2022 Class of Leadership Wilmington

Katelyn was born and raised outside of Atlanta, GA and moved to North Carolina to attend Appalachian Statr University. She fell in love with the mountains while completing her degree in Social Work and then moved to Asheville, NC. She moved to Wilmington in November 2017 and, after learning about NourishNC, knew she wanted to be a part of it!

NourishNC has a team of only 3.5 employees, so as Program Director, Katelyn wears a lot of hats. She handles the majority of NNC’s communications (social media, newsletter, website), schedules volunteer groups, maintains their donor database, tracks the kiddos on their programs, and is the point of contact for all families and social workers who participate in the Backpack Program. Katelyn was honored last year as 40 Under 40 and was named a Rising Star in the Wilmington Biz 100!

Chakema Clinton-Quintana is vice president of Inclusive Small Business at Live Oak Bank, where she leads the inclusive small business center. She focuses on strengthening and supporting inclusive small business growth in our communities and verticals through research, job creation programs, capital allocation, mentorship, and programming. Chakema has 19 years of banking experience and has a degree in business management from Strayer University in Herndon, Virginia. Her background includes foreclosure, real estate short sales, loss mitigation, relationship management, and compliance. Chakema currently serves on the board of directors for three non-profit organizations, including treasurer of Voyage Wilmington, treasurer of Red, Black, & Love, Inc., and board chair for The OOPS Foundation.

Monica Valsi, E.I. is a Project Manager in the Engineering Department with the North Carolina State Ports Authority (NCSPA).  She graduated from NC State University with a BS in Civil Engineering.  Monica has 30 years of experience in the civil engineering and construction project management industry.  Monica currently provides professional engineering and construction project management services for the construction, repair, maintenance, planning, design, and/or procurement of facilities and equipment for the waterfront and landside terminals operated by the NCSPA.

Outside of work Monica enjoys spending time with her significant other, kayaking, hiking, working out, listening to podcasts, and traveling.  She volunteers at several non-profit organizations including Paws Place, Habitat for Humanity, American Heart Association, and Work on Wilmington.

Christina grew up in Rockford, Illinois. She worked on the assurance team at RSM in Rockford until 2013, when she transferred to the Charlotte, North Carolina RSM office. There she served as an Assurance Manager for a variety of clients until moving to Wilmington and joining the GE-Hitachi Nuclear team in August 2016 as a Lead Financial Reporting Analyst. In May of 2019, Christina was promoted, within GE-Hitachi, to the role of Fuel Cycle Controller of the Global Nuclear Fuels business. Christina has a Bachelor of Science degree in Accountancy from Rockford College (now Rockford University) and is a Certified Public Accountant in both Illinois and North Carolina. Outside of work, Christina enjoys spending time with her loved ones, visiting the beach, reading, watching various shows, and going to the gym.

Nate was born in Rochester, New York in 1988, and has called Wilmington home since his family relocated to Wilmington in 2001. Nate graduated from Elon University School of Law with a JD in May, 2017. Nate graduated from Appalachian State University with a BS in Political Science in May, 2011. Nate also earned a real estate track paralegal certificate from Cape Fear Community College in 2013. Before joining Block, Crouch, Keeter, Behm & Sayed, LLP, Nate previously practiced with Price & Williams, P.A. in Wilmington. In his spare time Nate enjoys spending time with his girlfriend Hayley, their dog Baxter, his family, and his friends. Nate also enjoys going to the beach, snowboarding, biking, traveling, going to concerts, and brewing beer.