Cape Fear Voices & Teen Scene 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 for nine years as a U. S. Senate staffer after college and later as a Senior Manager for a small business lobby organization. Gerald also taught Political Science at the high school and college levels. He is a certified trainer in Myers-Briggs Type Indicator.
Gerald founded Athens/Oconee Adult Baseball, Decker Diamonds, the Leland VFW Post 12196, and Teen Scene, Inc. In addition to his work with Teen Scene, Gerald currently serves as Commander of the Leland VFW Post 12196. The Post was the Mayor’s Choice of Citizen of the Year in 2020.
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 (55 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, 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 Edward Jones.
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.”
Pat Batleman, Secretary of the Board
Pat Batleman graduated with Honors from the Bay State School of Business in Boston, Massachusetts. She has 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.
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.
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.
Charles Bins, Layout and Design Editor
Expert in Speed Marketing™, leveraging time as a competitive advantage. More than 20 years of experience creating, executing, and managing winning campaigns for Fortune 500s and mid-sized companies, spanning business, technology, and consumer products.
Howard Cohen, retired Attorney
Howard and his wife, Janice (Jan) Janken, lived in Charlotte for 28 years before moving to Leland. Howard is a retired attorney and his wife is a retired nursing professor. Early in his career, Howard worked at the Environmental Protection Agency in Washington, DC. He wrote environmental news columns for several publications and served as acting chief legal counsel at the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management. Later in his career, he developed an employment law practice and represented plaintiffs in discrimination and sexual harassment cases. Howard is a long-time member of the Sierra Club and an active member of the Kiwanis Club of North Brunswick.
Corey Dall, SVP, Director of Marketing at First Bank (FBNC)
Cory’s specialties include Strategic thinking and planning, creative projects, community relations, social good programs, corporate social responsibility, communications (external and internal), marketing, leadership, writing, copywriting, editing, public relations, digital marketing, content marketing, public speaking, coaching, project management, brand building, brand management, digital and traditional media campaigns, web editing and organization, SEO, market research and data analysis, community engagement, team management. She has also been a teaching assistant at Harvard Extension School and Associate Editor of HealthLeaders Media.
Jan Morgan-Swegle, Editor, Cape Fear Voices
Jan has been a Leland resident for 11 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 33 years. They have three children and nine grandchildren. Jan has worked in various positions with Cape Fear Voices/Teen Scene for two years.
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.”
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.