• Community Forums: Gaston Together will continue to provide a forum for grassroots citizens to come together to discuss community issues and to encourage citizen involvement in addressing these issues. Gaston Together also provides facilitation services to community organizations as they lead our citizens in these community forums.
  
• Facilitation Services: Gaston Together will offer training for basic facilitation skills and in turn provide facilitation leaders to organizations/community groups who are in need of those services. For more information on upcoming facilitation opportunities visit our calendar of events.
  
• Community Leadership Award: This award recognizes the organization in our community that has made a significant impact on the betterment of our community during the previous year. A committee chooses the winners after receiving suggestions from the Gaston Together Council. They then select the winner based on the impact of the projects and efforts through this criteria: 1.) the positive change for the betterment in Gaston County, 2.) the contributions to the overall quality of life enjoyed by Gaston County citizens, 3.) the demonstration of collaborative efforts among diverse individuals or groups, 4.) the provision of creative leadership by utilizing a unique, non-silo thinking approach to community improvement or problem solving, 5.) the contribution to the long-term growth of the community, and 6.) the push for a process of continuous improvement. The 2005 winner was Gaston County Schools and their community partners. Past winners include:

• 2000 – Operation Playground for Martha Rivers Park
• 2001 – The Gastonia All-American City Team: Unity Place, West Gastonia Boys & Girls Club, and the Gaston Literacy Council
• 2002 – There were two winners: Sisters of Mercy of the Americas and Connect Gaston with the new Avon/Catawba Creek Greenway segment
• 2003 – Junior League of Gaston County for their Woodhill Project
• 2004 – “Run for the Money” Campaign Committee with the Community Foundation of Gaston County
• 2005 – Gaston County Schools and their Community Partners

Plans are currently underway for the next Community Leadership Dinner to be held in the spring of 2006.

Back To Top

Board Of Directors

Ms. Regina Moody, Chair President and CEO, Holy Angels Mr. T. J. Solomon, Chair Elect Senior Partner, Gray Layton Kersh Solomon Sigmon Furr & Smith, P.A. Dr. Patricia Skinner, Past Chair President, Gaston College Mr. Bruce Hodge, Treasurer Vice President, Gaston County Executive, First National Bank Mr. George Ratchford, Vice Chair/Secretary General Manager, Design and Construction, PSNC Energy Ms. Cathy Kenzig, Leadership Team Chair Assistant Director, Alliance For Children and Youth Mr. Robert Spencer, Gaston Community Healthcare Commission Chair Executive Director, Gaston Family Health Services Rev. Patricia Humphries-Bivens, Clergy and Citizens Coalition Co-Chair Senior Minister, Christ United Methodist Church John Corbett, Gaston 2012 Strategic Council Chair Senior Vice President, BB&T Bob Austell Mayor, City of Cherryville Mr. Jim Cookson President of Marketing and Communications, The Cookson Company Mr. Tim Efird General Manager, Standard Distributors Mr. Clarence Fisher President, The Sales Institute Mr. Dick Forde Retired, WIX Corporation Mr. Bill Gary, Jr. Associate, Nationwide Insurance & Financial Services Mr. Hugh Grant Director, Gaston County Human Relations Mr. Bob Henderson Vice President, Human Resources CaroMont Health Sandra Johnson Education Services Coordinator, Time Warner Cable Rev. David Julen Senior Minister, First Baptist Church, Cramerton Ms. Beverly Kellar Assistant Superintendent, Gaston County Schools Mr. Craig Kluttz, Treasurer City Executive, RBC Centura Bank Mr. Kevin Loftin Production Coordinator, Pharr Yarns Mr. Ed Munn, City Manager, City of Gastonia Mr. David Sedor Vice President, Commercial Banking, Bank of America Dr. Elaine Sipe Vice President, Belmont Abbey College Mr. T. J. Solomon Senior Partner, Gray Layton Kersh Solomon Sigmon Furr & Smith, P.A. Mr. Robert Spencer Executive Director, United Way of Gaston County Ms. Mary E. Vaughn Executive Director, United Way of Gaston County Mr. Jan Winters Gaston County Manager Ex-Officio: John Corbett Senior Vice President, City Executive, BB&T Bob Morgan President, Gaston Chamber of Commerce Jennie Stultz Mayor, City of Gastonia

