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our Leadership team
Janel Washington, Director
Janel is a born and raised Wilmingtonian where she graduated from E.A. Laney High School. She earned her Bachelors Degree in Psychology from North Carolina Wesleyan College.
Janel is the mother of two young men who keep her grounded and she wears many hats as a community advocate. She currently serves as the Director of Outreach and Community Engagement for Price Cathedral A.M.E.Zion Church. She also serves on the NHC Integrated Family, Faith and Community Sub-Committee as an advocate for resiliency and restoration within the Cape Fear Region.
Her continuous work, diligence, research and advocacy has allowed her to grow, develop and ignite strong, essential community partnerships. This work has led her to accept this new part-time role as the Director of the NHDC.
Deborah Dicks Maxwell, Co-Chair
Deborah Dicks Maxwell is a native Wilmingtonian. A retired public health social worker, she received her B.A. in Administration and Management from LaRoche University and her Master's in Social Work from East Carolina University. She is also an Army veteran and served in Operation Desert Storm.
Currently Deborah is the President of the New Hanover County NAACP and serves on the boards of NC CHILD, Cape Fear River Watch and North Carolina League of Conservation Voters Foundation. She is also a member of FRE-NC, formerly named the Just Florence Recovery Coalition, which assists marginalized communities with recovery efforts.
Deborah's passion is to make the world better for her daughter, two grandsons and thereby better for all. In her down time she enjoys gardening, reading and traveling.
Emma baltezore, co-chair
Emma Baltezore is the founder and director of One Christian Network, where she has been connecting Christian leaders and community members with resources since 2014. She was recognized by Governor Cooper for her volunteer work during Hurricane Florence in 2019, and was awarded the 40 Under 40 award by the Wilmington Chamber of Commerce and Star News in 2020 in recognition of her work in the community. Emma was integral in the foundation of New Hanover Disaster Coalition and currently serves on the board as co-chair. She is also involved in the Cape Fear Continuum of Care which supports housing insecure people, the Cape Fear Housing Coalition, and the New Hanover Resiliency Task Force. Emma holds a bachelor's degree in elementary education from UNCW and taught in New Hanover County Schools for 12 years. Emma lives in Wilmington with her husband Allen and their two children.