Staff Members
Benjy Capps
Executive Director
Benjy, a Raleigh native, grew up playing and loving sports. That love led him to be a part of the Miracle League of the Triangle. Starting as a parent and buddy for his son, Micah, he then coached for many years before becoming Executive Director in 2014. Benjy attended NC State University and worked in the restaurant industry for 17 years before moving to the Miracle League. He has served on the Deacon Board at Temple Baptist Church and the Steering Committee for The Ride Without Limits benefitting Easters Seals UCP here in Raleigh. In 2018, Benjy was honored by the Durham Sports Club with the Hugo Germino Award for his work with the Miracle League. Benjy brings a great blend of passion, professionalism and compassion that will lead our efforts to bring the joy of baseball to many more children with special needs and their families. He currently resides in Raleigh with his wife, Heather and children, Micah, Noah and Emma.
Cyndy Vagle
Director of Baseball Operations
As a mother of children with special needs, working for the Miracle League of the Triangle has extra meaning for Cyndy Vagle. In July 2009, she joined the League as the part-time League Manager. As the Miracle League grew so did Cyndy’s role in the organization. Named Director of Volunteers in 2012 and then Director of Baseball Operations in 2014, her unwavering dedication continues to provide Miracle League players, families and volunteers a sense of community and a baseball experience full of joy. A graduate of Buena Vista University in Iowa, she has experience in entertainment production, retail management and marketing for newspapers. Cyndy resides in Holly Springs with her husband, Todd, where they have raised 3 children.
Trisha Keen
Player Services Coordinator
Trisha Keen joined the Miracle League as Player Services Coordinator and Field Manager of the North Wake field in January 2015. In this role, she strives to extend the reach of our program and provide players with the best possible experience on the ballfield. While working on her MAT in Special Education at NC State, she was recruited to be a part of the Miracle League field staff in Cary and eagerly returned for three seasons before taking on her current role. Trisha has worked with children of all ages, abilities, and diagnoses, in both a Pre-K classroom and 1:1 setting. She lives with her family in Garner.
Kyle Coburn
Volunteer & Grants Coordinator
Kyle Coburn joined as the Volunteer Coordinator for the Miracle League of the Triangle in July 2022. He is committed to engaging the community to support and grow a network of enthusiastic volunteers. After graduating with a degree in Political Science from Neumann University in 2020, he participated in two years of national and community service in areas of disaster relief and affordable housing. Kyle has experience fundraising for Best Buddies International and volunteering with Special Olympics in his hometown, Smyrna, Delaware. Kyle recently moved to Raleigh in December 2021, and spends his free time outdoors disc golfing, hiking, camping, and road tripping to nearby camp sites.
Board Members
Board Chair
Landy Townsend serves as Vice President, Marketing & Communications for Mercalis. He is a native Kentuckian and a veteran of the pharmaceutical industry, where he has held various positions in Sales and Marketing. Landy holds a BA from Transylvania University and an MBA from the University of Louisville. Landy and his wife, Allie, are staunch advocates for children with special needs and support many local non-profits. He has been a Miracle League Coach at our Raleigh field since 2014. Landy, Allie, and their three sons live in the Wake Forest area.
Immediate Past Chair
Scott Strickland is the Assistant General Manager of the Durham Bulls. Scott is a resident of Durham and attended North Carolina State University. On top of his career with the Durham Bulls, he has also worked with the World Baseball Classic, the Atlantic Coast Conference and the Carolina League. Scott brings a passion for baseball and for kids and adults with special needs and their access to sports.
Treasurer
Senior Director of Corporate Treasury at SAS Institute, Eakes is a graduate of NC State and resides in Cary with his wife, Nancy Browning. He currently serves on the Board of Trustees of Cary Academy, NCSU College of Management Board of Advisors, Global Hope for India and the Elder Board and Finance Committee at Hope Community Church. Jeff was former volunteer Finance Director for the Jimmy V Celebrity Golf Classic and board member of the Lucy Daniels Center. His Miracle League duties include finance management.
