Our Team

Leadership

Shari G.

Chief Executive Officer & NC Real Estate Broker

Shari is the Chief Executive Officer of Carolina Mornings. Shari started Carolina Mornings in 1997, then known as Asheville Cabins, as a part-time business in her house. It didn't take long for the business to grow into a full-time, successful business with over 80 properties, a full time dedicated team and 2 office locations. Shari's passion for integrity, accountability and professionalism make Carolina Mornings the unrivaled leader in Asheville vacation property rentals and management.

Shari graduated at the University of Michigan's School of Nursing and also holds a Masters of Public Health from UNC, Chapel Hill and has served in the Congo as a Peace Corps Volunteer. She is the mother of 2 beautiful teenage daughters and two four-legged shadows, Curious and Jezzibel. In her spare time, she enjoys volunteering in a myriad of venues from China to local farmers markets.

Shari is a member of the board of directors of the North Carolina Vacation Rental Managers Association.

Gay W.

Chief Operating Officer

Gay came to the Carolina Mornings team in July 2012 as the Director of Sales and Marketing, assuming the role of Chief Marketing Officer in 2015 followed by Chief Operating Officer in 2019. He started his business career in the hospitality industry with Hilton Grand Vacations Club in 1998, serving as the Operations Manager for their west coast call center. Following the tragedy of Sept 11th, 2001, Gay left the Hilton family to serve in the United States Navy as a network administrator onboard a fast attack submarine. In 2007, he resumed his marketing career by joining Festiva Hospitality Group in Asheville, NC as their Director of Marketing Systems.

Gay's role at Carolina Mornings includes overseeing all departments for performance, compliance, and guest experiences. He is excited to lead an amazing team and is continuously working with each department head to design new strategies and programs that will help take Carolina Mornings to the next level.

Gay loves Western North Carolina with a passion and enjoys spending his free time experiencing the mountains through his mountain bike, golf bag, fly rod, and tent. He is active in the local community, including activities such as Asheville Toastmasters (President, 2017-2018), Leadership Asheville (Class 36), Asheville Sailing Club (Secretary, 2019), and Homeward Bound of WNC (Co-Founder of Bus Pass-It-On program, 2010-2015).

Katie S.

Director of Owner Relations & Broker In Charge

For property owners considering joining (or switching) property management companies, there is a lot to consider. Carolina Mornings provides a dedicated New Property Owner Coordinators to ease the transition by answering every question and looking at every detail to ensure new properties are brought into our family expeditiously and efficiently. Our process is simple and easy: interested property owners speak directly with Katie, Director of Owner Relations. Katie will personally walk them through the ins and outs of professional vacation rental management. Through the sharing of knowledge, insight, and experience, our new property owners find the process incredibly easy, comforting, and even fun! With many years of experience with Carolina Mornings, Katie is truly the best in the industry for anyone seeking to take their investment property to the next level!

Katie, an NC Real Estate Broker, is originally from Yorkshire, England where she attended Hotel School. She earned European hospitality industry experience in Monaco, France and the Netherlands, and then settled permanently in the US in 1994. She has been affiliated with Real Estate development, construction, and estate management from Aspen, Colorado, Taos, New Mexico and Jupiter Island, Florida.

Katie spends her free time dog training, hiking, scuba diving and dining out at the diverse array of local Asheville restaurants.

Mark S.

Director of Property Operations

Mark, an Asheville native, earned his B.S. in Business Administration from The University of North Carolina at Asheville. His career has since taken many roads, from manufacturing management to real estate sales to child protective social work. Mark is a licensed NC Real Estate Broker and has extensive experience in residential real estate construction and remodeling. A dual Swiss and American citizen, he grew up traveling both nationally and internationally and continues to love traveling as well as scuba diving as often as possible. When not working Mark enjoys spending time with his wife and two daughters and enjoys doing most anything that involves the outdoors.

Dana C.

Full Charge Bookkeeping Manager

Dana joined the Carolina Mornings team in 2014 as an Administrative Assistant, and quickly began learning the ins and outs of North Carolina Trust Accounting. Dana has a Bachelor's Degree in English from SUNY New Paltz.

As the Full Charge Bookkeeper and Bookkeeping Manager for Carolina Mornings, Dana oversees the Accounting and Human Resource departments. She has a hands-on approach to account management and works intimately with all departments of the company to ensure smooth monthly procedures.

When not at work, Dana can be found exploring the Blue Ridge Mountains with her family and three dogs, tending to her gardens or buried in a good book.

Tonya S.

