Meet the Board of Trustees

 
 
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Board President
Charlene has been a Waldorf parent for 25 years, including serving about 15 years on two Waldorf school boards. She is the mother of Linden, Stone and Ivy, all thriving Waldorf alumni. Charlene is an attorney in Denver, Colorado, specializing in family, landlord/tenant, estate law. This is her third career; previously she worked in international trade and finance in New York and in international non-profit management.  In addition to serving on the AWSNA board, Charlene continues to serve on the Denver Waldorf School board. She also offers pro bono legal services to the indigent, and provides home-cooked meals to a woman's shelter.
Colleen Everhart
Board Vice President
Colleen  has been on the AWSNA Board of Trustees since 2014. She is currently serving as the Vice-President and Chair of the Committee on Trustees for the board. Colleen also served on AWSNA's Leadership Council for the Great Lakes Region between 2008-2017. She was a Chicago Waldorf School Faculty Member between 1991-2017 where she taught High School Humanities/Theatre and Early Childhood, and served as the chair of the HS Chair, Early Childhood and College of Teachers. Previous to her Chicago Waldorf School career, Colleen was a professional actor, appearing in numerous stage, TV and film productions for over 20 years. She is currently living in North Carolina and is enjoying guest teaching and mentoring/evaluating teachers and programs in various Waldorf schools around North America. Colleen is also the proud parent of a CWS Waldorf alum, Avi Bowie, '98.
Board Treasurer
Val has a broad range of experience in small business management after a 35 year career in banking. He graduated from Lehigh University in 1965, and served as Treasurer of AWSNA 2004 to 2011. His son, Val, graduated from Rudolf Steiner School, New York in 1999.  Val was on the RSS Board and served as its Treasurer for 11 years.

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Board Secretary
From both her education and work experience, Valerie brings a keen understanding of the responsibilities of trustees and the very important role effective boards can play in the success of an organization. She was a Trustee on the Chicago Waldorf School Board from 2011-2017, during which time she served as the Chair of the Development Committee, Secretary of the Board and then as President & Chair of the Board from 2013-2016. She also brings the invaluable organizational and strategic experience gained from her years as a consultant and broker for Aon Financial Services Group.  She has an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management and a BA in International Studies from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. She and her husband Peter have 3 children Caroline (’18), Charlie and Gigi who have been, or currently are, students at the Chicago Waldorf School. When not in Chicago, Valerie and her family spend as much time as possible in Vermont biking, hiking and skiing in the Green Mountains.
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Trustee Member At Large
Jeff is the Business Manager at the Waldorf School of Orange County (California).  Jeff has a diverse business background including senior level experience with public companies, in public accounting, and in private practice as a CPA.  Jeff earned his Bachelor of Arts from The University of The South (Sewanee, TN) in Psychology and Economics, and a Masters of Business Administration in Finance from the Keller Graduate School of Management (Chicago, IL).  Jeff is a licensed CPA in California and Ohio.  He currently resides in Southern California with his wife Carrie and their two younger daughters.  Jeff is blessed with four children (3 daughters and a son).
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Trustee Member At Large

Chuck currently serves on the Board of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Halton & Hamilton, where he is an executive member and Chair of the Governance Committee (since 2012). He previously served on the Board of the Burlington Chamber of Commerce Burlington (2015-2018) and as a member and then Chair of the Halton Waldorf School (1995 – 2000).  Chuck received a Master’s degree in industrial relations and a Bachelor of Arts in economics from the University of Toronto.  He obtained the Chartered Director (C.Dir.) designation in 2012 from The Directors College, a joint venture of McMaster University and The Conference Board of Canada.  Chuck is a management consultant specializing in strategic planning, Human Resources, Labour Relations and Ethics/Harassment Investigations.  He's held executive positions with Human Resource accountability in multiple industries including national gas, automotive, consumer goods, and aerospace with responsibilities in Canada and the United States. Chuck and his partner Nancy are the parents of two Waldorf alumni – Stephanie and Shannon Conlon.

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Trustee Member At Large

Gordon is retired from a business career, now widowed and living in Chicago.  He is active in the Anthroposophical society and movement.  In addition to that of AWSNA, he is currently serving on the board of directors/trustees of the Lili Kolisko Institute for Anthroposophic Medicine, and of the Mandaamin Institute.  Previous service on related boards has included: Rudolf Steiner College, Anthroposophic Press, Inc. (SteinerBooks), the Anthroposophical Society in America, and the Chicago Waldorf School.  Gordon’s two grandchildren are enrolled in the Waldorf School of Lexington, Massachusetts.

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Trustee Member At Large
Flora studied Germanic and Roman Languages and Literature with a Minor in Psychology, followed by Teacher’s College for Middle and High School years. In addition to teaching, she worked in curriculum development at a school that served students from diverse socio-economic and cultural backgrounds. She moved from Germany to Canada where she taught at the University of Toronto and independent schools and became one of the founding parents of the Halton Waldorf School. She was a teacher for German and French and held many different positions in leadership as the school grew and developed. Flora served on the Leadership Council for the Great Lakes Region for four years, and has been on the AWSNA Board of Trustee since 2009.
 
Since retiring from teaching, Flora has been active in mentoring, accreditation visits and facilitating renewal at schools. While earning a Certificate in Conflict Management, she was introduced to Circle work based on indigenous traditions and values. She was given permission to use this process of discovery and healing, and is passionate and inspired by its transformative potential. Music, reading, long walks, being connected to family and meeting colleagues from across the continent give her joy and inspiration.

Ex-Officio

 
Beverly Amico
Executive Director, Advancement
 
Melanie Reiser
Executive Director, Membership
 
Stephanie Rynas 
Executive Director, Operations & Member Resources