Our Team

Elaine Looney, LMSW, is the new Executive Director of Black Mountain Counseling Center. She brings nearly two decades of nonprofit leadership and social work experience, with a career dedicated to building strong, supportive communities. Most recently, Elaine served as Executive Director of Kinship Senior Center in New Orleans, where she expanded programs to address wellness, digital access, case management, mental health, and social connection for older adults.

Elaine’s career began in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, when she served as Program Director at Camp Coast Care with Episcopal Relief and Development on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. In that role, she worked alongside local partners to help communities rebuild and recover — an experience that shaped her lifelong commitment to resilience, compassion, and community-centered service.

Since then, Elaine has directed community-based initiatives with the Broadmoor Improvement Association and held leadership roles with the Mississippi Gulf Coast Chamber of Commerce and the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Her work has consistently focused on expanding access to care, building collaborative partnerships, and strengthening organizations to better serve their communities.

Elaine earned her Master of Social Work degree from Tulane University, where she was Class President and received a Certificate in Disaster Mental Health. She has been recognized with the Tulane 34 Award and the Dean’s Leadership and Academic Excellence Award. She currently serves on several nonprofit boards and brings both professional expertise and a collaborative, people-centered approach to her leadership.

Elaine is excited to join Black Mountain Counseling Center at a time of growth and opportunity and is especially grateful to be part of such a warm and welcoming community. Outside of work, she enjoys exploring the outdoors and spending time with friends and her four cats: Noodle, Libby, Skeeter, and Ollie.

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Annie is excited to join Black Mountain Counseling Center, where she can combine her organizational skills with a genuine passion for supporting mental health services and the community she grew up in. A Black Mountain native Annie values  creating a welcoming and compassionate environment for both clients and colleagues, she looks forward to contributing to the center's mission of providing accessible and meaningful care. Annie shares her life with her children and her dogs hiking the beautiful trails of WNC. 

Henry is a Licensed Clinical Social Work Associate with a Master of Social Work degree from Western Carolina University. During graduate school he completed his clinical internship here at the Black Mountain Counseling Center, and is beyond excited to be able to continue his work both as a therapist and community outreach coordinator. His clinical areas of interests include helping others navigate anxiety disorders, depression, grief, major life transitions, and chronic illness. Henry frequently incorporates elements of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) in his work, and sees folks ranging in age from pre-teens to adults. He aims to create an affirming and inclusive therapeutic space where clients of all identities, backgrounds, and experiences can express themselves fully and authentically. As community outreach coordinator he is excited to continue getting the word out about Black Mountain Counseling while always listening to learn how we can better serve the community. Outside of the office Henry can often be found hiking with his 80lb lapdog Nestor, curled up with some sci-fi or fantasy, or throwing together something new in the kitchen.

Heidi is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor (LCMHC) who has extensive experience working with children and adolescents. After 10 years as an in-school tutor for students with learning differences, she went back to school herself to earn her master’s degree in counseling from Lenoir-Rhyne University Asheville. She spent five years as a school-based counselor, then joined the BMCC staff in August 2022. She loves using tools from cognitive behavioral therapy and dialectical behavior therapy, along with a smattering of positive psychology, to help kids deal with issues such as anxiety, depression, traumatic stress, ADHD, and general self-concept.

Pat Tuttle has lived in the Swannanoa Valley for 38 years, teaching early childhood education. She closed out her professional career teaching in the education department at Warren Wilson College. She then went on to work with her consulting practice in schools, supporting teachers and creating literacy activities with storytelling and acting. Her love for the people and this place has made her desire to serve on numerous boards, work for diversity, and care for children and families while working with other volunteers with Building Bridges of Asheville. Pat and her husband Bob raised their two children in Black Mountain schools, and she believes strongly in public education and high-quality early childhood education centers.  In addition to serving as chair of the Black Mountain Counseling Center Board, she is a member of the Buncombe County Commissioners Committee on Early Childhood Education. Pat enjoys time with her family and four amazing grandchildren, trips to Ocracoke, reading, church activities, and big-circle mountain dancing.

Betsy Hay, MSW began her career as a medical social worker in the hospice and home health setting. She has served as Executive Director of two non-profit organizations and on the Board of Directors of several others. Betsy has held leadership positions in her church, both as an elder and a Deacon. She retired to Swannanoa, NC and enjoys her grandchildren, hiking and camping.

