Leadership Team
Matthew Tracy - President
Matthew Alexander Tracy is a rising senior business and data science student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Matthew has always understood the importance of helping others and making a difference in the world. He has a long-standing interest in developing business solutions to social problems. He helped found Cooking Up Character because serving others and standing up for love cannot wait.
His hobbies are learning Spanish, playing tennis and basketball, enjoying time outside especially by the water, and learning about new technologies.
Susan Poteat - Founder, Vice-President
Susan Riley Poteat has a BA from the College of William and Mary and an MA from George Mason University and worked in global telecommunications (sales/marketing) for 26 years.
Susan's love for her children and passion for children and community service led to the creation of Cooking Up Character.
Her favorite things to do outside of CUC are to spend time with her husband, family, friends and puppy, to be anywhere outside and to cook.
David Nason - Director
David is a Chief Technology Officer - CTO - with more than 25 years of experience at large, multinational corporations including Google, Amazon, and Microsoft, as well as co-founding several tech startups.
David's background includes a graduate degree and doctorate research in computer science, artificial intelligence, and robotics at Carnegie Mellon University - as well as ten years as a commissioned officer in the US Army.
David has served on Boards for other nonprofit organizations serving youth and families, specifically:
- 6 years on the Board of Directors for the International Youth Hall of Fame, a community and asset building program to acknowledge and celebrate the best in kids
- 13 years as a Director in the YMCA Adventure Guides programs, a parent-child program designed to build bonds through shared experiences
- 6 years on the Board of Advisors to a large, high-performing school district in Seattle
- and 3 years on the Board of Directors for the YMCA of Greater Seattle
David's free time is spent with his family - hiking, camping, and kayaking in the mountains - and he's an avid skydiver.
Alexandria Blackwell - Director
Alexandria is passionate about serving others and providing enriching, equitable opportunities for learning, growth and enjoyment. She holds a Master's Degree in Urban Education: School Counseling from Norfolk State University and a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology from Virginia Commonwealth University.
Alexandria's professional background consists of her public school educational experience as a Special Education Inclusion Teacher, Elementary/Middle School Licensed Professional School Counselor and providing consultation and program/curriculum development for Social Emotional Learning. She has volunteered for many different nonprofits and programs, as she consistently provides her experiences and skills to community service for youth development, mental health services and family engagement.
Her interests and passions include reading, providing dance classes and instruction, baking desserts and spending time with her family.
Beverly King - Director
Beverly holds a Master’s Degree in Psychology from Radford University and a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Appalachian State University.
As a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor Supervisor in North Carolina, a Licensed Professional Counselor in Virginia and Certified Clinical Trauma Professional, she has more than 15 years of experience providing mental health counseling to a wide variety of people.
Beverly has served as clinical director for a psychiatric hospital, as well as regional director for a community mental health agency. She spent more than 5 years working as a clinician with active-duty military members and their families at both Camp Lejeune and MCAS Cherry Point. Beverly is passionate about providing mental health care for those in need.
A native of North Carolina, Beverly moved to the eastern part of the state in 2007 to enjoy the laid-back beach lifestyle. In addition to spending time with her husband, daughter and her fur babies, Beverly loves boating, fishing and anything else you can do on the water.
Neuvia Wallace-Davis - Director
Neuvia is a fearless, accomplished non-profit executive leader with more than 22 years of progressive leadership in non-profit advancement, fundraising, philanthropic growth, board development, volunteer management, organizational capacity building, events, and team development in the higher education, healthcare, and social impact sectors. Over the past few years, Neuvia has secured more than $175M in transformational revenue for non-profit organizations focused on community sustainable transformational change, the same as Cooking Up Character.
Neuvia holds a bachelor’s degree in Behavioral Science from Wilmington University. In addition to her degree, Neuvia is a licensed Rhode Island REALTOR® and a Rhode Island Notary.
Neuvia spends her free time with her husband, Stacy; daughters Hope, Faith, and Destiny, her son, Stacy, Jr. and her two puppies, Brandy and Seven.