Executive Director: Nelly Moreno Shenk

nshenk@skylineliteracy.org

Nelly was born in El Salvador, came to the United States in 2002, and naturalized as a U.S. citizen in 2006. She is married and has two grown children, Daniel and Sara. She has a degree in economics and an MBA from El Salvador. Nelly has been working for Skyline Literacy since 2008. She has 28+ years of non-profit experience in her country as well as the United States. Nelly learned English when she came to the USA as an adult, so she knows that learning another language in adulthood is difficult, but achievable if you have the motivation! Her family has been her biggest motivation. Nelly is a member and co-founder of several community efforts to improve services for the immigrant community, including the Welcoming Harrisonburg Council and the Salvadoran Committee (COSPU). Nelly is passionate about leadership, organization and teamwork.

Literacy Programs Coordinator & Tutor Manager: Christal Reedy

creedy@skylineliteracy.org

Christal is a native of the Shenandoah Valley and grew up on a poultry and beef cattle farm in Rockingham County. She earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Eastern Mennonite University. She also is a licensed Prek-12 Spanish and ESL teacher and has taught for over 20 years, mostly as a Spanish or ESL teacher. Christal has also worked as a private tutor for both children and adults.  Christal recently completed an education specialist degree and also has 3years experience working as a special education teacher. Christal’s hobbies include teaching, spending time with her family and friends, cats, horses, speaking Spanish, swimming, music, reading, cooking, shopping, and nature. Christal is a very enthusiastic educator who enjoys using hands-on manipulatives and technology to enhance instruction.  

Program Manager: Jyar Abdulla

jabdulla@skylineliteracy.org

Jyar Abdulla moved from Northern Iraq (Kurdistan) to the United States in 2010 with her family. She graduated from James Madison University in 2018 and received a BA in International Affairs. She speaks Kurdish, Arabic, as well as beginner Spanish and Turkish. She has volunteered and worked in Harrisonburg since 2011 in different positions helping refugees and immigrants in the community. She enjoys teaching, traveling, reading, and listening to classical music.

Outreach Coordinator & Program Assistant: Jorge J. Nieto

jnieto@skylineliteracy.org

Jorge is a native of Spain where he served for 20 years in the Spanish Military and NATO as a Topography Specialist. He came to Harrisonburg in 2004 where he lives. He works as a Spanish Interpreter/Translator at Rockingham County Public Schools since 2004; Spanish Language Instructor at JMU since 2005; Medical/Community Spanish Interpreter at JMU since 2007, and at Skyline Literacy since 2019. He is a member of “Promotores de Salud” (Health Promoters)  and “Futuro Latino” (Latino Future.) After living abroad in several big cities, he enjoys the tranquility and nature of the Shenandoah Valley with his wife and 2 boys. 

President: Stan Farthing

Rev. Stan Farthing is the pastor of the Zetta Presbyterian Church in rural Augusta County. He is also the co-owner, with his wife Candace, of LDA Creations / Silver Lake Workshops, which operates in the historic, restored Silver Lake Mill in Dayton, VA. The company decorates ceramics, glass, wood and other materials for customers such as Mount Vernon and Monticello, as well as businesses, nonprofits and congregations. He and Candace live in Dayton with their two Scotties.

Vice-President: Laura Feichtinger-McGrath

Treasurer: Patrick C. Linn

Patrick Linn has lived much of his life right here in the Shenandoah Valley. He is a graduate of James Madison University, with a degree in political science. He works for Bank of the James as their Branch Manager and Consumer Lender for their Harrisonburg location. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his three young daughters, Harper, Hannah, and Ruby. In addition, Patrick enjoys hiking, walking his dogs, Huck and Sawyer, archery and attending concerts. He loves reading to his children and believes that literacy is the foundation of common knowledge. Patrick currently serves on the steering committee for the Leadership Program through the Harrisonburg - Rockingham Chamber of Commerce.

Secretary: Joy Loving

Joy Loving has been volunteering with Skyline Literacy since the mid to late 1990s. She has participated in all literacy areas tutoring, developing curricula, and training tutors. In addition, she is a Steering Committee member of Climate Action Alliance of the Valley and a member of Renew Rocktown, with a focus on renewable energy. She resides in Rockingham County.

Co-Secretary: Donna Barber

Donna Barber is a retired elementary school teacher. She taught children for 25 years, preschool through 2nd grade. Upon retirement, she taught several classes for JMU and is currently supervising student teacher for JMU. She is the mother of two children and the grandmother of four, who live in Roanoke, VA. She lives in Bridgewater with her husband, Larry. They enjoy babysitting their grandchildren, working with Open Doors Homeless Shelter and participating with the North River Library Friends Group.

