales & Marketing Manager for First Union National Banks’ 88-branches in western NC and has experience as a branch manager in consumer / mortgage lending. Celeste holds a BS in Business Administration from UNC-Chapel Hill. She is a member of First Baptist Church Asheville, The Rotary Club of Asheville, WNC Partners for Nonprofit Success Advisory Council, Buncombe County Aging Plan Steering Committee, the City of Asheville Affordable Housing Task Force, and is the current President of the North Carolina Association of Credit Counseling Agencies. Celeste enjoys spending time with her family, playing racquetball, reading, writing poetry, and being an active member of her church community.
	Our Counseling Staff
	Tom Luzon, Director of Counseling Tom has been with OnTrack since December 2006. His first venture in consumer counseling was with the CCCS of Fayetteville where he worked for two years, first as a counselor in Wilmington and then as the Counseling Manager in Fayetteville. Prior to entering the non-profit sector, Tom spent 20 years in banking, starting as a Mortgage Loan Officer and rounding off his career as the Senior Vice President for the Residential & New Construction Lending Departments. Tom received his BS in Psychology from the University of Nebraska-Omaha with a minor in Military Science. He is a Certified Credit, Housing, Loss/Mitigation, and Reverse Mortgage Counselor and is a Trainer for Student Loan Default. In addition to the Asheville office, Tom also works in the Hendersonville, Franklin, Waynesville and Sylva satellite offices. He enjoys reading, drawing, painting, cooking, birding, and golf.
	Grace Hines, Certified Credit and Housing Counselor Grace joined OnTrack in March 2006 as our first Spanish-speaking bilingual financial counselor. Prior to joining OnTrack, Grace was employed at Mission Hospital as the first bilingual Patient Account Representative. She worked as an advocate for Latino patients, collaborating intensively with Medicaid Representatives, Social Workers, Insurance Companies, and the State of North Carolina. She was born in Quito, Ecuador and moved to the states at age two. She settled in Asheville because the mountains and people reminded her of Ecuador. Grace has experience in consumer lending and one-on-one counseling and is a Certified Credit and Housing Counselor. In addition to the Asheville office, she also works in the Boone, Marion, and El Centro of Hendersonville satellite offices. Grace spends her time with her husband and four children and enriches her life by cooking, traveling, being active with her church community, and laughing lots while watching TV comedies with my family.
	Victor Moore, Certified Credit & Housing Counselor Victor joined OnTrack in November of 1998 after working for 10 years in the finance industry. He is a Certified Credit & Housing Counselor, and a Certified Credit Review Counselor. Since 1999, Victor has been a great contributor to the Hendersonville community spending 40% of his counseling time at our satellite office. Victor studied at the University of North Carolina in Asheville, majoring in accounting. In addition to the Asheville office, he also works in the Waynesville satellite offices. Victor enjoys bike racing, hiking, and eating good food.
	Toshia Verheggen, Certified Credit, Housing, & Reverse Mortgage Counselor Toshia began working at OnTrack in 2007 as a Spanish-Speaking bilingual Credit and Housing Counselor. She is a Certified Financial and an NCHFA Reverse Mortgage Counselor. Toshia received her BA in Anthropology and Spanish from Southern Illinois University and has studied and traveled throughout Latin America. Her personal interests include dancing and traveling.
	Dave Werle, Financial Planner, Certified Credit, Housing, & Reverse Mortgage Counselor Dave joined OnTrack as a financial counselor in January 2006. He is an NCHFA Reverse Mortgage Counselor, a Certified Credit & Housing Counselor, a Certified Credit Report Review Counselor, and has experience as a personal income tax preparer. Dave is a candidate for CFP certification, after passing the Certified Financial Planning exam in May 2006. Dave’s past work includes eight years of marketing, training, and sales administration in the private sector plus economic development planning, strategic planning and consulting in the non-profit sector. In addition to the Asheville office, he also works in the Brevard satellite office. Dave holds a bachelors degree in economics and psychology from Vanderbilt University. A resident of Asheville for the past 15 years, Dave enjoys spending time with his family, hiking, fishing and camping and Chicago Cubs baseball.
	Sallie Hart, Home Protection Pilot Program Coordinator Sallie Hart, Home Protection Pilot Program Coordinator: Sallie joined OnTrack in 2007 as an Administrative Assistant and now coordinates the new program for homeowners. She has a BA in Third World Studies and a minor in Environmental Studies from the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee. Sallie grew up in Watauga County and is happy to be back in the mountains after traveling abroad. She enjoys exploring, laughing, and spending time with friends and family. She enjoys creative art, exploring, and laughing.
