Yancey County
Meet Our People
Niki Maness
Program Assistant, Empowering Youth and Families Program
- A Yancey County native and an EYFP Program Assistant for the county.
- Graduated NC A&T SU in 2009 with a B.S. in Landscape Architecture and a B.S. in Environmental Horticulture.
- Aspires to restore and maintain the tight-knit community that she experienced during the most important years of her life.
- Can be found her exploring the creeks and trails with her husband and ever so curious toddler who both share her love for the outdoors when she’s not recruiting families or organizing session materials.
Britney Stines
- Britney is a Yancey County native who is thrilled to be raising her two children where she spent her childhood along with her husband.
- Currently pursuing a B.S. degree in Human Services from ETSU and has interned with the Empowering Youth and Families Program for two semesters.
- Passionate about family preservation and the youth in Yancey County.
- Spends her free time with her family. Camping and swimming in local rivers are some of their favorite things.
Jessica Zucchino
- A former elementary school teacher and currently a fitness instructor, health coach, nutrition educator, and a Youth and Adult EFNEP Educator for Yancey County.
- Her passion is to support others in meeting their goals and feeling their very best.
- Believes that honest and open communication is the most powerful tool in relationships, whether they be family, community, or otherwise.
Peirce Bingham
- Has lived and worked in Yancey County for the last 16 years
- His passion is the youth of Yancey County
- Provides programming as the Mountain Challenge Coordinator for “At Risk” youth who have been referred by Juvenile Justice, DSS, School Guidance Counselors and Mental Health Providers. As a supporting role, his program offers referred parents classes in parenting.
- Sits on the executive committee of the Mitchell Yancey Substance Abuse Task Force
- Volunteers with Appalachian Youth to Youth (drug prevention)
- Leads his Mission Team at church
- Heads up a chapter of Celebrate Recovery
- A leader of the area Bible Study Fellowship
- Three-time president of the Rotary club of Burnsville
- Sits on the board of both the local Kairos and Emmaus organizations.
- Married with 4 kids and lives on a Mountain Farm where he raises endangered Arapawa goats.
- Extremely excited to be on the team bringing EYFP to Yancey County
In Memoriam, Tres Manger 1967 – 2019
Tres was a champion of the Empowering Youth and Families Program and a strong leader for the work of Extension in Yancey County. As the first Cooperative Extension Director to adopt EYFP, Tres believed strongly in the work of EYFP which he described as the most important work he had ever done for Extension. Tres worked for Cooperative Extension for 17 years, as a Family Consumer Science Agent, 4-H Agent, and as a County Extension Director. Prior to Extension he worked ten years with The Crossnore School, a Children’s home, as a resident counselor, social worker, and as Director of Development.