About FoPC
Friends of Pisgah Collective is a non-profit organization supporting early childhood education and Pisgah Collective’s mission. Based in the western North Carolina mountains of Brevard, NC.
Meet the Board
Julia Dunn - CHAIR
Julia Dunn has been involved in early childhood education since 2009. After graduating with a liberal arts degree from the University of North Texas with a focus in history, political science, and environmental philosophy, she realized that raising the next generation was the crux of almost every issue important to her. She was lucky enough to get a job at a Montessori school and was immediately enthralled. She completed her certification from Montessori Education Center of the Rockies in 2012. After a brief stint in a traditional, publicly run preschool she became the curriculum director for a large non-profit preschool serving the under privileged population in her home town of Denton, Texas. From there she took a temporary position in a public charter Montessori elementary school in Carbondale, Colorado. At this point her sister, Althea Dunn, was caring for many children in Brevard, North Carolina, where the Dunn sisters had been vacationing throughout their lives. Julia moved to Brevard and brought her experience and expertise to the table as the lead teacher for her sister's new project, Pisgah Collective. Since 2017, Pisgah Collective has been growing and serving more and more Transylvania, Buncombe, and Henderson county families as a premier, Montessori-inspired, fully outdoor preschool with students ranging from 18 months-6 years old. Pisgah Collective operates on the beautiful, historic Allison-Deaver house property, utilizing a portion of the barn and grounds.
Kristine Hall - TREASURER
Kristine Hall worked for a global financial company for 20 years in various accounting roles before deciding to move her family to Brevard in 2016 to enjoy more time outdoors and to ensure her two daughters had access to nature as much as possible during their formative years. Kristine currently works for Eagle's Nest Foundation, a non-profit summer camp and outdoor semester school in Pisgah Forest. In her free time, Kristine is an avid hiker and backpacker and also loves to kayak, read, and garden. Kristine became involved with Pisgah Collective when her oldest daughter "Miss Maddie" started working there as a teacher in her early high school years. This directly exposed Kristine to the transformative and unparalleled preschool experience Pisgah Collective provided for the community. Kristine strives to support their program so they can provide this unparalleled growth opportunity to as many children as possible.
Caroline Chambers - SECRETARY
Caroline Chambers is a recent resident and lifelong visitor to Brevard, NC. She brings her diverse experience in technology, law, and business to the area to help with a number of projects to make the community a better place for her family and for others who love the mountains. With an international masters in business from the Moore School and a juris doctorate, Caroline has spent most of her career as a problem solver, using her skills to help governmental agencies, medium and Fortune 500 businesses, non-profits, technology start-up companies, and individuals accomplish their unique goals. She currently serves as manager and a member of the senior management team for a number of small- and medium-sized businesses and law firms helping them put in place and maintain good business processes. She is the mother of two children and enjoys reading, hiking in the mountains, and traveling.
Cara Varney - MEMBER
Cara Varney is a North Carolina transplant from Ohio, she now calls Brevard and the Blue Ridge Mountains “home”. She is the Development Director at Eagle's Nest Foundation and The Outdoor Academy and brings a focus on philanthropy to the Friends of Pisgah Collective. Not only is Cara a skilled fundraiser, she’s a talented experiential educator and an avid outdoorswoman. She holds a BS in Recreation from Ohio University, and has worked in the field of outdoor education since 2003 as a wilderness instructor, outdoor program manager, camp counselor, and challenge course facilitator. Cara spends her free time paddling, climbing, and hiking, tending to her impressive garden, and adventuring with her family.
Liz Beck - MEMBER
Liz Beck has been in love with the world of education for her whole life, since she was lining up stuffed animals as students before even entering kindergarten. She has served as a high school English teacher, middle school Literacy Coach, district-wide Curriculum Facilitator, and now as an Instructional Coach for teachers in all grade levels across the state. Liz, her husband Bob, and their son RJ moved to Etowah, NC in 2018; RJ has been a Pisgah Collective student since the day after they moved in. The intersection between Liz's career and their family's love of RJ's school drove her to want to support the school in a more active way, and she joined the board in 2022.