Wildacres Staff

Philip Blumenthal

Philip Blumenthal, director, of Wildacres grew up in Charlotte, and spent a great deal of time as a child and young adult at Wildacres. Philip graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1972 and became Director of Wildacres in 1974. Philip is also Director of the Blumenthal Foundation and divides his time between Charlotte and Wildacres. Philip and his wife, Amy, have two children, Andrew and Ethan. Amy led the Flute Master Class for many years and participates in the programs of Ringling School of Design. Andrew and Ethan both love the time they spend at Wildacres and pitch in to help maintain the retreat.

Mike House

Mike House, resident manager, has worked at Wildacres for 19 seasons. He was born in Charlotte, graduated from North Carolina State University in 1972, and spent 12 years in Fort Mill, South Carolina working for Leroy Springs and Company as a recreation programmer. He moved to the mountains in 1984 to develop Springmaid Mountain in Spruce Pine. He, his wife, Kathryn, and their two children, Sarah and Lucas, lived on the South Toe River in Yancey County for many years before moving to Wildacres. Sarah learned pottery in the Wildacres studio and is now a production potter living near Celo,NC. Lucas became interested in blacksmithing at Wildacres and continued in that field after graduating from the School of Design at North Carolina State. Kathryn works the office at Wildacres and has a pottery shop at her house at Wildacres. Mike's duties at Wildacres include administration, personnel management, group services, maintenance helper, and gardener.

Chris Brown

Chris Brown, caretaker, was born in Pennsylvania, spent his childhood in northern Vermont, and moved to the upstate of South Carolina as a teenager. Chris' varied professional experience includes: food service management, retail management, and construction. Chris and Dana settled together in Greenville,SC from 2003 to 2006. In August 2006 Dana & Chris began a journey traveling up the East Coast and over the Atlantic to Ireland.They then bicycled down the west coast of Ireland and over to Brittany, France. Once back in the United States they continued their cycle tour from northern Virginia to western North Carolina traveling on the Blue Ridge Parkway (unknowingly cycling right past Wildacres). Chris was hired as caretaker in January 2008, and Chris and Dana had a daughter, Áine Joli, on September 27, 2008.