Ryan Sanderson
Ryan is a co-founder and the CEO of Knowledge Perk LLC in Rock Hill, SC, and a founding member of The Gravity Center, also in Rock Hill. An Air Force veteran and former general manager at Starbucks, Sanderson is a serial entrepreneur with extensive experience in sales, business development and business startups. He is a past board member of Rock Hill Regional Chamber of Commerce, a founder of the Rock Hill chapter of 1 Million Cups, current member of the Rock Hill Economic Development Corporation and chairman of the Finance Committee of Lakewood Baptist Church. Ryan and his wife, Laura, have two children.
Ryan Thomas
Director of Worship at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Rock Hill, Ryan previously spent 12 years in law enforcement specializing in homicide and gang violence with the Rock Hill Police Department and the FBI. He has extensive background in Christian ministry, especially foreign missions, and is currently pursuing a MABTS degree at Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis. Ryan’s experience with law enforcement has given him unique insights as well as a passion for seeing communities flourish. He and his wife, Gina, have two small children.
Laura Ullrich
Regional economist for North and South Carolina at the Charlotte branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, Laura previously served as associate dean for undergraduate programs and a professor of economics at Winthrop University. Her education includes the University of Georgia (B.B.A.) and University of Tennessee (M.A. and Ph.D.). A Fulbright Scholar who taught economics in Kosovo, she has also been active in Bolivia focusing on local economic development issues. Local community service includes the Executive Committee of the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance and the boards of Family Promise of York County, the Carolina Immigrant Alliance and the Winthrop Eagle Club. She and her husband, Brian, have three sons.
Dawn Cullars Johnson
Owner of Dawn Johnson State Farm Insurance Agency, Dawn will be nominated to Flourishing Community’s board at its January, 2022, meeting. Dawn is a well-known, active civic and business leader and community advocate. She is currently Chairperson of the Rock Hill Economic Development Corporation. She is a leader in the nonprofit community through the LT & Dawn Johnson True Cullars Foundation and the Black Economic Leadership League of Rock Hill (BELL) as well as many other community-focused initiatives. Dawn and her husband, LT, have one daughter.
Sharon FoxThornton
An accomplished business leader with Fortune 100 brands, Sharon has more than 20 years experience developing and managing operational best practices covering structured finance mortgage due diligence, customer experience, and social media servicing among other areas. Having pioneered the creation of industry subcommittees/forums under the Securities Industry and Financial Association (SIFMA), and Financial Services Roundtable (FSR), Sharon is a frequent conference speaker covering due diligence and social media for customer engagement. The SIFMA subcommittee resulted in open dialog that drove the transformation of mortgage loan due diligence standards. A graduate of Queens University in Charlotte, NC, Sharon holds an MBA from the McColl School of Business. She and husband, Doug, have seven adult children and 16 grandchildren.