Nancy Bragg recently retired after 26 years working in clinical research, ending her career as a Director of Project Delivery at ICON plc. Nancy holds a BS (St. John Fisher University) and an MS (The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) in Chemistry.
After coaching girls’ basketball with Chapel Hill Parks & Recreation for 18 years, Nancy started coaching baseball with the Miracle Leage of the Triangle in 2016. After many years coaching at the Raleigh field, she currently coaches one team in Cary and two teams in her hometown of Durham.
Nancy is active with the American Red Cross and volunteers as a Transportation Specialist, delivering blood and blood products to area hospitals multiple times per week.
Danks Burton is the owner of Pinnacle Masonry, a commercial masonry contracting firm founded in 1992 located in Cary. He graduated from Virginia Military Institute with a civil engineering degree. He is a past President of the NC Masonry Contractors Assoc. and currently co-chairs the Certification Committee for the Masonry Contractors Assoc. of America. Danks lives in Raleigh with his wife and three children.
Captain for Delta Airlines and Air Force Reserve Colonel(retired), Carr is a graduate of NC State University and has been active in little league, middle school and high school baseball for more than 15 years.
IN BUSINESS…
Jason Dapkevich is a full service, residential REALTOR®. He graduated from The University of North Carolina at Charlotte and moved back to the Triangle to be an educator, where he was named “Teacher of the Year” in 2011. Transitioning into real estate was natural, giving Jason the ability to continue teaching people about another one of his passions.
Jason has gone on become an ICON Agent within his parent company of eXp and consistently ranked in the top 1% of REALTORS® within the Triangle Area of North Carolina. Jason is known for his attention to detail, strong work ethic, and innovative marketing. He strives to keep all aspects of this successful business focused solely on his clients – whether that be through his unparalleled service, heart-felt gifts, or client appreciation events.
IN THE COMMUNITY…
Jason grew up going to the Cary YMCA, where the power of giving back was instilled at a young age. One of his favorite organizations to volunteer for is The Miracle League of the Triangle, where he and his clients have the ability to help kids with special needs play baseball. Jason also supports his friends, families and clients charities such as HopeLine: Crisis Prevention and Fill Your Bucket List Foundation.
A message from Jason:
“Twelve years ago I stumbled across a fantastic organization whose mission matched mine as a middle school teacher: inclusion. The connections my students made with their buddy’s each game was evident by the smiles, and Miracle League quickly became the most anticipated volunteer event every year. Despite leaving education, I knew when entering the world of real estate that my intentions would remain: to continue sharing the joy experienced on the ball field by including my clients and their families; who now show the same excitement for those spring Saturday mornings. And while this tradition will always remain, I would truly appreciate an opportunity to become even more involved and lend my experiences, resources, knowledge and most of all, my passion for The Miracle League, to continue embracing the incredible mission of making sure every child feels included.”
Secretary
Joe is a stay-at-home Dad and the primary caregiver for a son, Bryson, who has cerebral palsy, hydrocephalus, and other impairments. Joe formerly worked as a reporter for The News & Observer of Raleigh. He helped found The Ministry Incubator, a nonprofit that guides start-up nonprofit ministries, and served as board member and chairman for the Alliance of AIDS Services – Carolina. Currently, Joe serves as a Stephen Minister at his church. He is learning to sail a boat.
Patsy Johnson is a North Carolina native, Johnson moved to Cary in 1986 as a novice in the banking industry. Today she’s the president of TowneBank Cary, nearing 50 years of marriage to her high-school sweetheart, Howard, and still hits the slopes at her family’s annual ski vacation. (Cary Magazine) With more than 30 years of banking experience in North Carolina’s Triangle region, Johnson offers a strong background in financial insight and deep relationships into the community.
