Board of Trustees

List of 15 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. She completed a management training program at JP Morgan & Co. prior to law school. Following law school, she practiced in the corporate department at Davis Polk & Wardwell. From 2009–14 Laurel served as Foundation Relations Manager for the Legal Aid Justice Center in Charlottesville and continues as an active member of legal aid’s advisory council. She has also worked as a freelance writer and editor, primarily on projects for local nonprofits. Laurel has served as an elder of Westminster Presbyterian Church, an elder of the First Presbyterian Church in the City of New York, and as Vice President and a member of the Executive Committee at Molly Michie Preschool. 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.

• 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.  

• 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, Mia, and Emma, who all attend Tandem Friends, and a dog named Edith.

• 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.

• Katherine Smith Meyer 83

  Bio

  Katherine Smith Meyer joined the board of trustees in 2019. Kit, a 1983 graduate of Tandem, holds a BA in Latin American Studies from the University of Virginia and is currently enrolled in UVA’s Curry Master of Education program. She also holds a Graduate Level Certificate in Project Management from SCPS and has done graduate coursework at UVA’s School of Architecture. Kit has a professional background in facilities and landscape architecture and is currently employed as Senior Project Manager for UVA’s Facilities Planning and Construction. Kit has been involved with multiple large-scale projects at the University, including the recently announced Alderman Library $160 million renewal.

• 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.

• Melissa Warren 

  Bio

  Melissa Warren joined the board of trustees in 2016, and currently serves as Secretary. Melissa is a 1996 graduate of UVA with a BA in Economics and a BA in French (Distinguished Major). Melissa worked at SNL Financial where she met her husband, Galen. At SNL, she served in several capacities including Research Analyst and DataSource Manager. Melissa later taught and tutored French at the International School of Charlottesville and the Alliance Francaise of Charlottesville. After having two children, Josh (TFS ‘20) and Anna (TFS ‘23), she took on volunteer roles including Religious Education Leader at Church of the Incarnation and Greenbrier Elementary School’s representative to the Charlottesville City Schools Quest Advisory Committee. In 2015–16, she served as TFS’s PTA President. Melissa enjoys watching her daughter Anna play Tandem Friends volleyball and soccer. Her son Josh is attending the University of Virginia.