Community Leader & Executive Director

Laura Steed Lorino

Laura Lorino (she/her) serves as the Executive Director and Community Leader of L’Arche North Carolina, where she helped bring the vision of the community’s first inclusive home to life. Originally from the Midwest, Laura holds a Bachelor of Arts in Youth Ministry from the University of Indianapolis and a Master of Divinity from Duke Divinity School. She also completed a Clinical Pastoral Education residency at UCSF Medical Center in San Francisco, where she deepened her commitment to spiritual care and inclusion.

Before joining L’Arche, Laura was the Director of Religious & Spiritual Life and Multifaith Chaplain at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, CA. There, she led campus-wide initiatives to foster interfaith dialogue, supervised campus ministers, and created spaces where students, staff, and faculty could explore meaning, purpose, and belonging—regardless of faith or background.

A passionate advocate for service and inclusion, Laura has led numerous interfaith immersion trips and previously served on the board of the Sierra Service Project, a nonprofit committed to transformational youth service in underserved communities.

Laura is an avid National Park explorer and has visited over 50 parks. She lives in Durham with her dog, Aubie, and enjoys camping, hiking, biking, and visiting new countries whenever she gets the chance.

Contact Laura at laura@larchenc.org.

Director of Operations

Beverly Christian

Beverly is a Durham native. (Yes, one of the few!) After graduating from Appalachian State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Music Education, Beverly spent 11 years at Chestnut Ridge Camp and Retreat Center where she worked on a team to make the love of Christ visible through hospitality, responsible care for the earth, and meaningful fellowship to strengthen the community. As the Associate Director, Beverly hired and trained summer staff as she worked to create spaces where campers and staff felt safe, loved, and accepted.

Most recently she served as the Coordinator of Administration and Communication at Duke Memorial United Methodist Church. Beverly has experience as an accreditor for the American Camping Association and helped to lead accreditation efforts at Chestnut Ridge. Beverly is excited to use this experience as L’Arche seeks accreditation for their new home. Beverly is also excited to use her skills and experiences to help create inclusive spaces with L’Arche where diverse people with and without disabilities thrive.

In her free time, Beverly loves to run, hike, camp, explore new places, and eat ice cream with her husband, Tyler, and daughter, Eleanor.

Contact Beverly at beverly@larchenc.org.

Tai Collins

Residential Care Manager

Tai Collins

Tai Collins, Ed.D. (she/her) brings a deep commitment to dignity, relationship, and person-centered care to L’Arche North Carolina. Her career has focused on supporting people with disabilities to live full, meaningful lives through thoughtful leadership, strong systems, and compassionate care.

With a background in educational leadership, residential operations, and staff development, Tai has extensive experience supervising teams, developing individualized supports, partnering with families, and ensuring safe, joyful living environments. She is known for balancing operational excellence with relationship-centered care, coaching staff through modeling and feedback, and navigating challenges with clarity and collaboration.

Deeply aligned with L’Arche’s values of mutual relationship and honoring the unique gifts of each person, Tai is excited to support the growth of L’Arche North Carolina and to help build a community where everyone belongs.

Laura Phillips

Outreach Manager

Laura Phillips

Laura Phillips (she/her) brings more than 15 years of nonprofit leadership, development, and community engagement experience to L’Arche North Carolina. With a career rooted in building inclusive, relationship-centered organizations, Laura is passionate about creating systems and structures that help communities thrive.

Most recently, Laura served as Development Manager at the Durham Crisis Response Center, where she managed full-cycle grant writing and compliance for federal, state, and private funders, led donor stewardship efforts, and strengthened communications through storytelling, newsletters, and website redesign. Her work consistently centers dignity, transparency, and authentic connection.

Laura previously served as Executive Director for both the Merced County Arts Council and the Rural Media Arts and Education Project in California, where she oversaw staff and volunteers, managed complex budgets and capital projects, increased donor engagement, and cultivated diverse community partnerships. Across her leadership roles, she has developed sustainable fundraising systems, strengthened operational infrastructure, and expanded access to culturally responsive programming.

