Our Staff and Board

Business Office Manager Nicole Almeida, Clinical Manager Pam Penland, Executive Director Meredith Switzer, and Development Director Brendan Hughes

Staff

Meredith Switzer, M.Ed.

Executive Director

meredith@allsoulscounseling.org
828.259.3369 ext. 108

Meredith has over 20 years’ experience in the nonprofit arena and has served in leadership capacities – either on staff, Board of Directors, or Advisory Council – for more than 15 regional nonprofits. She has dedicated her career to finding solutions to challenging community issues including food insecurity, access to mental health services, affordable quality childcare, public education, and housing and homelessness.

Meredith is a graduate of Leadership Asheville and Leadership North Carolina and currently serves on the WomanUP Committee for the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce. She was recognized as the Chamber’s “Outstanding Woman in Nonprofit Leadership” in January 2021 and received a COVID Humanitarian Award in October 2021 for her executive leadership at Homeward Bound of WNC during the pandemic.

She holds a B.A. in Broadcast Communications from UNC Chapel Hill and a M.Ed. in Educational Psychology from Texas A&M University. When not engaged in nonprofit work, she enjoys discovering a new hiking or running spot in the beautiful WNC mountains, spending time with friends, cheering on her children in their sporting endeavors (go Black Hawks!), and practically any activity that includes her husband, three sons, and terrier, Scout.

Pam Penland

Clinical Manager

pam@allsoulscounseling.org
828.259.3369 ext. 101

Pam’s background is in psychiatric nursing where she worked a number of years in psychiatric inpatient settings and community mental health. She has been with All Souls Counseling Center for more than 13 years and is dedicated to continuing the mission.

Nicole Almeida

Business Office Manager

nicole@allsoulscounseling.org
828.259.3369 ext. 110

Before joining the staff of ASCC in October 2019, she has many years of experience in office management and leadership. She is passionate about the work of ASCC and is dedicated to supporting its mission of providing mental health counseling for the uninsured and underinsured of our communities.

Brendan Hughes

Development Director

brendan@allsoulscounseling.org
828.259.3369 ext. 104

Brendan has over 11 years of experience in nonprofit development and management in the mental health, social entrepreneurship, youth development, and affordable housing fields. He received an MBA from UC San Diego and served in the Peace Corps. He is committed to supporting the compassionate mental health services that ASCC provides. In his free time, Brendan enjoys tennis, nerdy books and videogames, and hikes with his dog Zoe.

Board of Directors

Chad Donnahoo, Esq.

Board Chair

The Law Offices of Elston, Donnahoo, & Williams

Peter Best

Treasurer

First Horizon Bank

Stephanie Citron, Ph.D.

Clinical Psychologist

MC Ellis

Resources for Resilience

Melissa Stamatiades

CAPTRUST

Chris Smith

Beverly-Grant, Inc.

Heather Johnson

Vice Chair

Kudzu Brands

Kristy Smith

Secretary

Mountain Area Health Education Center (MAHEC)

Sally Conder, Ph.D.

Appalachian Counseling & Psychological Services, Inc.

Richard Gloor, D.O.

Kristin Scott

Capstone Health Alliance

Larry Thompson

Community Volunteer

Client Testimonials

I’ve noticed the changes in my personal life have gotten better and with the help of counseling I’m more happier and able to see growth.

[My counselor] brought so much light to our marital issues. He helped us work through years of built up negativity. With his guidance, we were able to find our love and compassion for each other again.

Exactly what I needed, in exactly the way I needed it. Eternally grateful.

[My counselor] has been a lifesaver and a life vest in a stormy sea.

[My counselor’s] calm accepting demeanor helped me feel comfortable and safe in discussing anything. Her suggestions were pivotal and realistic in helping me deal more successfully with my anxiety.

I appreciate [my counselor]. He listens with no judgment but only caring for my well-being.

My counselor has and continues to help me tremendously and I have interacted with her better than any other counselor I have seen in the past.

[My counselor] is very likely saving my life. My gratitude has no measure. Thank you.

Where would we be without All Souls Counseling Center?

My experience here at All Souls has been so life changing. The amount of compassion and dedication I feel here is so comforting. I wasn’t sure I would ever get my mind and life back but I did and I’m so grateful for this place, I love it!

This place has been a literal life-saver. I have never felt more respected or understood by a counselor. Now that I’ve come here I can’t imagine what I’d do without this place.

[My counselor] has been a life-saver in so many ways. His practical suggestions are tremendous. His caring and empathy are palpable and so valuable to me at this time. I am so grateful to him and to ASCC for making this affordable.