Leadership

Twana W. Roebuck
Executive Director
336.722.9400 x137
twana.roebuck@eisr.org

Twana Wellman-Roebuck is the Executive Director of Experiment in Self-Reliance (ESR), a non-profit in Winston-Salem that helps people with low-moderate income overcome obstacles to self-reliance. Twana has been leading ESR for nearly 25 years.

Twana is a graduate of Winston-Salem State University where she received a degree in Elementary Education and a minor in Art. Under her leadership, ESR was selected as the Joel Weston Award Winner for Outstanding Non-Profit Management in 2003, and in 2012, ESR was selected by the Better Business Bureau as the Winner of the Ethics Awards for Business Management. In 2012, Twana launched ESR’s first Capital Campaign in the history of the organization, successfully raising nearly $2.8 million dollars over a 2-year period.

In 2014, Twana was recognized by Salem Lodge #139 as being an influential woman in Winston-Salem. The same year, she was selected as Woman of the Year at the Winston-Salem Chronicle’s 29th Annual Community Service Awards Gala. In 2016, she received a Women of Vision Award through the City of Winston-Salem. In 2018, Twana received an award for being one of the Piedmont Triad’s 50 Most Influential African Americans. She is the 2019 recipient of the Paul Harris Fellow Award from the Reynolda Rotary Club and a 2021 President’s Lifetime Achievement Award recipient. In 2022, Twana received the Trailblazer Award and the Transformational Leader Award.

Currently, she serves on the Liberty Street Restoration Board, Women’s Fund Special Events Committee, ACEY Women’s Fund Group, Truist Advisory Board, the Winston-Salem Police Review Board, Truist Economic Development Committee, Homeless Operating Cabinet, the Minister’s Conference, the Council for Executive Directors for Community Action Agencies, and the High Point Chapter of Women Achievers.

Twana is married to Bobby Roebuck, a retired employee of the City of Winston-Salem and a local artist, and is the proud mother and grandmother of two sons and two granddaughters. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority and Carver Road Church of Christ. For more information on Mrs. Wellman-Roebuck, check out Women in Leadership: Twana Roebuck.

Stephanie Blackstock
Finance Director
336.722.9400 x138
stephanie.blackstock@eisr.org

Fred Bazemore
Programs and Operations Director
336.722.9400 x132
fred.bazemore@eisr.org

Frederick D. Bazemore is the Director of Programs and Operations at Experiment in Self-Reliance (ESR). Prior to his promotion to this position in January 2011, Bazemore was the agency’s Self-Sufficiency Program Director. Bazemore joined ESR in 2003. Bazemore serves as a board member of the North Carolina Community Action Association (NCCAA) as the Western District Chairman and serves as a board member for the Piedmont Triad Regional Council (PTRC). A native of Tarboro, NC, Bazemore earned a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Public Administration from Winston-Salem State University.

Greatest Strengths:

Integrity and Consistency. Having a great knowledge about the clients we serve and continuing to build trust and solid relationships through honesty and consistency has always yielded great results no matter the situation.

How I Motivate Others:

Always focus on the positive. I constantly motivate and encourage our clients to stay focused on the positive areas in their lives and to surround themselves with positive people.

Lessons Learned:

The most important lesson I have learned with the clients we serve is “to meet people where they are in life.” Understanding a client’s current situation and offering a hand-up instead of a hand-out has always been an instrument that produced a positive outcome.

Personal Wisdom:

Be a dreamer. Only by setting my sight high can I hope to achieve my goals.