Meet our Board
Our board is made up of members of our founding churches, plus members of our community who have passions around solving housing insecurity.
Sarah Mendonca
Sarah Mendonca has lived in the Shenandoah Valley since late 2019. She attended college and graduate school at the University of Florida, and earned a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership. Throughout her life, she has been dedicated to community service and has advocated for those who are in need. She helped to found HERO in late 2023 and has served as Board President since its inception. She works as the Director of Administration for the Heifetz International Music Institute and also serves on the boards of the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library and Caravanserai Music. President
Donna Yobs
Donna has spent 35 years working in technology companies. Her volunteer roles include the League of Women Voters, Affordable housing committees, & LifeWorks Project, BRAFB, Habitat for Humanity and Virginia Organizing. She joined the HERO board in 2023 because she believes stable housing is key to our healthy communities. In her spare time she enjoys walking her dog. Vice President
Treasurer
Janeice Raiche
Janeice Raiche retired from the American Public Health Association. She and her husband settled in Waynesboro in 2020. They are active in their church, St John the Evangelist Catholic Church. Janeice is also active in The Catholic Daughters and the James Patton Chapter of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Janeice believes strongly in “Faith in Action” which brought her to the Housing Emergency Relief Organization in December 2023. 
Secretary
Deb Leach
Deb hails from the west coast, growing up in Oregon, obtaining a BS in Mathematics from Oregon State after giving birth to a son. After graduation, her family moved around the country with military husbands (first one was Navy and brief; the one who lasted was Army), eventually settling in Connecticut, raising 2 sons and, upon retiring from a 35+ year career teaching mathematics first in High School then a few years of college, followed those boys with their growing families (5 beautiful grandchildren) to Virginia just before the pandemic. Moving to Waynesboro in 2023 has been the best decision she has ever made. There are warm, caring people here to become involved with and she landed on the board of HERO, fulfilling the role of secretary. Deb used government assistance as a young mother in college and that feeling of insecurity has never quite been very far from mind; she is happy to be helping others in their struggles to overcome challenges, as she did as a young mother.Board Member
Walt Lewis
Walt has spent over 50 years working as a Structural Engineer and volunteering with various organizations focused on following Jesus’s instructions to serve others as recorded in Matthew 25.
Volunteered at Guadalupe Social Services, Immokalee, FL, Gladiolus Food Pantry, Fort Myers, FL, and St Vincent de Paul Society at St Columbkille in Fort Myers. After moving to Waynesboro, Walt joined the HERO board in 2024 because he believes that helping people stay in their homes is an important step in reducing homelessness in our community. In his spare time he enjoys walking in the outdoors.Board Member
Michelle Cunningham
Confucius is often credited with saying, “If there is harmony in the home, there will be order in the nation.” That belief resonates deeply with Michele Cunningham, who has dedicated more than 25 years to serving young people through education. Throughout her career, she has seen how a safe, stable home creates the foundation for children and families to thrive.
As a member of HERO's Board of Directors, Michele is passionate about ensuring that our neighbors have access to safe and secure housing. She understands that when families have a place to call home, the positive impact extends far beyond the household—strengthening schools, neighborhoods, and the community as a whole.Board Member
Dawn Rogers
Dawn spent 37 years at PwC, where she worked as an IT auditor. Her volunteer
service includes board roles with Junior Achievement of Southwest Connecticut and
Cincinnati, as well as serving as Parish Council secretary at St. John the Evangelist
Catholic Church in Waynesboro. Dawn and her husband moved to Waynesboro nine
years ago from Stamford, Connecticut. She joined the HERO board in 2026 because
she believes stable housing is essential to building healthy communities. In her spare
time, Dawn enjoys volunteering at St. John and traveling with her daughter, Anna, a
professional tennis player. 
Board Member
Carol Bingaman
Carol grew up in a small coal mining town in Western Pennsylvania, moving to Harrisburg, PA to work for the Commonwealth of PA then retired after 35 years in 2005. She and her husband moved to VA in 2011, settling in Waynesboro.
Carol graduated with a BS in Business Administration with an IT Concentration from Elizabethtown College and later got a Master of Education in Adult and Organizational Development from Temple University in Philadelphia.
Carol started as a computer programmer and later worked as a Technical Support Manager. Most of her career was spent at the Pennsylvania Dept. of Transportation and later at the Governor’s Office. Carol is a member of Kiwanis, the Waynesboro/Augusta Woman’s Club, and the Blue Ridge Chapter of AARP. Carol’s passion is Lifelong Learning and to be a force for good in the world. she believes in HERO’s mission. Everyone deserves a home where they can feel safe and cared for. She also loves music, theater, and traveling abroad.