Meet the Board

SVK is overseen by a governing Board. The SVK Board is composed of two active members of Saxapahaw United Methodist Church, two community members, one parent of a currently enrolled student, the preschool director, and the church pastor. Together this Board offers support and guidance to the program.

Rev. Mandy Sayers (she/her)

msayers@nccumc.org

Rev. Mandy Sayers was appointed as pastor to Saxapahaw UMC in July of 2025. Mandy comes to us from the Baltimore Washington area, where she pastored churches for 15 years. She has both parents and in-laws in NC and moved here to be closer to them. She has a B.A. in English from Duke University, a law degree from the University of Connecticut and a Master’s of Divinity from Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, DC. She loves preaching, pastoral care, and helping people grow in their faith. She and her husband have 2 adult kids, Nathan and Lydia, and enjoys baseball, barbecue, poetry and reading. She says “I wish we had SVK in our neighborhood when they were little…there’s no better place for kids to be cared for, to learn, and to grow.”

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Mandy Locke - Church Representative (she/her)

Elizabeth McCue - Church Representative (she/her)

Elizabeth McCue is a retired children’s librarian who worked in a local public elementary school for over 29 years. She has attended the Saxapahaw United Methodist Church since her sons were little (now in their thirties). She holds a BA in English from the University of Texas at Austin and a Masters in Information and Library Science from UNC Chapel Hill. Her boys went to First Step daycare located in Saxapahaw but after it shut down, there was no daycare for years. When the church decided to start a daycare, she was excited about the possibility and helped make the dream become a reality. She lives in Saxapahaw and enjoys walking the trails, reading, crafting, gardening and cooking. A big fan of SVK, she has seen it grow into an amazing program for local children and is so happy it is here in Saxapahaw!

Kirsten Alfaro - Community Representative (she/her)

Jonathan Williams - Community Representative (he/him/his)

Jonathan is a former SVK parent of two energetic children who now both attend The Hawbridge School in Saxapahaw. In his professional life, he is an estate planning and elder law attorney with Clarity Legal Group in Chapel Hill, helping individuals and families plan for special needs, incapacity, the cost of long-term care, and the administration of estates after death. Prior to that, he attended Wake Forest University and the Wake Forest University School of Law. Jonathan, his wife, April, and their two children live in the country near Saxapahaw. In addition to serving on the SVK board, Jonathan is an active member of the Section Council of the Elder and Special Needs Law section of the North Carolina Bar Association, where he co-chairs the section’s Legislative Committee. When not attending to his professional and home responsibilities, Jonathan enjoys music, camping, hiking, canoeing, watching sports, and is a once-and-future avid road cyclist.

Michelle Aronson - Parent Representative (she/her)

Michelle is a farmer, cook, and educator based on a small vegetable farm just a few minutes down the road from Saxapahaw. Michelle and her husband Matthew are parents to two kids, son Sawyer (4) and daughter Hudson (2) who both attend SVK. Michelle received her Bachelor's degree in Environmental Science and English from the University of Virginia, and went to culinary school at the Ballymaloe Cooking School in Ireland. Today she shares her passion for growing, cooking, and eating good food with her community through hands-on workshops at the farm. Michelle loves serving as a parent representative and getting to connect with and help support the families and team members who make SVK so special!