Porter Bell

Porter is a native North Carolinian. Born in Salisbury, she established a love of the mountains early on from the many family trips to visit grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins in nearby Franklin. After graduating from Appalachian State University with a degree in Health Education, she actually kicked off her career journey in the corporate arena, which led to a variety of opportunities and a solid foundation of skills developed over many years.

While time in the corporate world allowed for both professional and personal growth, Porter realized there was a strong pull from her heart to do more. She played a significant role in the founding of a nonprofit in Raleigh, for which she was the first Executive Director. The Hope Center offered programs that provided support to individuals experiencing homelessness along with a group of at-risk youth from a neighboring elementary school who were part of a tutoring program. After working in the nonprofit space, she worked with a couple of different elementary schools in the Raleigh area as a Teacher Assistant.

The central theme for Porter continues to this day, which is to work with an organization where building relationships and improving lives are the focus. When she moved to Asheville, Porter found FernLeaf and it’s simply been the ultimate working experience with such an amazing community of humans! When she’s not on campus, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, trying new restaurants, hiking, golfing and watching football!