Board of Trustees

List of 17 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 son Austin (’21) is a Tandem Friends graduate, and daughter Lilly is a current student.

• 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.

• Susan Beers 

  Bio

  Susan E. Beers joined the board of trustees in 2018. Susan holds a BS in Psychology from the University of Washington (Seattle) and a Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Connecticut. In 2015, Susan was awarded Faculty Emeritus status at Sweet Briar College, having served on the faculty from 1983–2014, teaching courses in personality, social and cognitive psychology, and the psychology of religion. Susan has attended the Charlottesville Friends Meeting since 2002 and has been a recorded member of the meeting since 2008, serving on several committees, and completing a two-year term as Clerk of the meeting in 2018.

• Marc Boston 

  Bio

  Marc Boston joined the board of trustees in 2021 after serving as a non-trustee on the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee. Marc holds a BA in Organizational Psychology from Avila University in Kansas City, MO, and is currently a seminary student at One Spirit Seminary in New York City. He is a talented author, publisher, and public speaker who has written three children’s books: The Girl Who Carried Too Much Stuff, What About Me, and Dad Is Acting Strange. Marc’s three daughters, who all attend Tandem Friends, are the inspiration for much of his writing. His mission is to create stories that emphasize the importance of diversity and inclusion and reflect his family’s definition of values and self-empowerment.

• 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.

• Roxanne Carter-Johnston 

  Bio

  Roxanne Carter-Johnson joined the board of trustees in 2022. Roxy holds a B.A. in Marketing Communication from Mary Baldwin College and studied for her real estate license with Moseley Real Estate Schools. She is a native of Charlottesville and knows this community well. Roxy has been a real estate agent since 2013 and currently is a part of the Nest Realty Group. Roxy is community driven and strives for perfection when delivering services to her peers, friends, and neighbors. She prides herself on operating her real estate business with honesty, integrity, and respect.  

• Sharon Deal 

  Bio

  Sharon Deal joined the board of trustees in 2018. Sharon holds a BA from Virginia Tech and an MA from Brown University. From 1994–2007, Sharon was on staff at Tandem Friends School as an English teacher, Director of College Counseling, and Director of the Upper School. For ten years after leaving TFS, Sharon worked as a research scientist at the Center for Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning at UVA, and as Executive Director of the Public Education Foundation of Charlottesville-Albemarle. She is also a founding board member of Charlottesville’s Community Public Charter School and has maintained a private college placement consultancy. Before her years at TFS, Sharon taught at the Foxcroft School, the Madeira School, and Georgetown University, and held administrative positions at Brown University and Georgetown University. Sharon’s children, Ephraim (‘04) and Hannah (‘08) graduated from TFS.

• Robert Fudge 

  Bio

  Robert Fudge joined the board of trustees in 2019. He graduated from Carolina Friends School, a Quaker school in Durham, NC, and holds a BA in Drama and Literature from the University of North Carolina at Asheville. Robert worked for the National Park Service for 36 years specializing in natural and cultural resource interpretation, curriculum-based education, and park management. Upon his retirement in 2011, Robert and his husband moved from Philadelphia to Charlottesville. For the past few years, Robert has been self-employed, providing garden design and botanical services to clients. Robert is an active member of the Religious Society of Friends and currently attends the Charlottesville Friends Meeting.  

• 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 daughter, Anna (‘21) is a Tandem Friends alum and her son Charlie is a current student.

• 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.

• John Minturn 03

  Bio

  Jake Minturn joined the board of trustees in 2016 and served as Co-Chair from 2018–20. Jake is currently a Business Analyst at Hum, a Charlottesville-based data intelligence platform for professional associations and societies. He previously served as an Account Manager for the design agency Journey Group, working with humanitarian and higher education institutions, and in advancement communications roles at the University of Virginia, first as the Director of Digital Media at the UVA Alumni Association and then as the Director of Communications for the Curry School of Education Foundation. Jake is a graduate of Tandem Friends School (Class of 2003) and the University of Virginia.

• 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) is a Tandem alum and Mia and Emma, current Tandem Friends students as well as a dog named Edith.

• 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.”  

• Karen Ratzlaff 

  Bio

  Karen Ratzlaff joined the board of trustees in 2019. Karen graduated from the College of William & Mary and earned a master’s degree in education from the University of Virginia in 2008. Since 2013 she has led the fundraising and communications team at the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank to share with donors, volunteers, and friends the story of hunger in the Blue Ridge region. Before her work at the Food Bank, Karen served as Director of Development at Hospice of the Piedmont for seven years.  Before that, she enjoyed a 14-year tenure at the UVA School of Nursing, culminating in the role of Managing Director of Development & Alumni Affairs. Karen has served as an elder at Westminster Presbyterian Church where she served a term as Clerk of Session. She and her husband are proud parents of two Tandem School graduates -- Eli (Class of 2016) and Logan (Class of 2019).

• James Scott 

  Bio

  James H. Scott, III joined the board of trustees in 2017. Jay holds a BA in economics and an MBA, both from UVA. From 2007 to 2019, Jay served as President and Managing Director of CBO Partners, consulting to institutions of higher education and academic medical centers. In 2019, CBO Partners merged with Opus Partners where Jay now serves as an Associate Partner. He previously held the position of Senior Associate Dean for Finance and Administration at UVA’s School of Medicine for nine years, where his responsibilities included accounting, budget, and compensation operations; administrator development programs; capital projects and space management; grants and contracts management; information technology management; and marketing and public relations. Jay has also served as Director of the Budget for UVA, and Director of Administration for the Department of Ophthalmology, and Director of Budget and Payroll at UVA’s School of Medicine. Jay has additional previous career experience in the management of small businesses and investment management. Jay is also involved in several community philanthropic organizations and serves as an Outdoor Emergency Care Technician with the National Ski Patrol. Jay’s brother-in-law, sister-in-law, and son Ford (’21) are Tandem alums, and his children Alden and Elisabeth are current Tandem Friends students.

• 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. 

• Larry Van Meter 

  Bio

  Larry Van Meter joined the board of trustees in 2021 after retiring from serving as Head of School at Moorestown Friends in Moorestown, NJ, for seventeen years. A native of Moorestown, he is a lifelong member of Moorestown Friends (Quaker) Meeting. He attended MFS from prekindergarten through his senior year. Larry is currently the president and CEO of the Forman S. Acton Educational Foundation, a non-profit that provides educational opportunities for the youth of Salem, NJ. Larry is a 1972 graduate of Hamilton College with a BA in History, and he received an MBA in 1988 from the Amos Tuck School of Business Administration at Dartmouth College. Larry has served on several boards during his career in education, including the boards of Wilmington Friends School and the Friends Council on Education. He is familiar with this area from his time as executive director of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy based in Harpers Ferry, WV. An accomplished writer and avid outdoorsman, Larry enjoys hiking the Appalachian Trail and has penned columns that have appeared in The New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Boston Globe, and Friends Journal.