Meet our generous, dedicated Board of Directors.
Sharon Miller Pryse (Chair) – Knoxville, TN
Sharon Pryse became the Trust Department of Valley Fidelity Bank’s youngest Senior Vice President in her twenties. Then at age thirty-six, founded The Trust Company where she is now CEO. She has served as board chair for the Knoxville Chamber, Leadership Knoxville, YMCA, United Way, and served on University of Tennessee Board of Trustees and U.T. Foundation Board. She is currently on the UT Medical Center Knoxville Board, The Garden Conservancy Board as well as numerous other not for profit boards. Personally, she is an avid traveler, yet always happily heads home to the Tennessee River.
Jake Ogle (Vice Chair) – Sevierville, TN
Jake Ogle is a ninth generation resident of East Tennessee, and a prominent local businessman. Jake is a partner at Five Oaks Development Group, one of the region’s largest and oldest commercial real estate development companies. In addition to their real estate development business, he and his family have founded several establishments in Knoxville and near Great Smoky Mountains National Park, such as Ogle Brothers General Store, Scrambled Jake’s, and many more. Jake serves on several community boards throughout the East Tennessee community.
Laura Webb (Treasurer) – Asheville, NC
Laura Webb is President and founder of Webb Investment Services, a locally owned, wealth management and investment consulting practice that has been providing support to successful individuals, particularly women, in Western North Carolina since 1995. She is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and has worked in the financial services industry for over 40 years. Prior to creating her practice, she served as the Department Head of Asset Management for FSC Securities and then as the first female Vice President of Eagle Asset Management. Laura is a 3rd generation native of Asheville. Her great-grandfather, Charles A Webb, was instrumental in forming the Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Nancy Daves (Secretary) – Knoxville, TN
Nancy Daves is a native of Knoxville, avid hiker and lover of all things in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. She has served on the Board of Directors for Friends of the Smokies since 2011 and has been a member of the Evergreen Ball Committee since its beginning in 2004, and has worked with the Greenbrier Barn party as well. She has worked with the local youth organization YoungLife for over 50 years.
Honorable Gary Wade (Founding Chair Emeritus) – Sevierville, TN
Gary R. Wade is a former Chief Justice of the Tennessee Supreme Court and former Mayor of Sevierville. Justice Wade has held many important leadership and support positions in the American, Knoxville, and Sevier County Bar Associations. Following retirement he served as Dean of Lincoln Memorial University’s Duncan School of Law and now serves as shareholder at London Amburn in Knoxville. He has been a life-long supporter and lifetime member of many of East Tennessee’s key cultural institutions including the University of Tennessee, Leadership Knoxville, Leadership Sevier, East Tennessee Foundation and the Sevier County High School Foundation. He has also served as Board Chair of Museum of Appalachia, and Knoxville Zoo. Justice Wade has been a prominent figure in the establishment and continuation of the Friends organization since its founding in 1993 now serving as Founding Board Chair Emeritus.
Mark Williams (Chair Emeritus) – Knoxville, TN
Mark Williams is the President of Young, Williams and Ward, Attorneys at Law, and has a long history of involvement in community activities. He was honored as Chair Emeritus of Young-Williams Animal Center, which bears his name, serves as a director and Secretary of Aslan Foundation, and is the President of Cherokee Country Club in Knoxville. Mark is married to Kristin Williams who owns a graphic design and advertising studio. They have a daughter, Anna Bryn Williams, who is currently attending Dartmouth College.
Rev. Dr. Dan Matthews (Chair Emeritus) – Asheville, NC
Dan has been familiar with the Great Smokies all of his life, growing up just a few miles from the edge of the Park in Haywood County, NC, not far from where he and his wife Deener created their mountain top hiking resort known as the Swag Country Inn on the edge of the Cataloochee boundary of the Park. Vocationally he has served as a pastor of Episcopal churches in TN and GA and his last seventeen years as rector of the historic Trinity Church Wall Street in New York City. He has been the recipient of six honorary doctorates and the Queen of England bestowed on him the Order of the British Empire for his work following 9/11 in lower Manhattan.
