SCHOOL DIRECTOR

Carolyn Kirkland: Carolyn is a career educator with classroom and administrative experience. She has been a teacher, vice principal, principal and consultant with the North Carolina Public Schools. Carolyn trained as a Comer School Facilitator under Dr. James Comer, Director of the Child Study Center School Development Program at Yale University. The Comer Method is based on a simple principle: Everyone with a stake in a school should have a say in how it is run-including teachers, students, parents, the principal, psychologists, health care workers, community leaders, and cafeteria workers. The Comer Method calls for a strong school governance team, which works collaboratively to formulate a comprehensive plan for operating the school, developing new programs, and monitoring student progress.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Bob Chapman: Bob is a new urbanist developer who just completed the Trinity Heights project in Durham. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Historic Preservation Society of Durham and chairs the board of the North Carolina Smart Growth Alliance. He has served on the boards of the Duke School for Children, the Carolina Theater, St. Joseph's Historic Foundation and the Duke Art Museum.

Helen Conrad: Helen is an experienced teacher of exceptional children and has also worked as a foreign language educator, marriage and family counselor, and researcher. She is particularly interested in the development of literacy skills and volunteers for the Orange County Literacy Council. Helen was a founding board member of the Duke School for Children.

Edward B. Fiske: Ted is the author of When Schools Compete: A Cautionary Tale, published the Brookings Institution Press and Smart Schools, Smart Kids published by Simon and Shuster. He was Education Editor of The New York Times for 15 years and is the creator and editor of The Fiske Guide to Colleges.

Deanna Ovenden: A parent of two students at Central Park School for Children, Deanna is our board representative from the Parent Teacher Organization (PTO). She is a manager in her family's local business, The Appliance Center, and finds time to help out in the classrooms and on field trips in addition to her volunteer efforts with the board. Deanna also serves on the Board of Directors at her church. Professionally, she has been a licensed representative at Merrill Lynch in Princeton, NJ and Denver, CO and a commercial bank officer at the First Interstate Bank and Sanwa Bank in California. Deanna has leadership experience in communications and finance with a variety of organizations including MOMS Club in NJ and MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) in CO.

Peg Palmer: Peg has had involvement through her 3 children with a variety of area schools. She has worked for Wheat, First Securities, Duke University and, in the eighties, owned the Ninth Street Gallery. She is excited by the revitalization of Durham 's urban areas and is on the Boards of Durham Central Park, Seeds and the Nasher Museum of Art.

Vicky Patton: Vicky served as an assistant to President Terry Sanford at Duke University and led the effort to relocate the American Dance Festival from Connecticut to Durham. She was a founding board member, then president of the Duke School for Children. Most recently Vicky was the Executive Director of The Governors Center at the Sanford Institute for Public Policy.

Jon J. Phelps: Jake is the founding director of the Bryan University Center at Duke University where he coordinated numerous student-faculty and cultural innovations including the pre-Broadway Premiere Series and initiatives that attracted several major motion picture productions to Durham.

Dexter Richardson: Dexter works as an attorney in his own law practice in the area of collaborative law. Prior to attending law school at the University of North Carolina, Dexter taught at a private high school in Los Angeles County. For three years, Dexter served as the Director of three inner city day camps in California. He currently volunteers as a guardian ad litem. Dexter and his wife are licensed foster parents through Durham County Social Services. Dexter is the Fund Raising and Marketing chair-person at Central Park School for Children.

Queron Smith: Queron is currently Vice President and City Executive for M&F Bank covering the Durham market. In addition to his responsibilities with the bank, Queron serves as a board member for Habitat for Humanity, Downtown Durham Incorporated, and the United Way African American Leadership Initiative.

Alan H. Staple (Treasurer): Alan has 20 years of senior executive experience and is recognized for strong sales, strategic, management and deal making skills primarily in the software, life sciences and technology businesses. He received his MSc. From the London School of Economics and is presently the Vice President, RTI Health Sciences at the RTI International.

Jacqueline Terrell: Jackie coordinates alumni relations and assists with graduate placement at the Terry Sanford Institute of Public Policy at Duke University and is staff chair of the Terry Sanford Institute of Public Policy's Committee on Black Affairs. She is an active parent volunteer at Durham Academy and is a Girl Scout Troop Leader for third grade girls.

Advisory Committee:

Linda Anders: Public schools - 25 years. Consultant with Measurement, Inc. Advising on curriculum and evaluation issues.

Beverly Oakley: Duke School and public schools - 20 years. Advising on all aspects of School.

Robert Conrad: Associate Professor in Public Policy and Economics. Created original Duke School business plan. Teaches project evaluation. Will advise Board on budget issues.

Martha Putallaz: Professor of Psychology, Duke University. Former Duke School parent. Professor of Child Psychology.

Kenneth Dodge: Director of the Center on Child and Family Policy, Terry Sanford Institute of Public Policy - Advising as needed

Don Wells: Certificate Program in Nonprofit Management. Long time director of Carolina Friends School. Advising on all issues.

Beverly Jarrell: Public Schools - 25 years. Advising on curriculum issues.