Staff Donna Lockett, Executive Director Frances Watson, Office Manager

Back To Top

Leadership Team

Ms. Cathy Kenzig, Chair Mr. Robert Becker Mr. Jason Bradley Mr. James Buie Ms. Martha Burris Ms. Nathalie Cote Ms. Britte Conner Ms. Brenda Craig Ms. Jennifer Davis Mr. Les Davis Mr. Bill Duffy Mr. Paul Dunn Ms. Kim Gelsinger Mr. Hugh Grant Ms. Pat Hatley Ms. Chris Jensen Rev. John McCullough Mr. Conrad Pogorzelski Ms. Rena Potts Ms. Monica Smith Ms. Jennie Stultz Ms. Shirley Walker Ms. Jean Waters Mr. Jake Wells Mr. James White, Jr. Ms. Kimberly Wilson

Back To Top

Frequently Asked Questions

Gaston Together is an organization committed to building a better Gaston County through planning and problem solving. Our organization takes the quality principles that have been so successful in business and applies that type of structured process to community problems.

Gaston Together has three central activities:


1. To help other organizations and groups address community problems by providing trained facilitators and by providing training in the Gaston Together problem-solving process;
   
   
2. To establish action teams (or task forces) to examine specific issues using the Gaston Together process. These action teams would bring individuals and organizations already working on the issue together with other citizens to work towards identifying the root cause of the problem and determining appropriate action;
   
   
3. To institute and carryout programs, initiatives, and activities in an effort to lead change and for the betterment of Gaston County.

The Gaston Together Process is based on the quality principles used by many businesses. It is the Continuous Process Improvement model that has four phases: Plan-Do-Check-Act. Its goal is to identify root causes of problems rather than symptoms and to lead a group toward developing solution that addresses those root causes.

Gaston Together is involved in several things at the moment including:


• Providing facilitators for the United Way’s task forces on transportation and literacy;
  
  
• Assisting the area’s ministers to organize a one-day conference for themselves to examine their role in improving the Gaston Community;
  
  
• Developing a web-site that will bring together as many Gaston County organizations as possible as a resource to the County’s citizens;
  
  
• Organizing task forces to examine parental involvement in education and juvenile crime (other task forces will be added during 1999).

The work begins with a group of committed and specially trained volunteers called the Gaston Together Leadership Team. These volunteers have had extensive training in facilitating groups of citizens to identify the root causes of community problems. Some members of the Leadership Teams are available to facilitate the process for other groups, some members help organize action teams and others provide training in Continuous Process Improvement and Leading Change Within a System.

There is a role for everyone. Gaston Together is actively recruiting citizen involvement from throughout the County. There are several ways to become involved with Gaston Together, including:


• Action Team Member: Gaston Together needs volunteers to serve on the action teams. This requires a commitment to meet regularly and to actively examine specific issues. Currently, action teams are working on parental involvement in education and on juvenile crime.
  
  
• Focus Group and Town Meeting Participant: As the action teams examine issues they will actively seek grassroots input through focus groups and town meetings. Citizen participation at this level is critical to the effectiveness of the action teams.
  
  
• Leadership Team Member: Gaston Together also needs highly committed Leadership Team Members. These team members invest a great deal of time to complete training as a certified Gaston Together facilitator. They also plan and organize the day-to-day work of Gaston Together and provide services to other organizations regarding the Gaston Together process.

For more information on any of these opportunities, please contact the Gaston Together office at 704.867.9869

Back To Top