Board of Directors 2026 - 2027
- Angela Helms, President
Angela has had a thirty-five-year career as a human resource professional in financial services, healthcare, and consulting. She is presently a Managing Director at Wells Fargo. She lives in Waxhaw with her husband Mike and two dogs, and they have a daughter, Sophia, who attends college at NYU.
- Brienne Tinder, Immediate Past President and Director of the Heart of the Home Tour
Brienne serves as the Vice President of Strategic Talent Programs at TIAA, responsible for internal mobility, targeted pipeline development programs, re-imagining performance management, and leading the Skills of the Future Program.
Before joining TIAA in 2015, Brienne held roles in Leadership Development at Bank of America, UBS, and Morgan Stanley, focusing on talent acquisition, coaching and developing leaders, executing organizational changes, skills assessments, and all human capital initiatives.
Brienne holds a master's degree in social/organizational psychology from Columbia University and received her bachelor's degree in psychology at Rutgers University. She serves on the Boards of the Charlotte Symphony Guild, a member of the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra Board of Directors, and a member of the Women's Impact Fund.
- Cookie Parnell, Secretary
Cookie is a 40-year member of The Guild and has served as President, 2008-2009, Vice President in several areas, First Chair of Festival of Trees, Nominating Chair for several terms, and Endowment Committee Chair. She is currently serving her 6th year as Secretary.
In her previous career, Cookie worked as the Admission and Financial Officer at Duke Law School and Assistant Director of Admissions and Financial Aid at Davidson College, primarily managing financial aid.
As a volunteer, Cookie has been involved in many roles, including 40 years at Children's Theater, serving as President in the 1990s; and 30+ years with Friends of the Library at Queens University, serving as President in 2001 and Treasurer for several years. She has also participated on the Board and as Chair at The Sharon at SouthPark. At Trinity Presbyterian Church, Cookie has held roles as Treasurer for 10 years, on the Finance Committee, and Chair of the Weekday School Committee. She has also volunteered for 22 years at Charlotte Country Day.
- Richard McKnight, Treasurer
Richard graduated from the University of West Florida, Pensacola, in 1971 with a BS in Systems Engineering. He is also a Certified Data Processor and Certified Information Systems Auditor. Before his consulting career, he worked for the State of Florida.
Richard joined the Novant Health IT department in 2005 and later became Senior Vice President and CIO. Before joining Novant, Richard held leadership roles for IBM and PricewaterhouseCoopers and was a member of executive committees at each firm. Throughout his career, his skills included large-scale program management, staff management, executive client relationship management, process improvement, practice management, and business development.
During his retirement, Richard has served on the Board of Directors for NC MedAssist, Charlotte Community Health Clinic, Shepherd's Center of Charlotte, Children's and Family Services Center (New name - Ascend), and The Symphony Guild of Charlotte.
- Kelitta Anderson, Assistant Treasurer
A lifelong advocate for the arts, Kelitta's connection to music began in Jacksonville, Florida, where she studied clarinet through her school years. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Art History from Vassar College, and her move to Charlotte inspired her to merge her professional acumen with her passion for the local arts community. As Assistant Treasurer, she is dedicated to ensuring the financial health and volunteer support of the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra and its youth programs.
- Susan Ramsey, Marketing, Communications, and Administration Manager
Susan has been in marketing and communications leadership roles for many years, including in-depth experience as Manager and Director of Marketing for professional service firms (legal, accounting, design/building industry), nonprofit organizations, and home builders. She ran her own marketing consulting practice for fifteen years, focusing on strategic planning, business development, communications, event planning, and project management.
Susan is from Birmingham, Alabama, and graduated with a BA in Communications from The University of Alabama and received an MBA from Averett University. She and her husband, Blake, have lived in Charlotte since 1997, after fifteen years in Washington, DC, and have three sons. Susan has worked for The Guild since 2019, supporting its leadership and membership in a wide range of marketing, communications, and administration responsibilities.
