SALISBURY — Salisbury Academy has named four new members to its board of trustees: Mark Petty, Greg Shields, Maria Vandergriff-Avery and Lasheka Walker.

Mark Petty holds a bachelor of science in accounting from Bob Jones University and a master of business administration from Florida Southern College. A certified public accountant, he began his career with KPMG Peat Marwick. Since 2006, Petty is vice president of finance at Global Contact Services. He and his wife, Kim, have two sons, Tyler and Jon Mark, both of whom graduated from Salisbury Academy. Kim Petty taught at the academy for 14 years. The family first joined Salisbury Academy when the school was in its original location at Haven Lutheran Church.

Greg Shields brings his expertise from a number of local organizations as well as his career in network design, implementation and security. He holds a bachelor of arts degree from James Madison University. After working at UUNET, WorldCom and Savvis, Shields recently took a position at NetFoundry, where he is responsible for developing and maintaining partner relationships with data center operators, managing service providers and telcos. Shields and his wife, Kristin, have two children, Phoebe and Thatcher, both of whom graduated from Salisbury Academy. Shields has served as the board chairman for Downtown Salisbury Inc., on the board of Historic Salisbury Foundation and on the vestry as junior warden at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church. 

Maria Vandergriff-Avery, a Catawba College professor of sociology and director of honors program, is originally from Knoxville, Tennessee. Vandergriff-Avery and her husband, Christopher Avery, moved to Salisbury in 2003. Vandergriff-Avery holds bachelor of arts and master of science degrees from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville as well as a doctorate in family studies in public and community health from the University of Maryland College Park. Her writing focuses on marital power, gender, low-income families and violence in families. Vandergriff-Avery and her husband have two children, Moira and Finnegan, both of whom attend Salisbury Academy. In her spare time, Vandergriff-Avery enjoys reading, running, hiking and spending time with family.

LaSheka Walker brings extensive experience in development, operations and education. Walker holds a bachelor of science degree from Winston-Salem State University and a master’s degree from the University of Phoenix. Walker is development officer for Catawba College, and she previously worked at Miller-Motte Technical College, Northwest Child Development and Prevent Child Abuse Rowan. She and her husband, Curtis, are Salisbury Academy parents with two sons, Jalon and Deuce. Walker serves on the boards of J.F. Hurley Family YMCA and the Foundation for the Carolinas.