The Board of the Presbyterian Home for Children approved its Executive Committee for 2024.
The Talladega-based Home is one of the few organizations in the state caring for Alabama’s homeless boys and girls, along with their female caregivers in its Secure Dwellings Program. PHFC also serves teenage girls who have been subject to extreme trauma and neglect, young female adults in crisis, families in crisis through in-home intensive services, and children and youth in rural Wilcox and Marengo counties.
Mark D. Feagin of Homewood is Moderator for the Board of Trustees. He grew up in Birmingham and was educated in the Jefferson County and Vestavia Hills school systems and earned a BS in Finance at Auburn University in 1985. His professional experience is in the banking industry where he worked for Regions Bank for 23 years as well as Iberiabank, JP Morgan Chase and Community Bank of Mississippi. Previously serving on PHFC’s Audit and Finance Committees, he is now on its Resource Development and Executive committees. Mark’s faith journey began at Shades Valley Presbyterian Church in Mountain Brook as young boy. He and his wife are members of Asbury Methodist Church.
Rev. Brandon Miles is Vice Moderator for the Board. Miles has serves as pastor at First Presbyterian Church of Florence since 2013 and is the Chair of the Home’s Property committee. Miles received a Master’s of Divinity from Austin Seminary in 2010 and later served as Family Ministry Coordinator at Oakmont Presbyterian Church in Birmingham. Brandon and his wife have three young children.
George Fritsma of Trussville is Immediate Past Moderator for the Board of Trustees and serves on the Governance committee. Fritsma has been a Trustee since 2013. He has a long history of serving on and leading the Governance Committee in addition to serving on the Executive Committee. Retired from the UAB faculty since 2007, Fritsma serves as a medical laboratory consultant to the UAB Department of Pathology, a consultant to several diagnostics companies, and as an adjunct associate professor for Michigan State and Rutgers universities. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in biology and chemistry from Calvin University, a master’s in medical laboratory science from Wayne State University and advanced course work from the University of Illinois at Chicago. He and his wife are members of Cahaba Springs Presbyterian Church in Trussville.
Carol R. Copeland of Athens has been re-elected as the Board’s Secretary and serves on PHFC’s Programs and Executive committees. Copeland has been in the private practice of social work since 1991 after a long career with the Alabama Department of Human Resources. She is a member of the National Association of Social Workers, Academy of Social Workers, Alabama Conference of Social Work and The University of Alabama Social Work Society, and she is on the board of the Athens Limestone Family Resource Center. She is a ruling elder of First Presbyterian Church in Athens and is the current moderator of the Commission on Ministry in the North Alabama Presbytery serving 27 churches. She is the past moderator of the Board of the Presbyterian Home for Children, North Alabama Presbytery and North Alabama Presbyterian Women.
Newell Witherspoon of Huntsville was re-elected as Treasurer and serves on the Finance committee. John Haley, Esq. of Birmingham remains as Legal Counsel.
Lisa deShazo is the new Member-At-Large of the Executive committee and also serves on the Governance committee. deShazo, who grew up in Talladega, is a member of Government Street Presbyterian in Mobile where she sings in the choir, plays handbells and oversees the Meals on Wheels program. Lisa has served as a member of the Board of Trustees in the past and is retired from the Department of Human Resources where she worked in the child welfare program and the personnel department.
New members of the Board of Trustees for 2024 are David Ayers of Mobile, Cathy DeLozier of Vestavia Hills and Scott Weldon of Mobile.
Ayers is sales and product application manager for Certex USA where he has worked 35 years. Ayers is also a live performance sound engineer and an outdoor writer for magazines. He and his wife attend Spring Hill Presbyterian Church. He serves on the Home’s Property committee.
DeLozier is a partner with SoWowMe Marketing Communications and a member of Independent Presbyterian Church. She is also a freelance writer and public relations consultant and serves on the Home’s Resource Development committee.
Scott Weldon retired from the University of South Alabama (USA) in Mobile after a 32-year career in Higher Education. At USA, Scott served as the Vice-President for Finance and Administration. Prior to his time at USA, Scott was an auditor with Ernst and Young for nine years. He is a member of the Government Street Presbyterian Church where he currently serves on Session.
Members of the Home’s Advisory Board are appointed by the President and confirmed by the Board of Trustees to serve on various committees. New Advisory Board member for 2024 is Amy Hill Dickerson of Birmingham. She is a member of South Highland Presbyterian.
