Our Team

Nicholas V. Wharton, President and CEO of Charlotte Area Fund, has led premiere access and equity change initiatives in juvenile justice, K-12 public/private educational systems, higher education, and in the corporate sector. A staunch public policy advocate and leader for educational opportunity and workforce development, Wharton has led lobbying efforts on behalf of community colleges and workforce development in the New York State Legislator and to the US Congress in Washington DC. A mindful diversity thought leader, he has influenced global strategic partnerships with educators in Europe, South Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean and has given critical conversations on diversity leadership, educational opportunity, workforce development, organizational trust, gender equity, cultural competency, and strategic community engagement.  

Prior to his appointment at Charlotte Area Fund, Wharton served as the Urban League of Central Carolina’s Interim CEO & President and Chief Operating Officer and previously as Chief Partnership Officer and COO. Wharton has held leadership roles with Wachovia Bank (Wells Fargo), Corning Incorporated, Charlotte Latin School, Ithaca City School District, Binghamton University, and Ithaca College. Wharton also served as adjunct organizational communication faculty at the Roy H. Park School of Communication, Ithaca College. His community board engagement involves serving as NC State Chair, Council of Community Action Executive Directors, Vice Chair, Women’s Intercultural Exchange Inc. / Co-Chair Men’s Champions, Vice Chair, WFAE 90.7 NPR Charlotte Affiliate, External Relations Committee, Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department, The Diversity Forum, the Chris Canty Foundation and Co-Chaired CMS African American Boys Task Force. He holds a Bachelors of Arts in Sociology from the State University of New York at Cortland and a Master’s of Science in Organizational Communication from the Roy H. Park School of Communications at Ithaca College. Trustee Emeritus, State University of New York.

Qiana Figueroa, Director of Operations of Charlotte Area Fund, Inc. (CAF) is a transplant from Brooklyn, New York.  After graduating from St. John’s University, she began her career with the NYC Administration for Children Services where she was Director of Field Operations. After an impactful career and retiring from ACS, Qiana remains passionate about working with those who share the sentiment that every community has the capacity to continue to learn, grow, and leverage their strengths for positive change. The last three years have taught us the meaning of “resilience” and “empathy.”  As Director of Operations, Qiana has embraced the mission of Charlotte Area Fund and hopes to continue to be a partner in attaining its goal to positively impact the community.

Qiana holds a Master’s Degree from C.W. Post University in Criminal Justice, a Master’s Degree in Human Resources from Stony Brook University and is SHRM Certified. 

Ashley C. Williams-Hatcher is the Program Director with Charlotte Area Fund, Inc. (CAF). Ashley’s passion is chasing life’s purpose and enjoying her loved ones. She’s an empty nester to a 20-year-old, 18-year-old twins, and a grandbaby who are a God send. She grew up an Army Brat who believes in the importance of serving others. Ashley’s been in the non-profit world since 2008 and has worked with the Charlotte Area Fund since 2020.

Ashley’s why– she believes we are here to do God’s work and loves to provide solutions to issues that are presented as barriers for others.

As an integral part of the CAF family, Ashley regularly assists those who need the most help in our community achieve self-sufficiency. Ashley is happy to be part of this impactful team!

Debra Moncrief, Workforce Development Coordinator, has over 10 years of career development experience.

Her expertise includes helping others find their career path; leading exercises that teach inter-personal skills to enhance the personal and professional self; teaching work and life skills that enhance employee productivity and job retention; and providing positive reinforcement and techniques to learners to promote confidence in learning.

Debra began her career in corporate roles. However, through a brief volunteer role as a GED tutor, she witnessed the pride and sense of accomplishment students experienced as a result of passing tests and earning their diplomas. This ignited a spark in her that the best bottom line is to make a direct impact in the lives of others, not to ensure that company investors gained a big return on their financial investments.

Prior to joining CAF in 2017, Debra was a Career Specialist with the WIOA Youth program, guiding youth and young adults towards earning their GED diplomas, identifying their career goals and to gain work experience. She was also the coordinator for Bridging the Gaps In Race Relations, a culturally specific training with the Winston-Salem Urban League.

In her spare time, Debra enjoys watching Jeopardy, reading, gardening, crafting and enjoying a good meal with family and friends.

Alvenice Simmons
Passion: Reading, Gardening
I have worked for the Charlotte Area Fund 5 years
I have worked in Human Services 10 years.

Andrea Garner is a native of New Orleans. Her background in non-profit spans over 10 years. This experience gives Andrea a sophisticated grasp on even the most theoretical aspects of human services. Andrea’s passion for helping those who desire to help themselves comes from her mother and her southern roots.

Andrea joined the CAF team as a Success Coach, directing and supporting the needs of the customers to reach self-sufficiency. She is committed to making a difference and changing lives.

Andrea is an advent football lover, she spends all of her Sunday’s watching the games and n her spare time, Andrea enjoys time with family, music, art and cooking.