	Our Education Staff
	Laurie Knowles, Director of Education Laurie joined OnTrack in March 1997. She is a Certified Credit & Housing Counselor and a Certified Credit Review Counselor. Laurie designs and conducts OnTrack’s financial education programs throughout the region. From 1978 to 1995, Laurie owned a home-based word processing service. Prior to that, she managed her family's restaurant, The Alpine Lodge, from 1971 to 1978. When Laurie is not educating the masses about money, she enjoys knitting, gardening, and reading.
	Becky Brown, Homebuyer Education and Saving Programs Manager Becky joined OnTrack in 2005 as our WNC Saves Coordinator, helping promote savings, not debt. Becky now manages our Homebuyer Education program, the Mission Home Help program, and other savings initiatives. Becky has a BSW in Social Work and is certified in Housing Counseling, Credit Counseling, and Nonprofit Management. Becky likes to get dirty in her garden, go backpacking in the Southern Appalachian Mountains (or anywhere else for that matter), eat yummy food with friends, and discover new ways to live more simply.
	Carolyn McCarter-Wood,Financial Educator / Certified Credit & Housing Counselor Carolyn is a native of western North Carolina, "born and raised" in Haywood County. Prior to joining OnTrack in 2005, she was an instructor at AB-Tech. She has worked for over fifteen years in education and human services. She is currently in her final year of a Master of Social Work from UNC-CH. Carolyn especially values working with people whose financial lives are complicated by domestic violence, mental health issues, addictions, or organizational challenges. Carolyn is responsible for many of OnTrack’s “far west” activities in Cherokee, Murphy, and Hayesville. When Carolyn isn’t traveling to and from appointments around WNC, she enjoys watching LOST reruns with her husband, camping, and flatwater kayaking.
	Jonathan Stansell, Financial Educator & Project Coordinator Jonathan joined OnTrack in 2006 to coordinate the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance/Earned Income Tax Credit project and also teaches in the education department. Originally from Greenville, SC, he graduated from Samford University with a BA in sociology. Jonathan has worked with formally homeless people at a nonprofit that provides affordable housing and as a teacher/counselor for troubled youth at a residential treatment facility. In his free time, Jonathan likes to read about boring things like history and politics as long as it's interesting. He enjoys potlucks but often gets stuck washing the dishes since he's not a very good cook. He likes traveling in faraway places and is always surprised that it is only when he returns home that he gets culture shock.
	Regi Blackburn, Volunteer Regi began volunteering with OnTrack 2006, working closely with Becky Brown and the Homebuyer Education Program. For over seven years, Regi has donated his time and expertise in the Asheville community, focusing most of his energy with Homebuyer Education programs. We are so fortunate that Regi has chosen to be involved with our work! He and his wife Katherine settled in Asheville in January of 1997, relocating from Greensboro, NC. Regi enjoys hiking and volunteering in his local community.
	Our Administrative Staff
	Lynn Hughes, Director of Finance and Operations Lynn is a native of western North Carolina. After serving on our Board of Directors from 1992-1998 (President 1997-1998), she joined OnTrack’s staff in November 2005. Lynn is responsible for accounts payable, accounts receivable, payroll, human resources, and financial reporting. She was previously with Coca-Cola Bottling Company of WNC for 14 years and also a Credit Union Manager. She holds a Certificate of Credit Union Management from the University of Georgia at Athens, an Associate Degree in Accounting from Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College and a BA in Business Administration from Montreat College. She has an impressive history as a human resources and financial professional. Lynn enjoys spending time with her family and RV Camping.
	Sarah Brown, Director of Development & Marketing Sarah Brown joined OnTrack in July 2007. Prior to working with OnTrack, Sarah was the Marketing Manager at Neighborhood Housing Services where she implemented the Doors of Asheville event; she has dabbled occasionally in event and P.R. consulting in Asheville. Sarah received her Master’s Degree in Integrated Marketing Communication from Emerson College and her BA in English from Le Moyne College. She enjoys advancing at a snail’s pace in her Kung Fu training, telling (and hearing) funny stories, being colorful, and daydreaming about retiring in 25 years as a tour guide in Alaska.
	Tara George, Office Manager Tara joined OnTrack in April 2008 as the office manager. She has been in the client service industry for many years and looks forward to making a contribution to her community while working at OnTrack. Tara received her BA in Applied Design at San Diego State University. She enjoys traveling, spending time with ther family, and hiking.
	Bonnie Livernois, Client Service Representative Bonnie joined OnTrack in 2007 as a Client Service Representative. Most recently before joining OnTrack, Bonnie was the administrative office assistant at Travelink and the Human Resource Assistant at CNC/Access. One of the things she enjoys most at OnTrack is speaking with each new client on the phone and the resulting positive impact the services have in people’s lives. In addition to spending family time with her three grown children and four grandchildren, Bonnie’s interests include writing, drama, local travel, and her church, Highland Christian.