Meet the team
““My philosophy in the work that we do is from Matthew 25: ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to me.””
Employees
executive director
Maria Young
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Maria has been a clinical social worker in Wake County since 1998. She received a BA in Psychology from Bucknell University and her Masters of Social Work at UNC-Chapel Hill. After working with countless impoverished families with various needs, her family and close friends decided to actively make a difference in the lives of many. In 2010, she co-founded A Doorway to Hope. Maria is passionate about her work serving others and does so with the support of her husband Michael and their two children Gabriella and Nicholas. They love to play pickleball, watch hockey and enjoy time in the outdoors.
Program & Marketing Manager
Olivia Buchanan
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Program Manager for Operation Give Pack and Food Security
Olivia grew up in the Apex area where she attended St. Mary Magdalene and Cardinal Gibbons High School. She earned a BA in Psychology from East Carolina University in 2023. During college, she found her passion for helping others while working at a nonprofit in Greenville. Upon graduating, Olivia was excited to learn about opportunities at A Doorway to Hope and officially joined the team in 2024.
Program Manager
Leigh-Ann Mutch
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Program Manager for Crisis and Angel Tree Teams
Leigh-Ann was born and raised in Cary. She is a graduate of Cary High School and East Carolina University, where she earned a BS in Elementary Education and English. She taught second grade for years before marrying her high school sweetheart and starting a family. She enjoyed helping out in the classrooms while her three children were in school and volunteering in community programs, such as Brown Bag Ministry and A Doorway to Hope. In her free time, she enjoys cooking with her family, playing tennis and pickleball, and walks with her dog.
Board of Directors
Paul Mastropolo
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Paul grew up in New York but has lived in the Cary area since 1995. He graduated from UNC Chapel-Hill with a BS degree in Business Management and from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst with an MBA. He currently is the Human Resources Director for JMP, a subsidiary of SAS Institute. Paul and his wife, Amanda, have four children. He is passionate about volunteering and serving others. Paul is very involved in various ministries at St. Mary Magdalene, including youth group leadership, the Knights of Columbus, and men’s faith formation, and serves as a volunteer soccer coach for a local league.
Nikki Nahas
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Nikki was raised in the Midwest and attended Indiana University where she obtained degree in Social Work. After college she worked for Catholic Charities in Chicago, specializing in homeless prevention. Nikki has enjoyed being involved with Doorway to Hope the past several years and is excited to take a more active role. Since 2011, she has called North Carolina home, where alongside her husband Damon and three children, she has immersed herself in both family life and community service.
Maulin Shah
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Maulin is a dedicated military veteran with over two decades of customer experience leadership in healthcare, financial services, and beyond. An NC State graduate and 25-year Wake County resident, his dedication to the community is reflected in his service with the North Carolina National Guard, leadership at Blue Cross NC, and advisory work with the USO of North Carolina. Maulin resides in Apex with his wife, two daughters, and labradoodle.
Sparky Cullen
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Sparky grew up in Raleigh and has lived in the Cary area for more than 30 years. He attended UNC Chapel Hill and graduated with a BS in Business Administration and a Master of Accounting. After starting his career in public accounting, he transitioned to corporate finance. He has held various CFO roles at companies in the triangle area over the past 30 years and is excited to be able to donate some of his experience to a great organization. He and his wife, Jennifer, currently reside in Morrisville and have two daughters, both of whom attended St. Michael School and Cardinal Gibbons HS. They have been involved with ADTH for many years and look forward to supporting the mission for many more.
Alberto Luis Roman (Paco)
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Paco is an organizational development consultant and executive coach with over 20 years of experience working in the technology and healthcare industries. Originally from Puerto Rico, he was raised in Connecticut and came to North Carolina in 1992 to attend Graduate School at NCSU where he met his wife Ashley. They have lived in Cary since 1998 and have 3 children. Paco has been involved with A Doorway to Hope since its inception. He has been a member of the NC Society of Hispanic Professionals and served on the St. Michael Honduras Parish committee and technology committee at Cardinal Gibbons High School. He was also a founding member of the DadCru at Cardinal Gibbons. Paco has coached youth football for the Carolina Copperheads and the Raleigh Revolution.
Alex Bass
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Alex Bass, currently a staff writer for The Triangle Tribune newspaper, holds three master's degrees - in Teaching (UNC-Charlotte), Educational Leadership (Creighton), and Technical Communication (NC State), and an undergraduate degree in History (UNC-Chapel Hill). Bass embraces opportunities to incorporate analytical, research, speaking, and writing skills to articulate pursuits and achievements of organizational missions. Bass has integrated these skills as a certified, licensed school and athletics administrator/classroom teacher, and multimedia communications practitioner. Bass is committed to establishing and cultivating thriving, symbiotic relationships to facilitate new learning and progress toward established goals in public service benefitting residents, the academic diaspora, and corporate sectors in diverse municipalities. Bass believes collaborative communication is the catalyst for cultivating and celebrating a culture of compliance and camaraderie by which communities yield champions. Bass, twice a Roman Catholic Diocese of Raleigh schools graduate (Cathedral School and Cardinal Gibbons High School), and a certified basic catechist, is a lifelong member of Saint Joseph Catholic Church (Raleigh). At Saint Joseph, Bass is a member of the Parish Council, and ministers as a reader and lay liturgical master of ceremonies. In the Diocese, Bass serves as "Vice Chair" of the Monsignor Gerald Lawrence Lewis Award Committee, which recognizes individuals for "Excellence in Teaching" and "Lifetime Achievement" in Catholic Education.
Executive Board
president
Kathy Cawley
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Kathy has an undergraduate degree in Economics from the University of Virginia and an MBA from Marymount University. She is married with three children and two dogs. Kathy worked at Verizon for over 28 years, holding various executive leadership positions, including Director of Financial Operations. She led hundreds of employees across the globe, supporting the full spectrum of Verizon’s revenue stream – product development, mergers & acquisitions, system consolidations, customer contracting, pricing, billing, auditing, testing, and service. Currently, Kathy works in Senior Management with Verizon’s Internal Audit organization. Kathy has been a dedicated volunteer in our community for over 20 years, serving Wake County Public Schools, Dress for Success, and A Doorway to Hope. Her husband, TJ, the Mayor of Morrisville, is also a dedicated community volunteer.
vice president
Tony Gilliam
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Residing in Cary, Tony is a native of the area. Tony developed a sports announcing career early in life which has him now enjoying announcing work for many global sports-entertainment events. Tony has been a long-time business owner in the Cary/Triangle area and enjoys partnering with local charities to serve many separate needs in our area.
treasurer
Martina Young
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Martina is one of the founders of A Doorway to Hope. She has lived in the area for over 30 years and has been involved in a wide variety of service organizations in the area and internationally. Martina received her A.A. from Miami University, in Oxford OH, B.S. in Accounting from Rutgers University, and M.R.E. from Loyola University in New Orleans. She also attended Michigan State University. She currently owns her own accounting business focusing on small businesses.