Program and Partnerships Manager

Taylor leads the Community Mental Health Education Series and oversees all aspects of the WHOLE Schools initiatives. Taylor is a current second year candidate at UNC-Chapel Hill for a Masters in Public Health with a concentration in Health Equity, Social Justice, and Human Rights. Taylor is an experienced non-profit worker with emphasis in mental health, equity, and accessibility to resources. She has expertise in public speaking, large and small programming for events (including service projects, conferences, festivals, staff events, and more), project management, and community outreach/advocacy.

Well-Being Specialist

Kourtney is a native of Burlington with deep roots in Durham. He is excited to return home and join the WHOLE Schools Team as the Well-Being Specialist. Dedicated to serving the youth in his community, Kourtney earned a bachelor’s degree in management from Clemson University before transitioning from the corporate world to become a business and computer science educator.

Recognizing his ability to serve youth in various roles, Kourtney pursued a master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling, focusing his work and training on teens and emerging adults experiencing trauma, depression, anxiety, and addiction. Kourtney is licensed in North Carolina and is a National Certified Counselor. As the Well-Being Specialist, he is enthusiastic about working with educators and students to promote positive mental health throughout the schools and district.

Understanding that many issues are multifaceted, Kourtney is actively involved in social justice initiatives. When away from work, he can be found crafting, attending concerts and music festivals, or visiting comic stores.

Senior Program Manager

Lindsay is a lifelong learner, educator, and coach. She grew up in Kings Mountain, North Carolina and is a proud product of the public school system. She has a natural curiosity that was always fostered by her teachers and she remains drawn to finding connection, sharing ideas, and helping others.

A NC Teaching Fellow, Lindsay began her career as a middle school math teacher and was honored as the Martin Middle School Teacher of the Year in 2014. After transitioning out of the classroom, she joined the educational team at Duke TIP. She worked with academic programming and educational technology before becoming Program Director for the Summer Studies Program in 2018.

Upon completing her Masters in 2021, Lindsay pivoted to strategic consulting, where she honed her project management, business development, and executive coaching skills. Through client delivery, she remained focused on the human-side of business and prioritized building stakeholder relationships, partnering with empathy, and leading with a growth mindset.

Lindsay’s varied professional background allows her to draw on her experiences to create actionable solutions to complex challenges. Throughout her career, she has remained focused on putting as much good out in the world as possible. She’s excited to be doing impactful work in Durham to help every student flourish!

Lindsay holds a Master of Management and Leadership from Montreat College and a B.A. in Education from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Lindsay lives in Durham with her husband and, in her free time, enjoys cycling, hiking, singing, and listening to audiobooks.

Community Education Program Manager

Breyana was born in Beaufort, SC, yet spent many of her formative years in Chicago, IL, where she first attended school in the basement of her Baptist Church. Her grandmother, an educator in the public school system teaching English, instilled in her an early love of reading and learning, a passion that carried her through the rest of her educational journey. As the firstborn of five, Breyana embraced the natural life-long challenge of being a role model, striving and evolving to inspire those around her to become the best version of themselves.

In 2021, she graduated from NC State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Biological Sciences, specializing in sociology and nutrition. It was during this time that Breyana recognized the profound intersection of social systems and health—the social determinants of health—and their impact on overall well-being. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic brought significant mental health challenges, leading Breyana to take a gap year. During this period, she worked as a Community Health Education Intern for the Interfaith Food Shuttle in Raleigh, helping develop and lead programming for children, families, and rural senior populations managing Type 2 Diabetes. More than that, Breyana learned to trust herself by honoring what she needed to be well and affirmed the importance of caring for one’s mental health and well-being.

Following her gap year, Breyana returned to academia to pursue her Master of Public Health in Health Behavior. She aimed to deepen her understanding of the drivers that impact health and health behavior, and how to leverage them to transform communities. Her own lived experiences fuel her passion for her work, and she is committed to honoring and uplifting the voices of those with lived experiences, ensuring they have a place at the table. Breyana is a dedicated advocate for health equity, using her role to create spaces of change where the next generation can thrive. Her journey is marked by a steadfast commitment to community, humility, and the transformative power of education and equity.