Board of Trustees

List of 14 members.

• Mary Chinn 

  Bio

  Mary Chinn joined the board of trustees in 2018. Mary holds a BS from Duke University and an MEd from The College of William and Mary. After several years in student affairs roles at Virginia Wesleyan College, George Mason University, and Virginia Tech, Mary came to Charlottesville in 1994 to serve as the Director of Career Services at the McIntire School of Commerce at the University of Virginia. She left the University four years later to become the first Human Resources Director for SNL Financial, where she launched the SNL Knowledge Center, an affiliate organization that delivers training to professionals in the financial services sector. Mary served as Managing Director of the Center until the arrival of her second child. Mary has served as a Director and Human Resources Chair on the boards of the AIDS/HIV Services Group and Charlottesville-Albemarle SPCA. Mary’s children Austin (’21) and Lilly ('23) are Tandem Friends graduates.

• Eric Peifer 

  Bio

  Eric Peifer joined the board of trustees in 2021 after serving as a non-trustee on the finance committee. He has been the Treasurer of Augusta Mutual Insurance Company in Staunton, Virginia for a decade. Eric and the President of Augusta Mutual Insurance Company work together to determine the direction of the company, and Eric also manages the financial reporting of the agency. Eric is a graduate of Eastern Mennonite University and has held a CPA license since 1997. When he is not at work, Eric enjoys skiing, mountain biking, coaching soccer, and traveling with his family. Over the past year, Eric has indulged in a new hobby of cryptocurrency investing. Eric and his wife, Jennifer, have three children, Dylan ('22) and Mia ('23) are Tandem alums and Emma, current Tandem Friends students as well as a dog named Edith.

• Geoffrey Carter 

  Bio

  Geoffrey Carter joined the board of trustees in 2017. Geoff received his BA, with distinction, from Stanford University, and his JD from the University of Chicago, where he wrote for the law review. In 2010, Geoff was appointed as an administrative law judge for the National Labor Relations Board. He has also served as a judge for both the Office of Medicare Hearings and Appeals and the Social Security Administration. Before becoming a judge, Geoff worked as an Assistant United States Attorney in the District of Columbia, a trial attorney in the Educational Opportunities Section of the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice, an appellate attorney for the EEOC, and as a law clerk to Judge Diane Wood of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. Geoff’s son, Eli, currently attends Tandem Friends School, and Geoff attends Charlottesville Friends Meeting.

• Sarah Davies 

  Bio

  Sarah Davies joined the Board of Trustees in July, 2023.  Sarah is a graduate of Westtown Friends School, the University of Virginia and the University of Virginia School of Law. She is also the parent of a 2024 Tandem graduate. After practicing law for 23 years in Philadelphia, Sarah returned to Charlottesville in 2014 to become the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs at the University of Virginia School of Law. In that role, Sarah manages orientation and graduation, provides personal and academic support to law students, coordinates and implements disability accommodations, and serves as a senior administrator to the Dean. In her prior legal practice, Sarah was a commercial litigator handling complex class actions, construction matters and cases involving business disputes. Her pro bono work included death penalty representation and service as a child advocate in the Philadelphia Dependency Court. She was also heavily involved in firm administration, including serving as the Hiring Partner, the Diversity Committee Chair, and the Administrative Partner. In her spare time, Sarah enjoys being outside with her family and pets.

• Isaac Halstead 03

  Bio

  Isaac Halstead is a 2003 Tandem graduate. Based in Earlysville, VA, Isaac co-owns and manages a design-build construction firm where he oversees 2-3 new construction, addition, or renovation projects annually. Previously, he served as a Field Office Coordinator at DPR Construction from 2010 to 2013, where he assembled and issued over 250 subcontracts for multiple projects exceeding $10 million each, ensured insurance compliance for over 80 subcontracts, and handled project submittal review, document management, and scheduling. At the University of Virginia Medical Center from 2008 to 2010, Isaac was a Project Coordinator, managing scheduling and RFP production for the Hospital Bed Expansion, ensuring the internal review and approval process stayed on track, coordinating with hospital staff and trades to minimize disruptions, and developing new processes to expedite procurement activities. From 2002 to 2008, he worked at I-Design Inc. as a Site Supervisor, overseeing the renovation of a home in Faber, VA, and performing skilled labor in carpentry and electrical work. In 2023, he joined the TFS Board Facilities Committee.

