Board of Director Bios
Anna Ragland - Born in Edenton, NC, Anna Wood Ragland graduated from St. Mary's College in Raleigh and Randolph-Macon College in Lynchburg, VA. During many years of community service, she was an active member of the Junior League of Raleigh. She was honored by her husband with the establishment of the Anna Wood Ragland Library Fund at UNC-Chapel Hill. Proceeds of the fund support the North Carolina Collection at the Wilson Library where the renowned Hayes Library is now located. The Hayes Library was originally at the home of Anna Wood Ragland’s family in Edenton. She was married to W. Trent Ragland, Jr. for 70 years.
Anna Wood Ragland Hayes - A graduate of the University of North Carolina School of Law, where she served on the editorial board of the North Carolina Law Review, Anna Hayes is a former partner in the law firm of Manning, Fulton in Raleigh. She is the author of Without Precedent: The Life of Susie Marshall Sharp, published by UNC Press in 2008. A longtime supporter of the UNC Libraries, she is a past president and current board member of the UNC Friends of the Library. She also serves on the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center Board of Visitors and the board of the Institut Français d'Amérique. She is the founder and president of the Crook's Corner Book Prize Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization with the purpose of encouraging emerging novelists writing about the American South.
Alice Ragland - The second child of Trent and Anna Ragland, Alice Ragland received her undergraduate degree in History from NCSU and a Masters in Substance Abuse Treatment and Vocational Rehabilitation from ECU. She has served on various boards including The Women's Center, Wake Visual Arts, and Triangle Family Services. Retired from her career in counseling, she currently enjoys painting. Alice has two children and three grandchildren, and she is married to Duff McAdams.
W. Trent Ragland, III, Chairman - A graduate of North Carolina State University, W. Trent Ragland, III is the owner and President of Ragland Properties, Inc., a Raleigh-based real estate development company. He currently serves as the Vice-Chair of the NCSU Foundation, on the NC State Club Board of Directors (founding member), and the Executive Committee of Friends of the Library. He is currently a board member of the North Carolina Community Foundation and the Wake Boys and Girls Club, and he is the former chairman of the Board of Trustees of Saint Mary’s School. He and his wife, Wes, have two children.
Walton Joyner – Walton Joyner is a native-born resident of Raleigh and retired attorney who previously served as a member of the Board of Trustees of Saint Mary's School, Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Peace College Foundation, and board member of the UNC Law School Foundation. Walton and his wife, Lucy, have three children and seven grandchildren, all of whom call Raleigh their home.
John Nash - A graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, John Nash is the President of Mid-Atlantic Securities, a comprehensive wealth management firm headquartered in Raleigh. He is a past Chair of the Board of Trustees of Saint Mary’s School and has recently rotated off the vestry at Christ Church in Raleigh.
Sandy Worth Page - A graduate of Randolph-Macon Woman’s College, Sandy Page was born in Raleigh. She is an educator who taught in the Wake County Public Schools and currently tutors students on an individual basis. She is a former president of the Junior League of Raleigh, the Board of Directors of SAFEchild, and the Rex Healthcare Guild Board. She and her husband, Winston, have two children and two grandchildren.
Sherwood H. Smith, Jr. - Sherwood H. Smith, Jr. lives in Raleigh. Currently retired, he worked with Carolina Power & Light Company for many years after first practicing law. He is a graduate of The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He has been involved in service and leadership roles in a variety of business, educational, civic, and charitable organizations on the local, state and national levels. These have included The North Carolina Community Foundation, The Triangle Community Foundation, and The Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation boards.
J. Cross Williams, Jr., Vice-Chairman - Cross Williams, Jr. is the President of Williams Realty & Building Co., Inc. A graduate of The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Cross is the past president of the Boys’ and Girls’ Clubs of Wake County and the Friends of Habitat for Humanity. He also served as a Member and Past Chair of the Board of Trustees at Saint Mary’s School. Cross and his wife, Anne, have three daughters. He enjoys family time, golf, fishing, and spending time at the coast.
Anna Wood Ragland Hayes - A graduate of the University of North Carolina School of Law, where she served on the editorial board of the North Carolina Law Review, Anna Hayes is a former partner in the law firm of Manning, Fulton in Raleigh. She is the author of Without Precedent: The Life of Susie Marshall Sharp, published by UNC Press in 2008. A longtime supporter of the UNC Libraries, she is a past president and current board member of the UNC Friends of the Library. She also serves on the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center Board of Visitors and the board of the Institut Français d'Amérique. She is the founder and president of the Crook's Corner Book Prize Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization with the purpose of encouraging emerging novelists writing about the American South.
Alice Ragland - The second child of Trent and Anna Ragland, Alice Ragland received her undergraduate degree in History from NCSU and a Masters in Substance Abuse Treatment and Vocational Rehabilitation from ECU. She has served on various boards including The Women's Center, Wake Visual Arts, and Triangle Family Services. Retired from her career in counseling, she currently enjoys painting. Alice has two children and three grandchildren, and she is married to Duff McAdams.
W. Trent Ragland, III, Chairman - A graduate of North Carolina State University, W. Trent Ragland, III is the owner and President of Ragland Properties, Inc., a Raleigh-based real estate development company. He currently serves as the Vice-Chair of the NCSU Foundation, on the NC State Club Board of Directors (founding member), and the Executive Committee of Friends of the Library. He is currently a board member of the North Carolina Community Foundation and the Wake Boys and Girls Club, and he is the former chairman of the Board of Trustees of Saint Mary’s School. He and his wife, Wes, have two children.
Walton Joyner – Walton Joyner is a native-born resident of Raleigh and retired attorney who previously served as a member of the Board of Trustees of Saint Mary's School, Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Peace College Foundation, and board member of the UNC Law School Foundation. Walton and his wife, Lucy, have three children and seven grandchildren, all of whom call Raleigh their home.
John Nash - A graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, John Nash is the President of Mid-Atlantic Securities, a comprehensive wealth management firm headquartered in Raleigh. He is a past Chair of the Board of Trustees of Saint Mary’s School and has recently rotated off the vestry at Christ Church in Raleigh.
Sandy Worth Page - A graduate of Randolph-Macon Woman’s College, Sandy Page was born in Raleigh. She is an educator who taught in the Wake County Public Schools and currently tutors students on an individual basis. She is a former president of the Junior League of Raleigh, the Board of Directors of SAFEchild, and the Rex Healthcare Guild Board. She and her husband, Winston, have two children and two grandchildren.
Sherwood H. Smith, Jr. - Sherwood H. Smith, Jr. lives in Raleigh. Currently retired, he worked with Carolina Power & Light Company for many years after first practicing law. He is a graduate of The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He has been involved in service and leadership roles in a variety of business, educational, civic, and charitable organizations on the local, state and national levels. These have included The North Carolina Community Foundation, The Triangle Community Foundation, and The Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation boards.
J. Cross Williams, Jr., Vice-Chairman - Cross Williams, Jr. is the President of Williams Realty & Building Co., Inc. A graduate of The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Cross is the past president of the Boys’ and Girls’ Clubs of Wake County and the Friends of Habitat for Humanity. He also served as a Member and Past Chair of the Board of Trustees at Saint Mary’s School. Cross and his wife, Anne, have three daughters. He enjoys family time, golf, fishing, and spending time at the coast.