Leslie Applewhite has lived in Black Mountain for the past 18 years. She is a retired psychiatric nurse practitioner. She retired from the VA Medical Center in Asheville. She spent much of her career working with veterans, a population that holds a special place in her heart. Leslie was a reservist in the Army Nurse Corp for 10 years, attaining the rank of Major. She has done volunteer work since retiring. She is a former Board chair of the Black Mountain Counseling Center. Leslie and her husband, Walt, have two adult children. They relocated to the area when their youngest child was in middle school.

Allison Quigley is the Managing Attorney for Begley Law Firm, PA in Black Mountain and focuses her practice on estate planning and estate administration. Allison graduated from Appalachian State University in 2019 with a degree in General Mathematics and a minor in Nonprofit Management. She went on to attend the UNC School of Law and graduated in 2023. In addition to serving on the Black Mountain Counseling Center board, Allison is a volunteer Guardian ad Litem. In her free time, Allison enjoys spending time with her spouse Matthew and dog Leo and cheering on the App State Mountaineers.

Vera Jones was born and raised in the low country of South Carolina.  She moved to the mountains of Western North Carolina when she was 18 to attend college, after college Vera stayed.  Vera is currently the CFO of a North Carolina non-profit.  The two most important things to her are her Faith and Family.

Judi brings over 30 years of experience in real estate and finance. A retired banking executive, she now runs her own real estate consulting business. Judi has served on several boards and remains deeply committed to community engagement. She actively volunteers with initiatives such as SVCM Deck the Trees and White Horse Black Mountain, supports Owen Athletics as a booster sponsor, and dedicates her time to curating Visit Black Mountain, a platform that promotes local businesses and tourism.

Walton Davis is an estate planning lawyer in Black Mountain. His spouse, Maura Schoen Davis, is a retired early childhood educator and they are the proud parents of two fun people. He’s a member of the Asheville Jazz Orchestra, playing trombone.

Brandon Moffitt is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor and the Executive Director and Founding Partner of Black Mountain Academy, a specialized boarding school providing integrated therapeutic care. He is also the Executive Director and Founding Partner of Intrepid Young Adults, a local program that supports neurodiverse young adults.

With over 20 years of experience as both an educator and therapist, Brandon has worked extensively with adolescents and their families in therapeutic schools and programs. He serves on the Black Mountain Counseling Center board, advocating for accessible mental health care for youth, families, and seniors.

Before becoming a therapist and parent, Brandon taught middle school math and science in North Carolina and spent time as a whitewater and climbing guide in Oregon. An outdoor enthusiast, he enjoys trail running, mountain biking, camping, fly fishing, woodworking, and cooking. Above all, he is grateful to live, work, and explore the beauty of Western North Carolina with his family and the young people he serves.

Julie Moore has been a resident of the Swannanoa Valley since 1994.  Julie graduated from the University of Central Arkansas, receiving an Associate's degree and a Bachelor's in Education.  She has been an educator in Burke and Buncombe County.  Julie left the valley for a few years to pursue a career with the American Heart Association in the Midwest, assisting with AED placements and Stroke Protocols. But her love for the Swannanoa Valley brought her back.  Julie's career path continued as a Takeda Pharmaceuticals representative, then transitioned into NeuroScience with Otsuka Pharmaceuticals. Her current position is with Teva Pharmaceuticals in their NeuroHealth division, covering Western North Carolina.   Julie tends to her mental health by walking her dog Cooper around the valley, doing house projects with her husband Chris, doing activities at Black Mountain Presbyterian Church, and loves to dabble in various art mediums.  

Matthew Horne (Matt) is a retired Presbyterian Minister originally from Hampton, VA, now living with his wife DC Horne in Montreat, NC. They have three grown children. Matt is a graduate of Davidson College ,'78 and Ball State University- MA in Counseling '81, Union Theological Seminary, M.Div. '87, and the US Army War College, MS in Strategic Studies '01. He and DC served churches in North and South Carolina, and he served as Staff Chaplain at Palmetto Health (now Prisma Health) for eleven years in Columbia, SC. He retired from the Army Reserve in 2008 with thirty years service, the last twenty as an Army Chaplain. He serves as a hospital chaplain (part-time) at HCA-Mission Hospital in Asheville.