MCLC Staff
Joyce Clevenger – Executive Director
… is beginning her 4th year as the Executive Director of Moore Buddies Mentoring and 2nd year as Executive Director of the CARE Group, Inc. She is a true Southerner and has been a Moore County Resident for over 30 years. She has a husband of 38 years and two beautiful daughters who are both married, and two very perfect, energetic granddaughters who lives too far away in Ohio and another one on the way!
Joyce came to Moore Buddies after working 35 years as a youth Minister. She thought she had retired, but her love of youth brought her to Moore Buddies as she truly believe in the work that we do. She believes that every child has value and significance, just because of who they are. They all have something to contribute to the world and it is up to us to help them find what that is. Her motto is the old adage that “kids do not care how much you know until they know how much you care.” When they are loved and valued then they begin to trust and listen to the encouragement and counsel that a mentor can bring to the relationship. She is passionate about helping and loving kids.
Heather Lussier – Literacy Programs Director
(Adult Literacy, Digital Literacy, Citizenship, and Motheread/Fatheread®)
…holds a BA from The University of Massachusetts, Amherst, in Elementary Education with a Fine Arts concentration. She also holds a M.Ed. in Curriculum Design and Instruction from Lesley University with a focus on Creative Arts and Learning. Heather is a former Elementary School teacher in the disciplines of Language Arts, Math, Science, and Technology. She has successfully completed the training to be a certified Motheread/Fatheread® Instructor, and spearheads the Motheread/Fatheread classes that are held throughout Moore County.
Heather and her husband, David, who is a music teacher at The O’Neal School, moved to Aberdeen in 2015. They are busy raising their two teenage children. When time permits, Heather enjoys drawing, crafting, singing, taking long walks, and getting to the beach whenever she can.
Judith Douglas – Program Coordinator, One-to-One Adult Tutoring
… has a total of 33 years’ experience as an educator. She retired in 2019 with 23 years as a teacher and administrator with Moore County Schools and 10 years in New York City. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education; a Masters
Degree in Reading; a Masters Degree in Educational Leadership and Doctoral credits in Educational Leadership. She states that her love of education; a passion and profession she holds dearly to her heart resulted in her not choosing to “sit at
home” after retirement. She loves interacting with children and adults and believes developing relationships is a prerequisite to educating an individual. You have to care about the individual and they need to know you have their best interests.
She is an active member in her church. She loves to travel and spend quality time with her adult children, her grandchildren and friends.
Kathy McGougan – Program Specialist, Motheread/Fatheread®
… has been a long-time presence at MCLC, in various roles both as staff and as a volunteer. Kathy holds a
Bachelor of Science degree in Early Childhood Education and Reading and a Masters of Arts degree in
Early Childhood Education from Western Carolina University. She retired from the Moore County
Schools in 2015 after spending a majority of her teaching career as a Reading Specialist in the
elementary grades. Kathy is also a local children’s book author. Kathy has written and self-published a
series of leveled readers called, “Buddy and Lily Books.” Kathy is a certified Motheread/Fatheread®
Facilitator and also works with our Citizenship and Civics Program.
In her spare time, Kathy continues to write children’s books and enjoys volunteering at a local
therapeutic riding center. She also loves sharing her 2 Certified Therapy Dogs, Lily and Levi, with
residents at nursing homes in the area. Kathy lives in Pinehurst with her husband Charlie and their 2
precious pups.
Maureen Avendutti – Program Specialist, Seven Lakes
… graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary Education from St. Andrews University and holds a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership from Queens University of Charlotte. Prior to becoming an educator, Maureen worked in a management position for United Parcel Service in Ohio and North Carolina for 21 years. During the past decade, she has taught both first and second grades for Moore County Schools and is currently teaching fourth grade science at The Academy of Moore County.
Originally from Northeast Ohio, Maureen and her daughter, Hayley, moved to Pinehurst in early 2007. She loves spending time with her family, enjoying sweet tea while reading a great book on a shady porch, and travelling to both new and old-favorite places.
Patty Lopez – Outreach & Recruitment Officer
… is a graduate of the University of Sonora (ITSON, Bachelors in Business Administration).
Diane Young – Project Assistant
… is a retired Program Director with a background in Elder Care and Child Care. She is also retired Navy, having served in Virginia. She is a mother and grandmother and has dedicated her life to working in the Human Services sector. She is originally from Lumberton, NC and now resides in Moore County. Her favorite pastime is spending time with her family and walking.