Damiko Faulkner is a native of Charlotte, NC. Damiko discovered a love for public speaking and reaching out to others at a young age, eventually leading him to study the area of Communication at Winston Salem State University where he received a Bachelor of Arts and furthered his studies by attending East Tennessee State University to continue focusing on Speech and Psychology during his graduate studies. Damiko then yielded to a call to ministry and attended Pittsburgh Theological Seminary earning a Masters of Divinity and certification in Urban Ministry. After pairing his compassion and ability to communicate affectively, it was natural for Damiko to utilize these gifts in the field of Human Services.

While actively engaging to address several communal crisis by serving on boards that include the Business Advisory Committee, Greenlight Fund and Community Builders, Damiko developed partnerships with the faith based, corporate, and non-profit organizations to bridge the gap to meet the needs of families and individuals. These attributes were valuable as Damiko worked as a CBS/Qualified Professional, Residential Manager and Psychiatric Technician over the span of 15 years.

Today Damiko is privileged to be a team member of the Charlotte Area Fund working as a Success Coach and MOU Specialist. He has had the opportunity to play an instrumental role in assisting hundreds of families during the global pandemic through emergency assistance and strategic partnerships. Damiko is grateful to stand alongside those who are truly extending a hand up to the residents of Mecklenburg County. Although the war on poverty is far from over, he is still encouraged to remain on battle field.

Deborah Frink is the Health and Financial Literacy Coordinator. She has served Charlotte Area Fund clients since 2009 and in her free time enjoys spending time with her family, travel and the beach.

My Name is Jessica Guo I was born in China and have been in the US for several years. I joined the Charlotte Area Fund team as a fiscal Officer; I have been working in the agency since 2019.

My mission is providing the best service possible to the people who need support while participating and engaging in the training programs to achieve self-sufficiency. My day to day responsibilities afford me the opportunity to provide fiscal and financial oversight through the management and processing of all company payment and expenditures, including purchase order, invoices, credit cards, prepaid debit card, etc.

In addition, my responsibilities also involve resolving purchase order, AR4CA, invoice, credit cards or payment discrepancies and documentation to ensure compliance with established CAF procurement policies and procedures.

Terry Howard, a native of Charlotte, North Carolina, has dedicated his professional career focusing on improving the conditions and quality of life of the economically marginalized citizens of Mecklenburg County.

More than 20 years of experience, Terry has built expertise in creating strategic partnerships, collaborations and planning at the local and state levels promoting initiatives that assist the underserved members of this community. Terry has worked in the areas of early education, employment and training , workforce development and housing.

Terry received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Johnson C. Smith University and has accumulated many accreditations and certifications during his tenure at the Charlotte Area Fund.

Terry has served as past president of the Charlotte Enterprise Community and The Employment Networking RoundTable. Terry has served on the Board of Directors of Eastside Community Development Corporation/ Learning Enrichment Achievement Program (L.E.A.P.) upon which he was honored as the 2009 Man of the Year recipient. Terry has also served on the Board of Directors of the Crime Victims Coalition.

Teresa Hughes, a native of Camden, NJ, moved to Charlotte approximately 22yrs ago. After spending more than 25 years of her life as a homemaker raising four children, Teresa decided to pursue and obtain her GED at the age of 40. In 2015 she visited the Charlotte Area Fund and immediately completed an application. She was accepted and enrolled in the CSBG Self-Sufficiency Project where she participated in the Work Readiness classes.

Upon completion of the training, Teresa began an internship with Charlotte Area Fund. Teresa describes her experience “as very productive” because it afforded her the opportunity to use and enhance her customer service skills. Upon completion of the training, Teresa volunteered at CAF and as a result of her increased skill, she was hired as the Health & Nutrition Assistant.

Teresa relates her experience at CAF as “one of the best things she has ever done with her life!”.

Traiana Johnson is an Intake Specialist and Receptionist at Charlotte Area Fund.

Traiana started her journey at Charlotte Area Fund during her undergraduate year of college, as an intern, and was recently hired by the agency on September 6, 2021! She is also treasurer of the Social Work Club and a Masters of Social Work student at Johnson C. Smith University, with a concentration in Hospital Social Work. Additionally, as a current intern at Empowerment Quality Care Services, Traiana has the chance to participate in providing mental health services to residents in Mecklenburg County; while equipping them with independent living skills, coping skills, support, connections to resources in the community, and much more.

Her profession correlates to her “Why” and passion, which is to be able to provide and help people in any way that she can because she knows what it feels like to have nowhere to turn or to feel unheard/misunderstood. So, she aims to be the individual who makes a difference in the lives of others, even if it’s just by putting a smile on their face or causing them to laugh!

Hello my name is Ciara Miller and I am originally from Newark, New Jersey.

I moved to Charlotte, North Carolina over 15 years ago and I am happy to be a Charlotte resident.

I have been with the Charlotte Area Fund for nearly two years now and I love working with clients to bring a resolution to their situation. I have been working in non-profit for roughly 7 years.

I love helping people in the community and providing resources to aid in self-sufficiency. Community Action work is very rewarding and I love being a part of a Community Action Agency.