Kevin Anton – Dandridge, TN
Scott Bane – Waynesville, NC
Eugene Naughton – Knoxville, TN
Cindi DeBusk – Knoxville, TN
Cindi G. DeBusk is a Knoxville, Tennessee native, local business owner and philanthropist. She is the owner of Gresham Construction Solutions (GCS Group, LLC) and Color by Cindi. Her passion for architecture, whether it’s structural, art, or landscaping has fueled her commitment to serve on several boards and committees. Cindi is alumni of Leadership Knoxville class of 2015 and Covenant Health Leadership Academy Class of 2017. Her personal mission is to serve her community, by protecting structural architecture to ensure the opportunity of discovering these architectural treasures for future generations. Cindi and her husband Pete enjoy travel, family and making a difference within their community.
Steve Gigliotti – Asheville, NC
A longtime supporter of GSMNP, Steve has 45 years of experience helping media companies grow. He was the Chief Revenue Officer for Scripps Networks Interactive (SNI), which included HGTV, DIY Network, Food Network, Cooking Channel, Travel Channel and Great American Country. Gigliotti led the SNI Ad sales management team for 18 years in Knoxville. He now resides in Asheville, N.C. and served on the Board of Directors for Warren Wilson College. Prior to joining Scripps, Gigliotti was vice president and general manager of ABC affiliate WMAR-TV in Baltimore, Md. He attended Villanova and graduated from Wharton School at University of Penn.
Dr. Rob Powell – Asheville, NC
A third generation Western North Carolinian, Dr. Robert Powell grew up hiking, camping and fishing in the Smokies. His father, Dr. Jack Powell, attended the dedication of the park by Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1940. His father’s love of the Smokies was what first exposed Dr. Powell to the park, and sparked his own devotion to both the park and the outdoors. After graduating from Southern Missionary College, and obtaining his dental degree at Loma Linda University in Southern California, Dr. Powell moved back to Western North Carolina to start his dental practice. Most weekends he could be found taking his family fishing at Hazel Creek, camping at Smokemont or exploring trails and campsites throughout the park. A general dentist, Dr. Powell practiced for more than 40 years, specializing in high-tech dentistry and caring for patients throughout the Carolinas. Dr. Powell lives in Asheville with his wife Meridith. Now with five generations of Powell’s living in Western North Carolina, Dr. Powell feels fortunate that his children have settled in this area, and can be found doing what has become a Powell family tradition – spending weekends hiking, camping and fishing with their children in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Heath Shuler – Knoxville, TN
Heath Shuler is an American businessman, former NFL quarterback, and former U.S. Representative for North Carolina’s 11th congressional district. These career experiences have guided Heath as he follows his passions for solving complex business issues, mentoring leaders, and identifying high-return investment opportunities. He is married to his high school sweetheart, Nikol. They reside in Knoxville, TN and have two children, Navy and Island who both attend the University of Tennessee.
Chad Smith – Bryson City, NC
Annie Vanderwerken – Asheville, NC
Emeritus Board Members
John Dickson, Asheville, NC
Natalie Haslam, Knoxville, TN
Mary Johnson, Shady Valley, TN
David White, Sevierville, TN
Stephen W. Woody, Asheville, NC
*Deceased- Dr. Myron “Barney” Coulter, Leon Jones, Kathryn McNeil, Julie Ann (Judy) Morton, Knoxville, TN Wilma Dykeman Stokely, John B. Waters, Jr., Lindsay Young
Honorary Board Members
Jenny Boyd, Knoxville, TN
Kay Clayton, Knoxville, TN
David Colquitt, Knoxville, TN
Victoria (Vicky) Fulmer, Maryville, TN
Phillip Fulmer, Knoxville, TN
Bruce Hartmann, Knoxville, TN
James Haslam, II, Knoxville, TN
Luke Hyde, Raleigh, NC
Dale Keasling, Knoxville, TN
John Mason, Asheville, NC
Diane (Deener) Matthews, Asheville, NC
Jim Ogle, Sevierville, TN
Linda Ogle, Pigeon Forge, TN
Chase Pickering, Asheville, NC
Meridith Elliott Powell, Asheville, NC
Robert Tino, Sevierville, TN
Kristin Williams, Knoxville, TN
Marilyn Wright, Asheville, NC
*Deceased – Mimi Cecil, Wilma Maples, Jack Williams