Board and Staff

Teen Scene, Inc. Board of Directors

Governance:  An elected Board of Directors governs Teen Scene, Inc., which includes The Teen Scene and Cape Fear Voices. Board members are uncompensated volunteers who will guide this organization to a sustainable future. They are responsible for developing policies and programs to ensure that both publications operate ethically and professionally. They are also responsible for ensuring adequate resources to advance our mission.  Board members will represent a broad spectrum of current and retired professionals with extensive experience working with teens, publications, marketing, and leadership. Directors volunteer their time to ensure that our programs adequately address the proper standards and ethics for fulfilling our mission.

Officers

Gerald Decker, Founder, Chair of the Board

Gerald Decker is a 4-year Navy veteran with four tours to Vietnam between 1968-1971. Gerald earned a Master’s Degree from George Washington University. He worked nine years as a staff member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee. After leaving the Senate in 1981, he worked as a Senior Manager for the National Federation of Independent Business, a small business lobby organization. Gerald also taught American History at the middle school level and Political Science at the high school and college levels. He is a certified trainer in the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator.

Gerald founded Athens/Oconee Adult Baseball, Decker Diamonds Sports Complex, the Leland VFW Post 12196, and Teen Scene, Inc. In addition to his work with Teen Scene, Gerald served as Commander of the Leland VFW Post 12196 for 2 1/2 years. The Post was the Mayor’s Choice of Citizen of the Year in 2020 and the #5 Post in America (in our division) for 2023.
Since 2020, Gerald has co-written two books. The first was about his good friend and WWII veteran Alex Moskowitz. The second was published by Teen Scene, Inc. in Oct. 2021, entitled “The Great Lockdown of 2020: An Anthology.”

Gerald is still married to his high school girlfriend (57 years) and has two children and three grandchildren. Following a 15-year hobby of playing catcher in a men’s adult fast-pitch baseball league, his hobbies now include heating pads, grandchildren, and genealogy. Teen Scene and VFW are not hobbies. They are passions.

Deb Pickett, Financial Advisor, Raymond James, Vice Chair of the Board

Deb and her husband, originally from New Jersey, are relative newcomers to the area from Holly Springs, NC. They reside in Leland, NC. Deb has a Master’s Degree from the University of Phoenix and started her career as a pediatric nurse. She moved on to hold several positions in sales and marketing for large corporations and is currently a Financial Advisor with Raymond James. Deb is a past President of the Kiwanis Club of North Brunswick and a member of the North Brunswick Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. She also serves on the Foundation of Brunswick Community College. Deb was recently recognized by the NB Chamber as “Woman of the Year.” Deb was also recognized by Leland Mayor Brenda Bozeman as “Mayors’ Choice of Citizen of the Year 2023.”

Terri Delfino, Treasurer of the Board

Terri has years of experience in business management, marketing, sales and event planning. Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, she was the Operations Manager for a large sales force and business lobby organization. She later became the Business Manager for a large religious order. Twenty years ago, she and her husband, Jim, moved to Roseburg, OR and started a vineyard. They now have 18 acres of grapes in full production and make 1500 cases of wine each year. While Jim is responsible for the health of the grapes and the wine production, Terri manages the wine tasting room and Bed & Breakfast and is the General Manager in charge of wine sales, marketing and planning of summer events. Her hobbies include playing the piano, tending the garden, feeding the farm animals and starting her new beehive. They live on the vineyard property with their two dogs, Bella and Abby. They have two children and five grandchildren.

Jan Morgan-Swegle, Acting Secretary of the Board, Editor, Cape Fear Voices

Jan has been a Leland resident for 12 years.  She retired from Novant Hospital after a career in banking and insurance, where she held senior management-level positions.  Jan has been a writer for many years, publishing her work in The Cleveland Plain Dealer, Blue Moon–A Magazine for Girls,  Leland Magazine, and the Coastal Buzz.  Jan has been married to her husband, Tony, for 34 years.  They have three children and nine grandchildren.   Jan has worked in various positions

Laura Askue, BC Early College High School

Ms. Askue heads the English Department and Honors Journalism at Brunswick County Early College High School in Bolivia, NC.

Corey Dall, SVP, Director of Marketing at First Bank (FBNC)

After finishing grad school at UVM, Corey began her career in journalism in Boston and then went to work for Harvard at the University’s Division of Continuing Education in the marketing communications department. There, she gained experience in website management, social media, content, and email marketing, and further expanded her skills in storytelling. After realizing the Boston winters were, in fact avoidable, Corey moved to North Carolina and worked for a time at a small market research firm establishing their marketing department; overhauling the company’s website as well as its approach to SEO, content, and lead generation; and working closely with the sales team on closing the loop, on events (online and in person), and on all aspect of inbound marketing. From there, she happily joined the First Bank team and has served as its Director of Marketing for the last 10 years as the bank doubled its asset size and added more than 20 branches. In that time, Corey also created and currently manages the company’s corporate citizenship program, the Power of Good.

Jeff Rivenbark, News anchor at WWAYTV3.

