♦ LINC Staff ♦
Frankie Roberts
Executive Director
froberts@lincnc.org
Frankie Roberts, the Executive Director of LINC Inc. was born and raised in Wilmington NC. Mr. Roberts used his strengths, skills and his natural leadership ability grow into a successful entrepreneur, who for 18 years owned and operated a community-based barbershop where he received his education in community organizing, job development, relationship building, and individual/family counseling.
Mr. Roberts received his formal education in non-profit work from Quality Enhancement for Nonprofit Organizations (QENO). Mr. Roberts is a brilliant visionary who strives to provide services that will change lives in hopes of changing communities. Mr. Roberts is passionate about community empowerment work and racial reconciliation which is why he teaches leadership development to local teachers with a special focus on race relations.
As a result of his passions Mr. Roberts co-chairs the Youth Violence Action Team of the Blue Ribbon Commission and is a member of the Criminal Justice Partnership Board. Mr. Roberts has been the Chairman of the Department of Social Services’ Board of Directors. In his spare time Mr. Roberts enjoys playing racquetball, reading and discussing philosophy.
Larkin Rausher
Programs Director
lrausher@lincnc.org
Larkin was born in South Korea but grew up in Durham NC and was fortunate enough to attend Carolina Friends School, which is a Quaker school, for kindergarten through high school. She has a younger sister who attends Earlham College in Indiana. Both of her parents live in Durham and work at Duke University.
Larkin graduated from UNCW with a degree in Social Work and a minor in Sociology. During the spring and fall of 2008 she studied abroad at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. In many ways, the experience opened her eyes and had a great impact on her in ways she never expected. She fell in love with the country and the people, and has hopes of going back soon. Ever since she was young, Larkin has had a passion for working with and engaging diverse populations, especially children.
Her friends and family are a huge part of her life. Larkin loves traveling and exploring new places, trying different foods and meeting all types of people! She enjoys watching and playing soccer as well as basketball. In the future Larkin has hopes to attend graduate school to earn her Masters in Social Work.
David Rowland
Job Developer
drowland@lincnc.org
David was raised in West Virginia and Virginia with his family currently residing in Perquimans County, NC. David is the youngest child with an older brother and an older sister. He enjoys basketball, reading, writing, being outdoors, and experiencing all forms of music.
David graduated from UNCW with a B.A in Criminal Justice and Sociology. He also obtained a Masters in Public Administration from UNCW as well. His plan was originally to become a detective however, through his experiences he has learned that his true fulfillment comes from helping individuals get all the necessary resources they need to succeed.
His future plans are to start non-profits that help individuals suffering from economic hardships of any kind to become successful. He would also like to make an imprint on helping LGBT couples get all the same marriage rights as heterosexual couples.
Maurice Collins
Social Worker
mcollins@lincnc.org
Maurice was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. He has been dedicated to helping others in need ranging from children to adults. Maurice is also an experienced teacher and mentor. He has two older sisters and is the youngest among his sibling. Maurice is married with one child.
Maurice graduated from Trinity College of Florida with a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Counseling. While attending Trinity College of Florida, Maurice played collegiate basketball earning First Team All- American and Academic All-American Honors.
His family, friends, and faith have been important factors throughout is life. Maurice enjoys spending time with his family, traveling, staying fit, sports, community and faith-based events.
Hugh Jones
Resident Manager
hjones@lincnc.org
Hugh was born in Wilmington, N.C. and attended high school at New Hanover High School where he was enrolled in the Army ROTC. Hugh continued his studies at Mercy College in Dobbs Ferry New York taking courses in the substance abuse counselor certification program and completing his BSW in Social Work at Almeda University in 2005.
While engaging the services of a substance abuse treatment organization, Hugh's life took on a whole new direction. It was here that he began to realize his true calling in life. It was during this trial in his own life that he began to see the special need to assist others embroiled in the struggle with substance abuse and other problem areas in their lives that had become unmanageable and try to assist them in their efforts regain a foothold on their own independence and return to become productive members of society. Hugh's lifelong passion is to serve the under served and homeless, and individuals whose lives had become embroiled in the criminal justice system.
Truly the reward of assisting others and helping them to redirect their lives in a positive venue such as LINC does is one of the most spiritually enlightening experiences that one could engage in. Hugh feels that the success of those he serves at LINC and their eventual return to their own independence is justification for his own energies and time spent in their behalf and a sound representation of GOD's handiwork as we understand the philosophy " Each one reach one, Each one teach one".
