Meet Our Board of Directors & Administrators
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR // SPIRITUAL DIRECTOR
Rev. Amanda Rigby
Amanda (she/her) is a trained spiritual director and an ordained elder in the North Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church. She holds a Master of Divinity degree from Duke Divinity School (2019). In addition to serving as the Executive Director of The Well, Amanda is also the Pastor of Christian Education and Spiritual Formation at Edenton Street United Methodist Church in downtown Raleigh. She is passionate about being a spiritual companion to those who are seeking deeper spirituality, to clergy, and to folks in the LGBTQ+ community. In her role at The Well, Amanda works to advocate for mental health care as a human right made accessible and available for all.
PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD // THERAPY DIRECTOR // LIFE COACH
Dr. Elizabeth Watters
Elizabeth (they/them) is a licensed marriage and family therapist and received their PhD in therapy from the University of Iowa. In addition to co-directing The Well and offering life coaching, they are a researcher and professor who specializes in exploring and working with the impact of systemic trauma and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) across the lifespan. Elizabeth is passionate about increased accessibility to trauma informed knowledge, treatment, and healing in marginalized communities.
BOARD MEMBER // SPIRITUAL DIRECTOR
Sarah Capel
Sarah (she/her) is a trained spiritual director. She holds a Master of Arts in Christian Practice from Duke Divinity School (2017) and a law degree from the University of Virginia (1986). Sarah’s great joy in life lies in building and nurturing relationships. Therefore, her role as Spiritual Director is to hold sacred space for Spirit to guide others to understand how much God loves them and desires to be in cleansing, renewing relationship with them.
“The experience of God’s love is an experience of grace, overwhelming beauty, and unbelievable mercy. It is a gift of forgiveness, approval and acceptance. To live in that love means to live in grace, to be gracious and merciful to others. It means extending to them forgiveness and approval and acceptance.” (Richard Rohr, Great Themes: Old Testament)
BOARD MEMBER
Melissa Auten
Melissa Auten (she/her) is a retired nurse with a masters of science in nursing from Midwestern State University. For her second career in later life, she pursued a certificate in spiritual direction from Eastern Mennonite Seminary. Melissa has been working as a Spiritual Director since 2015, and is a 2017 graduate of The Living School through The Center for Action and Contemplation in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Several years ago, she joined the leadership and teaching faculty of the North Carolina Institute for Spiritual Direction and Formation where she works to help shape the next generation of spiritual directors. Melissa is passionate about providing spiritual companioning to people from all walks of life. Much of her work has focused on helping people who are deconstructing or who have faced religious trauma.
Melissa is a wife and mom of two grown sons, a gregarious golden doodle, and one snarky black cat. She is passionate about her friendships, family, and pets, as well as travel, gardening, and visiting the mountains where she always senses God’s Presence the most pervasively.
CLIENT CARE & OPERATIONS COORDINATOR
Charley Higgins
Charley (she/her) brings experience from her work in higher education student affairs, as well as community-based nonprofit program management and operations. She holds an MA in Community Development Policy & Practice from the University of New Hampshire. Outside of her role at The Well, Charley works in higher education developing programs and advising international and first-generation students. At the heart of all of Charley’s work, she is passionate about creating welcoming, supportive spaces for all and connecting individuals and communities to the resources, information, and care they need to progress toward their goals and thrive.
BOARD MEMBER // EX OFFICIO
Rev. Rachel Kwashe
Rachel Kwashe (she/her) is an ordained elder in the North Carolina Conference currently serving as the pastor of Macedonia UMC in Cary. She graduated from Duke University in 2021 with a Masters of Divinity and from Indiana Wesleyan University in 2018 with degrees in Honors Humanities and Biblical Literature with a minor in Christian Ministries. She comes from a long line of United Methodist pastors and missionaries. Born in Raleigh, Rachel spent most of her childhood living in Michigan before moving back to North Carolina in 2016, having spent time as far east as Greenville and as far west as Morganton. In her spare time, she volunteers with the NC Victims Assistance Network providing support to loved ones of homicide victims during the trial process. She also enjoys spending time with her husband, Kuda and their two dogs.