Meet the Whitley's Team
Whitley’s Peanut Factory is a family owned-business with a close-knit team of passionate individuals who work together to bring you the finest Virginia peanuts, mixes, gourmet nuts and confections. Each member of our team plays an important role in our success and we are excited to introduce the people who make it all happen.
Todd Smith
Peanuts are part of Todd’s DNA and a family tradition. A native of Southampton County, Virginia, Todd grew up working at his father’s peanut shelling business. While attending Virginia Tech, his brother and father founded Whitley’s Peanut Factory, where Todd would join as the manager of the Williamsburg store after graduating in 1989. More than four-decades later, Todd’s passion for producing the highest-quality Virginia peanuts, confections, and candies has not waivered and he remains the driving force behind the company’s success. Todd and his wife, Kristen, have two children, Brett and Bridgette, and in his spare time he enjoys fishing, golf, Virginia Tech athletics, and spending time with his family.
Scott Ramer
A native of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, Scott brought a wealth of professional success in finance to Whitley’s when he joined the company in 2012. Residing in the Williamsburg area, Scott was a fan of Whitley’s peanuts and knew Todd as well, so when the opportunity arose to not only serve as the company’s CFO, but also manage and oversee production, it seemed only befitting he join the team. Scott and his wife, Debbie, have three sons, Trevor, Julian, and Nathan. He enjoys cooking, smoking meats, savoring a good glass of wine, and watching his beloved Edmonton Oilers.
Brett Smith
Brett is a third generation Smith to be part of the family business. Like his father, he is a graduate of Virginia Tech where earned his degree in Agribusiness Management with minors in Entrepreneurship and Communications. Upon graduating, Brett worked in Research and Development and Quality Assurance with a Virginia-based specialty beverage company before joining his father in 2021. Today, Brett manages the development of new products and market strategies, as well as a serving as a key asset to the marketing and sales teams. Brett enjoys saltwater fishing, golfing, and spending time with his wife, Miranda, visiting craft breweries and distilleries.
Whit
Since joining the Whitley's team in 1986, Whit has been entertaining the young and young at heart with his charming antics and escapades. As our mascot and goodwill ambassador, Whit has become a fan-favorite, spreading happiness and joy at special store events and on social media.
Alice Watkinson
Alice is a marketing professional with a passion for digital strategy and customer engagement. After enjoying a successful career with the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, she joined Whitley’s in 2019 where she leads the company’s digital and traditional marketing initiatives, including crafting email campaigns, coordinating and overseeing our catalog production, and supporting the marketing needs of our retail outlet stores. Alice takes great pride in creating engaging and compelling content that both resonates and excites our customers. Outside of Whitley’s, Alice enjoys traveling and spending time with her family and friends.
Pam Wasylson
A native of Pennsylvania, Pam relocated to Virginia and joined the Whitley’s team in the fall of 2024 as the Marketing Manager. She brings more than two-plus decades of traditional and digital marketing experience to the team having worked in both the gift and publishing industries. From developing engaging marketing strategies to creative writing, Pam enjoys all aspects of marketing. Pam is a diehard Pittsburgh sports fan, enjoys spending time with family, and exploring everything Virginia has to offer.
Susanne DeVore
A native of Philadelphia, Susanne earned her degree in Rhetoric and Communications from Temple University. Prior to joining Whitley’s in 2017, she enjoyed a successful career with the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, both as a retail buyer, and in product licensing. At Whitley’s, Susanne is responsible for inside sales support of our wholesale customers, managing our corporate custom labeling program, and supporting the needs of other departments without hesitation! In her free time, Susanne enjoys seeking out new adventures such as hiking with her dog, Dawkins, and traveling with her family.
Chris Pierson
When Chris stared in 2023 in National Sales, he brought a wealth of sales experience in the food industry to the Whitley’s team. Chris is responsible for servicing and supporting our business-to business relationships, as well as identifying new wholesale opportunities. He takes great pride in his “hands-on” approach with his customers, ensuring they receive the excellent service they’ve come to expected from Whitley’s. When not working, Chris enjoys spending time with his wife, Amy, and his son, Archer, on the water, traveling, and playing sports.
Emily Thomas
After over a decade in the Triad, starting a family and continuing her education, Emily came back to her roots in the Tidewater region and joined the Whitley’s team in 2020. Starting in Production, she later became the company’s QA Technician after earning her P.C.Q.I. and HACCP certifications and now is our Quality Assurance Manager. Emily plays a vital role in the company, ensuring our products, facilities, and manufacturing practices are in compliance with all regulatory standards. When not working, Emily enjoys spending time with family, appreciating local history, and exploring new shops
and restaurants in the area.
