Meet the Board of Directors

Christy McCawley

Director

Matt Lawrence

Finance; Building/Grounds; Matt Lawrence is a Mebane native and the Deputy Fire Chief for the city of Burlington. His mother, Mrs. Ellen Lawrence, was the first teacher and first director of Hawfields Child Care, serving for 50 years. Matt and his wife have two sons who previously attended the child care center. He joined the board in 2020.

B.J. Privette

Finance; B.J. Privette is a programmer and graphics designer at Brady Services. He’s originally from the Fayetteville, NC area. His son attends Hawfields’ afterschool program and his daughter is in the preschool age program. B.J. created the Hawfields logo you see on our buses and our front door. B.J. joined the board in 2017.

Bob Walton

Personnel; Bob Walton is a Senior MES Business Consultant with Merck Pharmaceuticals. He is originally from Royersford, Pennsylvania and moved to Mebane with his wife and daughters in 2015. Bob enjoys camping and riding his motorcycle. He joined the board in 2019.

Emily O'Dell

Personnel; Emily is a local Mebanite, adept business professional and proud Hawfields parent. She holds a bachelor's degree in Business Administration & Economics from Greensboro College, and a master's degree in Business from Gardner-Webb University. She is well-versed in all Human Resources functions, with a concentration on employment law and employee relations. Emily is a member of the ACHRA, Alamance Chamber of Commerce, and HRCI. She is also a long-standing member of the Junior League of Durham & Orange Counties. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family, shopping and watching football. She joined the Board in 2022.

Liz Cooper

Child Development; Liz Cooper is a psychologist who evaluates children under 3 for development delays. She and her husband have 2 daughters in elementary school. Liz is originally from Gaithersburg, Maryland and moved to Mebane with her husband in 2007. She joined the board in 2020.

Debby Ferrell

Child Development; Debby Ferrell is a retired licensed clinical social worker who primarily worked with adolescents and families in a mental health setting. She has been an active member of Hawfields Church for 20 years so is familiar with the fine work of the child care center. She has two adult daughters.

Kelly Forrester

Child Development; Kelly Forrester is a pediatric nurse with Duke Hospital. Kelly is a native of Lewisville, NC and has lived in Mebane/Graham since 2012. Kelly and her husband have 2 daughters enrolled at Hawfields. She joined the board in 2019.

Phillip Lee

Board Chair, Finance and Building/Grounds; Phillip was born in Burlington NC and raised in the southern part of the county. He graduated from Elon College with degrees in accounting and business administration. He work 29 years at A. O. Smith, as a production supervisor for 11 years and 18 years as a quality supervisor/quality engineer. He left AOS in 2008 when they shut down the plant and moved production to China. He spent two years taking class at Alamance Community College earning an Associate degree in IT. He first joined the Board in 2010 and served as Chairman for 9 of those 10 years. He rejoined the Board in 2021 and was elected Board Chair in 2023.