STAFF
The Valentines
The Wards
The Hughes
Mark has been the director of CRU at App for 22 years. He graduated from the University of Kentucky where he was involved with Cru. He has been married 23 years to his sweet wife Bekah, who is kind and wise, and enjoys baking, running, swimming, and volleyball. She graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill which can make it a little tough around the house during basketball season. Mark has never met a stranger, is a gifted speaker, and loves fly fishing, hunting, and Kentucky basketball. They have 3 children; Michaela, Jenna, and Silas.
Christopher and Paige Ward have been working for Cru since 2013 where they first met while serving in London, England. Paige graduated from Florida State University and loves FSU football and Christopher is an App State Alum! He is excited to be back at his alma mater! Before App, Paige served with Cru’s ministry to international students (Bridges) at Georgia Tech and Christopher was working at the University of South Carolina. They got married in May 2017 and are excited to work together at ASU!
Chris and Allicia first got involved with Cru as students at App State. After graduating in 2012, they served with Cru on various campuses in Upstate South Carolina. They moved back to Boone in 2017 and love continuing to reach students at their alma mater. They have two children--Judah and Adelaide.
Amy Wilson
Amy Wilson is an App State alumni that has been working with Cru since 2016. Last year she lived in Madrid, Spain working with Cru’s STINT program. She is excited to be back in Boone and sharing the team leader role with Mark. She majored in Elementary Education and loves kids, but fell in love with college ministry while interning with Cru after college. Amy grew up in the small town of Mount Airy, North Carolina. She loves traveling, fuzzy animals, coffee, and calligraphy. She also enjoys recreational activities like kayaking and skiing.
The Freemans
Larry grew up in Wyoming and graduated from the University of Wyoming and The University of Texas at Austin. He has served with Cru over the years at the University of Minnesota, Texas A&M, UNC Charlotte, NC State, and on several international summer missions. He is steady, patient, a good listener and enjoys reading, hiking, and biking. He and Teresa met in California while serving at Cru’s headquarters. Teresa is from North Carolina and graduated from Appalachian State. She loves being back in Boone. She has served in various roles at several campuses with Cru and The People and Culture Team for NC, VA, MD, and DE. She loves people, music, creativity, the outdoors, and being with family. Larry and Teresa have three grown children who also graduated from Appalachian State. They are enjoying being grandparents to Grace and Joy.
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The Harris'
Damon and Emily have been working with Cru since 2015. Damon graduated from Georgia Southern University, and Emily graduated from Auburn University. They met on STINT in East Asia. They served at The University of Alabama before returning to East Asia as longterm staff. COVID brought them to Boone in 2020, and they have served at ASU since then. They have one daughter, Ruthie!