Board of Directors

Shirley Haywood, Interim President
Michael Fariss
John Gorman
Tabmitha Jervey
Olymphia Perkins

Shirley Haywood

Shirley has been actively involved in ministry, along with her husband Ed, for over 30 years. Her primary ministries have included children’s ministry, such as Five-Day Clubs and Child Evangelism Fellowship, and prayer ministries for women. Shirley and her husband have served together with inner city ministries along with foreign and local missions and in other parts of the world. She actively served on the Urban Discovery Ministries Board, where the main focus was ministry to high school students and sharing the gospel with the purpose of connecting students to the local church. Shirley holds a BS in Health and Physical Education from Virginia State University, and a Master’s Degree in Education and Human Development from George Washington University. She attended Regent University and received her administrative training and principalship endorsement for grades K-12 with advanced credit towards a doctorate degree.

In addition to her academic training, Shirley completed the adult education program in Biblical Studies from Washington Bible College. Shirley’s work background includes 30 years in the public school with 14 years in school administration as an assistant principal on the elementary level. She was born and raised in Norfolk and resides there with her husband who is an associate pastor. They have four adult children and one grandchild.

Michael Fariss

Pastor Mike Fariss is the original visionary for Park Place School. In 1997, he started an afterschool program for older teen boys to help ensure their success in school. The program grew into a full-day school 2 years later and moved from The Discovery Center on Granby Street to Park Place Methodist Church. Because of his love for Christ and dedication to serving young people, he helped create a school aimed at helping children increase their opportunities for success in life. Mike, or “Coach Mike” to many, is affectionately known for coaching basketball at Norfolk Christian Schools, and training basketball players and teams professionally around the world. Coach Mike was recently honored with the 2020 Park Place Founders Visionary Award.

Tabmitha Jervey, PhD

Dr. Tabmitha Young Jervey has over 18 years of experience in university teaching and research and has successfully designed and implemented best-practices for teaching, research, mentoring, and training methods for future scientists in the classroom and the laboratory. Since 2016, Dr. Jervey has served as an Adjunct Professor, teaching Biochemistry and Biology at in the Department of Natural Sciences and Mathematics. On July 1, 2018, Dr. Jervey became a full-time faculty member. Prior to serving as Visiting Assistant Professor at Regent Univ., Dr. Jervey was an Assistant Professor of Biology for 12 years at Norfolk State University. Dr. Jervey currently teaches Biochemistry, Nutrition, Anatomy and Physiology, and General Biology.

Dr. Jervey earned her B.S. degree in Biology in 1991 from Norfolk State University in Norfolk, Virginia. She earned her Ph.D. degree in Biomedical Sciences with an emphasis in Molecular Virology in 2001 from Eastern Virginia Medical School and Old Dominion University. She has over 15 years in Herpesvirus research on the transcriptional controls of Human Cytomegalovirus. Recently, her interest has shifted to understanding the epigenetic impact nutrition on overcoming viral infection.

Dr. Jervey cherishes all time spent with family, both immediate and extended. She loves growing in her walk with Christ, sharing HIS love with others, morning runs, occasional kayaking and reading nonfiction.

Rob Slaughter

Rob and Sally, his wife of over 40 years, live in Edenton, North Carolina, and have one daughter, Sarah, who lives in Richmond. Rob and Sally are members of Christ the Redeemer Anglican Church in Norfolk. Rob has been on short-term mission trips to Rwanda and Haiti. He is a board member of the Haitian American Friendship Foundation and of the American Foundation for Relief and Reconciliation in the Middle East. A trial attorney since 1979, he currently practices with his own Edenton firm called Slaughter Law Firm, PLLC. His many years of service in the Army Reserve included duty in Iraq in 2005-2006.