Jim is the Owner of Resource Management, LLC., providing financial and assistance services in the Augusta area. He serves as Turn Back The Block’s Treasurer, and heads of the Finance Committee.
Chad Benton is purchasing manager at Howard Lumber, but spends his time out of the office at Turn Back The Block! He has been a board member for years, and also is a member of the board for the Hale House Foundation.
Clay is a managing member at This Vireo Group, LLC. He has been involved with Turn Back The Block since 2010, forming it along with Anne Catherine Murray. He is actively involved in Scads and the Community Foundation for the CSRA.
Ashley assumed the role of Executive Director in April 2020. Faced with the challenges of a new job as well as navigating business in the midst of a pandemic, Ashley has grown into her position over the past year. Her favorite part of the job is being able to work in the Battle Row office everyday; “I love how I’ve gotten to know the neighbors so well and so quickly. It’s so important to show an active presence in the neighborhood so that we know how to better meet the needs of those around us”.
Katie has been Cash Management Officer & Banking Officer at Queensborough National Bank and Trust for the past four years. She is both the youngest board member and the newest as she joined Turn Back the Block in January of this year. Her love of serving the community is evident through her service on the board for Easter Seals East Georgia for three years, and as a current member and Secretary of the Leadership Columbia County Steering Committee.
Mike is a retired dentist who has been working construction for the last 16 years. He currently volunteers as the Construction Chairman for the FROGS (Faithful Retired Old Guys Serving). He has been on the board since Turn Back The Block started in 2010. Turn Back The Block is so incredibly thankful for all of the work the FROGS do; they have helped with the construction of 14 houses so far!
Bert joined the Board in 2015 and has been serving as Vice-President for the past two years. He works in insurance for a local agency, attends Trinity on the Hill along with his wife and three children, and serves on the Board at Heritage Academy. Born and raised in Augusta, the Harrisburg neighborhood in particular holds a special place in Bert’s heart as his grandparents operated a florist shop here, on the corner of Metcalf and Walton Way.
Phin has been with Turn Back The Block since its inception in 2010. Though now retired, Phin owned and operated Bedford Nursery, worked for Georgia-Pacific as a Quality Control Manager for their Southern Division, and managed a saw mill in Warrenton. He also started Fireside Ministries, the Suzuki Violin Program, and helped establish Heritage Academy in 2001. “Our involvement and time will now be increasingly in Harrisburg, a vital community where much is happening and this will escalate dramatically in the coming years”. When establishing Turn Back The Block, it was his goal “to bring Harrisburg back to a viable neighborhood with restoration of people and places, ‘one house at a time’ (Isaiah 61: 1-4).
Garon started at Turn Back The Block as a Board shadow in 2013. From there he was named the Communications Chair, then Vice-President, and now he serves as the Board’s President. He is currently a partner at Burnside Law Firm, focusing on representation of injured parties. Before entering civil practice, Garon served the community as an Assistant District Attorney for the Augusta Judicial Circuit.
Anne Catherine was the first Executive Director of Turn Back The Block, taking its vision to reality from 2010 until ____. Though no longer Executive Director she still helps guide the organization as a member of the Board, holding fast to the mission it was founded on. She now heads the Augusta Symphony.
Brannon Sell has been a Turn Back The Block board member for eight years and currently serves as Site Selection Committee Chair. Outside of TBTB he is a self employed real estate consultant, a Deacon at Reid Memorial Presbyterian Church, and an avid fly fisherman and golfer! Brannon enjoys being a part of this dynamic Board engaged in the rebirth of Harrisburg as a safe and desirable place to live. “Encouraging homeownership in this transitional area transforms the neighborhood with long term benefits for the whole community as well as the City of Augusta.”
Kelly is the Director of Homeless Services at Forces United, and her people skills are showcased through her position as Family Selection & Shepherding Committee Chair here at Turn Back The Block. She is trained in motivational interviewing and this expertise has helped guide homeowner applicants through our program and into homes.
Phillip is the CEO of Auben Realty. He has served on the Board at Turn Back The Block for the past two years. In both his work at Auben Realty and TBTB, Phillip emphasizes the importance of investing in Harrisburg once again, and sees the untaped value of the neighborhood which will soon be once again full of families and businesses.
Kristen Weston joined the Turn Back The Block board in 2017. She works with Resource Management Augusta, LLC. Additionally, she volunteers her time working with youth of the Episcopal Diocese of Georgia, and serves as a member of the Augusta Symphony Guild. One of her favorite things about Turn Back The Block is the visible difference it is making in Augusta. “During the school year I drive my daughter, Anne Allston, down Battle Row to Curtis Baptist. Anne Allston points out every morning the house she helped brighten in the neighborhood”.