Dr. Elaine Heath
Elaine Heath is an author, speaker, retreat leader, consultant, farmer, and Abbess. An ordained United Methodist elder, she previously served as a professor at Perkins School of Theology and as Dean of Duke Divinity School before retiring to co-found Spring Forest, a new monastic community in rural North Carolina.
At The Farmastery at Spring Forest, Elaine and her community practice regenerative farming, support refugee resettlement, and offer spiritual formation ministries. As lead farmer and Abbess, she fosters a vision of healing, justice, and hospitality.
Her work focuses on guiding individuals and organizations toward a more inclusive, equitable Christianity, freeing the faith from harmful structures and embracing its transformative potential.
Donna Parks Hill
Donna is the Partners in Health and Wholeness Associate Director for Community Health, bringing over a decade of experience in public health, particularly in substance use prevention, recovery, and harm reduction within both public health and nonprofit settings.
Originally from Miami, Florida, Donna has lived in Wilkes County, N.C., since she was four. She has a strong history of service in her faith community, having served as Social Action Coordinator for the Appalachian District United Methodist Women (2017–2021) and as a lay servant in the United Methodist Church since 2015. Donna’s dedication to community health and social justice drives her work, as she continues to impact lives through her leadership and advocacy.
Jacob Harding
Jacob Harding is a proud native of Pitt County. He grew up in Stokes, N,C., before continuing his education and beginning a career in Greenville, which has given him a clear picture of the unique barriers impacting rural North Carolinians. His journey to serving the people of North Carolina impacted by Substance Use Disorders began the same way that far too many others did, with the loss of a dear friend. Since that time, he has served the people of his community through harm reduction and prevention programs such as ekiM for Change, Pitt County Coalition on Substance Use, and the NC Department of Health and Human Services. Jacob currently practices as a Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor and serves as the Business Development Representative for SmartStart, Inc., in both North Carolina and Virginia.
Melissa Radcliff
Melissa Radcliff has been with Our Children’s Place (OCP) of Coastal Horizons based in Wilmington, NC since February 2007. OCP is a statewide education and advocacy program focused on community support for children of incarcerated and returning parents. She has worked in the area of victim services since the 1990s at a domestic violence agency, rape crisis center, prosecutor’s office, and police department in Rhode Island, Arizona, and North Carolina. She is currently overseeing the FRESH (Family Re-Entry Support and Help) program in 14 re-entry prison facilities. Melissa has extensive experience working with correctional facilities, community organizations, and other entities to develop opportunities for children to connect with their incarcerated parents and generate community support for the children whose parents are incarcerated or being released. She has presented (in person and virtually) at the local (individual schools and school districts, county DSS offices, and Smart Start programs, etc.), state (statewide conferences for afterschool programs, school social workers and counselors, Head Start and Early Head Start, among others), and national (Smart Start, national TASC, National Organization for Victim Assistance) levels to teachers, school counselors, social workers, and nurses, DSS professionals, afterschool and child care providers, school resource officers, treatment professionals, and corrections (adult and juvenile) staff.