Leadership

Our Executive Director, Howie Shareff, is the temporary acting president.

Cassandra Cureton, owner of Bliss Philosophy and yoga teacher in Charlotte, NC

Cassandra initially came to yoga to relieve pain from sciatica and scoliosis. She began taking yoga classes two times a week and noticed both her mental and physical condition improved each time she got on the mat. This awareness in 2017 started her yoga journey in earnest. After immersing fully into her personal practice, Cassandra received her 200-hour registered yoga teacher certification in 2021 from I AM Yoga, Charlotte, NC. Her greatest joy is sharing the healing properties of asana and yoga philosophy with participants who have not been exposed to its life-changing benefits. 

Cassandra feels blessed to share the magic of yoga in several local venues in Charlotte, NC, including Oak Street Health Center, Archwell Health Center, the YMCA of Greater Charlotte, the I AM Yoga virtual studio, and the NoDa Yoga studio. She is also honored to serve as Program Coordinator for the Yoga Retreat for Women of Color™. Cassandra has received training certificates in several yoga modalities, including Yin Yoga, Aqua Yoga, Yoga Nidra, Myofascial Release Techniques, and Trauma-Informed Yoga. Her current class offerings include chair yoga, yin yoga, aqua yoga, deep stretch, and slow flow.

Alex Wolf is a seasoned Certified Public Accountant and Audit Manager who brings more than a decade of experience providing audit and assurance services to nonprofit, for-profit, and employee benefit plan organizations. 

Currently serving as an Audit Manager at Norton Collar Lund Lilley in Raleigh, North Carolina, they lead multiple audit engagements from planning through issuance, with a strong focus on nonprofit organizations. In this role, Alex oversees engagement teams, assess internal controls, and advise clients on complex accounting matters, translating technical guidance into practical, actionable recommendations that enhance financial operations and governance.

Previously, Alex held Audit Manager and senior-level roles at leading firms including Cherry Bekaert, FORVIS (formerly Dixon Hughes Goodman), Cohen & Company, and Adeptus Partners. Across these roles, they managed diverse client portfolios, developed high-performing teams, and provided strategic guidance on complex transactions, compliance, and process improvements. 

A member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), Alex holds a Bachelor of Arts in Accounting and Finance from Muhlenberg College. Their combination of technical expertise, leadership experience, and commitment to sound financial stewardship positions them as a valuable asset to You Call This Yoga as Treasurer, where strong oversight, risk management, and financial insight are critical to advancing the organization’s mission.

Amma Fandiño, MSc, E-RYT® 200, RYT® 500, YACEP®, has been a dedicated yogini for over 29 years and a passionate biologist for 30. She is a certified Integral Hatha Yoga and Accessible Yoga teacher and trainer, with teaching experience in both the United States and Colombia. Amma is deeply committed to sharing yoga with communities facing physical, mental, and emotional challenges. For the past seven years, she has been teaching trauma-sensitive yoga in prisons, and for six years, she has been offering accessible yoga classes to patients with cancer and other chronic illnesses. Since 2015, she has served as an Accessible Yoga ambassador, contributing as a regional representative for Spanish-speaking countries and as a faculty member for Accessible Yoga Training. In 2020, she joined the You Call This Yoga team, and since October 2023, she has been a member of the Board of Directors, serving on the Development Committee. Amma is also a Fellow of the Yoga for Equity Program (2021) by Yoga Alliance and has been a facilitator for the Prison Yoga Project in Colombia since 2022. She lives in Colombia with her husband and two children and enjoys spending her free time in nature.

Carol Beehler is a registered nurse with over 40 years of experience in a variety of healthcare positions for hospital operations and consulting, and has served as a board member for many non-profit organizations affiliated with her healthcare career. She coordinates and does mentoring for the South Carolina Healthcare Executives, the Association of Perioperative Nurses and the University of Notre Dame Compass program.

