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The Board of Directors of Pinewoods Montessori School are fully committed and dedicated to ensuring that the School provides an authentic Montessori education in which children develop a love of learning within a safe, peaceful setting. This group of volunteers embrace the privilege and responsibility to serve the School and work to support and promote the mission, craft the strategic goals, provide fiscal oversight, and monitor the overall success of the School.
The Board of Directors, acting solely as a unified whole, oversee the mission of Pinewoods Montessori School and broad policy, fiscal, and strategic issues, but have no individual oversight nor any group oversight of the daily operation of the School, which is delegated solely to the Head of School and his/her representatives on the administrative team.
2023-2024 Board Meeting Dates
TBD per updated by-laws.
Board Members
Jennifer Melerski
Chair, Board of Directors Laura Arneman
Vice Chair, Board of Directors Janelle Sturtz
Board Member Tara Spector
Board Member Bryce McDevitt
Board Member
Jennifer Melerski
Chair, Board of Directors
Jennifer is the mom to 8 year old Ben who is in Lower Elementary at Pinewoods. Education is one of her family’s central values. She and her family are very grateful to have found Pinewoods which has been instrumental in creating a love and excitement about learning in their son. She has been especially struck by the dedicated professionals at the school and excited about the mission of the school to expand. Jennifer’s family is committed to a Montessori education for Ben and to Pinewoods thriving as it goes through this vital transition. Jennifer earned a Master’s in Education in 1995 and Doctorate in Clinical Psychology in 2006. In her 30-year professional career she has served in not-for-profit agencies, mental health centers, universities, hospitals, courts, and correctional institutions serving a wide diversity of individuals. Jennifer hopes to apply her extensive education, including knowledge of organizational and community psychology, experience in conducting qualitative research, as well as her passion for education to serve the Pinewoods community during this important transition. Jennifer is currently the owner of her own psychology practice. She and her family live in Mebane.
Laura Arneman
Vice Chair, Board of Directors
Laura is currently a stay at home parent working towards going back to school for occupational therapy. Prior to this, Laura worked in accounting at a family owned architecture and construction company. She was on the board of her townhouse association for 3 years, and served as the treasurer for 2 of those years. Laura has two children at Pinewoods.
Janelle Sturtz
Board Member
Janelle has two sons at Pinewoods, both in Lower Elementary . Janelle is a chiropractor with a specialization in pediatric and pregnancy care who practices here in Hillsborough at Imagine Chiropractic. Her experience in practice over the past 11 makes her a valuable member of this board, not only in business operations, but with her medical background and perspective with regards to our children’s health and well being, which is extremely important not only now but moving into the future. Janelle is also a member of her HOA board and an active participant in the North Carolina Chiropractic Association.
Tara Spector
Board Member
Tara has 2 children at Pinewoods, Cosette (10) in Upper Elementary and Cole (7) in Lower Elementary. Her family joined Pinewoods in the fall of 2022 and they have been thrilled with the outstanding education provided by the dedicated teachers and impressed by the strong community feel. Tara is an Internal Medicine Physician and the Associate Medical Director of Clinical Operations for Hospital Medicine at Duke. She has previously served on the Pinewoods Covid-19 Advisory Committee and Head of School Search Committee and is excited to use her administrative skills and leadership experience to support the mission and vision of Pinewoods.
Bryce McDevitt
Board Member
Bryce McDevitt is vice president of External Communications and Marketing at Parsons Corporation, a technology solutions company in the global defense, intelligence and critical infrastructure markets. In this role, McDevitt is responsible for leading the corporation’s external communications and marketing strategy, advertising, trade shows, memberships and sponsorships, executive positioning, and digital communications, social media, and media relations practices. His family moved to Chapel Hill in June 2022 from Washington D.C., and became immediately connected to Pinewoods when his son, August, attended summer camp. August would later join the Primary 3 classroom and has thrived in the Montessori environment. His family also includes identical twin girls, Poppy and Campbell, who will join their brother at Pinewoods in 2023. He serves on the Pinewoods Board because he believes in the school’s mission of delivering quality, compassion-based education to students within a safe, peaceful setting; giving them the foundational tools to succeed throughout their academic journey. He is passionate about fostering a strong sense of community, and empowering teachers with the support and tools needed to be successful. McDevitt received a bachelor’s degree from Villanova University and holds a master’s degree in communication from Georgetown University. He lives in Chapel Hill with his wife, Cecily; three children; and cat, Penny.