Jeff Parker
Jeff has performed a number of integral roles since joining the Whitley’s team in 2018. Today, Jeff is the Operations Manager, overseeing and coordinating the company’s day-to-day operations in the Hayes, Virginia facility. In this role, he works with our cooking, candy, and packaging teams. In fact, the next time you purchase a Whitley’s tin, you can be sure Jeff was part of the process! When not working, he enjoys fishing, cooking, and spending time in Hatteras, North Carolina with his family.
Sasha Miller
Since joining Whitley’s a year ago, Sasha has taken on a variety of roles. She’s been part of our candy, kitchen, and shipping teams to her role now as our Production Room Supervisor. In this position, Sasha coordinates the flow of every order for our website and wholesale businesses. If you ask her what she likes most about Whitley’s, she’ll tell you it’s both the people she works with and that she is a part of someone’s happiness when enjoying our products. When not working, Sasha enjoys the outdoors, fishing, and spending time with her husband and three children.
Shirley Jackson
Shirley Jackson has one sweet job! That’s because for more than two decades Shirley has been making the delicious chocolatey treats and brittle Whitley’s is known for. Like many others in the Whitley’s Family, she started as seasonal worker before becoming full-time as a candy maker. She then took on the assistant supervisor role for the department to her position now as supervisor. She enjoys the variety of the work and is proud that she’s hands-on, working right along side of her team making each and every delicious cluster and brittle produced by Whitley’s. And when it comes to what the mother of two and grandmother of six enjoys doing outside of work, it’s one thing SHOPPING!
Kasey Saunders
Kasey joined the Whitley’s team in 2020 as a Warehousing Assistant and in 2022, promoted to his current role as Warehouse & Shipping Manager. Kasey is responsible for every package shipped from our distribution center, as well as managing the storage, organization, and movement of every Whitley’s product and shipping supply in the facility. In his free time, Kasey enjoys outdoor activities including hiking, kayaking, going to a brewery, and attending music festivals.
Yvonne Holcomb
Having just celebrated 16-years with Whitley’s in 2024, Yvonne has seen a lot of growth and change over the years. As our Packing Room Supervisor, she leads the team that hand-packs our specialty gift tins, pouches, and roasted-n shell burlap sacks. Not one to enjoy being bored, she joined Whitley’s after “retiring” from International Paper after 20-years. Yvonne loves that her job keeps her busy start to finish and enjoys working with her team. When not working, she occupies her time reading.
Jamie Jarrard
Jamie joined the Whitley’s team in 2021 as a seasonal worker. When the season ended, she transitioned into a full-time in shipping before being promoted to Shipping Supervisor. Originally from New York, she spent most of her life in Alabama where she last worked in a residential facility for senior citizens before relocating and calling Virginia her home. When asked what she most enjoys about her job she shared that it’s the people and the environment. In her spare time, Jamie enjoys reading, playing video games, arts and crafts, and spending time with her friends.
Thomasina Wyatt
If you’ve called Whitley’s, chances are you have had the pleasure of speaking with our Customer Care Supervisor, Thomasina Wyatt. After spending 17 years working with the Gloucester and York County systems, she joined Whitley’s in 2018. Thomasina supervises our Customer Team in addition to assisting our valued customers. With her self-described “love for people”, she is the perfect fit for ensuring our customers total satisfaction. When not working, Thomasina enjoys singing, writing, attending her local church, and spending time with family.
Jackie Boughton
Jackie joined the Whitley’s team in 2018 after having spent more than a decade working for the Department of Environmental Protection -Florida Park Service. Longing to return home to Virginia, Jackie started her career at Whitley’s in the Customer Care department and now as an Accounts & Customer Support Specialist. In this role, Jackie is responsible for the order entry, invoicing, and scheduling transport for our wholesale customer orders. In her free time, Jackie enjoys cooking, attending concerts, trips to the beach, and spending time with family.
Jonathan Hewitson
If you visited our outlet store in Richmond, you’ve probably been welcomed by Jonathan Hewitson. Jonathan joined the Whitley’s team in 2017 as the store’s manager, and more recently added overseeing the operations of all three outlet stores to his duties. Prior to joining Whitley's, Jonathan spent more than 20-years with the former Ukrop’s Supermarkets, rising through the ranks to become a Senior Department Manager. When not working, Jonathan enjoys the outdoors, reading, and spending time with his wife, Katie, and daughter, Emma Kate.
Jinny Dawson
As one of our longest tenured team members, Jinny has had a front row seat to how far Whitley’s has come since opening our doors in 1986. A Virginian native, Jinny has managed the Gloucester Outlet Store for two decades. She values the family atmosphere of Whitley’s and her dedicated team of store associates. On any given day, you’ll find her stocking shelves, making gift sets, and greeting and assisting customers ranging from loyal locals, tourists and out-of-state regulars who stop by when passing through the area. Outside of work, Jinny enjoys arts and crafts and spending time with her seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Terry Carr
Coming Soon