Carol’s passions include personal health using a variety of avenues including exercise, functional fitness, and yoga as well as being a pet owner of two retrievers (Lab and Golden). She is originally from northern Indiana and relocated to the Carolinas 16 years ago and has a son/family in Greenville, SC, and daughter/family in Columbus, Ohio. Carol resides in the Lake Wylie area with her husband Lance. She eagerly joins You Call This Yoga with an eye for advancing yoga in the Charlotte area and governance within the organization.

Mimi deGrandpré is the Founder of Plan-Set-Go, where she helps mission-driven organizations turn strategy into execution. She brings a practical, systems-focused approach to planning, helping teams move from good intentions to clear priorities, accountability, and momentum.

With years of corporate leadership experience, Mimi has worked inside complex organizations where alignment, clarity, and follow-through are essential- skills she now brings to nonprofits and growing organizations navigating change. She currently serves on the board of Just For Humanity, where she leads strategic planning and operational alignment to support global access to and quality of education.

At her core, Mimi is driven by curiosity and a desire to understand how systems, people, and ideas work together. She is an avid reader and lifelong learner who brings both rigor and humanity to the work, and is excited to support You Call This Yoga’s mission of accessibility, inclusion, and sustainable impact.

Max Lanning was the prior Treasurer of the Board and is a CPA in a local Raleigh CPA firm, Norton Collar Lund Lilley, PLLC. Max brings his experience with financial reporting to YCTY. He graduated from North Carolina State University in 2009 with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and 2014 with a Master of Accounting. He has practiced public accounting with the firm since 2014 and obtained his CPA license in 2016. Max’s role at his firm is managing financial statement audits, reviews, compilations, and preparations. He also is the lead auditor on many audit and review engagements with the firm in many industries, focusing in not-for-profit organizations. Max has many years of experience with nonprofit tax and payroll/contractor tax compliance.

Max joined the YCTY Board in 2020, acting as treasurer. He oversaw the monthly accounting, facilitated tax compliance, and helped guide organizational finance decisions. He was in charge of ensuring the monthly financial statements are sound, annual 1099s were filed, the annual 990 was prepared, and the NC solicitation license was renewed annually.

In 2015, Max began his journey to become a healthier individual with a weight loss and exercise regimen. He has seen the emotional and physical benefits of exercise and a healthier lifestyle. Max is excited to be a part of a local  organization that ensures individuals, who would not otherwise have the opportunity, have access to an exercise practice.

Barbara is a founding member of YCTY, having served on the Board as Secretary since 2014 and as President for the first part of 2020. She has been a yoga practitioner for over 15 years, and completed her 500-hour yoga teacher training at blue lotus yoga in 2015. Barbara is a licensed practicing psychologist in Raleigh, and integrates many aspects of yoga into her clinical practice. Barbara offers training to yoga teachers and mental health professionals on ways to integrate yoga to assist those coping with anxiety, trauma recovery, and other emotional issues. She believes strongly in the healing power of yoga, and is passionate about bringing these practices to others-beyond the bounds of yoga studios. Barbara looks forward to continuing her participation in the organization as it moves into its second decade of providing accessible yoga to the Triangle community.

Celia Hartnett (prior Member)

Celia Hartnett believes that yoga helps dissolve the illusion that our bodies, minds, and spirits are separate. She began practicing yoga when she needed a complement to triathlon training. She eventually stopped doing triathlons but went on to become a yoga teacher, receiving her 200-hour training at The White Lotus Foundation in Santa Barbara. Celia has studied yoga, meditation, and recovery at Kripalu among other places. She has been a student of Tracey Rich, Ganga White, Elise Browning Miller, Amy Weintraub, Cheri Clampett Borda, Arturo Peal, Leslie Howard, Bessel van der Kalk, Rolf Gates and Niki Myers.

Because of her own physical differences, Celia believes so passionately in what You Call This Yoga offers: accessible yoga to people who might not otherwise access it. She believes that everyone can find some benefit from the eight limbs of yoga and feels it is an honor to serve on the You Call This Yoga board.