LEARN MORE ABOUT THE TEAM

Mrs. Grace Smith

Co-founder 

Mr. Kenneth Smith

President/Founder

Mrs. Underwood is employed with Grace-Mar Services, Inc. as an employment specialist for the Charlotte Housing Authority’s Southside Job Plus Program. Prior to this position, she was the WorkfFirst program manager for the Urban League of Central Carolinas. Sophie decided to follow her passion of helping people to live better lives after ending a 30-year career in benefits administration with Duke Energy Corp. She then received her A.A.S. degree in human services from Central Piedmont Community College, where she was an AmeriCorps participant and a member of Phi-Theta-Kappa Honor Society.

Sophie also assists her husband with their transitional housing program, New Life House, Inc., and has volunteered with multiple community efforts, including the Domestic Violence Speaker’s Bureau, Beauty for Ashes Ministry, Charlotte Men’s Shelter, Return Ministries, and Jacob’s Ladder Job Center. 

Mrs. Sha’Tonia  Chapman is a  native of Detroit, MI and has recently relocated to Charlotte, NC. Sha’Tonia has always had a passion for helping others since she was a youth. She takes pride in saying “I didn’t choose social work, social work chose me”. For over 15 years Mrs. Chapman has been an active and intricate part of her community and church. She has served her community as a social worker and educator. Sha’Tonia has been a social worker for at-risk- youth, women and  children of domestic violence, adoption and foster care, behavioral health, hospice and convicted felons. Sha’Tonia also has a desire to educate and have been blessed to impact the lives of youth as an educator at DPS (Detroit Public Schools) and CMS (Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools).  Mrs. Chapman acknowledges that without a solid foundation that includes; God, family, friends, community partners and countless opportunities to grow that she would not have had the support and exposure needed to fulfill her passion.

 Sha’Tonia is a mother of two  beautiful daughters and have been married to her high school sweetheart for 8 years. Some of her hobbies includes roller skating, shopping and hosting game nights for her family and friends. Sha’Tonia has her Associates Degree in Human Services, Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology with a concentrate in Social Work and is pursuing her Master’s Degree in Social Work.  Her favorite quote is “You may not always remember what someone said but you will always remember how they made you feel. –Maya Angelo”.  She wants every person she encounters to leave her office feeling valued, loved and that the sky is the limit.

Ms Smalls is a business professional that has been in banking and finance for over 20 years and has been responsible for leading, coaching and developing teams while focusing on achieving sales goals and all operations of financial centers.  She graduated from Antioch University, Yellow Springs, Ohio in 2004 with a Bachelors of Arts degree in Humanities with an emphasis on Religion and Classical studies.

Markita lived in Dayton, Ohio for 22 years before relocating to Charlotte, NC in 2015 with her 10 year old son.  She is currently working on her Master’s degree in Organizational Leadership.  She now sits on two Boards to include Princess Pearls and the Epilepsy Foundation of the Miami Valley. Through her education and experience her passion lies in helping people to meet both their personal and professional goals.  She is currently working with Grace Mar as a Community Specialist where she is able to realize her passion for people on a daily basis.

Mrs. Venetha C. Jeffers

Administrative Assistant

Venetha C. Jeffers is the Administrative Assistant of Kenneth Smith at Grace-Mar Services Inc. in Columbia, South Carolina.  She joined the team with a background in mortgage and   Health Insurance. She takes great pride in being a team player and learning all that she can so that she can excel to the next level.  She has the ability to multi-task priorities within the workplace and when given a task she will see it through.

Mrs. Venetha is married with 2 children and 3 grandchildren. Her motto is “Enjoy each day because tomorrow is not promised”.  She is known for her sweet and kind spirit and willingness to help anyone she comes in contact with that may be in need. Becoming a part of Grace-Mar will let her shine in helping others that are in need.

Ms. Tahkira Sampson-Pearson

Administrative Assistant

Tahkira Pearson is the Assistant of Kenneth Smith at Grace-Mar Services Inc. She joined the team with a background in Business Communications. She takes pride in her ability to multi task priorities within the workplace and has always known that she wanted to work for a non-profit organization that targets benefiting the community. Now landing an Assistant roll under Kenneth Smith at Grace-Mar, she believes that with time she will do exceedingly well.

In addition to Ms. Pearson's Business Communications background, she has also taken interest in Sociology to understand the cycle of human development. Her favorite motto is “In order to see results, you have to take action”. Tahkira applies this motto to her everyday life to ensure growth. With a sincere passion to help people, she feels as though Grace-Mar is a unique fit for her career.

Ms. Cherillee Lewis

Marketing Specialist

Cherillee has always taken pride in her ability to outshine and complete tasks exceedingly well. This became evident to her when she repeatedly won "Best Photo" at her University’s photo exhibition two years in a row. Yet, she is best known for her independence and her charisma in motivating others to step up and have confidence in taking action.

​

Ms. Lewis has always loved the art of persuasion as it relates to marketing and curiously came up with the idea of testing her abilities by going door to door selling books. In a culture where most find it daunting to read a book, she was able to make $26,000.00 in 3 months selling health and religious books. She learned that her personal self-worth and confidence appear strong, even when she was not.

Since becoming more aware of her talents, Ms. Lewis has been taking classes to be certified as a National Apartment Leasing Professional. She is fixated on achieving her every goal and approaches them with diligence and dedication. She is committed to sharing her passions with those around her and helping their passions flourish.