Candidate for President
Christi Whitworth
Christi Whitworth, Ph.D., serves as the Executive Director of the North Carolina Science Leadership Association and STEM Specialist at Zaniac Learning Center, where she works as an informal educator in Asheville, North Carolina. Her Ph.D. in STEM Education from Texas Tech University focuses on citizen science, AI-driven cybersecurity, and game-based learning. She holds a Master’s in Curriculum and Instruction and a Bachelor’s in Elementary Education from
Tennessee Technological University.
She joined the AAUW Tar Heel branch in 2012 and served on its board from 2014 to 2019, including two and a half years as co-president, and has been its treasurer since 2022.
Candidate for Treasurer
Nancy Shoemaker
Nancy has served the branch as co-founder, treasurer, and president. She is past-president of AAUW NC. Her early engagement with AAUW was with branch and state web managers from across the country and that continued with support of several AAUW-focused Facebook groups. She is a champion of the virtual branch idea and is a member of several other “online” branches across the country. She is also co-founder of Open Up AAUW, and and was on the task forces for the 2021 and 2024 attempts to drop the degree requirement for AAUW membership.
Her academic background is in mathematics (BA, MA, PhD), and after a few years in academia, her professional life was spent in a variety of computer support/consulting roles. She has a certificate in nonprofit management from Duke Continuing Education. She lives in Wake County with her husband, and they are looking forward to finally starting some travel in 2026-2027.
Candidates for Directors at Large
Charmen Goehring
Charmen Goehring is a native Californian who has had the opportunity to live in both Pennsylvania and Maine before returning to California. She is mom to Jack (age 26) and Nick (age 24) and a Gigi to 6 active grandchildren. She has degrees in Political Science (UCD) and Curriculum and Instruction (Concordia University). Charmen works with severely handicapped students ages 12-22 at a specialized school.
Charmen cares deeply about AAUW as evidenced by her 34-year membership, her commitment to volunteer leadership and her financial commitment as a Legacy Circle member and monthly contributor of funds to support AAUW’s outreach and programming. Charmen has served in nearly every board position in numerous branches, as Program VP/President Elect/President in Maine, two terms on the National Board, several terms on the AAUW CA state board, and she is currently the wrapping up her role as State President. She is also a Legacy Circle Liaison. In her spare time, she enjoys the beach, traveling, spending time with family and friends, and learning new things.
Kathy Pearre
Kathy has served the Winston-Salem branch for over 34 years, with multiple stints as program director, president, and book club member. Her career working in adult education with the Girl Scouts regularly overlapped with the goals of AAUW, working for equity for women and girls.
Kathy is the current Programs Director for the AAUW NC Board, and has been the state Zoom facilitator since 2020.
She joined the steering and program committees for the 2024 AAUW Atlantic Regional Conference in Richmond, VA and is working on both of those committees as well as the conference communication team for the 2026 AAUW Atlantic Regional Conference to be held in Lancaster, PA in late September.
Kathy’s educational background includes degrees in American Studies from Manhattanville University and Fairfield University. In addition, she holds a Certificate in Non-Profit Management from Duke University. She enjoys any trip that includes a visit with grandkids, as well as domestic and international adventures.
Laura Tew
Laura Tew is a native North Carolinian and received her undergraduate degree in chemistry from UNCG. Laura launched her career right out of college first with a teaching assistantship and graduate studies in chemistry at Duke University before being pulled away into the chemical manufacturing industry for the next four decades. While working full time, she received her MBA from Pace University New York, and a certificate in corporate citizenship from Boston College. After retirement, she completed the certificate in nonprofit management program from UNCG.
Laura joined AAUW in 1997 as a national member and joined the Greensboro branch in 2010 after she retired. She is a member of the Legacy Circle, a dues paying member of other AAUW branches, and is eager to contribute to the success of the Tar Heel branch. Laura served as president of the Greensboro branch in 2020-2022. She is currently serving on the AAUW NC board as branch advocate and STEM Education chair.
Laura is passionate about STEM Education for girls and has helped develop programs in the Greensboro community for over a decade starting with Triad Tech Savvy, followed by IT For Girls camps, and more recently Intersection UNCG camp for rising 4th through 6th graders. Laura has organized the Find Your STEM Conference for high school girls in collaboration with the Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengeering (JSNN) and then with UNCG Office of Research and Engagement since 2018. This year, with a community action grant from AAUW, Find Your STEM is now a five day summer camp for rising 7th through rising 9th grade girls.
Laura is an affinity alliance member of the Aspirations in Computing program, a program of the National Center of Women in IT. She is a member of the Association of Women in Mathematics, American Chemical Society, and League of Women Voters. She is an emeritus Guilford County Master Gardener with an abiding interest in native plants that provide beneficial habitat and food sources for bees and butterflies.
Laura lives in Greensboro with her husband https://www.christopherctewcomposer.com/ and their rescue dog RobRoy.
AAUW Tar Heel Branch 