2012 Board of Directors
Ryan Schrift is the 2012 President of the Gaston County Jaycees and has been a member of the organization since late 2007. He is an Associate Vice President with Morgan Keegan’s Private Client Group, holds the Accredited Investment Fiduciary® designation, and specializes in asset and wealth management.
Originally from Somerset, Pennsylvania, Ryan graduated from Washington and Jefferson College from the department of Business and Economics with a Bachelor of Arts in accounting and a minor in philosophy. He has been the recipient of the 2008 “President’s Award,” 2009 “Jaycee of the Year,” and 2011 Distinguished Service Award for his work with the Gaston County Jaycees. Ryan is the immediate past president of the Mecklenburg Kiwanis and sits on the City of Belmont’s Planning and Zoning Committee. Ryan is a resident of Belmont, North Carolina and enjoys spending time with friends and family.
Jesse Cole is entering his second year as Managing Partner of the Gastonia Grizzlies and Forest City Owls. In 2011 Cole was honored as the Business Person of the Year by the Gaston Regional Chamber of Commerce. He also received honorable mention for Executive of the Year by Ballpark Digest.
In 2011 the Grizzlies won the CPL Championship for the first time in franchise history. The team also shattered the franchise attendance record with 51,910 fans, averaging 1,848 a game. In his four years Cole has implemented unique features such as the Midnight Madness Game, the Grizzlies Donut Burger and Donut Dog, The Grandma Beauty Pageant, the Great Community Give Back Game, dancing players and Dunk the GM inning in the Dunk Tank.
Cole graduated from Wofford College where he was a four-year starter. Cole finished among career leaders in starts and innings pitched.
Cole is heavily involved in the Gaston County Community including serving on the Boards of United Way, Keep Gastonia Beautiful, Travel & Tourism,
Gaston Chamber, Gaston Together and Gaston County Jaycees.
Johnathan Stewart Lowery, a Gastonia native, is a member of the WealthPlan Financial Partners agency- Lowery Financial Group. His experience includes helping individuals, families, and businesses create financial programs that will help you to protect, accumulate, retain and distribute assets throughout your lifetime in the most affluent and effective way.
Johnathan is securities licensed in North Carolina and South Carolina and holds a series 6, and 63. In addition, he is also licensed for life and health insurance, as well as long-term care insurance. Johnathan received his Bachelors Degree in Organizational Communications from University Of North Carolina at Charlotte. This strong communication background is a foundation for building long term, service-oriented relationships with his clients. Johnathan is a strong advocate for exceptional customer service for his clients with the highest level of integrity. Johnathan and his wife Erika have three dogs and recently gave birth to their first child, Jacob Stewart Lowery in August of 2011. They are active members of the First Presbyterian Church of Gastonia, NC. He enjoys spending time with his family, friends, playing golf, horseback riding and camping. Johnathan’s commitment to service is evidenced not only in his work with his clients but also in his service to the community through the Jaycees.
Andrea Grenier attended Catawba College in Salisbury ,NC where she earned her BS in Athletic Training with a minor in Sociology, graduating in 2006. She is currently pursuing Business Administration at Gaston College.
She Joined Jaycees in 2009 to give back to the community and help others as well as to expand her circle of friends and family. In the 2 years she has been a member she has grown her self-confidence and enhanced her leadership skills. She currently hold the board position Secretary. She has previously held the position Membership VP for the past 2 years. Andrea has been the Recipient of the 2011 Distinguished Service Award, 2010 Jaycee of the Year award as well as 2009 Rookie of the Year.
Andrea currently is employed by Edward Jones Investments since 2009 where she is a Branch Office Administrator (BOA). Other activities Andrea is involved in include Past President of the Bessemer City Chamber.
Chris Ashley has been a member of the Gaston County Jaycees since 2010. He is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Economics. He is a current Trustee of the NC Jaycees Memorial Foundation.
Chris has first lived in Gastonia in 2000 before moving away for his tenure in the U.S. Air Force, where he was a Fire Fighter/EMT as well as spending all four years on the Air Force Shooting Team. During his time on the Shooting team Chris amassed an Armed Forces Skeet Shooting Championship as well as a World Skeet Shooting Championship and numerous All-American Team selections. He has been the recipient of the 2011 “President’s Award” from the Gaston County Jaycees. Chris is a resident of Gastonia, NC and also a member of Parkwood Baptist Church.
Leigh Heafner is the newest member of the Jaycees serving on the board, joining in 2011. Leigh is a Certified Public Accountant, practicing at McCannon, Rogers, Driscoll and Associates since 2008. In practice, her focus is on the tax side of accounting, but she also works with financial statement compilations and reviews, as well as retirement plan auditing.
From 2005 to 2008, Leigh worked to obtain a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, and moved on to get a Masters in Accountancy in 2009. During 2010, she sat for the CPA Exam and obtained her license in the fall of 2010. She is a native of Gaston County and currently resides in Belmont. Her interests include spending time with friends and family, traveling, cooking, and visiting new restaurants. She has excellent organizational and coordinating skills and enjoys planning different types of events.
Erin Welsch joined the Jaycees in 2011. She is a 2005 graduate of Belmont Abbey College. She served for 2 years in AmeriCorps *NCCC and Americorps Access before moving to Gastonia. Erin has worked full-time at the Community Foundation of Gaston County, Inc. since 2007 and enjoys volunteering in the community.
Jason Shoemaker is an attorney at Mullen Holland & Cooper, P.A. Mr. Shoemaker practices primarily in the areas of general civil litigation, business litigation, workers’ compensation defense, and bankruptcy (creditors’ rights). Mr. Shoemaker is a member of the Gaston County, North Carolina, and American Bar Associations. He is admitted to practice in North Carolina and before the U.S. District Court for the Western and Eastern Districts of North Carolina. He has been an attorney with Mullen Holland & Cooper since 2003.
In addition to his professional activities, Mr. Shoemaker is active in the Gaston County community. He is on the Board of Directors for the United Way, Gaston Together, and other communities organizations. Mr. Shoemaker is also a past Chair of the Mount Holly Chamber of Commerce, past Board Member of the Gaston Regional Chambe rof Commerce, past president of the Gaston County Jaycees, advisor for the Highland School of Technology Moot Court Team, and a graduate of Leadership Gaston. Mr. Shoemaker resides in Mount Holly.
Jeremy Eastburn is an Applications Systems Engineer at Wells Fargo Bank as well as the owner of Jeremy Eastburn Web Design & Development. Originally from Chalfont, PA, Jeremy graduated from Taylor University in Upland, IN with a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science. He and his family relocated to Gastonia, NC in November of 2007 to start a job with Wells Fargo.
Jeremy has been a member of the Gaston County Jaycees since January 2011 and was recently honored with the “2011 Freshman of the Year” award. In addition to serving on the Board of the Jaycees, Jeremy is also serving on the Board of Directors for his neighborhood’s Homeowners Association. He also serves as CTO for the website, BloggingTheSuburbs.com.
