Our Staff

Victoria Chance is a former high school English teacher in Travelers Rest, South Carolina. She taught in the public system for 27 years.  She graduated from Furman University in Greenville, SC and has a Master’s degree in Contemplative Education from Naropa University in Boulder, CO. She is a nationally registered Yoga teacher of 22 years, a former board member of Greenville’s Interfaith Forum, and a member of St James Episcopal Church. Her husband Bob is an Art professor emeritus at Furman University.  She has two children Cody Chance and Anna Chance Friddle.

Mary Anne Inglis currently teaches English as a Second Language.  Previously, she managed her husband, Bob Inglis’ political campaigns for the SC-4 Congressional District.  She graduated from Duke University with a degree in International Relations.  She is a member of St. John in the Wilderness Episcopal Church and a board member of A Rocha USA, a Christian conservation organization engaged in ecological awareness and habitat improvement. Her husband is Executive Director of RepublicEN, a non-profit whose goal is to educate and encourage Republicans about free enterprise solutions to climate change.  Together, they have five children.

Kyle Gookins is a former college soccer coach and currently resides in Atlanta Georgia. He graduated from California State University Bakersfield with a Bachelors degree in History and a Masters degree in Education. He has worked in the non profit sector for over 23 years in various youth soccer organizations in California, North Carolina, and Georgia. His wife, Megan Henshall, is a Travelers Rest native and they have a son named Otis. Kyle enjoys traveling, live music, soccer, and visiting museums/aquariums with his family.

Grace Rodriguez is a native of the Dominican Republic and a former high school Health and Occupation Education teacher. She taught in the diverse New Your city public school system for 25 years. She graduated from the New York City College of Technology with a B.A. in Occupation Education and obtained a Master’s degree in Community Health from Brooklyn College. She won the New York State United Federation of Teachers Outstanding Technology Educator Award in 2007 and 2019. Grace has two children, Saira, and Chris. Upon her retirement in 2021, she moved from Long Island NY to Fountain Inn SC with her husband Felix to be close to their daughter and their two grandchildren. She enjoys spending quality time with her family, swimming, and hiking. She volunteers as a Medical Interpreter at Taylors and at Greenville Free Medical Clinics. She is also an active participant of Saint Mary Magdalen Catholic Church of Simpsonville.

Mayra Martinez, originally from Arequipa, Peru, currently lives in Simpsonville, SC. She moved to South Carolina at the age of 15, graduated from high school in Greenville, and then attended ITT Technical college to study graphic design. She worked in the radio media industry for the last 20yrs. She is a certified legal translator and a public notary for South Carolina. Mayra also is a travel agent, specializing in Costa Rican adventures. Ms. Martinez is married to Juan Jose who is originally from Costa Rica. They have two beautiful children and love to travel and explore different cultures and traditions.  She is very excited to be part of My Neighbor’s Voice and is looking forward to helping others in our community to share their stories, thoughts, and ideas about how to live together and thrive.

Kenna Braeuner, originally from Nashville, Tennessee is a senior at Furman University studying Psychology and Spanish. Kenna is our student intern/ambassador for 23-24. She joined MNV because she is drawn to My Neighbor's Voice for its ability to bring people together and to unite communities through strong communication and listening. She says, “ By becoming involved with this wonderful organization, I hope to be able to contribute to the communities I encounter in a positive, constructive way.”

With a dual master’s degrees in Management and Human Resources Development from Webster University, most of Celeste Purdie’s professional career has been in Human Resources leadership roles, including 12 years at Verizon before she left Corporate America and the field of HR. During that time, Celeste was the HR Professional of the Year for Greenville SC and served on several expertise panels for the Society of Human Resource Management. Because of this experience, she was recently named Coordinator for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for Marchant Real Estate. She is a master negotiator/mediator and utilizes those skills to help coach people to live better.

As a veteran of the United State Air Force, she has traveled the world in her service while stationed in Japan and Germany. Her job was in military intelligence with a top-secret SCI security clearance in which she had to exercise high levels of discretion and confidentiality. After the military, Celeste and her husband Ken settled in SC and have lived in the low country of Charleston and the upstate in Simpsonville for the past 20+ years. Celeste was recently awarded the highest civilian award, The Quilt of Valor, to recognize her military service.

Celeste Purdie is a wife, mother, sister, published author, and mentor to many. She is a wine enthusiast, an avid traveler, but she also enjoys college football, personal development, and genealogy. She certainly has a mission for helping people, and she brings great energy and insight to the work and vision of My Neighbor’s Voice.

Carol Bettencourt is currently the Vice President of Marketing for ChyronHego, a global technology company based in NYC that provides solutions for live broadcast production. She is a 1980 graduate of Furman University with a B.S. in Biology and a lifelong learner. She is a member of St. James Episcopal Church in Greenville, SC and a member of St. James Anglican Church in Manotick, Ontario. She enjoys a wonderful relationship with each of her adult children: son, Michael is her best hiking buddy and daughter Grace is her best fashion consultant. A former ballet dancer, Carol still enjoys a good ballet workout, as well as reading, cooking, travel and spending time outdoors.

Cathy Jaggars is a retired Marine, Adjunct Professor at Greenville Tech, and a volunteer Guardian ad Litem for Greenville County. She became interested in the concept of My Neighbor's Voice while serving with Victoria on the board of Greenville Interfaith Forum. She says, "I'm excited about joining the Board of MNV, and look forward to helping continue its valuable mission!"

Min-Ken Liao is the William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of Biology at Furman University. She earned a doctoral degree in microbiology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She teaches and conducts research in microbiology and genetics. She has also developed a reflection program for senior faculty. She is a registered yoga teacher and a certified Koru Mindfulness teacher for emerging adults. She enjoys reading and hiking. As best she can, she aims to create a space for all to be and become.