George Hackney III
Administrative Project Manager
​George lost his full-time job when his company downsized. He was unable to provide for his two beautiful little girls and pay his bills. As a result, he lost his apartment and had to live in his car. He was staying in a parking lot in Aberdeen trying to get by day by day, constantly applying for work, but without a physical address, the ability to shower, and the means to do laundry, the hunt for employment was unsuccessful. In his own words, “The lord graced my life when he brought Cliff and TEAMWORKZ to me. They are helping me get back on my feet by providing not only food but clothing and hygiene products. They are also helping me get introduced to assistance programs to find employment, housing, and transportation. More importantly they are helping me cope and overcome depression and other things like loneliness and my medical conditions. TEAMWORKZ is my ANGEL that has saved my life.” George works closely with the TEAMWORKZ director managing his administrative projects.
Stephanie Leonards
Director of Operations
Stephanie Leonards is a Certified Peer Support Specialist, as well as a Certified Wellness Recovery Action Plan Facilitator. She is also trained in Financial Stability planning, and Suicide Prevention. She serves as the Director of Operations for TEAM WORKZ. Stephanie worked in the Louisiana Mental Health system for 10 years. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family.
Josephine Garber
Administrative Assistant
As a county resident since 1998, Jo worked as a compliance monitor in the Moore County School Education Department for 10 years. She then took a position with MONARCH as a one-on-one developmental therapist for three years. After retirement, Jo became involved as a volunteer with TEAM WORKZ in the fall of 2022 as the Administrative Assistant. Having volunteered with several church groups over the years she stated that, “This is the one cause I can wholeheartedly put my energy into.” When not at TEAM WORKZ, she enjoys spending time with her “grands” as often as possible, gardening, trips to the beach AND attending Indians baseball and Cavaliers basketball games in Cleveland, Ohio.
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Cliff W. Brown
President/Founder
​Executive Director
​Cliff is a native of Robbins, NC and worked for the NC Department of Correction from 1983-2013. As a sergeant he supervised a staff of correctional officers and oversaw the running of a unit consisting of 75-125 inmates. As an instructor, he oversaw the training and recertification of officers and admin staff. He was certified in firearms safety, self-defense, use of restraints, report writing, hostage survival, radio usage, etc. Many of his officers and some inmates were Veterans or military-related. He has also served as 2nd Vice President, 1st Vice President, and State President of the State Employees Association of NC (SEANC). In his capacity as State Officer of SEANC, he lobbied for state employee and retiree issues with government officials and was involved in all aspects of a multi-million dollar organization representing state employees, retirees, and their benefits. He is currently District 20 Chairman and Piedmont Regional Representative on the SEANC Executive Committee. In 2023 he was also appointed to a 3-year term to the Planning Board for Pinebluff. In 2019 he founded TEAM WORKZ and serves as its President/Executive Director.
Lynn Allopenna
Webmaster
​Lynn started her career as an administrator at Crown Publishing as well as at Bank Street College of Education in Manhattan. After leaving the workforce to raise a family, she returned to publishing as an executive editor at the Times Beacon Record Newspapers group on Long Island. She then moved back to academia where she worked first as an Assistant to the Chair in the Materials Science Department, then an Assistant Dean for Postdoctoral Affairs, and lastly as the Administrative Director for the Institute for Advanced Computational Science at Stony Brook University, NY. She retired to NC in 2020.
Brandi Grice
Creative Director
​Brandi is originally from Moore County and served as a paramedic for over ten years with Brunswick County EMS, while also volunteering at two other rescue squads. She obtained her Paramedic Degree at Sandhills Community College. She also completed four FEMA certifications plus her incident command certification. She resided in Wake County for the past three years where she was a victim of human trafficking. She ultimately lost her apartment and as a result was homeless for over eight months. The staff at TEAMWORKZ helped her find resources to get back on her feet, which ultimately helped her and her boyfriend to find a home. She is now a full-time student in pursuit of a bachelor's degree in psychology, and she is studying to become a women's trauma therapist.