Meet Our Board of Directors

President: Mark Dillon

Mark Dillon is a musician / music educator born into a musical family. His first memories are of sitting on Dolly Parton’s lap while watching his great-uncle Lloyd’s country radio show. After finishing a degree in music theory and then a Master’s degree in Guitar Building, he started a business repairing guitars while playing music most nights in the Chicago area. Later, he became a high school music teacher and specialized in teaching popular music and recording. Mr. Dillon went on to get a Master’s degree in Music Education and a Ph.D. in Music Education. Currently he teaches commercial music at Guilford Technical Community College and songwriting at the University of North Carolina Greensboro.

Vice President: Jeremy Skidmore

Jeremy Skidmore is the Artistic Director of RhinoLeap Productions, an Asheboro-based entertainment production company. Mr. Skidmore has directed, produced, and/or taught all over the United States and parts of South America, Europe, Asia, and Africa. His previous leadership roles include serving as Co- Founder and President of the Capital Talent Agency, Artistic Producer of the Source Festival, Artistic Director of Theater Alliance of Washington DC, Artistic Director of the Malibu Playhouse, and Associate Artistic Director of the Worldwide Art Collective in Taiwan. Mr. Skidmore was the first American to Assistant Direct a production at the Globe Theatre in London and the Subaru Theatre Company in Tokyo. He has been awarded the Canadian Embass & International Artistic Leader Fellowship and the University of North Carolina’s Distinguished Alumni Award. His productions have been nominated for 34 Helen Hayes Awards. Mr. Skidmore holds a BFA in Directing from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and an MBA from American University.

Secretary: Sandra Martin

Sandra Martin’s art is in oil painting, watercolor, drawing, and mixed media on paper. She has worked at the Central Carolina Community College in the Professional Arts and Crafts with a focus in the Sculpture program. Her job entailed producing a newsletter to all arts contacts, setting up Continuing Education classes in the Sculpture program, support of classes, working with the program advisory board, and arranging gallery exhibitions. When that program ended after 10 years, Ms. Martin took the fine arts courses offered there. Earlier, for 17 years, she and her husband Durwood Martin, Jr., owned and operated a childcare facility in Liberty. They have two sons and three grandchildren.

Treasurer: Michael C. Miller

Mike Miller has recently retired from the private practice of law after having served as President of Pfeiffer University and as President/CEO of First National/CommunityONE Bank. He started his legal career in the legal department of Blue Bell, Inc. (now VF Corporation) before working in private practice. A Morehead Scholar at UNC-CH (BA), Mr. Miller also earned an MBA from the Babcock School of Management at Wake Forest, and a JD at the Wake Forest School of Law. Mr. Miller is a member of the Registry for College and University Presidents, and has been active in community, state, and industry affairs. He served on the Board of Directors for Randolph Hospital, is a former board member for the Asheboro/Randolph Chamber of Commerce, and past Chair and Incorporator for the Randolph Economic Development Corporation. He has also served as Chairman of the North Carolina Bankers Association, as a Director of the Charlotte Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, and on the national level as a Director of the American Bankers Association. As well, Mr. Miller is a Certified Superior Court Mediator with the NC Dispute Resolution Commission. He has been admitted to the bar of the NC State Courts, the Federal District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the U.S. Supreme Court. Mr. Miller’s contributions to the arts include his having sung in church choirs since the age of nine.

Immediate Past President: Leslie Zimmerman
Leslie Zimmerman is the former owner of Zimmerman Vineyards, Randolph County’s first vineyard, which opened in 2007. As owner, she featured local foods, local artisans, and local musicians to create a stronger economy and a closer community.
Ms. Zimmerman enjoys doing new things and interacting with a variety of people. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Interpersonal and Public Communication from Bowling Green State University, Ohio; earned a Master’s degree in Science from UNC-G; worked for R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company in Sales; coached an Amateur Athletic Union swim team; worked in tourism in Lanzarote, Spain; and over the last 20 years has taught English as a Second Language (ESL) K-12, Spanish K-12, and Reading K-12. Ms. Zimmerman currently teaches ESL at Trinity High School, Wheatmore High School, and John Lawrence Elementary.

David Fernandez
David Fernandez, an accomplished potter, currently serves as Mayor of Seagrove. His pottery work has been exhibited in most major national art shows throughout the US, including the American Craft Council Shows in Baltimore, Atlanta, Charlotte, St. Paul, and San Francisco; at the Lincoln Center in New York City; and the Renwick Gallery in the Smithsonian in Washington DC. He has served as a board member of the Seagrove Area Potters Association and the North Carolina Pottery Center, along with the Randolph County Economic Development Corporation, the Piedmont Triad Region Council, as well as a Town of Seagrove Commissioner and a member of the Asheboro Rotary.  Mr. Fernandez earned a B.A. in Mathematics and Art, with honors in Art, from Whitman College. While with the Ferdinand Roten Art Galleries, he received a one-year Crafts fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and was subsequently hired by the NEA as the Western States Coordinator for Visual Arts and Crafts. There he was asked to consult on a new art facility, The Kimball Art Center, where he ultimately became Executive Director. His responsibilities included programming, fundraising, grant writing, and installation of all exhibits in all galleries. By partnering with other nonprofit organizations, the Center was able to create programs that were financially worthwhile for all who participated. From there Mr. Fernandez went on to pursue his first love: clay. He has been a full- time potter ever since. In 2007 he and his wife Alexa opened Seagrove Stoneware. In 2020 when COVID upended the world, they moved their gallery and converted that space to a wine bar: The General Wine and Brew has become a premier gathering place in the heart of North Carolina. And on a whimsical note: of some 1,500 North Carolina potters, Mr. Fernandez was one of the 18 to be selected for the “Dirty Old Men of North Carolina” calendar.

