About

About.

New Hanover Disaster Coalition is an inclusive and diverse coalition of community leaders, faith groups, nonprofits and members of the public dedicated to the readiness, relief and recovery of all New Hanover County residents affected by disaster. With more than 70 participating faith groups and organizations, we work together to leverage resources and meet the needs of the community.

Our Mission.

Our Vision.

To connect residents with resources that aid in disaster readiness, response and recovery.

A community that emerges from disaster, stronger than before, with greater compassion, courage and unity.

Our Coalition and Meeting Culture.

We are survivor focused; transparent, empathetic and accountable to one another.

We treat all survivors with dignity, sensitivity and respect.
We value a supportive environment to educate, encourage motivate and inspire one another.
We honor one another by respecting one another’s perspective, experiences and time.
- Come to meetings prepared and punctual
- Seek to understand before being understood
We value teamwork, sharing information and win-win collaboration with one another to best meet needs and serve our neighbors.
We value out-of-the-box solutions and synergy.
Solution Focused.
We remain committed to being an active member of the coalition.
We are generous!
- We give grace and the assumption of positive intention.
- We give “space” and grace for people to grow and be creative.
- We give a listening ear and a helping hand.

Coalition Bylaws

Our Leadership Team.

Sean Bynum
Co-chair

Sean is married to Filecia Bynum and they have four beautiful daughters. He is the Operations Director for StepUp Wilmington and holds a Master’s Degree in Organizational Leadership from Regent University. Sean is a native of Wilson, NC and served eight years in the United States Air Force. He is an active member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., New Hanover County Schools Diversity Equity and Inclusion Committee, and serves in leadership roles at his daughters’ schools.

Pastor Jonathan Conrad
Co-chair

Pastor Jonathan Conrad was born in Statesville, NC, and raised in Winston-Salem, NC.
He earned his Bachelor's Degree from North Carolina State University. He worked in radio for ten years at WTOB (Winston), WSJS (Winston), WRBZ (Raleigh), and WPTF (Raleigh). Among his radio duties were producing the local morning and afternoon talk shows, announcing the weekly Trading Post show, and co-hosting a nightly sports show.
Jonathan followed the Holy Spirit to Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary in 1999 and earned his Master of Divinity in 2003.
He served congregations in Pennsylvania and Arizona before returning to North Carolina in 2009 to served Grace Lutheran in Thomasville. While in Thomasville, Jonathan was President of the Cooperative Community Ministry and President of the Thomasville Rotary Club.
He began his ministry at St. Paul's Lutheran Church in March 2017. Besides his role as Senior Pastor, he currently chairs the Synod's Campus Ministry Team as well as Ministerial Roundtable of Wilmington where he works with people across the faith spectrum to build relationships and create an impact in the community.
“PJ” loves to read mysteries, CrossFit workouts, and being the best father and husband he can be.

Audrey Hart
Executive Director

Audrey is a graduate of the University of North Carolina-Greensboro, where she received her Bachelor of Science in Social Work. She has worked in case management, politics, and recruiting, and brings her passion of serving people and building a stronger community to the New Hanover Disaster Coalition.

She was nominated and received the University of North Carolina-Greensboro Pacesetter Award for the Health and Human Services Department in 2015. Audrey is originally from Montreal, Quebec and has been in North Carolina since 2003.

Partnerships at Work.

Our Coalition is working for the citizens of New Hanover County because we have some great, dedicated partnering agencies including:
Become a partner by completing this MOU

About.

Our Mission​.