HICKORY, N.C. — Appalachian State University will host the fourth and final installment of The Hickory Leadership Forum on Monday, March 24, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in the App State Hickory campus atrium. The panel discussion — moderated by College of Arts and Sciences dean Dr. Michael Madritch — will feature local leaders for community and civic initiatives.
App State students, faculty, staff and community members are invited to attend this free event, but registration is encouraged. A networking reception will be held following the panel discussion.
Panelists include:
Mandy Hildebrand, CEO of Hickory Metro Convention Center and Visitors Bureau
Chief Reed Baer, chief of police for the Hickory Police Department
Mark Bumgarner, executive director of Catawba County United Way
Dr. Rand Brandes, founder and director of the Center for Creative and Compassionate Communities
Mary Furtado, manager for Catawba County
Clarissa Starnes, executive director of the Hickory Museum of Art
Charlotte Williams, member of the Hickory City Council
Register to attend at tinyurl.com/HKYleadership.
About the Moderator
Dr. Michael Madritch
Madritch is the dean of App State's College of Arts and Sciences, and he has been a faculty member in the Department of Biology since 2009. He was named associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences in May 2020 and held the position of interim dean of the college from October 2021 through February 2024, when he was appointed dean.
Madritch's scholarship focuses on linking aboveground forest biodiversity and canopy chemistry with belowground ecosystem processes. On campus, he worked with experts in Facilities Operations to certify App State as a Tree Campus USA by the National Arbor Foundation.
A native of North Carolina, Madritch earned bachelor’s degrees in biology, biochemistry and chemistry from North Carolina State University. He earned a doctorate in ecology from the University of Georgia before completing postdoctoral work at the University of Wisconsin.
About the Panelists
Mandy Hildebrand
Since 2015, Hildebrand has served as the chief executive officer at the Hickory Metro Convention Center and Visitors Bureau. Previously, she served the City of Hickory as communications director and brand manager. She recently earned her master’s degree in public administration as a member of App State Hickory’s first MPA cohort. She holds a bachelor’s degree from East Carolina University and an associate degree from Peace College (now William Peace University).
Hildebrand is a proud Hickory native and married to retired Hickory Police Lt. Scott Hildebrand. When not working, she enjoys the arts, being outdoors and volunteering at First Presbyterian Church in Hickory and the Rotary Club of Hickory.
Chief Reed Baer
Chief Baer was raised in Hickory and joined the Hickory Police Department in 1997, where he began his career as a patrol officer. Since that time, Baer has served in several positions in the department, including sergeant of special investigations, sergeant assigned to Charles P.A.C.T. and lieutenant assigned to support services. He was promoted to captain/division commander of support services in 2010, division commander of criminal investigations in 2012 and deputy chief of police in 2016. In February 2023, Baer was promoted to chief of police.
Baer is a 1995 graduate of East Carolina University and the 245th session of the FBI National Academy. Baer holds memberships in the North Carolina Law Enforcement Officers Association, the North Carolina Police Executives Association, the North Carolina Association of Chiefs of Police, the International Association of Chiefs of Police and the FBI National Academy Associates.
Baer has been a strong advocate for children and currently serves on the Catawba County Board of Social Services. Baer also serves as a mentor in the Catawba County Council on Adolescents’ Lunch Buddy Program.
Mark Bumgarner
Bumgarner is the executive director of Catawba County United Way, a nonprofit organization serving the Catawba County community, having accepted the role in 2021. Previously, he served as the executive director of Adult Life Programs for Catawba County. He has also held positions with the Catawba County Department of Social Services in both adult and child protective services and at Frye Regional Medical Center as a social worker on the chronic pain/eating disorders/psychiatry unit.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from UNC Charlotte and a master’s degree in strategic leadership from Mountain State University.
Dr. Rand Brandes
Brandes is the Martin Luther Stevens Professor of English Emeritus at Lenoir-Rhyne University, where he taught for 34 years. In 2011, he became the director of the Lineberger Center for Educational and Cultural Renewal and started the Lineberger Fellows Program in 2012.
He is the founder of Lenoir-Rhyne’s Visiting Writers Series, which has hosted over 300 writers since 1998 in addition to serving as the springboard for The Little Read, an elementary school reading initiative that brings nationally known children’s authors to the local community.
In spring 2021, he collaborated with Imagine One Hospitality to organize the inaugural “Art of Compassion” symposium. He is the founder and director of the Center for Creative and Compassionate Communities, a for-profit LLC in partnership with the nonprofit Ananda Rasa Catawba.
Mary Furtado
Furtado joined Catawba County in 2011 as assistant county manager, later serving as deputy county manager before being appointed county manager in 2022, where she has formed strong relationships with community partners in a wide range of sectors.
Prior to coming to Catawba County, she worked in Sarasota County, Florida, for eight years in a variety of roles, starting as an ICMA Local Government Management Fellow and working her way up to executive director of strategic operations.
A native of Rhode Island, she holds a master’s degree in public administration from Arizona State University and a bachelor’s degree with dual concentrations in philosophy and anthropology from Hamilton College in Clinton, New York.
Clarissa Starnes
Starnes has served as executive director at the Hickory Museum of Art (HMA) for two years. Prior to holding her current position, she was HMA’s associate director for six years and worked in multiple other capacities at the museum for several years prior.
A Hickory native and Lenoir-Rhyne University graduate, Starnes serves on Lenoir-Rhyne’s Business Council Advisory Board and is an active member of the Rotary Club of Hickory.
Charlotte Williams
A Hickory resident for nearly 30 years, Williams is currently in her second term as a member of the Hickory City Council. Holding degrees from the University of Illinois, Champaign/Urbana and the University of Chicago, Williams spent her early professional career in city government as an assistant commissioner of planning and assistant deputy mayor for the City of Chicago.
After moving to Hickory, Williams worked at Lenoir-Rhyne University as a professor and program coordinator for the Human and Community Service program, subsequently serving as the associate dean for Engaged and Global Learning for over 20 years.
Now retired, she has served and is currently serving in leadership positions on numerous boards and commissions including the N.C. Human Relations Commission, the N.C. Institute for Political Leadership, the N.C. Duke Leadership Forum, the Hickory School Board, the Western Piedmont Council of Governments Policy Board, Habitat for Humanity, the Arts Culture Catawba Council and the Hickory Rotary Club.
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About The Hickory Leadership Forum
The purpose of The Hickory Leadership Forum is to connect current and emerging leaders in the local community through panel discussions exploring what it means to lead with compassion. The event is sponsored by the Chancellor’s Innovation Scholars Program in partnership with the Art of Compassion, a Hickory-based community initiative whose mission is to “inspire and promote compassion, kindness and love for others through education, arts and entertainment.”
The Hickory Leadership Forum
The Hickory Leadership Forum