Board Members

Patty Overcash

Executive Director

Patty Overcash came to Rowan Partners for Education with 30 years of experience in the Rowan Salisbury School System (RSSS). She was one of the original board members when the Rowan Salisbury Education Foundation was organized. She is the parent of two Rowan Salisbury Schools (RSS) graduates and the grandmother of four, all of whom will attend RSS. Her goals are to build partnerships and find and develop resources to support RSS students.

Glynn Weatherby

President

Glynn Weatherby is the Lead Pastor of Grace Covenant Church in Kannapolis. He has served with Rowan Partners for Education since 2016. He is the father of two RSS graduates and one currently attending elementary school. Rowan Partners for Education provides an opportunity to serve our students by ensuring RSS is an excellent choice for education, he says.

Susan Steele

Vice President

Susan Steele has been involved with Rowan Partners for Education since its reorganization in 2016. A public educator, she is happy to serve in a roll that enriches and strengthens RSS. She is the parent of two RSS graduates, and her youngest attends Carson High School.

Elaine Spalding

Secretary

Elaine Spalding has served as President of the Rowan County Chamber of Commerce since May 2013. She has over 30 years of Chamber management experience in Oregon, Texas, Kentucky, and North Carolina. Elaine is a graduate of Murray State University and is originally from Elizabethtown, KY. She is married to Keyth Kahrs, a local watercolor artist at the Rail Walk Studios & Galleries.

Greg Alcorn

Greg Alcorn is the CEO of Global Contact Services, a staffing and management company. He is also founder of ApSeed Early Childhood Education, an organization that provides touchpads to children to prepare them for kindergarten. He joined Rowan Partners for Education to support and promote its mission and values.

Jeremy Jacobs

Jeremy Jacobs joined GreerWalker CPAs & Advisors in August 2018. He serves a variety of closely held businesses specializing in the manufacturing and distribution, restaurant, and dealership industries. In addition, Jeremy also provides assurance services to employee benefit plans. He has assisted several clients with special projects, internal audits, and control assessments. Jeremy is committed to providing his clients with high quality service and being a trusted advisor for their business solutions and needs. He joined Rowan Partners for Education in 2020 to help give back to the community, the students, and the teachers of RSS.

Nicole Holmes Matangira

Nicole Holmes Matangira is Office Manager of Holmes Iron & Metal, Inc., a third generation family owned recycling business. She has several nieces and nephews who attend RSS. She says that she is thankful to be a part of the Rowan Partners for Education Family of Volunteer Leaders, who are deeply devoted to help with the continual improvement efforts of RSSS.

Mary Ponds

Mary Ponds is a retired educator with 34 years of classroom experience and a total of 53 consecutive years of service in the Rowan-Salisbury School System. She is the former mayor of Granite Quarry, with 14 years of service, and two additional years of service as a member of the Granite Quarry Board of Aldermen. She says that her heartbeat is always the concerns of people and the educational welfare of our children. They are imperative to her everyday life and wellbeing.

Andrew Smith

Dr. Andrew Smith was recently named Assistant State Superintendent for Innovation at the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. In his role, he supports the development of innovative practices across North Carolina while overseeing the departments research and evaluation, promising practices, charter schools, and learning recovery and acceleration.

Previously, Andrew served as the Chief Administrative and Strategic Planning Officer in Rowan-Salisbury Schools. In his role, he was responsible for rethinking education and developing transformative practices within the organization through the strategic planning process. Andrew also managed the process for bringing the district’s unique Renewal Legislation to fruition. Previously, Andrew served as the Assistant Superintendent of Transformation and Chief Strategy Officer. As Assistant Superintendent and CSO, Andrew assisted the superintendent in developing, communicating, executing, and sustaining district strategic initiatives, as well as, fostering collaborative efforts with internal and external stakeholders. Andrew has also served as the Director of Innovation in the district. Outside of Rowan-Salisbury, Andrew is an adjunct faculty member at the Johns Hopkins University where he teaches courses on power, politics, and policy. Andrew has also served as an adjunct faculty member at Wake Forest University he taught instructional design, assessment, and technology.

Andrew received a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree from Wake Forest University with degrees in biology and secondary education. More recently, Andrew earned his doctorate at Johns Hopkins University in Entrepreneurial Leadership in Education. Before entering administration, Andrew taught biology and forensics. Andrew and his wife, Rachel, are North Carolina natives and have three cute young kiddos Noah, Landon, and Ellie Jane. In his free time, Andrew is a pilot and flips foreclosed homes.

Tracy Walser

Tracy Walser is the Finance Director of Miller Davis, Inc. She has been an active volunteer at the various RSS Schools where her 2 children attended during their K-12 years. As a public-school advocate, Tracy believes strong communities start with strong public schools. She looks forward to serving on the RPE board and to support the CTE programs at RSS.