Meet the FELC Staff
Join the team! Download an application at the links below.
Brian Rogers
Executive Director
Brian grew up in Buies Creek, North Carolina, and attended and graduated from Wingate University in 1993. After graduation, Brian moved to Washington, DC, and began work for The Leadership Institute as a special projects coordinator.
Later, Brian was the marketing coordinator for The Free Congress Foundation in Washington. Brian then worked as general manager for Century Communications which was located in Arlington, VA. In 2003, Rogers was named executive director of the national legal foundation, Defenders of Property Rights, based in Washington, DC. In 2004, Brian accepted a role with the Jesse Helms Center Foundation and served as its Chief Operating Officer before assuming the role of President in June 2019.
Brian led the expansion of the Free Enterprise Leadership Challenge and oversaw the development of the innovative online curriculum Free Enterprise Now®. He is a 2009 graduate of the E.A. Morris Fellowship Program and has served as chairman of Union County's Board of Adjustment. He and his wife Catherine and the parents of four with each having attended FELC.
Jeff Atkinson
Director of Curriculum and External Relations
Jeff Atkinson grew up on a farm in Kingdom City, Mo. He attended the University of Missouri-Columbia, graduating with degrees in broadcast journalism and German studies.
Atkinson worked for almost three decades as an anchor, reporter, and producer at TV stations in Missouri, West Virginia, and North Carolina finishing at WBTV Channel 3 in Charlotte. He changed careers in 2012 and joined the staff at Wingate University in Wingate, N.C. serving in various roles including in the marketing and communications office and office of the president.
Atkinson joined FELC in 2020 and works to attract top speakers for the program in addition to partnering with organizations interested in sending students to the summer sessions.
Ladonna Snodgrass
Director
LaDonna began working with FELC in 2001. Since 2020, LaDonna has led the marketing and camp coordination during FELC's growth. LaDonna handles all camp logistics and oversees summer staff.
Before her role in FELC, LaDonna served as a program associate and facilities manager for the Jesse Helms Center Foundation. Ladonna has worked for Food Lion and other for-profit companies. LaDonna is married to Mike and together have four children.
Gaby Garcilazo
Coordinator
Gabriela Garcilazo is a student at the University of Houston-Downtown and lives in Houston, Texas along with her family.
She previously worked as an in class tutor in elementary schools. She attended FELC in 2018 and returned as a counselor in 2022. She became FELC coordinator in 2023.