Laura holds a degree in English Literature from Oral Roberts University and brings strong skills in nonprofit operations, fund development, communications, and volunteer engagement. She is especially drawn to communities like L’Arche that prioritize belonging, mutual relationship, and the inherent dignity of every person.

Allison Hood

Grant Writer

Allison Hood

Allison (she/her) recently relocated to Raleigh after many years in Atlanta. Before moving to North Carolina, she worked for VOX ATL, a nonprofit that focuses on uncensored self-expression and leadership development for teens in metro Atlanta. Prior to VOX, Allison worked for Lutheran Services of Georgia as the Special Events Manager. She began her career in Atlanta as the Program Coordinator for youthSpark, a non-profit organization that works to end child sex trafficking, abuse and exploitation through prevention and early intervention. She is a graduate of Georgia State University with a Master’s Degree in Social Work and received her Bachelor’s Degree in International Affairs from the Georgia Institute of Technology. Outside of work, Allison likes to spend her time reading, being outside, trying new restaurants in Raleigh-Durham, and hanging out with her husband, two golden retrievers and any foster dogs currently at her house.
Trinity

Systems Coordinator

Trinity Nyx

Trinity Nyx (she/her) serves as the Systems Coordinator at L’Arche North Carolina. Raised in Ohio, she spent several years at a residential school for children with visual disabilities, shaping her lifelong commitment to accessibility and inclusion.

Trinity holds a Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Naropa University. Her background as a therapist informs her compassionate, attentive approach to understanding behavior and supporting people with care and respect.

With experience in digital content, project management, and accessibility initiatives at organizations including the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Blackboard, and Thomson Reuters, Trinity brings both heart and strategy to her work. She has lived in Durham since 2021 and enjoys dancing, yoga, gardening, and time with her cats, Pepper and Piper.

Care Assistants

Hello, my name is Williette Y. Zigbuo. I hold a bachelor’s degree in Child and Family Studies with an emphasis in Early Childhood Education from Berea College in Berea, Kentucky. I also earned a Master’s degree in Special Education from Bay Path University in Burlington, Massachusetts. With over 20 years of teaching experience, I have had the privilege of working extensively with early learners. As a lifelong learner, I am passionate about supporting and engaging with neurodiverse individuals, which has been a meaningful part of my professional journey. In my personal time, I enjoy spending quality time with family and friends, reading, watching movies, and exploring new adventures.

Ashanti Cedeno is a compassionate caregiver with over a decade of experience supporting individuals with diverse needs, including Down syndrome, muscular dystrophy, and other intellectual and developmental disabilities. A Certified Nursing Assistant and former group home manager, she brings adaptability, patience, and a “nurturer by nature” approach to her work. Originally from New Jersey and now based in Durham, Ashanti values creating inclusive environments where everyone feels seen and heard. Her background in home health, small business ownership, and customer service has strengthened her communication, organization, and leadership skills, making her a dedicated team player committed to enhancing the quality of life for those she supports.

Hello! I’m Rofida, or “Ro,” and you can call me either, I don’t mind! I grew up in Greensboro, but moved to Durham two years ago to become a Johnson Service Corps Fellow. As a Fellow, I was partnered with L’Arche NC for a year of service. During that year, I found that my values and L’Arche’s mission aligned. Once my year of service ended, I decided to stay on at L’Arche as a live-in assistant, so that I could continue to recognize and encourage the gifts of others around the clock. When I’m not doing that, I like to solve jigsaw puzzles, watch video essays, and chat with loved ones.

Hi! I’m Allie! I’m a doctorate student at Duke studying Occupational Therapy, and I’m super excited to bring that lens to all my work with L’Arche! Before becoming a graduate student, I completed my bachelor’s in Psychology and Neuroscience at UNC Chapel Hill and worked in research at the Duke Center for Autism. When I’m not at L’Arche, I love to read and craft with friends. I’m a big fan of silly books about magic and spending time with my loved ones. I’m really looking forward to building community at L’Arche and learning from my time at the new house.

