A Place Where Teamwork Thrives

Maggie is the Founder and Executive Director of A Place at the Table. She graduated from NC State University in 2013 and began working for a nonprofit with people experiencing homelessness. By befriending many people living on the margins, she knew something needed to be done. February 2015, A Place at the Table was birthed and Maggie never looked back, opening in January of 2018 serving thousands of people in Raleigh with a dignified and an affordable meal. Maggie has a heart to serve, a desire to always be inclusive, and a passion for loving people.

She lives in Raleigh, loves to jump rope, and eats a large amount of peanut butter. She loves hiking in the mountains and all things sunflowers. You’ll find her watching movies at the theaters in those big comfy chairs, skydiving or breaking away for a quick weekend trip.

Zinith joined A Place at the Table in 2015. His passions are roads and rocks from his careers as a civil engineer and hydrogeologist. A decade has passed since the medical trauma changed his life; Zinith credits this to healing from exemplary care to the Raleigh Mennonite Church and caring neighbors. He is a volunteer and member of the community advisory board at Table. Zinith retains the panoramic, forward-looking, and detail-oriented outlook practiced in his career and maintains the discipline and ethic learned in previous jobs in a factory, school, hospital, and restaurant. Not forgotten is his experience of homelessness and stint as a short-order cook.

Alicia is the Director of Community Affairs at Duke Raleigh Hospital. She has over 17 years of experience in health care administration with a background in strategic planning, business planning, development, and community relations. Prior to joining Duke Raleigh, Alicia was a Business Development Manager for UNC Physicians Network. She has volunteered with the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle, Habitat for Humanity of Wake County, and Urban Ministries of Wake County.

Cliff is an Executive in Enterprise Independent Testing at Bank of America. He leads the enterprise testing utility onboarding organization responsible for integrating front line unit testing resources across the Enterprise. 

In his 25 years with the bank, Cliff has served in many leadership roles, including, most recently, as Chief Testing Officer for the Consumer Bank. He also served as the Consumer Market Executive in the Triangle Market of Central North Carolina and the Hampton Roads Market of Southeastern Virginia. Cliff’s bank experience was in quality & productivity and technology & operations/project management. Additionally, he served on the NationsBank/Boatmen’s Transition in St. Louis, MO. He is a certified Six Sigma Black Belt.

Tosheria is the Program Coordinator at the Oak City Outreach Center in downtown Raleigh and is employed by Catholic Charities. As a business management undergraduate of NC State University, she called Raleigh her home for many years. She is originally from Rockingham, NC and spent seven years living in San Diego, CA where she was employed by Enterprise Rent-A-Car. At the Oak City Outreach Center, Tosheria schedules volunteers and community partners to provide meals and events, which support our friends experiencing homelessness and/or hunger in downtown Raleigh. Under her leadership and compassion, over 50 service partners and 120 host volunteers connect to build community through active engagement and hospitality. She brings experience and a wealth of knowledge working directly with our friends experiencing homelessness so that Table can better understand how to serve this population.

Marina is president of Bandwidth and leads strategic initiatives. She is responsible for a broad range of Bandwidth’s legal portfolio, including the negotiation of key strategic commercial agreements, oversight of litigation and government investigations, and management of all data privacy issues. Marina and her family found Table during the COVID-19 pandemic and immediately embraced the mission. In her words, “It’s impossible to miss the joy and authenticity and love that is guiding A Place at the Table, and I’d very much like to contribute to that however I can.”  

Marina graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she was a Morehead Scholar. She earned her law degree from the University of Virginia.

Johnny is the founder and CEO of The Black Dollar Corp, a Black-owned business directory in North Carolina. In addition, Johnny operates Black Friday, a retail storefront in downtown Raleigh and is an alliance member for online businesses with Raleigh’s Office of Economic Development and Innovation. Johnny specializes in design and marketing. He has been active on the front line of the community and corporate environments — enjoying a great I.T. career at Xerox, IBM, BCBSNC, and Unity Digital Agency and led multiple entrepreneurship ventures where he supports other nonprofits and small businesses.

