About Us
Keaton’s Place is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization devoted to providing second chances for individuals and families impacted by substance use disorder. Founded in loving memory of Keaton Hunt, our mission is simple yet profound: to create safe, supportive recovery homes where hope is restored, lives are rebuilt, and our community is strengthened — one step at a time.
As a nonprofit, every decision we make is guided by our commitment to the well-being of our residents and the greater Asheboro community. Our Board of Directors, staff, volunteers, and donors work hand-in-hand to provide resources, accountability, and unwavering compassion. Together, we stand for second chances — and for a community where recovery is always possible.
Susan Hunt
My name is Susan Hunt. I am Keaton’s mom…
Tanya Smith
President
Tanya Smith, NC Regional Community Outreach at Lighthouse Autism Center, is a seasoned outreach and engagement leader with extensive experience across healthcare, mental health, and substance use treatment. With a proven track record of driving access to care, Tanya has dedicated her career to connecting individuals and families to the life-changing resources they need to thrive. At BrightView Health, Tanya led North Carolina’s substance use treatment outreach efforts, quickly building the state’s top-performing region through strategic partnerships, referral development, and community education. Her work expanded access to addiction recovery services, mental health, eating disorders and has helped drive measurable improvements in client engagement and outcomes. Now serving as the NC Regional Community Outreach for Lighthouse Autism Center, Tanya continues her mission by supporting families impacted by autism—building collaborative networks with providers, schools, and diagnostic partners to ensure early intervention and ongoing support. Motivated by both professional expertise and personal experience, Tanya is deeply committed to improving the lives of those around her by breaking down barriers to care and serving as a trusted resource in the communities she serves.
Reynolds Lisk
A lifelong Asheboro resident, Reynolds Lisk was a 1975 graduate of Asheboro High School and a 1980 graduate of UNC Charlotte with a BA in Economics. Reynold’s professional career began with Neely & Lisk Insurance in 1980 and ended retiring as President of Insurance Associates of the Triad in December 2020. He served as Board Chair for numerous local Non-Profits including United Way, Asheboro-Randolph Chamber of Commerce, and is currently serving as Board Chair for Randolph Community College.
April Thornton
Secretary
Self-motivated, successful executive with over 30 years of experience in a broad range of industry sectors: healthcare, non-profit, government and media. Demonstrated success in strategic planning, creative problem solving, go-to-market initiatives, operations enhancement and fiscal accountability. Adept at motivating and leading a board of directors, a multi-faceted staff, donors and departments to achieve overall marketing, public relations and fund-raising objectives. Results-producing leader with positive outcomes in expanding charitable donations, market share, revenues and favorable corporate image awareness.
Ted Miller
Treasurer
Ted Miller is a Managing Director at UBS Financial Services. Mr. Miller has over 25 years of experience in the financial services industry and has served in various capacities for several 501C-3 entities. Prior to his financial career, Ted served our country as a decorated Naval Aviator with over 400 aircraft carrier landings. Mr. Miller received a BS in Mathematics from the US Naval Academy and a MBA from the Harvard Business School.
Ed Bunch
Vice President
Ed is a retired lawyer. He is a lifelong resident of Asheboro and Randolph County and a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Wake Forest University School of Law. Ed and his wife, Nancy, have 3 daughters and 6 grandchildren and are active members of First United Methodist Church. Ed enjoys playing music every chance he gets. “I am excited to do anything I can to help Keaton’s Place. Keaton’s Place is successfully addressing a need that will always be present in our community. I applaud Susan Hunt and Chip Womick for their energy and commitment to this cause.”
Robert Wilhoit
Vice President
Robert Wilhoit, a partner in the local law firm Wilhoit Hatchel, LLP., is a graduate of Wake Forest University and a member of the Charter Class of Campbell University School of Law. Mr. Wilhoit has also attended Notre Dame Law School at the London School of Economics. His legal practice includes representing the City of Randleman, the Town of Ramseur, the City of Trinity, the Town of Seagrove, and the Town of Staley. In addition, Mr. Wilhoit represents Randolph County Community College and the Seagrove Ulah Metropolitan Water District. He represented Randolph County Schools for over eighteen (18) years and is a former chair of the NC Council of School Attorneys. He is a former chair of the Board of Trustees for the Western North Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church. He is also the former chair of the Randolph County Senior Adults Association and a former board member of Hospice and Randolph–Asheboro YMCA.
Chip Womick
Director of Services
In my years as a journalist, many people who struggled with alcohol and other drugs shared their stories with me. None of them set out to embrace the demon of addiction. None of them set out to do harm to themselves and to their families. I have a passion for helping people who want to help themselves. It’s what led me to Keaton’s Place.
Chip Womick spent 35 years writing about people, places, and things in Randolph County. He retired from The Courier-Tribune in 2018 and has been contributing stories to the Randolph Hub since it began publication in September.
He is the author of “Drugs Did This – Stories of Substance Abuse in the Center of the Tar Heel State: People Who Died, People Who Have Battled, and People Who Are Battling Still.”
“Alcohol was my drug of choice,” Womick said. “I started drinking in high school and did not stop for nearly 20 years. I was gainfully employed by day and drank the nights away. I really do not want to survey the broken landscape of poor personal interactions from those years. Eventually, I kicked my addiction before it killed me, or I killed someone else.