Board and Staff
Joyce W. Pope, At Large
Joy is a founding Board Member of the John William Pope Foundation. She served as President from 1986 to 1992.
Joy met her husband, John William Pope, on a blind date in 1948. A year later, they were married. During the next five decades, Joy served as a vital support to John as he grew Variety Wholesalers Inc. from five stores into one of the largest retailing chains in the southeast.
Joy has always had a passion for the arts in our community. Through the John William Pope Foundation, she established an endowment for the Raleigh Fine Arts Society, a local group created in 1965 to strengthen and encourage art, music, and literature in the Raleigh community. She also created a scholarship fund at Performance Edge, a performing arts training program for young adults, and is instrumental in supporting the North Carolina Symphony and Carolina Ballet.
Always a devoted mother and wife, Joyce’s favorite hobbies are golf, cooking, and travel.