George Schafer, Secretary

George Schafer is an Architectural Project Manager with The Preston Partnership, LLC, located in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Preston Partnership is a multi-disciplinary design firm specializing in Multi-family residential and Mixed-Use projects throughout the country. George has over ten years of professional experience and has been involved in every phase of professional practice including programming and design, project development and construction administration. Additionally, he has worked on a variety of building types, ranging from mixed-use and residential projects to educational, justice, aviation and commercial projects. As project manager, George focuses on balancing design quality with the client's budgetary and functional requirements. He is currently a member of the American Institute of Architects and is a registered architect in the State of North Carolina.

George was born in Jacksonville, Florida in 1970 and lived there until he was a junior in High School. In 1986 his family relocated to Annapolis, Maryland, and after graduating with honors in 1988 George started his undergraduate degree in Architecture at Clemson University in South Carolina. In 1996, George received a Master in Architecture from Harvard University Graduate School of Design, and although he enjoyed his experience in Cambridge, he will always be a loyal Clemson Tiger fan. He moved to Charlotte in the Fall of 1996 to be near family and friends. George's sister's family also resides in Charlotte, and his parents retired to Shelby, North Carolina, where they live in a beautiful lake house of his design.

In addition to his work with Jacob's Ladder, George has given his time to other civic organizations with a focus on education and civil rights. For many years he was Director of the Wonderful Wednesday program at Seigle Avenue Presbyterian Church, a weekly educational program for at-risk children ranging in age from Preschool to 5th Grade. George was also on the Board of the Lesbian & Gay Community Center for two years, and was instrumental to the design and funding of their current home on Central Avenue. In 2005 George joined the Board of Jacob's Ladder, and has served as Secretary for two years.

George has been married to his partner, Tony Tallent, since 2002. Tony is the Director of Youth and Outreach Services for the Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County, and both he and George enjoy serving the Charlotte community on a daily basis. They recently moved to a lovely brick cottage in the Commonwealth-Morningside neighborhood, along with their cat Maggie. In his spare time, George enjoys doing projects around the house, spending time with friends, and taking trips to the mountains of North Carolina.