ALLISON HUDSON, Founder & President

allison@willspalcenc.org

Allison Hudson, born and raised in Albemarle, NC, graduated from Albemarle High School in 1997 and the College of Charleston in 2002. She has lived in Charleston, Boston, and San Francisco before returning to Charlotte, NC, in 2010. After the devastating loss of her brother, Will, to a fentanyl overdose, Allison entered rehab for alcohol just six weeks later and has been sober since June 11, 2012. She began blogging for HuffPost in 2013, focusing on recovery and addiction. In 2017, as part of her amends to her brother, she opened Will’s Place, a recovery resource center. Allison serves on the board for the Stanly County Partnership for Children and the Juvenile Crime Prevention Council for Stanly County. She is also a member of West Albemarle Baptist Church and lives in Albemarle with her husband, a retired special operations soldier, and their two children.

DARLENE HUDSON, Vice President

Darlene Hudson graduated from University of NC-Greensboro with a Bachelor of Arts in Education and returned to Albemarle where she married her husband of 49 years, Roger, and they raised four children, Matthew, Allison, Will & Suzanne. Darlene lost her youngest son, Will, to a drug overdose in 2012, and has supported her oldest daughter, Allison, in recovery since 2012. Darlene is an active member of West Albemarle Baptist Church where she serves on different ministry committees. Darlene, with husband Roger, own Hudson Pool Distributors in Stanly County and enjoy spending time with her 9 grandchildren.

JIM SENTER, Treasurer

Jim Senter is an Albemarle native. After graduating from Albemarle High School, Jim attended and graduated from The Citadel with a Bachelor of Arts in English. He continued his education at UNC Chapel Hill where he graduated with a law degree. After graduation Jim returned to Albemarle and has been practicing law in Stanly County for the past 10 years. Jim serves on the board for Stanly Community College Foundation, Habitat for Humanity, and the Albemarle Downtown Development Corporation. Jim lives in Albemarle where he attends First Lutheran Church with his wife, Mary, and children, Stella and Jay.

LINDA EDQUIST, Secretary

Linda Edquist and her husband, Peter, lived in Charlotte before moving to Stanly County in 1980. They have loved living in Misenheimer where they raised their seven children: Jhoda, Gabriel, Micah, Peter Joseph, Ann Marie, John Paul, and Anthony. They now have seven grandchildren that are all thriving, and Linda’s hope is that this county will continue to foster growth and security for all children. She is a member at Annunciation Catholich Church. As a woman in recovery, she has a profound respect for the efforts of Will’s Place and other avenues that support rehabilitation.

LEXAN FOREMAN

Lexan was born and raised in Stanly County (Norwood). After graduating from South Stanly High School she partnered with her sister Tatiana Garmon to manage Luna + Everest, a boutique salon downtown Albemarle. She has 3 nieces and 1 nephew with whom she spends a great deal of time. She also is an advocate for the organization Save the Children and supports them in ending child poverty in America. Lexan became a supporter and advocate for Will’s Place after her cousin, Will Hudson, died of an overdose in 2012. Addiction and recovery is so important to her and she dreams of reducing the stigma and shame surrounding addiction in her community.

MARK LASSITER, SR., DDS

Dr. Mark Lassiter is the father of seven children and a dentist in recovery from narcotic addiction. His sobriety date is March 3, 2003. He is originally from Atlanta but has been in Stanly County since 1989. Dr. Lassiter attended Pheiffer College where he received a B.S. in Biology and UNC Chapel Hill School of Dentistry where he was awarded a D.D.S degree. He held a practice in Norwood for several years before moving to be closer to family. His interests in recovery lie in assisting to remove barriers to care, especially societal stigma and shame. Dr. Lassiter has the intention of contributing to the improvement of the health of Stanly County residents through Will’s Place in addition to his profession.

HEATHER TUCKER

JOANNE GETTLEMAN

Joanne was born and raised in the Poughkeepsie in the Hudson Valley, New York State and obtained her Bachelor of Education from State University College of New York at Buffalo. She received her Masters of Education/Early Intervention from Wheelock College in Boston, MA and has held positions in administration and teaching in various private schools/agencies for disabled children. Joanne home educated her daughter from Kindergarten through High School and into college. Joanne has served on the board of directors for The Harvest Center of Charlotte and Charlotte Piedmont Community College. She currently lives in New Jersey with her husband, David Gettleman. Together they have three children; Aaron (wife Melissa), Sam, and Ana.

TIERA MCDONALD

Ms. McDonald oversees the Transitional Housing Program at Homes of Hope Stanly County with a focus on permanent housing solutions for the homeless families. Additionally, Ms. McDonald also provides case management for guests at the Community Inn. She holds a B.A. in Psychology from UNCC, as well as numerous certifications and a wealth of experience from her work at Monarch.