Rural Entrepreneurial Mindset Program
Teaches entrepreneurial thinking using the Ice House framework and a mindset assessment.
Start UP! Program
Helps aspiring entrepreneurs with no prior experience develop viable business ideas using the Kauffman FastTrac® model.
Durable Skills Program
Offers micro-credentials in essential soft skills using Educational Design Lab’s framework.
Welcome to Skill Spring!
I founded Skill Spring and currently serve as its executive director. My career in education began at Harrells Christian Academy, where I taught middle school social studies and coached football. After my time at HCA, I opened a math learning center in Wilmington. In 2007, I sold the business to pursue a doctorate degree. While studying at Regent University, I also taught economics at Sampson Community College in Clinton.
After completing my Ph.D., I joined the faculty at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, as a business professor. There, I taught undergraduate courses in management and entrepreneurship, as well as graduate courses in corporate social responsibility and business creation for MBA students. In 2019, I was named director of the Cloud L. Cray Center for Entrepreneurial Services at Benedictine. During my time there, I revitalized the center and completely redesigned the Entrepreneurship Minor program. After five years of leading the Cray Center, I returned to my hometown of Wallace in September 2024 to launch Skill Spring.
Our company
We are a nonprofit based in rural Southeastern North Carolina, committed to developing transformative skills across the region’s rural communities. We do that through unique skill development experiences.
Our mission
Our mission is to equip you with the tools to “spring” upward in life. We aim to transform rural Southeastern North Carolina by cultivating skills that empower every resident to innovate, create, and thrive.
Our vision
A future where all residents of rural Southeastern North Carolina have the skills to turn challenges into opportunities and dreams into reality.
Our values
We value innovation, inclusivity, empowerment, excellence, and measurable impact.