Committed to Transparency
CooperRiis Healing Community fiscal year is July 1 – June 30. Our organization is committed to transparency, high quality and meets standards put forth by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) meeting Three-Year Accreditation standards. The CARF standards are centered around a person-first philosophy to benefit the persons served. By adopting a person-centered focus on services, providers can enhance the quality of life of persons served and improve their bottom line. As described by CARF, “The organization satisfies each of the CARF Accreditation Conditions and demonstrates substantial conformance to the standards.” In addition, the organization demonstrates quality improvement from any previous periods of CARF accreditation.”
Governed by a nine (9) member board, CooperRiis Healing Community is a 501 c (3,) and adheres to all “good practices” deemed essential for thriving nonprofits. CooperRiis is a 100% giving board, meets quarterly and as needed.
CooperRiis values our residents, their families, and our donors. In addition to posting the past three (3) years of the IRS Form 990 below, CooperRiis has earned a Gold Seal rating and 100% Charity Star Encompass seal. Individuals considering a donation to CooperRiis Healing Community can learn more about our financials and policies below.
Board of Directors
Donald R. Cooper
Chairman/Treasurer and Assistant Secretary
Donald R. Cooper is the chairman of the board and co-founder of CooperRiis with Lisbeth Riis Cooper. Don is also an actuary and a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries. Don served as a trustee at Warren Wilson College, Asheville, NC, for 12 years and was presented the “Distinguished Service Award” by Warren Wilson College Alumni Association on October 3rd, 2020. A former three-term board member of The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina, where Don served many additional years on their Investment Committee.
Before retirement, Don’s business career included many senior management positions within the insurance industry, including Travelers and Citigroup. In addition, he was the co-founder and president of Resource Deployment, Inc (RDI, Inc), a venture capital and consulting company in Dallas/Fort Worth, TX.
Lisbeth Riis Cooper
Vice Chair
Lisbeth is the CooperRiis visionary and co-founder of CooperRiis with her husband, Don. She is also the CooperRiis Design Director and Photographer.
She previously worked in management and teaching positions in the fashion industry in New York City. For six years, she was an internship counselor and an adjunct instructor at the Fashion Institute of Technology and received the FIT Business & Technology Alumni Achievement Award in 1984. She was also an adjunct instructor at Parson’s School of Design for 15 years. Lisbeth formerly served on the Board of Directors of the Asheville Art Museum and Caring For Children, Inc.
North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper appointed Lisbeth to serve on the Commission for Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Abuse Services in July 2019.
David R. Cooper, Esq.
Secretary
David is an attorney with the law firm of Facey Goss & McPhee P.C. in Rutland, Vermont, specializing in municipal, land use, commercial, and non-profit law. Before moving to Vermont in 2003, David practiced law for four years in Boston with Choate, Hall & Stewart, LLP, specializing in bankruptcy law.
David currently serves as Chairman of the Rutland Redevelopment Authority and is involved with several other community organizations.
Wendy Cooper Roche, MA
Wendy has been an Art & Design Teacher in the NY/NJ public school system since 2004. She is currently working in Glen Rock, NJ, where she teaches Grades K-8 at Coleman Elementary and Glen Rock Middle school. She has also served as a Professor-in-Residence in the Paterson, NJ, School District and worked as an Adjunct Professor and Art Teacher Supervisor at William Paterson University in their College of Education.
Before moving to New Jersey in 2005, Wendy worked for the Wolf Group Advertising Agency in New York City as a Senior Art Director, producing print and television advertising for national accounts, including Visine, Häagen-Dazs, and Scotts Lawn Care. She has also worked extensively as a freelance graphic designer designing logos and creating image marketing for several New York City corporations, including Goldman Sachs Wellness Exchange. In addition, she continues to pursue her creative work through murals, paintings, and collages and has completed various private and public commissions in recent years.
Wendy has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Art History and Fine Art from Duke University and a Master’s Degree in Art Education from New York University.
David L. Hayes
David serves as Market President for BB&T and is based in Asheville. He has worked with BB&T for over 30 years. Over the past 15 years, he has focused his time leading a commercial banking team, working directly with clients, and growing the bank’s business over a seven-county area in Western North Carolina. David currently serves on the board of Community Care Partners Foundation, Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce. He is also active in the Rotary Club of Asheville-Breakfast, serving as club president several years ago.
Belynda Dunn Veser, MD, ABPN
Belynda serves as an Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry with the Greer Psychiatric Residency Program, which is associated with Prisma Health and the USC School of Medicine. She enjoys sharing knowledge and experience with the younger doctors who are aiming to become board-certified psychiatrists. She finished her general adult psychiatric residency at MUSC in 1999 and completed a fellowship there in geriatric psychiatry in 2006. While in Charleston, she had experience in both private practice and community mental health. She and her family moved to Columbus from Charleston, SC, in 2006. From 2013 until 2020, Belynda had been the medical director at St. Lukes Hospital Center of Behavioral Health in Columbus, NC. This was a 10-bed inpatient psychiatric unit that served individuals ages 55 and over for various psychiatric conditions, including dementia. Other professional experience includes working in the Asheville VA Medical Center on a team that served those with SPMI (severe and persistent mental illness). If there were more time in the day, she would prefer to work again in the community mental health setting. Her philosophy is to find strength in all people before diagnosing or treating any condition. Her personal healing farm includes 20 acres, chickens, wildlife rehabilitation, and a menagerie of other small animals.