Jeff is an award-winning journalist with a sharp eye for news, a dedication to excellence in the field, and a sterling record for upholding the highest standards of professional conduct.
“Throughout my career, I’ve earned widespread acclaim for my work as a reporter and strategic communicator, as well as for my work on high-profile marketing campaigns and public relations. In the industry, I’m recognized as a tenacious reporter and storyteller who excels in a deadline-driven, round-the-clock newsroom while simultaneously covering news, features, and other events.”
Among my many accomplishments, I’m especially proud of my ability to convey news with authority, professionalism, and empathy, my writing and editing skills, and my uncanny ability to convey complex ideas in a way that engages an audience.”

Bill McHugh, Member of Leland Town Council

Bill McHugh is an attorney who works in the field of Clinical Research. In 2007, Bill graduated from Florida Atlantic University with a BA in Political Science and Social Science. In 2012, he earned his Juris Doctor degree in Florida from St. Thomas University School of Law. He lives in Leland with his wife Danielle. Bill is an Eagle Scout with a history of community service. In 2015, he worked with “Gateway Community Outreach” in Florida to assist food-insecure families; in 2018, he volunteered with local catering companies and food trucks after Hurricane Florence to help feed individuals in need as well as members of the Cajun Navy; he served on the NHRMC “Storm Team” during Hurricane Florence as Food and Nutrition Coordinator, providing meals to the hospital staff and families during the lockdown; in 2019, he negotiated and executed contracts to activate COVID-19 clinical trial sites for prompt enrollment of patients during the Coronavirus pandemic; in 2021, Bill ran for and won a seat on the Leland Town Council; in 2022, he was named as one of Wilmington’s 40 Under 40 Class of 2022; and in 2024, Bill was selected by South Brunswick Magazine and the Brunswick County Chamber of Commerce as one of ten area leaders under the age of 40.

Chris Stevenson, Assistant Governor, Area 5, Rotary

Chris is currently a resident of the Town of Leland, North Carolina, by way of Corpus Christi, TX. Chris was educated in the Orleans and St. Charles Parish school system. He was one of the 10 original African American children to integrate McDonough #10 school in September 1962. Chris graduated from Hahnville High School in Hahnville, LA, in 1974 and shortly thereafter joined the United States Army, where he served for 20 years on active duty in Southeast Asia, Europe, and Latin America. Upon retirement in July 1994, he began a career in network administration, sales, and customer support. He has worked in the hospitality industry, photography, and with FedEx. As a Rotarian, he was selected by the Leland Area Rotary Club as Rotarian of the year 2020 –2021. Chris currently serves as Assistant Governor, Area 5. He is the secretary for the Mid-Atlantic Rotary Leadership Institute’s (MARLI) Board of Directors. He served as Assistant Governor, Area 4 from 2020-2022 and District Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, (DEI) Chairperson for District 7730. He is a former Foundation Chair for the Leland Area Club, Membership, Foundation and Public Image Advocate for Area 4. Finally, he is a member of the Paul Harris Society and a Paul Harris Fellow plus 2.

Pat Batleman, Board Ambassador

Pat Batleman graduated with Honors from the Bay State School of Business in Boston, Massachusetts. She had a distinguished career in Washington, DC, having worked as a legal assistant to former CIA Director William Colby, Editor-Crofton Courier, an award-winning Freelance writer for the Alexandria Gazette Packet, and Executive Assistant to former Congressman and Chairman of the American Stock Exchange, James R. Jones. Pat also worked as Executive Assistant to Christopher Finn, former VP of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation. Pat and Ron moved to Leland in 2005. For the past 12 years, Pat has served as Mayor Pro Tem of the Town of Leland, representing the town in many capacities. She is the daughter of an Italian war bride and a WWII glider pilot.

Quintin McGee, Board Ambassador

Quintin is a graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill and North Carolina Central University School of Law. He has previously served as an attorney in private practice and later represented the citizens of Bladen, Brunswick, and Columbus Counties as an Assistant District Attorney in the DA’s Office from 2012-2020. In November 2020, he was appointed as a District Court Judge for Bladen, Brunswick, and Columbus Counties and served as a judge for two years. He currently serves as an Assistant Public Defender in Wilmington.
When not working, he is active in the community by serving as a board member with the United Way of the Cape Fear Area and has volunteered with several other local non-profit organizations. Mr. McGee resides in Leland, NC, with his wife, Veronica, who is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and serves as the Director of the Leland Senior Center. They have one son, J.C. McGee.

Other staff

Doug Ensley, Webmaster

Doug is an Emeritus Professor of Mathematics at Shippensburg University (Pennsylvania) who relocated to Leland in 2022. He holds a PhD in mathematics from Carnegie Mellon University and continues to contribute to mathematics professional organizations in his retirement. Within the mathematics community, Doug is known for his leadership, his penchant for puzzles, and his innovative use of technology in teaching. He exercises his right brain with word puzzles, poetry, and fiction. He resides in Brunswick Forest with his wife and her cat.

Nancy Bryans, Teen Scene Editor & Production Assistant

Nancy graduated magna cum laude with a degree in Business Administration from Regis University, Denver, Colorado. She enjoyed a marketing and sales career in commercial and residential real estate. She used her management, PR, and sales skills to design and write construction newsletters, media advertising, and promotional brochures. Nancy served as president and board chair of numerous academic, civic, patriotic, and charitable organizations. She resides in Brunswick Forest.