Johnny migrated to Raleigh, NC in 1998, attending Broughton High School. from there, he graduated from North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro.

Willam is a Solution Architect at CCI, inc. and has 30+ years of experience in the telecommunication industry. His work philosophy is to do better, help people, and grow community awareness of kindness and volunteering. His passion to be a strong and effective leader guided his career at Cisco, Nokia, and the US Marine Corp. 

William has raised three daughters; the oldest is a bull ride, the middle is a firefighter and the youngest is a redhead. All three are fierce, strong and independent. 

Lisa serves as the Chief Strategy Officer with the YMCA of the Triangle. She has dedicated the last 30 years of her career to the YMCA, leading initiatives, developing partnerships and building community collaborations. Lisa is a seasoned nonprofit executive energized by transforming bold ideas into action that satisfy community needs and support ambitious missions for nonprofit organizations. She is passionate about finding equitable and inclusive solutions.  

A graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Lisa lives in Raleigh with her husband Rob, their two children, Mac (23) and Cate (18).  As an emerging empty nester, Lisa enjoys spending quality time with her family, live music, travel, connecting with dear friends and lots and lots of pilates.

Sean is the SVP of Development + Strategic Partnerships for Lotus Campaign, a nonprofit that brings together the for-profit real estate sector and nonprofit social service providers to move those experiencing homelessness into next step housing. Before Lotus, Sean was the VP of Resource Development for the country’s third largest Habitat for Humanity affiliate and biggest Restore operator – the same affiliate where he first started volunteering while growing up in the Triangle.

For 15 years, Sean was a journalist reporting around the world for Voice of America and then serving as the evening anchor at Raleigh’s CBS station. He enjoys giving back to our community through board service and volunteering. In his free time, you’ll find Sean cheering on his Tar Heels, cooking, or enjoying the great outdoors and live music with his wife, son, and dog Gatsby.

Nathan is a Human Resources Manager for the Raleigh-based engineering firm S&ME, Inc. Nathan works in regulatory compliance, corporate business processes and employee development. Nathan’s passion is helping those in need, specifically in need of food. At Pullen Memorial Baptist Church, Nathan works with several different groups, cooks for fundraising dinners and provides an annual meal for the homeless that is served by the congregation. Nathan received a Bachelor of Arts in Religion and Philosophy from Belmont University and a Master of Divinity from Baptist Theological Seminary in Richmond. He is married to Libby Stephens and they have one son, Henry. The family enjoys traveling, working in the garden and cooking.

Tom is a licensed CPA and CFP with over 35 years of experience in business. He works primarily with small businesses, nonprofits, and individuals. For 14 years he was Executive Director of The Ministry Incubator, a shared workspace environment for nonprofits and ministries that operated in downtown Raleigh. Tom and his wife Linda have two adult sons.

Danny is the Co-Founder and Co-President of Brand Fuel, a free-spirited, full-service promotional products agency. He is the Co-Founder of Band Together, a volunteer-driven nonprofit that uses live music as a platform for social change that has donated $10 million+ to Triangle community efforts. He serves on the boards of PromoCares, PromoKitchen, Reciprocity Road, American Marketing Association (Triangle Chapter) and most importantly, A Place at The Table.

Danny is a tireless connector, community leader and entrepreneur. He helps people and brands realize higher aspirations that will have a positive and sustainable impact on both for-profit and not-for-profit organizations. He is hubs to Niccole and pops to Tyler and Brooke.

Terrance is an assistant professor in the Department of Social Work at NC State University. He also spearheaded the launch of a social justice foundation called the Justice Love Foundation. Terrance is one of the newest research fellows for the African American Center at NC State University. In addition to his social work, Terrance was the former executive director of the NAACP of North Carolina, a former administrator for Wake County Public Schools.

He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Central Florida. His research interest includes the theoretical fields of globality and structuration with a focus on future projections in cultural perceptions. He acquired his Master’s in educational leadership from Nova Southeastern University. 

