Jeremy Parks has served as the director of Tri-State since 2024. Prior to that, he served as a board member and instructor. He is a formerinternational missionary with the IMB, serving for 20 years in five different countries (Czech Republic, Venezuela, Ecuador, Thailand, Turkey). He currently serves as the pastor for First Baptist Deaf Church of Greenville, SC (since 2019) and works as an instructor of American Sign Language (ASL) and associated topics at North Greenville University, an SBC-affiliated school in South Carolina. He is the former president of the South Carolina Baptist Conference of the Deaf and has written Sunday School materials for Deaf churches for Lifeway. He and his wife of 34 years, Stacy, have three married children and five grandchildren.
Born in Sylva . North Carolina. Attended public schools until I became deaf at the age of 12. Graduated from NC school for the Deaf. Graduated in 1967. Attended Gallaudet University. 3 time president of GA Baptist Conference of the Deaf. Present TriState School of Theology Assistant Director. Director of Deaf Ministry at Union Baptist Church, Winder, GA.
Blaire Johnston has been Charlotte’s Regional Center Manager at the Division of Services for the Deaf and the Hard of Hearing since June 2016. In this role, she has been successful in supporting DSDHH’s mission to ensure that North Carolinians with hearing loss have full communication access, especially in the areas of their well-being and health. Prior to her role at DSDHH, Blaire served for nine years as a vocational rehabilitation counselor for the deaf and hard of hearing, where she worked with people to obtain or maintain employment. She is also serving various organizations that advocate for people with disabilities in education, independent living, and community involvement. Her passion and commitment to self-advocacy is powered by her experience as a Deaf woman. Blaire obtained her Master’s in Rehabilitation Counseling from Auburn University in 2011 and is a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor.
Blaire, who became Deaf at age three, is a dedicated leader in the Christian Deaf community. She has served as the elected Secretary and Treasurer for the NC Baptist Conference for the Deaf (NCBCD) and on the Board of Directors for Signs for Hope.
I graduated from the NC School for the Deaf in 1980. I married my high school sweetheart (Deborah Turner). We have been married for 42 years. I am a current student of TriState Deaf School of Theology, former seminary student of Southern Seminary, and working toward a BA degree with Gardner-Webb University in NC. I serve on the board of TriState Deaf School of Theology. Before becoming a fulltime minister of the Gospel, I worked for 25 years at Sypris Technologies, Inc. as an advanced Computer Numerical Control Operator. On April 30, 2007 I felt God calling me into fulltime Deaf Ministry. I lead a Bible study once a month on Monday nights for deaf students on the campus of NC School for the Deaf - Morganton. I serve as the Director of Deaf Camp at Camp Caraway (NC) every year during the month of May. I have also led numerous international mission trips for deaf believers in NC each year. I have served as a short term missionary for the Baptist IMB ministering to the Deaf in Honduras (32 times), South Africa (11 times), Puerto Rico (2 times), Russia (2 times), Leon, Mexico (2 times), Barranquilla,Colombia (9 times), Mexico City (4 times), Quito, Ecuador (7 times), and Bangkok, Thailand (2 times). I have also conducted mission trips to the Urkaine, China,Taipei,Taiwan (Deaf Olympics), Zambia (Africa), Lilongwe (Malawi), Guatamala, Mexico City, Cancun (Mexico), Cordoba (Argentina), Belize, and Puebla (Mexico). I also work part time for the NC Baptist State Convention serving as evangelism events coordinator for the Deaf Community of NC. I have served as an associate pastor for three years to the Deaf at First Baptist Morganton - NC. On January 24, 1993, I received a Certificate of License to Preach from Pleasant Hill Baptist Church in Morganton, NC. Then later on, May 4, 2008, I received a Certification of Ordination to be the full time evangelist from First Baptist church in Morganton, NC.
Laramie Burris currently works as maintenance director at Atlanta Area School for the Deaf. He has been living in Georgia for almost his whole life. He was involved with many church activity leaders for over 15 years such as teaching Sunday School, leading bible study, sometimes preaching, and was active in a few officer positions at Georgia Baptist Conference for Deaf for a few years. He really enjoys teaching directly from the bible because have such a desire to help Deaf understand about Jesus Christ by using our heart language through American Sign Language. He is a happily married man with a lovely wife and three children.
Dr. High received her B.S. degree from Mars Hill College, certification to teach the Deaf from Lenoir Rhyne College, Interpreter training from Gallaudet University and the Northeast Florida Consortium on the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, and her M.Div., Th.M. and Ph.D. from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Her dissertation is entitled “A Visual Hermeneutic: The Contribution of Sign Language Studies to Biblical Interpretation.” She has worked with Deaf people for approximately 40 years as a Teacher, Chaplain, Home Missionary, Coordinator of a Deaf Program in a Bible College as well as a professional interpreter and Interpreter Educator. She was with Gardner-Webb University as an Interpreter Educator from 2000 - 2021. She retired in May 2021. She has beem actively involved in a variety of professional organizations related to teaching ASL, interpreting and the training of interpreters. She has taught workshops in many states across the country and has written for the Deaf Sunday School Teacher’s Quarterly and the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf. Dr. High has achieved the Masters Certificate in teaching ASL from ASLTA, holds Certification in both Interpreting and Transliteration from the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf and Level 5 from NAD. She has passed the Sign Language Proficiency Interview at the Superior Level and is a Sign Language Proficiency Interviewer and Evaluator.
Bo Sherrill has been working in Deaf Ministry at Parkwood Baptist Church in Concord, N.C. for 38 years. He has been full time Pastor for the Deaf for 23 years at Parkwood and has been working as a Consultant for Deaf Ministries for the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina since 2020. Married to his wife Glenda for 49 years. Has been on numerous International Mission teams to China, Honduras, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Brazil, and several Mission trips in the U.S. Enjoys spending time with family, fishing and wood working.