Housekeeping Manager

Tonya joined the Carolina Mornings team in May 2021 as the Housekeeping Manager. She joins us from UNCA where she led a team of housekeepers in the residential buildings. Tonya has almost 30 years of cleaning experience ranging from commercial, residential and vacation property cleaning. She spent over 14 years in law enforcement leaving her rank as Chief of Police to pursue her passion for fitness. Tonya Currently teaches fitness classes in Hendersonville, NC where she also resides. When Tonya is not working or teaching, she spends her time hiking with her Labrador, Sailor.

Dean M.

Marketing Manager

Dean started work for Carolina Mornings in October 2020 as their Marketing Manager. Prior to Carolina Mornings, Dean worked as the Director of Operations at a similar-sized vacation rental company on the west coast. Dean’s background in vacation rental hospitality includes laundry management, housekeeping, reservations, owner and guest relations, and homeowner recruitment. Dean has a Bachelor's Degree in Mathematics from the University of Washington with a background in engineering.

As the Marketing Manager for Carolina Mornings, Dean oversees and works to continually improve all marketing efforts for guests and homeowner clients, with the goal of creating maximum value for Carolina Mornings advertising investments. Dean is excited to apply his varied vacation rental hospitality experiences in pursuit of this goal.

When not at work, Dean enjoys spending time with his significant other and their two sons Noah and Nicholas. Dean also takes pleasure in investing, woodworking, and swimming.

Zoe B.

Reservations Manager

Zoe has been a devoted member of the Carolina Mornings Reservation Team working her way up from Vacation Planner to Reservations Team Coordinator to now Reservation Manager. Bringing together her degree in Hospitality and Tourism, her love for Asheville and her passion and determination to provide excellent customer service to our guests and owners, Zoe is ready to bring a fresh new view to the Reservations Team Management and is excited for the continued success and growth of Carolina Mornings. Zoe enjoys spending time with her family and two children, hiking in the beautiful mountains and spending added time enjoying amazing dining and experiencing new events.

Administrative

Mark R.

Business Development Specialist

Mark joined the Carolina Mornings Team in March 2018 as a Vacation Planner. Mark then transitioned to a part-time position with Carolina Mornings as a Marketing Assistant in November 2019, after taking a management position at Goodwill. As of April 2024, Mark has come back full time as Business Development specialist! Mark is well connected in the community creating long lasting relationships with partners and owners for Carolina Mornings. Originally from Charlotte, North Carolina, he attended Montreat College on a soccer scholarship and received his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration. An Asheville resident for over fifteen years, he is an avid backpacker and outdoorsman!

Abigail T.

Owner Relations Coordinator

Abigail joined the Carolina Mornings team in the Summer of 2020. She has established herself as a master of onboarding new properties to our program as well as skillfully assisting our new and existing Owners. Abigail is currently attending school to obtain a B.S. in Radiologic Technology since she has a passion for preventative medicine, however, do not think this takes away from her ‘Carolina Mornings’ drive! When she’s not in class or assisting our owners she is spending time with her husband, three cats, and getting outdoors.

Seth T.

Owner Relations Coordinator

Seth joined the Carolina Mornings team in November 2019 and worked for three years securing reservations and helping our guests with premium customer service. He has now taken on the role of assisting our Owners in the Owner Relations department. Tennessee-born, he has lived in multiple states but settled on the Blue Ridge Mountains as his place to call home. Seth likes listening to music, playing video games, and spending time with his wife. He also has a B.A. in English Literature.

Property Management

Jonathan Y.

Maintenance Supervisor

Jonathan is the Maintenance Supervisor for Carolina Mornings. He was born in the Philippines and grew up on the Pacific Island of Guam. Prior to his employment at Carolina Mornings, Jonathan had a long career in Commercial Construction. He enjoys music, reading, and spending time with his kids.

Kristie K.

Property Management Coordinator

Kristie joined the Carolina Mornings Team in June 2018 as the Property Management Coordinator. Originally from Long Island, New York, Kristie attended college to earn a Hospitality Management degree and is currently attending her pre-licensing real estate course at Cumbie & Trull in Asheville. She has been happily residing in Arden, NC with her fiance since September 2017 and will be married in September 2020. When they are not hiking to one of the beautiful waterfalls North Carolina has to offer, she can be seen around Asheville at local restaurants and breweries enjoying the atmosphere!

Vacation Planners

Jodi R

Team Lead

Jodi joined the Carolina Mornings Team in October 2022 as a Vacation Planner. Originally from the foothills of North Carolina, she moved to Florida as a young adult where she worked for 19 years at a small vacation rental company in Indian Rocks Beach, FL. After moving back to her home state, she earned her Associates Degree in Accounting and Finance from a local community college. When Jodi isn’t helping our guests plan their next getaway, she is planning the next adventure for her family. She enjoys photography, scrapbooking, reading and creating memories with her husband and three children.