Clyde Foust, Jr.

Clyde “Chip” Foust is the President of the NAACP of Randolph County, where he has led efforts to create a memorial honoring the approximately 1,200 documented slaves from Randolph County. Utilizing records from the county register of deeds, this memorial preserves their names and stories. Additionally, Mr. Foust is president of the George Washington Carver Community Enrichment Center. GWCEC, in collaboration with RhinoLeap Productions, the City of Asheboro, Randolph County, and the NC Arts Guild, created the Carver Arts Academy to provide innovative arts education for middle school students. Beyond his community work, Mr. Foust is the President and CEO of Foust Corporation and Publisher of UniversalSalons.com, one of the largest online salon directories globally. With over 20,000 hairstyle images from more than 1,000 salons, the site attracts over 80,000 unique visitors monthly, showcasing Mr. Foust’s expertise as one of the most published photographers in the hair industry.

Quinton Louris

Quinton Louris is the Small Business Director at Randolph Community College (RCC). His role falls under Workforce Development, where he assists aspiring entrepreneurs in realizing their dreams by offering essential resources for successful ventures. Mr. Louris takes pride in representing RCC Small Business Center (SBC) in Randolph County and beyond. His responsibilities encompass organizing, implementing, and administering SBC programs, including free seminars/webinars, small business counseling, and resource connections for local entrepreneurs. He prioritizes building strong community relationships and partnerships through active involvement.
Mr. Louris holds an MBA from American Inter-Continental University, specializing in HR management with an Entrepreneurship concentration. He chairs the Asheboro Boys and Girls Club, and serves on various local Boards, including Kiwanis Club, Randolph Arts Guild, United Way, Kintegra Health, VOB Initiative for Change, Better Business Bureau, Asheboro City Schools Black Advisory Council, and the Randolph County Project Safe Neighborhood Advisory Council. Mr. Louris enjoys fishing, traveling, youth mentoring, and playing bass guitar. He and his wife Sherry have four children.

Debi Lagueruela

Debi Lagueruela and her husband Jorge, along with their neighbor, founded Trinity Furniture in 1984. They began doing upholstery work for other companies, but quickly transitioned into US government contracts and expanded their business and acquired land in Trinity to build a manufacturing facility, ultimately expanding the plant to over 100,000 square feet. Ms. Lagueruela originally handled payroll and accounts payable until the death of her husband in 2021, and now serves as sole owner. The Lagueruelas have three adult children, one of whom runs Trinity Furniture as CEO, and two grandsons. As well, Ms. Lagueruela served on The Randolph Partnership for Children Board of Directors for over seven years, and currently serves on the Boards of Directors both for the Randolph Community College Foundation and the Archdale-Trinity Chamber of Commerce. She is a graduate of High Point College.

Amber Scarlett

Amber Scarlett is Executive Director of the Randolph County Tourist Development Authority (TDA). In that role, she provides guidance on operational efficiencies, ongoing organizational planning, education, and community-based initiatives that position the Authority as the leader in hospitality and tourism- based economic development for the county. Ms. Scarlett fulfills many roles in her tenure: representing Randolph County at international and regional trade association events, as primary group tour manager, and in conducting sales missions throughout the Northeast US. She serves in leadership roles across many supporting organizations in Randolph County including the Archdale-Trinity Chamber of Commerce, and the Boards of Directors for Randolph Arts Guild, the Seagrove Area Potters Association, and the United Way of Randolph County. In 2018, the Archdale-Trinity Chamber of Commerce named Ms. Scarlett Member of the Year. She managed the 2019 Heart of North Carolina travel guide production, which was then named Travel Guide of the Year by LUXELife Magazine. She is a graduate of UNC-Wilmington with a BA in English, and an AAS Photojournalism from Randolph Community College. In her previous work for the TDA, Ms. Scarlett received her Tourism Marketing Professional (TMP) certification from Southeast Tourism Society’s Marketing College.

Ana Torres

New to the Randolph Arts Guild Board, Ana Torres has been an active member of the local insurance industry for 14+ years. She was born in Mexico and moved to Asheboro at the age of seven, where her family has resided ever since. In her words, “I grew up in a household of three girls and one boy to hard- working and loving parents. Being an immigrant has been humbling and rewarding as my family shares in each new milestone and achievement. Our lives are richer for it.” Ms. Torres is a graduate of Asheboro High School and earned an Associate’s Degree from Randolph Community College. She also serves on the Board for the Randolph/Asheboro Chamber of Commerce. Deeply involved in the Randolph County community, from Girl Scouts of America to Boys & Girls Club to Young Life, she pursues these passions along with her eight-year-old daughter, Mia.

Breahna Yanez

Born in Oklahoma, raised in Arkansas, and now for years a Randolph County resident, Breahna Yanez most recently lent her artistic talents to the Carolina Bronze Sculpture Foundry in Seagrove. While her responsibilities there were varied, Ms. Yanez devoted most of her time to casting and sculpting figures in a wax room. She has also worked in several customer service positions, including a year with the non- profit Lantern Rescue, which seeks to combat human trafficking. Previously, graduating with the first class of Uwharrie Charter Academy was a formative experience for Ms. Yanez; it offered an unconventional high school experience at which ingenuity was highly valued. She then spent three years with a discipleship school which included the experience of living internationally among vastly different cultures for a few months at a time. A newly appointed member of the Board, Ms. Yanez looks forward to meeting new people and creatively seeing things as they haven’t been seen before, as the Randolph Arts Guild seeks to offer greater access to collaboration,beauty, expression, and unity to all.