Staff
Mike has served as President of CREATE Foundation since November of 1996. Under his leadership, the foundation’s assets have grown from $13.9 million to over $150 million. Mike prides himself in helping donors accomplish their charitable giving interests and assisting communities and organizations establish priorities.
Juanita has served the CREATE Foundation for over 37 years. Her responsibilities include managing all financial aspects of the operation of the Foundation and the oversight of assets. Through relationship building, customer service, and a historical perspective of the organization, Juanita brings a personal engagement lens to donor capacity at CREATE.
After nearly 27 years as a public school educator, Kristy’s belief that in changing the educational landscape, while impacting the economic development of our communities, we can influence the trajectory of future generations. Through the Toyota Wellspring Education Fund’s initiatives, which target workforce development in the public K-12 arena, students will be exposed to, prepared for, and connected to fulfilling careers in Northeast Mississippi. This work is the core of Kristy’s lifelong commitment to the students of our region.
Stewart’s personal mantra, “a rising tide raises all ships,” is reflective of her experiences as a teacher and district administrator, which positively impacted students in northeast Mississippi. Through CREATE’s broad initiatives, and as a part of the Toyota Wellspring Education Fund team, Stewart is able to mesh her love of education with social service, business, and healthcare. By merging all aspects of her experiences, Stewart ensures students are lifelong learners, as she is doing her part to make the community a better place for future generations.
Dana, a life-long resident of Tupelo, joined CREATE in 2017, after a 30-year banking career. She is an asset to CREATE because of her excellent administrative skills and personable donor engagement. While Dana performs a multitude of roles in her work, her true loves are serving our clients and providing exceptional donor service, allowing her to witness the growth of funds designated to help others.
Allie Randle
Director of Marketing and Events
Joining the CREATE team in 2023, Allie brings her creativity and passion for community to the organization. Implementing valuable relationships combined with her marketing knowledge, Allie will collaborate with the CREATE staff and partners to continue the mission of the CREATE Foundation. She believes that Northeast Mississippi’s future success is reliant on a community of people who come together and work together.
Katie joined the CREATE Foundation in 2015, bringing with her over 13 years of public accounting experience as a practicing Certified Public Accountant. Her prior experience, as well as remaining current on events of nonprofit accounting, assists Katie in fulfilling her role at the CREATE Foundation. Through her work, Katie is dedicated to overseeing accounting and reporting functions of more than 1,000 funds at CREATE Foundation.
P.K. joined the CREATE Foundation in 2020 following ten years with Mississippi State University Development Foundation. His primary duties at CREATE are to work with community affiliates, as well as all current and prospective donors. P.K. is committed to community service and continuing to build the legacy of donor impact in Northeast Mississippi.
Lewis Whitfield
Senior Consultant
After 32 years as a bank executive and community leader, Lewis believes that educational attainment is critical to northeast Mississippi’s economic and community development success. His work with the Commission on the Future of Northeast Mississippi over the past 16 years has resulted in several successful education initiatives, which have reduced the dropout rate and improved college attendance. His work continues at CREATE as the senior consultant, providing support to the Commission and other initiatives at CREATE.
Suzy Bowman
Director of Regional Impact
Suzy Bowman, a life-long Mississippian, has dedicated her career to community development and education. Suzy’s passion and experience with leading grassroots programming for youth, community engagement, education, and workforce initiatives, have laid the foundation for regional impact for those we proudly serve in Northeast Mississippi.