Sandy Mazoway, BA
Sandy is the founder and owner of Samiam Consulting, LLC. She provides her expertise in designing, leading, and influencing small and large-scale change to help each organization achieve its strategic goals. Sandy most recently worked as the Sr. Director of Leadership and Professional Development for Lowe’s Corporation in Mooresville, NC. Before joining Lowe’s, Sandy’s career in financial services spanned 25+ years in branch management, human resources, leadership development, learning, and organizational management.
During her career, Sandy has also been a motivational leader and fundraiser in the non-profit sector and instrumental in advancing the vision of these philanthropies by providing her core skills in leadership development, team building, client/donor engagement, and building relationships at all levels. Over 14-years, Sandy has served as a volunteer, cyclist, top fund-raiser, board member, Vice-Chair, and Chairing the board of the “24 Foundation”, also known as 24 Hours of Booty, an organization dedicated to supporting anyone impacted by cancer and the needs of those trying to navigate cancer treatment.
Anne Vance
Anne has had an illustrious 35-year career, beginning working as a Head Nurse /Family Counselor at Desert Hospital in Palm Springs, California. She joined the Betty Ford Center start-up team in 1983. For the next 11 years, she advanced from Assistant Administrator to Administrator, Director of Training, and International Development for the Center.
What followed was a 2-year consulting project based in London with the European Association of Treatment of Disorders. Ms. Vance worked with all of the Association members, helping them write standards for facilities and staff credentialing. In 1996 she undertook a significant project with Eric Clapton creating and building Crossroads Antigua. After working as CEO/President of Crossroads for five years, Anne returned to La Jolla to work with healthcare facilities. But before long (6 months,) she moved to Bermuda developing a program for Bermudian women and children.
In 2003, Anne came to the mountains in Western North Carolina to work for Pavillon as CEO. When she retired after 12 years, she said: “It brings me a great sense of fulfillment as I leave my work here knowing that I have been able to help create what the facility is today – a first-class organization that provides the outstanding treatment. We have grown from having one building on campus to six that now house and treat 89 clients from across the country who suffer from the disease of alcoholism and or other drug disorders.” (Pavillon also has an Outpatient Center and Recovery Housing in Greenville, South Carolina.)
Asked about what she enjoyed the most about her work at Pavillon, she said: “working with a group of dedicated and talented people who have made Pavillon the national success it is today and as a result, helping so many underserved individuals and families.”
Jay S. Young, Jr.
Jay was born, raised, and still lives in Lexington, North Carolina. In 1970 he joined the family furniture business where he worked in sales. In 1994 he formed Jay Young Management, an asset management company. Jay has served as Board Chairman of the Lexington YMCA and the Lexington Memorial Hospital. He currently serves as President of the Jay and Kathy Young Foundation and the J. Smith and Helen W. Young Foundation.
William R. McKibbon III
William R. McKibbon III (Will) was born and raised in Greenville, South Carolina, and credits his life privileges to his family’s love, sacrifice, and encouragement. He is a doting father of a 19-year-old daughter who is a Sewanee College student.
Will graduated from Davidson College, majoring in History. After stints working as a cowboy, a barista, an after-school janitor, and a fundraising development assistant in Colorado, Hawaii, and Pawleys Island, he settled into law school at the University of South Carolina, graduating in 2000. Following his father’s footsteps, he chose a large law firm engaging in complex commercial and corporate defense litigation and next as General Counsel and SVP of operations for a technology and mortgage lending company.
Will is now in solo law practice, mainly practicing family and criminal law, real estate litigation and serving as a part-time Municipal Judge for the City of Mauldin, SC.
A lifelong student in leisure and academic pursuits, Will earned a Master’s Degree in professional real estate from Georgetown University and recently begun a graduate program in Behavioral Psychology at Harvard University.
He is co-owner of a restaurant called Bonjour Main on Main Street in Greenville, SC, a quiet but not silent partner. He also enjoys sports and outdoor activities, photography, and music making.
Will has served on several boards in the Greenville, SC area, including Friends of the Reedy River, YMCA Camp Greenville, Centre Stage Theatre, Fall for Greenville, and most recently, FAVOR Upstate (Faces and Voices of Recovery). He served on their executive committee for four of six years and as board chairman for two years.
In long-term recovery from alcohol, Will feels privileged to serve CooperRiis in sustaining its mission to advance improved mental health and quality of life and help reduce stigma.