Terrance is happily married to Kiara Ruth, and they have a son named Miles. 

Jennifer is a highly experienced fundraiser who has been supporting A Place at the Table even before the organization signed its lease on West Hargett Street. She has been instrumental in leading the Board’s fundraising committee and driving key activities to secure critical funding for the organization. In particular, Jennifer played a pivotal role in leading the Set the Table campaign during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, which helped ensure Table’s financial sustainability during a challenging time.

In addition to her work with Table, Jennifer is a seasoned professional in the nonprofit sector, currently serving as the Senior Director of National Development at OneGoal. OneGoal is a leading postsecondary access and success organization that works to dramatically increase the percentage of students from low-income communities who earn a postsecondary education.

Jennifer is a mom to two incredible children and one very spoiled rescue pup. Her favorite menu items at Table are the breakfast sandwich on sourdough toast and a lot of coffee.

Alisha currently serves as Customer Service Specialist at United Restaurant Equipment Co. She is well known and connected in the restaurant industry in Raleigh. United Restaurant Equipment Company is a family-owned business, and a leader in the restaurant equipment and supply industry. URECO is a full-service dealership that specializes in the design, supply, delivery, and installation of commercial kitchen and dining equipment. Alisha works will all types of food service clients providing excellent knowledge and customer support. 

Alisha was also recognized as a 2020 TBJ Women in Business Award winner. 

Alisha previously served on the APATT Board and was instrumental in opening the cafe. Her expertise in the restaurant industry and commitment to the mission of A Place at the Table was essential in the cafe’s first few years. Alisha also served on the Creative Planning committee and has assisted in the planning and implementation of many of A Place at the Table’s fundraising events.

Jennifer Tolle Whiteside serves as president and CEO of the North Carolina Community Foundation. She has led the Foundation, its 20-member board of directors, and 30-person staff for more than a decade, more than doubling NCCF assets and grantmaking in her tenure. As NCCF’s second CEO, she is responsible for long-term growth and sustainability, and strategic planning, and serves as the public face of the Foundation. She loves working every day with generous, passionate, and engaged North Carolinians to build community through philanthropic giving.

Tolle Whiteside has 28 years of experience in nonprofit management and civic affairs. Prior to joining the Foundation, she served as the first CEO and president of Prevent Child Abuse North Carolina, a nonprofit organization she grew from one staff member to 14 full-time employees and a statewide network. She is a graduate of the University of Florida, received a master’s degree from Louisiana State University, and is an alumna of Leadership North Carolina.

Tolle Whiteside has served on numerous nonprofit boards and public commissions, including several legislative appointments. She is the vice-chair of the North Carolina Rural Center board and serves on the Community Foundation National Standards Board. She previously served as chair of the Covenant with North Carolina’s Children and co-chair of the NC Child Fatality Task Force. She is a past recipient of the Old North State Award from the Governor of North Carolina and the national US Commissioner’s Award. She has been named a News & Observer Tar Heel of the Week and counted among the Triangle Business Journal’s most influential female leaders. She is a recipient of the Women of Achievement Award by the Federation of Women’s Club and was inducted into Leadership Raleigh’s first Alumni Association Hall of Fame.

Since 2012, Neal Seigler has served as the Director of Environmental & Nutritional Services at Duke Raleigh Hospital where he manages and directs budgets, purchases, labor, compliance, and strategic initiatives as well as oversees the clinical aspect of nutritional services. Prior to joining Duke Raleigh Hospital, he served as a District Manager for Sodexo for North Carolina and Tennessee.

Serving the community, improving social conditions, and addressing inequalities is important to Seigler which makes the opportunity to serve on the A Place at the Table Board even more compelling. He currently serves on the Marcus Harris Foundation board.

Seigler holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and management from Mount Saint Mary College and a master’s of business administration from the University of Mount Olive. Certifications include Certified Healthcare Environmental Services Professional (CHESP) with the American Hospital Association and ServSafe with the National Restaurant Association. He is also Green Belt/Six Sigma certified.