Peggy Terhune

Dr. Peggy Terhune has been CEO of Monarch since June 1995. Under Peggy’s leadership as President/CEO, Monarch has implemented evidence-based and best practices in all areas, has successfully added numerous services, enhanced community integration, improved customer satisfaction, reduced turnover, and has effectively developed programs to serve consumers with multiple disabilities. She has grown the company significantly and diligently pursues her methodology to incorporate continuous improvement within the organization.

Peggy has served as an advocate for people with disabilities for more than 40 years and has presented often at conferences and technical workshops, particularly on emerging practices that are used at Monarch. She is a founding board member of the North Carolina Providers Council and past president of the National Conference of Executives of the Arc. Additionally, Peggy was appointed to the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services Waiver Advisory Committee (DWAC) and has been appointed twice to the N.C. Commission on Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Abuse Services. She is also a board member of the N.C. Council of Developmental Disabilities, also appointed twice by the Governor. Peggy is a past member and officer of the Board of Directors for the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) North Carolina and former member of the Benchmarks’ Board of Trustees.

Peggy is the recipient of numerous regional and national leadership awards. In 2016, she was the first-ever recipient of the Distinguished Professional Award in Diversity and Cultural Competency by The National Conference of Executives (NCE) of The Arc. This award recognizes leaders from The Arc’s national network of nearly 700 chapters that provide innovative programs that meet the needs of the diverse I/DD community.

Peggy earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Occupational Therapy from Indiana University, a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from Rochester Institute of Technology, and a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Teaching with a concentration in Cultural Studies/Human Development/Families from The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Her competencies include a wide range of clinical and administrative skills and she is culturally competent.

In addition to her career, Peggy is married to Bob and mother to seven adult children. The couple fostered children for ten years, the last three as therapeutic foster parents to teenagers. A servant leader, Peggy is heavily involved within her community and church. She has served as an adjunct faculty member in the MBA program at Strayer University and teaches at Wingate University. In her spare time, she enjoys family, needlepoint, knitting, reading and traveling.