- Melissa McCrory, Nominating Chair
Melissa was born in Charlotte, North Carolina, but moved to Coral Gables, Florida, as a young child. Her early career included marketing and event planning for large corporations in Miami before fate brought her back to The Queen City in 1990.
She joined The Guild in 1993 and has served in numerous leadership roles, including as Designer House Chair in 2000 and President, 2004-2005. She and her husband, Dennis, are retired and travel frequently. They have three children and four grand dogs.
- April Lombardi, Director of the Silent Auction
- Elizabeth Leaton, Director of the Heart of the Home Tour
Elizabeth moved to Charlotte from Virginia four years ago. Her deep passion for symphonic music, education, and interior design found a perfect fit in The Guild working as Director of the Heart of the Home Tour.
Her professional background is in Corporate Human Resources, project management, and event planning. She holds an MS in Human Resources Management from The University of Texas at Arlington and a BA in English from Texas A&M University. Elizabeth has four children (two of whom are singer/songwriters) and four grandchildren.
- Jenny Tolson, Director of Member Events
Jenny grew up in New Bern, North Carolina, and graduated from three North Carolina schools, including Peace College, Meredith College, and East Carolina University. Her professional career encompasses 33 years of teaching students with disabilities in various settings, including public schools, a community college (CPCC), and vocational rehabilitation settings.
Jenny joined the Symphony Guild of Charlotte in 2015, and has held numerous leadership positions, including Board Member 2016-2018, Charlotte Symphony Support 2015-2017, Co-Chair Taste of the Tour Silent Auction 2016, Co-Chair Taste of the Tour Party 2018, Social Chair 2017-2018, VP Membership 2019-2020, President-Elect 2021-2022, President 2022-2024, Immediate Past President 2024-2026 and supporting Membership and Fundraising Committees.
Additional volunteer activities include Queen City Woman's Club - President 2015 2017, Daughters of the American Revolution - State Chaplain (current), Monday's Child Book Club, and Independence Hill Baptist Church - Senior Adult Sunday School Teacher.
- Nicola Baker, Director of Member Events
Nicola has served as a member of The Guild for the past year, bringing a deep passion for music and a strong background in event planning. In her role, she contributes creative energy and organizational insight to support The Guild's mission and programming.
Outside of her Board work, Nicola enjoys spending time outdoors, whether traveling, golfing, or kayaking. She is committed to building community through the arts and creating memorable experiences for others.
- Michael Olynick, Director of Recruitment & Engagement
Michael was born in New York and raised in Connecticut, and graduated from Fairfield University with degrees in Accounting and Music, and is a North Carolina Certified Public Accountant. Michael currently works as a Senior Financial Analyst at First Citizens Bank, where he supports forecasting the Branch Network division.
Michael enjoys playing piano and attending concerts in his spare time. He has been active in other community organizations, such as Charlotte City Tennis and The Salvation Army of Greater Charlotte. As Director of Recruitment and Engagement, Michael's goal is to share The Guild's mission and the joy of music to a broad audience.
- Ellen Caldwell, Director-At-Large, Class of 2025-27
Ellen is a native Charlottean and is currently a retired educator. She has been a member of The Guild since 2014. Ellen enjoys music, theater, sports, and reading, and loves being outdoors. She was involved with Mecklenburg County senior sports for many years.
- Kathy Prokay, Director-At-Large, Class of 2026-27
- Jade Crittenden, Director-At-Large, Class of 2026 - 28
- Karen Gunther, Director-At-Large, Class of 2026 - 28
- Sam Savage, Director-At-Large, Class of 2026 - 28
Sam is passionate about community impact, financial empowerment, and expanding opportunities for under-served populations. He has led initiatives that fostered inclusion while building partnerships with nonprofit organizations supporting LGBTQ+ youth experiencing homelessness. He also helped coordinate volunteer efforts, strengthen community engagement, and advance meaningful advocacy for vulnerable young people.