She has been recognized for her outstanding achievements by the Triangle Business Journal’s Women in Business Awards. She graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Byron Kirkland is a partner with Smith Anderson Law Firm in Raleigh. A corporate and securities lawyer for over 25 years, Byron has extensive experience in private equity and venture capital transactions; public offerings; domestic and international mergers and acquisitions; and general corporate law and securities matters. He represents public and private companies across diverse industry sectors including information technology, clean technology, medical device, biotechnology, pharmaceutical, communications and manufacturing.
Brad McGinnis is Senior Vice-President of Crosland Southeast, a commercial real estate development company located in Cary. He is a graduate of the University of Georgia. Since moving to Cary in 1986 Brad has been actively involved in the community. In the past Brad has served as Chair of the Cary Community Foundation, President of the Cary Page Rotary, member of the Cary Visual Arts Board Executive Committee, and member of the Board of the Cary Chamber of Commerce. Brad lives in Cary with his wife Teshia, a teacher at Cary Christian School and son Quinn and daughter Lydia.
Desmond Miller works for the YMCA of the Triangle as the Senior Program Director for the Y-Guides, father/child program. Prior to his time at the YMCA Desmond was the 4H Youth Development Agent at NC A&T, was a Substitute Teacher for Durham Public Schools System, Director of Food Safety at Chick-fil-a in Durham and worked for the Boy Scouts of America.
Desmond is a results-driven leader with more than 25 years of experience guiding early education programs with a strategic, transformational approach and a passion for enhancing educational opportunities for children and families. Desmond lives in the Durham area where he is deeply rooted and active.
Chuck Norman, APR is Owner/Principal of S&A Communications, a full-service integrated communications company providing public relations, crisis and reputation management, marketing, digital, creative, event planning, publishing & photography services. S&A has 40 employees and was founded in 1982. S&A was also named a Forbes Top Agency in America.
Norman’s background includes experience in public relations, marketing, crisis communication, social media, branding, association management and economic development. In addition, he has been directly involved with economic development & infrastructure planning through a number of Intercity Visit projects across the United States and Canada since 1996.
Norman is an accredited member of PRSA and has held leadership roles with PRSA, NCPRSA and RPRS. Norman was also named to PRSA’s Counselors Academy in 2008 & in 2013 he was appointed to the executive committee and served as chairman of the board in 2019. He also holds several board positions outside of the communications field. He has served on the Wake Technical Community College Advisory Board. He served as the chair of the 2011 Raleigh Chamber Business Expo & chaired the 2011-12 Emerging Leaders program. He was appointed to the Cary Chamber of Commerce board of directors in 2013 as vice chair of Economic Development and served as chairman of the board. He was appointed to the local board for Wells Fargo Bank in 2014. In 2022, he was honored with the Raleigh Public Relations Society’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
Norman earned his B.A. in communication with a concentration in Public Relations from North Carolina State University. He later completed the Organizational Management Institute at the College of Charleston satisfying requirements to lead or manage all aspects of an association. He also served on the 2013 PRSA national nominating committee. He received the Business Journal’s 40 under 40 Leadership Award in 2009.
Employed by Jellybeans of Cary, Kim Rose is owner of Jellycamps, a camp program for children ages 5-12 years of age. She was previously active in local youth soccer hockey and lacrosse programs as well a prior board member of the Morrisville Elementary PTA. Rose graduated from UNC-CH. Miracle League duties include Operations and Special Events Committees.
Co-Founder
VP of Land Acquisitions and Construction for Preston Development Company, Robin is also a Co-Owner of Jellybeans Super Skate Center in Cary and has been involved in child entertainment for over 40 years. He was instrumental in bringing the first ice skating facility to the Triangle in 1985 as well as the development of ice and roller hockey in the area. Robin attended Louisburg College for two years and is a member of their Athletic Hall of Fame. He graduated from Atlantic Christian College (now Barton College) where he has served on the Alumni Board and is a member of their Athletic Hall of Fame as well. He has also served on the Advisory Board of the YMCA in Cary. Miracle League duties include development, construction, and fundraising.
