An open heart, genuine love of children and caring nature led W. Chris Jernigan to Southmountain Children and Family Services more than 31 years ago. Throughout his tenure, Chris has been instrumental in establishing innovative programs that provide critical services affecting thousands of children’s lives across North Carolina. 

When Mr. Jernigan began, Southmountain’s sole mission was operating a children’s home in Nebo, North Carolina. Chris realized that children thrive in a family setting, and the group care provided by Southmountain and aging facilities presented a challenge. We could do better and Chris’ solution was a ground-breaking idea: North Carolina’s first and only foster community.  With incredible community support and Chris’ leadership, Southmountain constructed eight homes in a neighborhood-style setting.  We hired “professional” parents, carefully selecting employees to care for foster children in one of the six-bedroom, three-bathroom houses that line the circular driveway. The foster community is just like a traditional neighborhood, except better, allowing the children in our care to experience stability and preventing siblings from being separated.

Soon after, Chris returned to Burke County from a visit to the deep south. With help from the local Child Protection Team, he duplicated the child-friendly cottage he saw in Alabama, which housed the nation’s first children’s advocacy center (CAC). CACs coordinate the investigation, treatment, and prosecution of child abuse cases.  But perhaps more importantly, they provide consolidated care to child victims of abuse, reducing their trauma and helping them heal. In 1998, North Carolina’s sixth CAC opened its doors to children and families in Burke County, lovingly dubbed the “Gingerbread House” for the playful trim that adorned the exterior.  Since then, Mr. Jernigan has opened ten additional CACs from the mountains to the coast of North Carolina.

His passion for child welfare issues led him to prioritize evidence-based services, primarily trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT). In 2010, Mr. Jernigan created the Southmountain Center of Excellence, a highly trained clinical team that specializes in providing TF-CBT to children suffering from trauma and loss. Each of our clinicians is trained through the NC Child Treatment Program – a nationally recognized learning collaborative for TF-CBT.

Email: wcjernigan@southmountain.org
Phone: (828) 403-0862