The Georgia Charter Educational Foundation, Inc. was founded by a diverse group of Georgia based individuals concerned with the option of quality school choice for families and students in Georgia. The purpose is to provide a premier academic school option for students and families in Georgia. Currently the Board has evolved to the members listed below. Each member is a proud Georgia based, business and/or community supporter with hopes and visions for a continued and evolving, academically successful Charter School. The Board is responsible for the legal and financial obligations, establishes policy consistent with the School's mission and vision, and ensures that the programs and operations of the School are faithful to the terms of the charter.
Lyn Carden, Chairperson, is the owner of Tri-M Consultants, a boutique marketing firm handling local direct and internet marketing for small business clients across the state. She retired as a 20-year broadcaster in 2001, co-hosting morning radio shows as well as managing radio station marketing and promotions departments. After retirement Ms. Carden launched an event management company in Savannah specializing in non-profit fund raising for organization such as The Boy Scouts of America, Goodwill Industries and the Pet Assistance League. Ms. Carden has organized hundreds of community events including concerts, relief efforts, directing Savannah’s Miss St. Patrick’s Day pageants, and was selected as Savannah air talent of the year 4 years in a row.
Marian Parker, Esq., is a skilled attorney with extensive experience litigating in state and federal courts. Her expertise in law extends to such areas as business, nonprofit, estate planning, and civil and criminal litigation. She is licensed to practice in Georgia, Illinois and Louisiana. She has served as a board member for several profit and non-profit organizations in Metropolitan Atlanta. She is an experienced and successful grant writer and has managed relationships with corporate partners, such as Bank of New York. She is an excellent teacher and communicator capable of building a solid, highly motivated team.
Danny Dukes, Treasurer, is currently the founder and president of Danny F. Dukes and Associates, a financial management and CFO outsourcing firm in Canton. He has spent most of his career managing many aspects of the financial institution and mortgage industries in the areas of financial management, accounting management, risk management, audit, compliance, investment management, consulting, investment banking, treasury management, shareholder relations and bank operations. He has served as a chief financial officer and chief operations officer for community banks in Georgia as well as an adjunct college professor of accounting at Clayton State College and University and Keller Graduate School. Additionally, Danny is actively involved in many professional and civic organizations, such as the Rotary Club of Cherokee County, the Georgia Society of Certified Public Accountants, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Georgia Charter Educational Foundation Board, Cherokee County Republican Party, the Georgia College Alumni Board, Mercer University Alumni Association and serves as a member of the County Property Tax Equalization Board.
Frederick Black is retired from a 30+ year career as an educator and administrator for several prestigious preparatory academies in Atlanta and Athens. He brings a breadth of experience in the education industry, including student discipline, school operations management, development of diversity programs, curriculum design, and statewide competitive athletic programs. He is a resident and native Georgian with a BA in History and a MEd from Georgia State University. After his academic career he created a construction company that built a restaurant /bar in the Seaside,FL area and a luxury country home in Walton Co., GA. He presently serves as the Head Coach of the nationally ranked wheelchair basketball teams at Shepherd Spinal Center.
John W. McIntyre, Jr. is currently the executive director at Morgan Stanley & Co., Private Wealth Management Division based in Atlanta. Prior to this, he was a partner in Highland Associates, an Investment Consulting Firm. Mr. McIntyre has a BA in Economics from Washington & Lee University and a MBA from Harvard University. He is a valued member of his community, serving on the Trinity Community Ministries Board of Associates, a member of Northside United Methodist Church, on the Capital Campaign Committee of Woodruff Arts Center, and a former Board member of the Emory Board of Visitors. He and his family reside in Atlanta, Georgia.
Christine Ries is a professor and Chair of the School of Economics at Georgia Tech. She has previously taught at The Harvard Business School, The Fuqua School of Business at Duke, the Peter Drucker Graduate Management Center at Claremont, and at Stanford University. She is a specialist in International Finance, Markets and Organizations, and Economics of the Firm in the School of Economics. Her articles include publications in The Journal of International Business Studies, The Harvard Business Review, Euromoney, and The Financial Analysts' Journal, among others. Her books address the policies of international corporations and the politics and economics of emerging markets. She is the author of over 20 case studies that have been published by the Harvard Business School. Several appear in her co-authored book of case studies and many are printed and reprinted in other case books and textbooks. She has served on the Board of The Academy of International Business and on the editorial boards and as referee of several major professional and academic journals. Service on advisory councils includes service to several foreign universities and governments and U.S. companies.
Bob Young is the former mayor of the City of Augusta and senior executive in the cabinet of President George W. Bush. Bob Young is the President/CEO of the Southeastern Natural Sciences Academy. His public service followed twenty six years as an award-winning broadcast journalist. Last year Bob retired as business manager for the Department of Defense Schools in Beaufort, SC. Bob is the owner and president of Eagle Veterans Services LLC, an industrial supply brokerage. His first novel, The Treasure Train, was published earlier this year, and he has appeared as an extra in a number of movies. As a member of the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, Bob created the Preserve America Communities Program for The White House and was recognized with the national leadership award in preservation from the History Channel. Bob attended Wofford College and Augusta State University. He is an air force veteran of the Vietnam War. He is active in a number of organizations, including the Augusta Kiwanis Club.
To ensure local community involvement/control, the charter school will have a Governing Council comprised of community leaders and parents that will have primary oversight of the school. The Georgia Charter Educational Foundation will delegate broad authority to the Governing Council, including:
Scott Tigchelaar
Rachael Wood
Maurice Grover
Randall Cottrill
Crystal Samples
Chris DeLong
Sandi Mosher
For more information on Charter Schools USA, visit their site at www.charterschoolsusa.com.