Prevent Child Abuse North Carolina (PCANC) announced the appointments of Stephen Dauchert, Beth Hunt, Shailaja Rajagopalan, and Somer Saunders to its 2021/2022 statewide board of directors. They join a team of 17 volunteer leaders dedicated to ensuring all North Carolina children thrive in safe, stable, nurturing relationships.
Shailaja Rajagopalan of Morrisville is a Regulatory Due Diligence Lead at Credit Suisse Services LLC. She has over 18 years of management experience working across different industries in both the US and UK, primarily in the areas of risk and compliance, strategic planning, and operations. Rajagopalan earned her master’s degree in Electronic Systems from Robert Gordon University, Scotland, and her bachelor’s in engineering from India. She has, in the past, volunteered with the Durham Literary Council and with Kiran helping victims of domestic violence in the South Asian community. Shailaja enjoys traveling, hiking, reading, and spending time with her family in her spare time.
Stephen Dauchert of Raleigh is the Chief Marketing Officer at The Redwoods Group which is a mission-aligned insurance provider for youth-serving organizations. He earned his master’s in business administration from Duke University and his Bachelor’s in Spanish from University of Georgia. He has over fourteen years’ experience in marketing and sexual abuse prevention from his time with The Redwoods Group. Dauchert is a Campaign Volunteer for the YMCA of the Triangle, a Staff Parish Chairman at St. Marks United Methodist Church, and is a Certified Trainer for Darkness to Light. He lives in Raleigh with his wife, Leigh, and three children, Sibyl, Margaret, and Elizabeth.
Beth Hunt is the Chief Compliance Officer at UNC Health Southeastern. Hunt graduated with a law degree from University of North Carolina School of Law in 2007. Prior to her current role, Hunt was the Government Affairs Policy Specialist at UNC Health Southeastern; Program Coordinator at Robeson Community College Youth Services; Program Director at Center for Community Action; Community Coordinator at NC Academic Center for Excellence in Youth Violence Prevention; and Coordinator of Advocacy, Outreach and Training at the NC Justice Center. She was a Henry Bergstrom Child Welfare Fellow at the University of Michigan Law School from May 2006-September 2006. Hunt has volunteered with Southeastern Family Violence Center since 2018 and previously volunteered at Robeson Community College Foundation from 2018-2019. She lives in Lumberton with her husband, Brandon, son, Braxton, and daughter, Ellie.
Somer Saunders is the Assistant Comptroller at Campbell University. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from The University of North Carolina Chapel Hill and her Master of Accounting from The University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler Business School. Saunders became a Certified Public Accountant in May 2015 and has over 10 years’ experience in auditing and accounting. Prior to her work at Campbell University, Saunders was a Senior Audit Associate at KPMG where she engaged with nonprofits. She is a former volunteer for the Make a Wish – Eastern NC Chapter. Saunders lives in Fuquay-Varina with her husband, Gary, and their four children.
“These community leaders bring with them unique skill sets from their careers and volunteer experience that will be invaluable to Prevent Child Abuse NC’s board,” said Sharon Hirsch, PCANC President and CEO. “We are so grateful they are joining the Prevent Child Abuse NC team as champions to help ensure that child maltreatment prevention is a priority for North Carolina.
They will serve a three-year term on the PCANC board.