Guillermo Fernandez

Guillermo Fernandez came to the U.S. in 1981 at the age of 11 from Nicaragua. He arrived in Miami and lived there for a couple of years before moving to L.A. for high school. Post graduate he joined the Navy and was assigned to V.A, and later served in the National Guard. After serving he attended JMU for a degree in Communication studies. He is now a GED teacher at MTC for four years and also enjoys teaching conversation Spanish at JMU’s Life Long Learning Institute as well as at Rockingham County Parks and Rec Department.

Bill Fisher

Bill Fisher has been on the Board of Skyline Literacy since 2015. Bill received his B.S. in Business Management from the University of Delaware. He worked as a carpenter, foreman, superintendent and project manager in the construction industry before becoming an administrator for the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Bill spent the final 25 years of his career with Nielsen Builders where he was the Chief Operating Officer and a member of the Board of Directors. He and his wife Bly Brown raised 3 children: Corinna and her husband Keith and their son Miles, Austin and his wife Colleen and Eleanor and her husband William.

Bryn McIntyre

Bryn McIntyre joined the Board of Skyline Literacy in June of 2018 and currently serves as the Vice President. Bryn received her BA at James Madison University in both Media, Arts, & Design (SMAD) and Writing, Rhetoric, and Technical Communication (WRTC). She is the Creative Producer at Appeal Production, a video production company located in Harrisonburg. Additionally, Bryn serves on the steering committee for the 2019 – 2020 Leadership Program through the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Chamber of Commerce. Recently, Bryn was accepted into the Masters of Arts program in Digital Media Strategy at Bridgewater College and is completing her studies.

Dr. Charlette McQuilkin

Dr. Charlette McQuilkin has been on the Skyline Board for at least 10 years and is passionate about adult literacy skills. In addition, Dr. McQuilkin is serving on the Rockingham County School Board and is active in the Bridgewater Rotary Club. She is married to Dr. David McQuilkin a retired history/political science professor from Bridgewater College. They are the parents of two adult children and have two grandchildren.

Elizabeth Nathanson

Elizabeth Nathanson holds an undergraduate degree in Business Administration from Rider University in Lawrenceville, New Jersey and a Project Management Certification from the Project Management Institute. After spending many years in the corporate world, she went on to serve the Prince William Symphony Orchestra as Executive Director and 6 years later Executive Director of Reach Out and Read in Washington DC.

Cynthia Prieto

Cynthia Prieto is the newest member to the Skyline Literacy Board. She is honored to be invited to work with this amazing cause. She has just retired from 34 years as an educator, and literacy and language skills are near and dear to her heart. She is a bilingual, bicultural Hispanic American. Most of her adventures overseas have included trying to communicate with people in other languages. Communication always leads to laughter, learning and great memories. Moreover, speaking multiple languages opens doors for opportunities and growth. She hopes to bring to Skyline Literacy a passion for lifelong learning, a drive to help people make their lives better, easier, more vibrant. By helping members get their education and their citizenship, we are strengthening our community. It is a pleasure to serve on this Board. 

Steven Smith

Steven Smith is an immigration lawyer at John Elledge & Assoc PC, Harrisonburg, Virginia. His focus is removal defense. He holds an M.A. in Latin American Studies from the University of New Mexico and a J.D. from Western New England College School of Law.  He has lived, worked, and studied in Chile and Nicaragua and currently serves on the board of directors of Gould Farm, a therapeutic residential community in western Massachusetts.

Margot Zahner

Dr. Laura Zarrugh

Dr. Laura Zarrugh received her doctoral degree in cultural anthropology from the University of California at Berkeley. She has taught at JMU, Bridgewater College and BRCC, and conducted research on immigrants and refugees in Mexico, California, and Virginia. She has been a volunteer tutor and grant writer for Skyline Literacy for ten years. She is currently the president of the Harrisonburg branch of the American Association of University Women (AAUW).

Nathan Ziegel

Nathan was born in Portsmouth Virginia, however the family left when he was still a baby, he returned to his Birth state in early 2019 when he came here with his position at Wells Fargo, where he was a banker for 11 years. Nathan now is a Business Banker with Trust Bank. He followed his father’s, uncles and grandfather’s history and served in the United States Marine Corps, after which he attended University of Minnesota –Duluth and graduate school at the University of Oklahoma. Nathan has been a member of several organizations in the various places he has lived, he believes giving back to the community is important. Nathan enjoys the outdoors, is a motorcycle enthusiast, and make wine as a hobby.