CLEMMONS — The Clemmons Community Foundation has announced the election of its board of director officers:

Greg Brewer, chairman 

Greg Brewer has been the president and co-owner of Right at Home franchise in Winston-Salem since 2004, with his wife and partner, Jackie, assistant agency director. Brewer’s previous career experience included corporate executive positions with several Fortune 500 corporations as vice-president human resources specializing in recruiting, organizational development, training, quality and diversity. His leadership has included positions with the Northwest North Carolina American Red Cross, Shepherds Center of Winston-Salem, YMCA of Winston-Salem, and Reynolda Rotary of Rotary International and Winston-Salem First.

Michael Combest, vice chairman

Mike Combest currently serves as councilman with the Village of Clemmons. A graduate of West Point and the School of Advanced Military Studies, he spent most of his career in the U.S. Army in every rank from second lieutenant to brigadier general. Combest is also an independent consultant and co-founder of Strackhammer, LLC, an agricultural firm. A long-time active supporter of the Clemmons community, Combest has volunteered with the Jerry Long YMCA, the Rotary Club of Clemmons, the Village of Clemmons Planning Board, Friends of the Clemmons Library, and Twin City Track Club. Mike and his wife, Janice, live in Clemmons and have three sons.    

Maria Vernon, secretary

Maria Vernon is a resident of Lewisville.  She is a part-time speech-language pathologist with WSFCS and works at Southwest Elementary in Clemmons. Vernon is a volunteer coach with WCCC basketball, serves on the Appalachian State University Beaver College of Health Sciences Advisory Council, and is a member emeritus and former board chair of the Appalachian State University Reich College of Education Advancement Board. Vernon also serves on the board of H.O.P.E. (Help Our People Eat) Winston-Salem, volunteers on various committees at River Oaks Community Church, where she is the volunteer coordinator for the ROCC 5K race, and coordinates the Alex’s Lemonade Stand Fundraiser for pediatric cancer research at her school each year.

Donald Kinney, treasurer

Donald Kinney is a certified public accountant with his own practice, Donald S. Kinney, CPA, P.C. in Winston-Salem and has been resident of Clemmons for more than 20 years. Kinney graduated with a BA from UNC Charlotte and a BS from High Point University. He is active in his church and serves on its board of directors. Kinney also serves the boards of Winston-Salem First and Triad Family Network. Kinney and his wife, Carolyn, have two grown daughters and four grandchildren.

John Bost, immediate past chairman 

John Bost has served two terms on the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Planning Board; served on various not-for-profit boards, as well as being actively involved in several Community Development Corporations. He has served on the Mayor’s Ten Year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness, is a previous chairman of Leadership Winston-Salem and a former three-term mayor of Clemmons. An entrepreneur, Bost is currently sponsoring an ecosystem called the Saltbox at 1650 Ivy Avenue in Winston-Salem, is licensed with the N.C Real Estate Commission, and is owner of Master Counsel and Associates, Inc. Bost is married to LaDonna Bost, an interior designer, and has one daughter, Summer Bost Jackson, a principal with the WSFC Schools.

In addition to the election of its officers, four new directors will join the board for a three-year term beginning July 1, namely:     

Tim Bell

Director of property management and operations for Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center

Tim Bell is a part of the Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center team where he has served for over 17 years. He is currently the director of property management and operations and oversees a $23 million operational budget. He is a veteran of more than 20 years of military service in the U.S. Air Force, where he served as a headquarters financial analyst. Bell is also an ordained minister and motivational speaker. He is married to Donyea (Dee) Dockery of Raeford has two sons, Brandon and Jared, and two grandchildren, Brandon and Malia.

Holly Groce

Attorney in Clemmons

Holly Groce is an attorney and works for Holly M. Groce, PA practicing primarily juvenile and family law. Groce has lived in Clemmons for the majority of her life. She earned her undergraduate degree from UNC and graduated from the Campbell Law School. Groce is an active member of Center Grove Baptist Church and served on the board at the Jerry Long YMCA.  She is married and has three children.

William Lawler

Community volunteer

Bill Lawler has been a resident of Clemmons since 1993. Retired after a 36-year career in business and corporate development, Lawler is now active as a board member and volunteer for a number of community organizations. He is married to Donna Lawler and are the parents of eight children and 11 grandchildren.

Brett Hoge

Financial adviser and senior managing director at BB&T Scott & Stringfellow

Brett W. Hoge has been in the financial industry since 1999. He has gained several recognitions within BB&T for his performance, including the Sterling Performers Award, the John Sherman, Jr. Leadership Award and membership in the firm’s President’s Council. In 2017 and 2018, Financial Times Magazine named Hoge as a Top 400 Financial Adviser. An avid volunteer, he has been awarded the National Mentoring Excellence Award by Investing News. Hoge is also founder and board member of the LVH ALS Foundation, which raises money to fund ALS research for the Duke University ALS Clinic. The foundation has raised over $1 million for ALS research since its inception in 2014. In his spare time, Hoge enjoys hunting, fishing and golfing. Hoge and his wife, Wendy, live in Advance with their two daughters, Riley and Berkley.

The Clemmons Community Foundation extends its deep appreciation to retiring board members Ken Burkel, Brad Davis, Mark Hess, Joanna Lyall and Kirsten Russ.

About the Clemmons Community Foundation

The Clemmons Community Foundation exists to unlock the full philanthropic potential of Clemmons, Lewisville, and surrounding communities by connecting people and resources in ways that thoughtfully and meaningfully transform our communities with access, opportunity, and an enriched quality of life. The foundation in an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit, first formed in 2004 by the Rotary Club of Clemmons and converted to a community foundation in 2012. For more information, call 336-663-6794.