Board of Directors

William Hamilton, President
Director of Economic Development, City of Staunton

Margaret Ragon, Treasurer
Commissioner of Revenue, City of Staunton

Hugh Westfall, Loan Review Committee Chairman
Retired business manager

Bill Frazier, Secretary
Principal, Frazier Associates

Kathleen Stinehart
Cranberry’s Grocery and Eatery

Dan Funk
LightCastle Technical Consulting

Staff

Christina Cain, Executive Director

Christina has  been on the front lines empowering people to open businesses by educating them on business planning, navigating the process of getting a business loan, and lending an ear of support and empathy. Upon understanding the impact she could make, Christina earned a Masters of Science in Community Economic Development with a specialization in Nonprofit Management from Southern New Hampshire University.

Most recently, Christina was the Director for the Center for Asset Building at New Visions, New Ventures, a Women’s Business Center in Richmond, VA. Her passion for economic development was recognized when her clients nominated her for Style Weekly’s 2010 Top 40 Under 40 as an emerging leader.

In addition to her small business development work, Christina was a credit analyst for Capital One, implemented anti-poverty strategies for a community development credit union and coordinated community outreach for a domestic violence shelter.

When you stop by, make sure you ask Christina about her latest knitting project or her new favorite beer!

 

Justin Van Kleeck, Director of Training and Education

Justin Van Kleeck, a lifelong Virginia native, is also currently the Assistant Manager at the Harrisonburg Farmers Market where he works with over 70 farmers and small business owners in the local foods economy.  Justin received his PhD in English from the University of Virginia and previously served as an Editor at Rosetta Stone. He also has experience as a freelance writer on a variety of sustainability issues and worked as both a professor and tutor at the college level.  You may have spotted him around the community organizing vegan food and film events, teaching web and technology seminars for farmers, or giving presentations on a variety of topics. He and his wife also own Sunberry Baking Company, a vegan baking business based in Harrisonburg. He enjoys reading, yoga, gardening, and getting outside with his wife whenever possible.

 

Tracey Coltrain, Client Services Coordinator

Tracey Coltrain is a Richmond native who joyously relocated to Staunton with her family in July of 2011. Tracey received her BA in Psychology from Virginia Commonwealth University, and is currently working on her Master of Science degree in Health Education with a focus on Community Wellness. She has spent the last twenty years investing in communities through her work in various areas of the human services field, ranging from foster care and adoption, to mental health, to developmental disabilities. Much of her work in this field involved community outreach and education, social worker and family training, client advocacy, marketing, and recruitment of foster/adoptive families and home care providers for geriatric and mentally ill adults. At one time she started a program in Richmond designed to offer foster care services to mentally ill, older adults. Tracey is an early adopter of the hOUR Economy (http://houreconomy.org/), which is a local community service exchange program. She and her husband are also the moderators for Staunton’s Freecycle site. This is a website designed to allow community members to share goods with one another. She is also very active with, and a founding member of, the Women’s Cycling Group of Staunton. In her free time Tracey enjoys spending quality time with her husband and three daughters. She also enjoys cycling, traveling, yoga, reading, and hula hoop dancing!