Yo Sobha is an Executive Director with the YMCA of the Triangle, Inc. Yo graduated from NC State with a degree in Communications and a minor in Psychology. He has been with the YMCA for over 20 years and has helped create Camp GRACE, a summer day camp designed to give an enriching camp experience to children with Developmental Disabilities and children on the Autism Spectrum. He has also helped create Inclusive and Adaptive Day Camp and Track Out Programming throughout the Triangle Area that are designed to include all children, no matter their ability. Yo was the recipient of the John Rex Endowment Award in 2008 for his work with children with special needs. He is also active with Wake County Schools, Triangle Community Church, and YMCA sports programs.
Russell transitioned into commercial real estate brokerage in 2017 after working as a real estate attorney in Raleigh. His real estate experience first started while working for his family’s construction and development company in Pinehurst. Russell focuses on land sales as well as industrial leasing and sales. With an engineering and law background, Russell is able to provide a multi-faceted approach to help solve clients’ needs.
Russell and his family reside in Cary and have been longtime advocates of The Miracle League of the Triangle.
Michael has over 25 years of fundraising experience with the nonprofit sector and higher education, focusing on all aspects of fundraising, development, alumni engagement, and building connections. Currently, Michael serves as Senior Director of Development for the School of Nursing at Duke University. Before joining the School of Nursing in January of 2024, Michael served for 7 years as Partner & Vice President at BrightDot, a fundraising consulting firm based in the Triangle, where much of his role involved training and mentoring major gift officers while helping strategize all aspects of engagement and development. During his career, Michael has worked for the Conservation Trust for North Carolina, the College of Arts & Sciences at UNC-Chapel Hill, the College of Veterinary Medicine at NC State University, Guilford College, Oak Ridge Military Academy, and the Boy Scouts of America. Michael holds a BA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Additionally, in his free time, Michael enjoys spending time with his partner Cody, and their two high energy dogs Calvin and Oslo; gardening, traveling, and is a beekeeper and active member of the Durham County Beekeeper Association.
Ginny Watters is Nurse Manager at Duke Health. She studied at the University of Delaware and has over thirty years of nursing experience both in hospital as well as the private sector in general surgery. Currently she evaluates all consults in hospital and outpatient clinics for appropriateness of requested access, ensure laboratory values are adequate, order additional labs if needed. Schedule cases with the operating room personnel. Discuss case with attending and medical or surgical house staff, including any problems relevant to placement of vascular access device. Discuss operative procedure with patient and family, obtain operative consent. Write preoperative orders. First assist in the operating room on all cases. Coordinate cases with the OR staff. View all postoperative chest x-rays. Serve as resource for hospital personnel and house staff concerning vascular access devices. Take beeper call 24 hours/7 days week. Maintain vascular access database.
She also volunteers in the community serving as Chairperson for major fundraising endeavors as well as serving on Community Boards. Ginny has volunteered with March of Dimes, Ravenscroft, American Heart Association, Parents Council for Hampden Sydney College. Ginny is very familiar with the Miracle League of the Triangle and was on the board for a short time in 2010. Ginny lives in the North Raleigh area with her husband Chris Watters. Both Ginny and her husband Chris have strong connections in the N. Raleigh and Durham communities.
Co-Founder
CEO of Withers & Ravenel, a land planning and engineering firm located in Cary, NC. Withers is a NCSU graduate. He served as past president for the Board of the YMCA of the Triangle and still serves on several committees. He served as past president on the board of the Eastern NC Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society of which he was active for 8 years. He is also on the NC State Engineering Foundation, a rotarian (for 20+ years) and a past deacon of his church. Miracle League duties include construction, development, and fundraising.
Steve Zaytoun is the President and Owner of Zaytoun & Associates, Inc in Cary, North Carolina. Steve is a long-time resident of Cary and graduate of the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. He is served on and chaired many triangle boards including the Cary Chamber of Commerce, Union Bank and Trust Co., YMCA of the Triangle, and Raleigh Little Theatre. Steve is married to Lisa Zaytoun and Steve has 2 kids and 2 grandkids.