Board of Directors
Irv enjoyed a long and successful career in real estate, public relations, and hotel/resort management. A wonderful lady named Barbara gave him 53 years of marriage, two sons and four perfect grandchildren. Helping along the way were a cocker spaniel, a bulldog, a beagle hound, a basset named George, and two golden retrievers. Irv currently lives at Deerfield with his Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Izzy, his personal therapy dog. Izzy also works hard at Mission, the Rathbun Center and several other places.
Joy Flora
Joy Flora owns the Three Dog Bakery at 21 Battery Park with her husband, Tom. She also teaches part-time at AB Tech.
Joy moved to Asheville in December, 2007 after a long career working for ServiceMaster in Chicago and Memphis. She was most recently President of Merry Maids, the residential home cleaning company. Joy has a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Valparaiso University and an MBA from Northern Illinois University. She is also a certified public accountant.
Joy is the proud mom of Tilly, a miniature wire-haired dachshund and Winnie, a PBGV puppy. In addition to spending time with the girls, Joy enjoys hiking, golf, reading and cooking.
Pam Hardin, Executive Director
I was born in Charlotte, North Carolina and earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Appalachian State University. I moved to Asheville from Atlanta in 1989 after missing the mountains and tiring of the big city. I am a licensed North Carolina Real Estate Broker and a certified Delta Society Pet Partner. I am currently employed as the Executive Director of Paws with a Purpose and as a Medical Staff Coordinator at Mission Hospitals. I enjoy therapy dog volunteer work with my husband, Phil and our two Basset Hounds, Dooley and Smudge. My participation in pet therapy programs has been a rewarding and life changing experience for me.
Laurel Hunt
Laurel Hunt joined Mission Healthcare Foundation in 2002. As Grants Manager, she oversees nearly 60 active grants for capital, equipment, and programs at Mission Hospitals. In addition to grants research and writing, Laurel oversees prospect research and grants reporting and compliance. An Asheville native, she is the daughter of Dr. Lewis Rathbun. Since 2002 she has served on the board of Pathways-Life After Cancer, a cancer counseling program founded by Dr. Rathbun in 1977. Laurel served as Pathways board president from 2002-2004. Prior to relocating back to Asheville in 2001, she lived in Pasadena, California, where she worked in marketing and investor relations for a large environmental engineering firm.
Laurel has been involved with Paws With a Purpose since 2006, helping to secure the Kohl’s grant and other funding support.
Laurel’s personal mission is to further understanding of the enduring bonds that we form with pets. She has published two anthologies celebrating the human-animal bond, Angel Pawprints: Reflections on Loving and Losing a Canine Companion (Hyperion, 2000) and Angel Whiskers: Reflections on Loving and Losing a Feline Companion (Hyperion, 2001). Laurel shares her home with her adopted Springer spaniel, Emily. Her hobbies include reading and writing about dogs, and collecting antiquarian dog books and vintage photographs of people with dogs.
Norma Palmer, President
I was born in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, but grew up in Baltimore, Maryland. I earned a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education, and a Masters in Child Psychology from Frostburg State College. I taught Special Education for Johns Hopkins Research Institute for Children. Then I began a 25 year career with AT&T. Most of my job experiences were in the field of Sales and Human Resources. I was also able to earn advanced graduate degrees in the field of Organizational Psychology.My prior volunteer activities have included participation in Special Olympics, various tutoring programs and several years as vice president of the Mental Health Association of Northern Virginia
Since my retirement from AT&T I have been living in Asheville, and enjoying time for my favorite activities of handcrafts and reading. I have been a volunteer at Mission Hospitals Children’s Hospital for ten years, and at Hall Fletcher Elementary School for eight.
I have two mixed breed rescue dogs. Nellie is a Beagle mix and Victor is a Australian Shepherd Chow mix. Neither one of them are therapy dogs, they need therapy. Victor however is showing some promise in that direction.
Like most dogs that converse with humans he was a thorough yes type, honoring my every point with agreement.
John Graves (B. 1920) Blue and Some Other Dogs
