Staff

Sallie McLean is a well-known figure in her hometown of Maxton, NC, having dedicated over 30 years to community service and social justice work.  She served as a Town Commissioner for 16 years and was later elected Mayor for four years. Sallie has worked on various projects throughout North Carolina and is continuously contributing to the fight to involve grassroots people to have a say in their communities. In 2015, she was awarded the prestigious Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation Sabbatical Award for her outstanding contributions to the community.

 Sallie is also the Co-Founder and Co-Director of the Robeson County Cooperative for Sustainable Development. She has extensive experience as a community organizer, program developer, and program director, working with the former Center for Community Action (CCA) in Robeson County. She was also one of the Co-Founders of the Southeastern Re-Entry Program, a joint effort between CCA, the Robeson County Health Department, and the NC Department of Public Safety.

 As the Program Director of the Robeson County Career Pathways Program, Sallie was crucial in developing a national model for living wage-based vocational support and empowerment programs.

 Her spiritual commitment motivates and sustains her, as evidenced by her Diploma of Biblical Studies from the International School of Ministry, which she received in 2007 

Hannah Jeffries began her work as a Community Organizer for the Robeson in County Cooperative For Sustainable Development in Spring 2022. She identifies as multi racial and a member of the Meherrin Indian Tribe of North Carolina. She is a current resident of West Lumberton and her hometown is Durham, North Carolina. 

She has her Bachelors in American Indian Studies from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, Winter 2021. Her past experience includes: Environmental Indigenous Fellow with the RedTailed Hawk Collective, Fall 2022 - Fall 2023; Emerging Tribal Leaders Initiative Grant Writer for the Meherrin Tribe of North Carolina, Summer 2022; Undergraduate Poster Presenter on Tribal History, and Genealogy at the International tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums Conference, Fall 2019; Cultural Preservation Indigenous Fellow through the Andrew Mellon Foundation and the University of Virginia, Summer 2019; and President of the Native American Student Organization at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, 2019. 

Hannah has over ten years' experience working within the Non-profit sector. She advocates for Adoption Awareness, BLM, Environmental Justice, Substance Abuse, Community Resiliency, Women’s and Children Health, and the Sovereignty and Rights of Indigenous Peoples’.

Carol T. Richardson is a native of South Lumberton, North Carolina, and has been an Advocate/Activist in her community for many years. She attended Lumberton Senior High School and later majored in Biology at St. Augustine’s College. Carol is the middle child of three siblings and a mother of one child, Makayla. 

Carol's community involvement includes membership in various organizations such as the U.N.I.T.E Education Foundation, Unified Robeson County NAACP Branch, Pembroke Chamber of Commerce Board, and Robeson County Democratic Party Fundraising. She has also served as a member of the City of Lumberton Recreational Commission and is currently the President of the Lumberton Robeson County Chapter of Las Amigas, Incorporated.

Carol joined the Robeson County Cooperative for Sustainable Development staff in June 2022 and has been involved in various community projects such as shutting down the Wood Pellet plant in Lumberton and participating in Legislative Day in Raleigh, NC. She believes in working hard to bridge the gap of lack in her community.

Reecie Price is a highly experienced professional with a distinguished career as a US Army veteran in Operations Management, Logistics, and Engineering. Throughout her career, she has consistently demonstrated leadership and strategic vision. She earned her bachelor's degree in Organizational Leadership from the University of West Virginia and is currently pursuing a master's degree in Management Information Systems from the University of Houston.

 She accepted a Regional Community Organizer position at the Robeson County Cooperative for Sustainable Development. She strongly advocates for grassroots initiatives with significant impact and is passionate about empowering communities. Reecie is committed to fostering inclusive communities and leading transformative projects that aim to make a difference locally.