Lynn Smithdeal
Grant Writer
Lynn Smithdeal is the grant writer for Leading Into New Communities, Inc. She works collaboratively with other LINC, Inc. staff and organizations to cultivate funding opportunities, plan and write foundation, state and federal grant applications.
Prior to working for LINC, Inc. she worked in the UNCW Social Work Department and then the Division for Public Service. She facilitated program development, faculty engagement with the community and identified resources to fund the initiatives that were started.
She currently also teaches grant writing classes for Cape Fear Community College Small Business Center and works as a grant writer for the Wilmington Family YMCA. Lynn has a BA in Social Work from McDaniel College in Westminster, MD and an MBA from UNC Wilmington.
♦ LITE Staff ♦
Atiba Johnson
LITE Manhood Coordinator
ajohnson@lincnc.org
Atiba believes humans have many sides and wear many hats. He believes that what makes human beings interesting is that they are multi-faceted. Born on October 9, 1974, Atiba grew up in Wilmington, North Carolina with has two younger brothers. He graduated from Hoggard High School in 1992. After graduating from high school he attended Winston-Salem State University in Winston-Salem, NC for two years on a football scholarship.
From an early age, Atiba always knew that he wanted to be an entrepreneur and that he had a passion for working with the younger generation as so many mentors in the community did for him. Atiba's determination to excel at whatever he did pushed him to always strive to reach his goals. In 1998, along with four friends with common goals, Atiba formed 5 Kings, Inc., a non-profit organization dedicated to serving the community by providing an array of diverse services and programs. Since its 1998 inception, the organization’s primary mission remains “to give back to the community.” He currently serve as president of the organization.
When he is not spending time with his family— wife Bernice, sons Dyquell and Amir, and daughter, Kiana—He is volunteering and working with kinds in the community. Some of the community activities include Pop Warner Football Coach, 5 Kings Afterschool Tutoring Program Coordinator, and Wilmington Tigers General Manager.
One of Atiba's greatest achievements came in June of this year when he was named Volunteer of the Year during UNCW’s Public Service Awards. His lifetime goal is to continue to be a loving father and husband, community leader and role model for the youth of the community.
♦ LINC Interns ♦
Alicia Jenkins
UNCW Social Work Intern
ajenkins@lincnc.org
Alicia Jenkins is a social work intern at UNCW. She was born and raised in a community in Hampstead, Woodside, North Carolina. She graduated early in 2007 from Topsail High School. After she graduates in 2012, she has hopes of attending a masters program to obtain her MSW. She is a mother of a very vibrant three yr old named London, as well as a daughter, sister, aunt, niece, and grandchild to a very tight knit family.
Like the famous Dan Wilcox quote, “I don't care how poor a man is; if he has family, he's rich. “ She is an active memeber Uplifting Faith Ministries and plays women flag football for Diamondz-N-Da-Ruff.
Keith Meyers
UNCW Social Work Intern
kmeyers@lincnc.org
Keith Meyers was born and raised in Columbia, Maryland between Baltimore and Washington D.C. He has two siblings, one of which is his fraternal twin and the other his older sister. Keith is currently attending the University of North Carolina Wilmington and is a senior in the Social Work program.
After graduating he hopes to return to Kenya for at least a short period of time, where he spent time at an orphanage in 2009. He has experience working with diverse communities including public housing, GED, child development, and re-entry programs.
Much of his free time is spent listening to music, playing sports, and enjoying the company of friends and family. He hopes to have the opportunity to travel and interact with as many different communities and cultures as possible.
LaQuandria Hansley
Miller Motte Intern
lhansley@lincnc.org
LaQuandria, also known as Bee, is a 23 year-old who’s currently attending Miller-Motte Technical College in Wilmington, North Carolina. She’s almost two years into her Criminal Justice degree and plans to graduate in April of 2012. Bee enjoys spending time with her family and friends during her busy schedule of attending school full-time and working in retail.
Bee is always open to learning new things and taking on new experiences in life. In addition to her current degree, she plans on obtaining an associate’s degree in Paralegal Studies and a bachelor’s degree in Forensic Science. Bee is very grateful for the experience of interning at L.I.N.C. She believes it is a great opportunity for her to help people in need and learn about a side of Criminal Justice that is undervalued.