• Laurel Henneman 

  Bio

  Laurel Reiman Henneman joined the board of trustees in 2016 and currently serves as Co-Chair. Laurel graduated from Friends Seminary, a Quaker school in New York City, and holds a BA from Wesleyan University (elected Phi Beta Kappa) and a JD (cum laude) from New York University School of Law, where she served as Executive Editor of the law review. Laurel currently works at the Southern Environmental Law Center, providing research for the organization's development team. Prior to law school, she completed a management training program at JP Morgan; following law school, she practiced transactional law at Davis Polk & Wardwell, served as Foundation Relations Manager for the Legal Aid Justice Center, and worked as a freelance writer and editor, primarily on projects for nonprofits. Laurel has served as a member of the Legal Aid Justice Center's advisory council, an elder of Westminster Presbyterian Church, and an elder of the First Presbyterian Church in the City of New York. Laurel’s sons, Wyatt (’19) and Cap (’21), are Tandem Friends School alums.

• Meredith Kalnite 

  Bio

  Meredith Evans Kalnite joined the board of trustees in 2022. Meredith holds a BFA in Film and Television Production from NYU, Tisch School of the Arts. She began her film career working with renowned documentary filmmaker, Charles Guggenheim and was a researcher and editor on his 1995 Academy Award-nominated documentary, D-Day Remembered. Meredith went on to work on several PBS documentary specials, live broadcast events and produced award-winning films and public service announcements for The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. She then worked for The Discovery Channel where she wrote, produced, and directed nationally televised promos for some of the network’s most popular series. She pursued graduate studies in Interior Architecture at The Corcoran School of the Arts and Design before relocating to Charlottesville and has recently started her own interior design business. Meredith served on the Board of Wonders Childcare Centers and she co-chaired the Tandem PTA in 2018-19. For the past five years, she has volunteered with Piedmont CASA as a court-appointed special advocate for children who have come into foster care. Meredith’s children, Anna (‘21) and Charlie ('24) are Tandem Friends alums.

• Moira Kavanagh 

  Bio

  Moira Kavanagh joined the Board of Trustees in July, 2023. She is a Charlottesville native who graduated from St. Anne's-Belfield School and earned a B.A. in English from Tufts University with honors. During her undergraduate years, she held the position of President at Tufts Student Resources, which is the largest nonprofit student-run business in the country. Now, with  more than three decades of experience, Moira has built a successful career in nonprofit direct response fundraising. She initially started in Boston, where she managed strategic aspects of telemarketing campaigns for renowned national environmental and advocacy organizations like The Nature Conservancy, the Center for Marine Conservation, and the Sierra Club. Later, she became the Vice President of a direct marketing agency in New York, overseeing integrated direct response programs for progressive issue-based and social service organizations such as Human Rights Campaign, People For the American Way, and Broadway Cares-Equity Fights AIDS. In 1999, Moira returned to Charlottesville and founded MKDM, a multichannel direct marketing agency dedicated exclusively to working with nonprofits. MKDM specializes in engaging donors, motivating action, and inspiring philanthropy through direct mail, email, and digital/online donor development. They serve a diverse range of organizations including Planned Parenthood Mar Monte (the largest affiliate in the nation), Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation, Orbis International, and the High Line, among others. Moira has actively contributed to the nonprofit sector by serving on various industry association boards and committees. Locally, she has also been involved as a past Board Member of the Discovery Museum. She is a proud parent to her daughter Sabine ("Bean") and her stepdaughter Violet ("Alex"), who are current Tandem students.

• Louise Knabe 

  Bio

  Louise Knabe joined the board of trustees in 2024 after spending a year as a non-trustee on the Advancement Committee. Louise is an accomplished executive leader with extensive experience in healthcare, software, and global logistics. She holds a Master’s in Engineering from Stanford University and a Bachelor’s in Mathematics from Middlebury College. Most recently Louise worked at Ariadne Labs (2013-2021), Atul Gawanda's research lab at the Harvard School of Public Health. Before Ariadne, Louise worked at Procter and Gamble/The Gillette Company (2002-2012) as a  Manager of Global Supply Chain Strategy and Analytics Manager.  Prior to her work at P&G, Knabe served as Director of Project Management at Basis Technology, Inc. (2000-2002) and as a project and product manager at Logistics.com (1994-2000). When she is not at work Louise enjoys learning foreign languages, volunteering as a math tutor,  and doing just about anything outside, particularly biking and cross-country skiing. She and her husband Fritz have traveled hundreds of miles on their tandem bike. And ten years ago, they brought their children, Jasper and Ginger, into the fold with a bicycle built for four! Ginger is Tandem Class of 2027.

