Asheville PEAK Academy’s founding board consists of seven members, all Asheville community members passionate about educational equality. All share an unwavering belief that all children can succeed at high levels regardless of race or socioeconomic status. All bring various skills and expertise to the table. Our founding board members are:

Chair

Vice Chair

Tiffany Iheanacho was born and raised in the City of New York. Tiffany is the fifth generation to live in Asheville and has always found this community to be her home. Tiffany is a graduate of North Carolina A&T State University, and Western Carolina University. She currently is a local government program administrator with years of program planning and evaluation experience. Tiffany is also a licensed therapist with a career working with special populations and at-risk youth. Tiffany is a devoted mother to a beautiful 4 year old, Zara.

Libby Kyles is an Asheville native and taught in the public school system for almost 20 years. Libby is the co-founder and former Executive Director of YTL Program (Youth Transformed for Life), and serves on the Asheville-Buncombe Community Land Trust.

​Treasurer

Secretary

Mychal Bacoate is a fifth generation resident of Asheville and a fourth generation graduate of Asheville City Schools. Mychal believes in public education and believes that his public education prepared him for college attendance and graduation. Mychal realizes that the educational opportunities afforded to him are no longer accessible for many children in our community. Mychal is a graduate of North Carolina State University. He currently works in banking and serves as a Guardian Ad Litem for the 28th Judicial district. Mychal is a member of the Human Relations Commission for the City of Asheville, Buncombe County Board of Adjustments and a former facilitator with Building Bridges. Mychal is a faithful and dedicated member of Brown Temple CME Church where he serves as Chairman of the Steward Board.

Catherine is an Asheville native, a Wake Forest graduate, and Teach for America alumni. With 7 years teaching in a Title I school in the Mississippi Delta, she is passionate about educational equality and firmly believes all children can achieve at high levels when held to high expectations. She currently lives in Asheville with her husband, Joe, and their 4 young children, and spends most of her free moments writing, running, or enjoying the areas hiking and biking trails with her family.

Joe has lived in Asheville since 2010 and is President and COO of a family-owned and operated business that is a market leader in the Asheville and Charlotte area.  Joe has a deep passion for education - particularly for students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Prior to moving to Asheville, Joe was placed as a teacher in the Mississippi Delta through Teach For America. Joe has first-hand classroom experience as a second-grade teacher and as the principal of a middle school in Shelby, Mississippi. ​

David Robinson grew up in Asheville, NC. David attended T.C. Roberson High School and continued his education at Montreat College where he earned a Business Administration degree and played basketball from 2002-2006. David began a career in Greensboro, NC working in the school system with special needs children and coaching middle and high school basketball. David moved back to Asheville in 2014 after marrying his wife, Shelly. He has two boys, Taj and Rey, and a daughter, Nyla. David currently works at FedEx and coaches middle school basketball at Valley Springs.

Dwight Mullen was hired by UNC Asheville in 1984 as part of the university's effort to integrate its faculty. Over the decades that followed, he taught courses in Political Science, Humanities, the Masters of Liberal Arts, Women's Studies, and Africana Studies. He also mentored students and was involved with campus and community organizations. In 2014, he was honored with the UNC Board of Governors Excellence in Teaching Award. In 2017 he was selected as the Ruth and Leon Feldman Professor and by the alumni for the Distinguished Professor Award.  Upon retirement in June 2018, the University conferred the title of Professor Emeritus. 
Mullen led his UNC Asheville students from 2006 - 2018 in an ongoing research project called The State of Black Asheville which collected and presented an array of data on the status of local African-Americans in public policy areas that include health, housing, education, economic development and criminal justice. 
He has presented data, papers and reports at national and international professional venues. His public service includes work with Asheville City Schools, Buncombe County Schools, MAHEC, Asheville Housing Authority, The North Carolina Department of Corrections, Buncombe County Sheriff's Department and the Asheville Police Department. Most recently, his work with Dogwood Health Trust aims to replace racial disparities in public policies with more racially just outcomes for the entirety of western North Carolina.
Dwight Mullen and his wife, Associate Professor Emeritus Dr. Dolly Jenkins-Mullen, have four children and three beautiful grandchildren.