Meet The Staff
At The ARK of SC, we have an incredible team working every day to accomplish our mission.
The People Who Make it Possible
Peg Lahmeyer
Peg Lahmeyer is our Executive Director and co-founder of The ARK. She started The ARK in 1996 as an outreach program to St. Lukes Lutheran Church. Before The ARK was started, Peg and her husband, Jim, were caregivers for her mother who had Alzheimer's.
In 2021, Peg was named The Trailblazer of the Year: Woman of Excellence Award by the Summerville Chamber of Commerce and Honorary Rotarian of The year by the Sumerville Rotary Club.
In 2025, Peg was honored with the Order of the Palmetto, South Carolina's highest civilian honor. Presented by the Governor, the award recognizes extraordinary lifetime service and contributions to the state.
When Peg is not at The ARK, she enjoys traveling to new places, reading mysteries and historical fiction, hiking, sightseeing, and spending time with family and her fur babies.
Michel'le Cathey
Michel'le Cathey is our Associate Director at The ARK of SC. She implements the organization’s strategy, including oversight of member services, programs, operations, and financial management.
Michel'le was a part of The ARK staff from 2016-2019 and has re-joined us after moving back to the area. In 2015, she received her Bachelors in Business Administration from the College of Charleston. Michel'le is a 2018 graduate of the Summerville Chamber of Commerce's Leadership Dorchester program, is a graduate of the 2023 class of Francis Marion's Nonprofit Leadership Institute and currently serves on the AFP SC Lowcountry Chapter Board of Directors.
When not at The ARK, Michel'le enjoys spending time with her husband & fur babies, listening to true crime podcasts, heading off to the beach & hanging with friends.
Naomi Cills, LMSW
Naomi Cills is our Family Caregiver Advocate. Naomi has been with The ARK since February 2014. She facilitates our support groups, our program intakes, caregiver consultations and educational classes.
Naomi is a Licensed Master Social Worker with a concentration in Mental Health from the University of South Carolina, a Licensed Practical Nurse, and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology/Sociology from Charleston Southern University. In her free time,
Naomi enjoys traveling, watching reruns of Monk and The Golden Girls, touring museums, and spending quiet time on the beach. She treasures family time with her husband, 4 children, 3 grandchildren, and her grand pup Lyla Snow.
Jan Hyatt
Jan Hyatt is our NOAH (Neighborhood Outreach Alzheimer's Help) Director. Jan joined The ARK staff in June of 2018. She is a master trainer for Powerful Tools For Caregivers and facilitates our educational classes and outreach of our services.
The NOAH Project is a community outreach effort to assist small towns and rural communities in developing their own services to help families coping with Alzheimer’s Disease.
In her spare time, Jan and her husband love to ballroom dance and spend time with their children, grandchildren, and friends. Jan also enjoys traveling, reading, being outdoors, playing Mahjong, and loving her two precious dogs Maisie and Sadie.
Debbie Housand
Debbie is our Program Director and joined The ARK staff in December of 2019. In her spare time, Debbie enjoys teaching ballroom dancing and has over 40 years of experience.
Daysha Middleton
Daysha Middleton is the current Office Manager here at the ARK. Her close family friend whose mother attended the Respite care program recommend her based on her bright personality and professionalism. Daysha received her bachelor's in Fashion and retail management from the Art institute of Charleston in 2011. She has a strong work history in customer service which fostered her ability to interact with people from all walks of life. Presently she teaches Sunday school at her church and prides herself on balancing being a wife and mother of two girls (8 years old, 10 years old).
Nancy Nellis
Nancy is the Program Assistant for the Social Respite Program and the Navigation Club (early memory loss program) at the Summerville location.
Nancy Nellis is our Program Assistant here at the ARK. Her job is to assist in running the daily activities such as Trivia, Chair Exercise workout, Indoor/Outdoor Games, and Arts & Crafts projects with our Members.
Nancy has a BS Degree from the University of Maryland 1987 with an Arts background. She moved to Summerville in 1990. Nancy then found a job as a Cake Decorator for two different Caterers as well as Piggly Wiggly in Summerville and Charleston. She also worked 15 years for Dorchester District Two Schools as a Kindergarten Assistant and Substitute Teacher.
When Nancy is not at the ARK you can find her playing pickleball or outside in her yard gardening and growing milkweed to help promote the Monarch Butterfly population. Her favorite “ Happy Place to be “ is Hunting Island State Park where she enjoys walking the beach and hunting for shells.
Bambi Rushton
Bambi Rushton is our Respite Coordinator for our Respite Care Program in Harleyville. Bambi joined the staff in 2016. Over the years, Bambi has taught hundreds of students how to ride and competently take care of their horses at the large farm she and her husband, Larry, own in St. George. In her free time, Bambi loves horseback riding.
Christine M. Czarnik
Accountant, Carolina First Tax & Accounting
The ARK of SC Board of Directors
*Board headshots provided by John Lindroth, Summerville Headshots
Jillian Weatherford, President*
Re/Max Pro Reality Pratt and Co Team
Pamela Goodwine-Glover, Vice President
Retired, Santee Cooper
Doug Warren, Secretary
Retired, Dorchester County EMS
Charles Jenkins, Treasurer
Home Telecom
Caregivers need support, and so do we. We cannot offer our assistance and resources without the help of generous donors and volunteers. To learn more about how you can help click below.
