The Board
James Dale
Mid-Level Management, Walmart Corporate Office
Senior Director, Blockbuster Entertainment
Executive Management, Camping World USA
Partner at Nags Head Church
President, Colington Harbour Yacht & Racquet Club, Inc.
Jim took a position as a member of an executive management team to drive a successful turnaround of Camping World USA. After careful consideration, he branched into the field of management consulting, working with different agencies within the Department of Homeland Security as well as the major US defense contractors. He now leverages his management consulting skills and techniques guiding management and cultural change through Fortune 500 US companies and leading 100 companies in Canada. James Dale lives in Kill Devil Hills, NC with his wife and 3 teenage children.
Burnie Staples
President of Atlantic Financial Services
President of Carolina Harbor Properties, LLC, real estate management
MidWay Chevrolet/ MidWay Auto Group, new and used retail automobile franchise
Board of Directors of the Virginia Consumer Finance Association
Member, American Financial Services Association
Member, Virginia Independent Auto Dealers Association
Member, Carolinas Independent Auto Dealers Association
Past President of the Resident Lenders of North Carolina
Elder at Nags Head Church
A self employed businessman since 1998, Burnie has worked with Bank of America and its predecessor companies for 26 years as Branch Manager, District Manager, Vice- President and Operations Senior Vice President. He is experienced in management, cost projecting and accounting for mid level business budgeting annually, interacts with CPA’s and accountants on cash flow projections, capital needs, human resource and capital improvement requirements for 20 plus years for both large and small corporations.
George Farah
Operations supervisor for ground and air medical services Dare County NC
United States Coast Guard 100 ton merchant marine captain
Wedding photographer serving the Outer Banks of NC and Eastern NC
Commissioner and Mayor Pro Tem of Nags Head NC for eight years
Self employed family business since 1975
Partner at Nags Head Church
George came to The Outer banks of NC many times before it became his home in 1979. George is currently an operations supervisor for Dare County EMS. He was instrumental in developing the medical program for their medivac helicopter. His family and personal business ventures have been diverse and exciting, including: jeweler and jewelry retail, scuba diving training and retail, water sports retail and rental, restaurant, wedding photography, and sea captain.
George resides in Nags Head NC with his wife Paula. They are both members of Nags Head Church and love the Lord. After a visit to Helene in 2008 George grew even closer to God and was blessed with a desire for missions. “I went to Helene to help build a fence for a school yard. Yes, we built a fence, but doing so also resulted in a closer relationship with God and God’s people. My life has been forever changed.”
Ruth Parks
Technical Systems Engineering Manager for Honeywell.
Ruth has been in the Aerospace industry for 25 years working as a systems engineer. Originally from Arizona, Ruth temporarily re-located to the Seattle area for an opportunity to work more closely with The Boeing Company on one of their new airplane programs. After 17 years she now calls Seattle home. Ruth currently attends North Seattle Alliance Church and is actively involved with a number of mission and children’s related ministries.
During her first life changing trip to Helene in 1998, Ruth grew closer to Jesus and gained a new understanding of what it means to join God where He is at work. As a result she felt called to spend 2 years on staff in Helene during the early days of a full time ministry presence there. God continues to place the people of Helene on her heart, having returned to Helene many times since that first trip. God is still at work in the lives of the people of Helene and those that visit there and Ruth is pleased to be able to continue to share in His vision for Helene and Roatan through work of MEI.
