Training Staff

With over 20 trainers throughout the Southeast, Leading To Change is intentionally structured to be able to meet the diverse needs of multiple communities, businesses, agencies, and organizations. We represent over 120+ collective years in the education, health, workforce development, prevention, entertainment, recreation, international diversity training, and the for profit and not-for-profit industries.

Leading to Change is led by Eric Rowles, President/CEO.

Click here to learn more about Eric.

Click here for a printable version of Eric's full bio. For a shortened version, click here.

Below is a sampling of the Leading To Change training team:

Training Staff

Mary Jane Akerman, LTC Training Associate

(Thomasville, NC) Mary Jane Akerman has been actively involved youth leadership for many years, most recently in youth development and service learning. Her passion is providing young people the tools and ... Read More

Yolanda Bynum, LTC Training Associate

(Charlotte, NC) Yolanda Bynum is a graduate of Winston-Salem State University and holds a BA in Psychology with a Minor in Elementary Education. Raised in Pinetops, North Carolina, Yolanda now lives in Charlot... Read More

Ana Jassel Covarrubias, LTC Training Associate

(Charlotte, NC) Ana Jassel Covarrubias was born in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico and considers Spanish as her first language. One of her most recent accomplishments is her graduation from the University of North C... Read More

Vernisha Crawford, LTC Training Associate

(Charlotte, NC) Vernisha Crawford is a 2008 graduate of Ashbrook Senior High School located in Gastonia, North Carolina. She is currently a undergrad student at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, ... Read More

Michelle Inhofer, LTC Evaluation Associate

(Charlotte, NC) Bio coming soon

Pat Kelsaw, LTC Training Associate

(Rock Hill, SC) A California native, Pat Kelsaw earned a BA in communications and a teaching credential from the University of California, Davis. As an elementary school teacher, Pat taught in the Rio Linda (Sacramento area) and Los Angeles U... Read More

Aidil Ortiz Collins, LTC Training Associate

Aidil has a degree in public relations from UNC-Chapel Hill and has worked with youth for the last decade. Her youth work ranges from being a summer camp counselor to advising youth-led advocacy initiatives. She... Read More

Aree Pearlman, LTC Training Associate

(Charlotte, NC) Before high school graduation, Aree Pearlman had already spent three years with youth and state leaders creating an annual youth-led Youth Summit (Positive Forces for Change). She helped create the first campus-wide chapter of UNICEF at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in her undergraduate years and advised PRIDE students (lgbt student organization) at the University of North Ca... Read More

Monique Steele, LTC Training Associate

(Greensboro, NC) Bio coming soon

Nancy Tom, LTC Training Associate

(Durham, NC) Originally from Durham, North Carolina, Nancy Tom attended UNC-Chapel Hill for a B.A. in Communication Studies and Dramatic Arts. She then moved to Boston in 2005 to attend graduate school at Lesley... Read More

Erik Turner, LTC Training Associate

(Charlotte, NC) Erik M. Turner is a native of Charlotte and graduated from North Carolina Central with a B.A. in History and a concentration in education. While attending college, he was a member of the student ... Read More