• Brian Massey 

  Bio

  Brian Massey is currently the Program Manager for BYM Camps, overseeing and managing all four of Baltimore Yearly Meeting’s summer camp programs which annually serve ~600 campers from ~500 families. Brian started attending Shiloh Quaker Camp as a 9-year-old in 1994, and then proceeded to spend 19 of the next 20 summers as either a camper or a staff member at Shiloh and Teen Adventure Quaker Camp. Before coming back to BYM, he spent a decade as an educator and urban farmer working with the youth and families of Washington, DC. Brian was a classroom teacher in the DC schools, did early childhood special education outreach for DCPS, and ran school garden, edible landscaping, and food security programs all over DC. He also taught at Scattergood Friends School in West Branch, Iowa. Brian grew up attending Sandy Spring Monthly Meeting, and his parents were very involved in the life of the Monthly Meeting and the larger Yearly Meeting. Brian’s father, Frank Massey, was BYM’s General Secretary from 1988 through 2005. Brian met his wife, Ellie Walton, while working at Shiloh Quaker Camp in 2001, and they live with their two sons, Rye (9) and Cypress (6), in Mount Rainier, MD.

• Margaret McNett Burruss 83

  Bio

  Margaret McNett Burruss joined the board of trustees in 2017. Margaret, a 1983 graduate of Tandem, holds a BS from UVA’s McIntire School of Commerce, as well as an MA in East Asian Studies from UVA. Margaret has a professional background as a business and systems analyst in addition to more than 15 years of experience in nonprofit management. She currently runs her own business providing website development and digital strategy consulting to artists, small businesses and nonprofits.  Prior to that she served as the first Executive Director of Charlottesville’s Loaves & Fishes Food Pantry from 2013–16, during a period of dramatic growth for the organization.  She additionally worked internationally in assisting marginalized populations in Asia, serving on several multicultural teams.  In between websites and nonprofits, Margaret spends time in her pottery studio, creating works for both for her own enjoyment and sale to others.  She credits Tandem with nurturing not only her artistic and altruistic interests, but also her talent for mathematics and technology.  All of which play a role in her daily life.

• Meghan Murray 

  Bio

  Meghan R. Murray joined the Board  of Trustees in July, 2023. She has experience in various strategic and managerial roles across different industries. She has worked in e-commerce startups, Fortune 100 corporations, local nonprofits, and small businesses. Currently, she serves as the Interim Executive Director of the Weldon Cooper Center at the University of Virginia. Meghan holds a B.A. from the University of Virginia and an MBA from the University of Oxford. She is the founder and CEO of Stynson, a business strategy consulting firm. Additionally, she operates several small farm businesses in Keene, VA, including Greenmont Hopworks, which grows hops for local breweries, and Greenmont Fireworks, a firewood business. She is also an adjunct faculty member at UVA's Darden Graduate School of Business, where she teaches courses on financial storytelling and leadership communication.

• John Pepper 

  Bio

  John Pepper joined the board of trustees in 2022. John holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and a B.A. in Quantitative Economics from Tufts University. He currently is the Merrill S. Bankard Professor of Economics at the University of Virginia. John has published widely in economics, as well as law, public health and vocational rehabilitation. In 2012, John was awarded the Outstanding Applied Economic Perspectives & Policy Article Award,  from the Agricultural & Applied Economics Association, for “The Economics of Food Security in the United States.”  John's son Mario is a 2021 Tandem alumnus.

• Cicely Shelton-Barnes 

  Bio

  Cicely Shelton-Barnes joined the board of trustees in 2022. Cicely holds an M.Ed. in Reading Education from James Madison University, a P.G.T.L. in Elementary Education from Mary Baldwin College, and a B.S. in Health Sciences Administration from James Madison University. Since 2017 Cicely has been an elementary reading specialist and elementary librarian with the Charlottesville City Schools. Prior to that she was a literacy specialist/trainer and account manager for Pals Marketplace in Charlottesville, and an elementary school teacher and librarian for the Charlottesville City Schools. Cicely's daughter Bryn is a current Tandem student and son Ty is a former Tandem student.