Meet the Board of Trustees

 
 
VC_headshot
Board President
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.
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.
JB-headshot
Board Treasurer
Jeff is a former 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).
Cathie Foote
Board Secretary

Cathie served as the School Administrator at the Calgary Waldorf School (CWS) for twelve years and now serves as a mentor to the school's Administrative Leadership Team.  Cathie also served for twenty years on the CWS Board of Directors, as President, Past-President, Secretary, and member at large.  Her daughter Kate attended Preschool through Ninth Grade at the Calgary Waldorf School, and then graduated from the High School at the Toronto Waldorf School. Before Cathie's Waldorf school administration career, she worked for 25 years as a social worker, counsellor, mediator and researcher, primarily with children and their families in medical settings and with bereaved parents.  She also taught in the Faculty of Social Work at the University of Calgary.  Cathie has an Honours BA in Sociology, an MA in Sociology, and an MSW, all from the University of Calgary, and she is an RSW with the Alberta College of Social Workers.

Keelah Helwig
Trustee Member At Large

Keelah is an early childhood educator and chair of the EC program at the Waldorf School of Garden City (WSGC), where she is also an alum and alumni parent. There she has served as Chair of the College of Teachers and is a founding and continuing member of the WSGC's Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice (DEIJ) Committee. In addition to joining AWSNA's board, Keelah has also joined the board of WECAN. Keelah is proud to be a founding member of the Sunbridge Institute Diversity Scholarship Fund Committee, where she also serves as a board member. Keelah is also engaged as a DEIJ practitioner, consulting with Waldorf schools with her colleagues at Alma Partners.

Renita LiVolsi
Trustee Member At Large

Renita is the Director of Inclusivity and Community Building at Katherine Delmar Burke School in San Francisco. Renita has dedicated her career to creating access, inclusivity, and community in a variety of institutions which include non-profits, government, and education.  A native of Detroit, she attended The Detroit Waldorf School from kindergarten through tenth grade. Renita continued her Waldorf education at High Mowing, the only Waldorf boarding school in the US. She obtained a B.A. degree in European History and Literature from Franklin University Switzerland, a certificate for French proficiency from The Alliance Française Diplome de Langue, and a Certificate in Teaching English from Cambridge University. She has a Juris Doctor Degree from New College of California School of Law.  In 2000, Renita moved to San Francisco where she and her husband Jack, enjoy traveling, cooking, hiking, and all the opportunities the Bay Area has to offer.

Victoria Reyes
Trustee Member At Large

Victoria is the High School Curriculum Chair and the High School Student Support Coordinator for the Austin Waldorf School, where she has been employed for nineteen years. Additionally, Victoria offers consulting and mentoring services for Waldorf Schools year-round and spends summers offering high school teacher workshops through the Great Lakes Waldorf Institute. Victoria holds a BA in Anthropology and an MA in Latin American Studies from the University of Texas. She has a Waldorf HS Teaching Certificate from Rudolf Steiner College, a Level I program diploma from the Spacial Dynamics Institute, and is a member of the Pedagogical Section Council of North America. Victoria is originally from Colombia.

Dr. Linda Williams
Trustee Member At Large

Dr. Linda Williams is a long-time member of the Detroit Waldorf School and sits on the College of Teachers, Administrative Council, Board of Trustees and the DEI Committee there. She also serves nationally on the Pedagogical Section Council, and on the boards of Sunbridge Institute and the Center for Biography and Social Art. She is a founding partner of Alma Partners, a consulting agency that works with many Waldorf schools on issues of diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice, including curriculum and faculty development. Dr. Williams received her doctorate in Curriculum, Teaching, and Educational Policy, with a cognate in Literacy from Michigan State University.  Her M.A. was earned in Waldorf Education from Mercy College, and her B.A. was from Justin Morrill College at Michigan State University.

Jessica Heffernan Ziegler
Trustee Member At Large

Jessica has been Executive Director of Sunbridge Institute since 2008. Her professional focus on leadership skills, governance issues, and personnel development are utilized both in her executive director role and in her work as co-instructor of Sunbridge’s “Collaborative Leadership” course and related workshops; she also teaches Waldorf school administration in Sunbridge’s Waldorf Early Childhood Teacher Education program and previously taught in Sunbridge College’s Administration and Biography programs. Jessica is a partner in MIRA Companions for Development, an international consulting group, and works as an executive coach and organizational development consultant for Waldorf administrators, teachers, and other professionals in diverse institutions and schools in both the US and Germany. She has sat on many other boards, including her current role as trustee of the Otto Specht School in Chestnut Ridge, NY, and now AWSNA.

Ex-Officio

 
Rebecca Moskowitz
Executive Director, Advancement
 
Melanie Reiser
Executive Director, Membership
 
Stephanie Rynas 
Executive Director, Operations & Member Resources