Ana Moore has over three years of experience supporting individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Originally from Austin, Texas, they began their career helping young adults build life skills and confidence through community engagement.

Known for their compassion and gift for bridging communication, Ana fosters inclusive spaces where everyone feels seen and supported. They love cooking new recipes and helping others live healthy, meaningful lives.

L’Arche North Carolina Board of Directors

Robbin Bixler is a recent retiree from UNC Healthcare where she was a member of the healthcare system project management group supporting business and clinical process improvement. Robbin has spent most of her career in healthcare management at both the operational and administrative roles including lots of turning regulatory requirements into policies and procedures and managing their implementation. Her earlier professional life was as a clinical social worker working in the VA system. Robbin has known, loved and supported L’Arche communities where her daughters were assistants in Portland and in Arlington, Virginia where she often visited and shared in their stories. Robbin is grateful to be involved with the launch of a L’Arche community in the Triangle with the talented people on the Board.

Robert Joines graduated UNCG in 2012 with a major in Film Production and minor in Religious Studies. The son of an ordained Moravian minister father and social worker mother who both worked for Methodist Home For Children, Robert grew up in homes and in community with at-risk youth. He has built his business as a realtor over the last 10 years with Keller Williams Raleigh. Robert brings his experience to the board having completed a 3 year term on the Vestry for Church of the Nativity, and starts his 4th year on the Board for KW Raleigh. He is dedicated to helping L’Arche grow and achieve their goal of starting several communities here in NC.

Stephanie Forbes is a DEI Humanizer. She holds the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Leader role for a global e-commerce enterprise in the Americas. Stephanie has over ten years of experience in Program Management and is committed to cultivating an inclusive culture inside and outside the walls of the workplace. Stephanie is originally from Panama City, Panama, and eventually moved to the States. There she has contributed to and carried out intensive research on hiring, retaining, supporting, and protecting diverse labor in nowadays working environment. Other roles are being a mother of two amazing young adult men, a mother-in-law, a daughter, a sister, a friend.

John is a partner at the Research Triangle Park office of an international law firm, where he focuses his practice on governmental investigations in health care. He is a graduate of Duke University, Wake Forest University School of Divinity, and the University of North Carolina School of Law. John and his family are passionate about affirming and supporting the tremendous gifts that persons with disabilities offer the world.

I find great joy in my work because of the relationships that I form with my patients and their families. My hope is to personalize care for each patient and to serve not only medical needs, but also attend to psychosocial and spiritual needs. I am particularly interested in care for children/adolescents with medical complexity and transitions of care from childhood to adulthood. Having spent time in Taiwan and Kenya as well as working with the underserved right here in Durham, I have developed a strong passion for both local and global health advocacy. In my free time, I enjoy spending time with my family and friends, hiking with my dog, watching Disney/Pixar movies, and rooting for Duke basketball and the Buffalo Bills!

Connie Norwood is Administrative Manager for K&L Gates LLP Research Triangle Park and has significant experience in the legal industry. Connie was born and raised in Durham, N.C., and attended Hillside High School, and the Art Institute of Atlanta majoring in Fashion merchandising.  Connie also attended Rutledge College in Durham, NC, receiving an Associate Degree in Business Administration. Connie has worked in the legal industry for more than 30 years and is passionate about giving back to her community.

Soy Latina and very proud of it! My hobbies include writing and reading poetry, hanging out with family and friends, listening to music, dancing and being out in nature. I also enjoy being of service, which includes L’Arche. I am very grateful to be able to be a part of this team, working to make a positive impact on people of all different abilities and the world.

Stuart Harrell is an ACPE Certified Educator and an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ. Stuart completed a B.A. in Studio Art at Davidson College and a Master of Divinity Degree at Duke University Divinity School. Stuart serves as the Associate Director for the UNC Hillsborough Campus, teaching units of CPE and creating and maintaining connections to community organizations that serve marginalized populations. Stuart previously served as a summer assistant at L’Arche Daybreak in Richmond Hill, ON.