The governance bodies at RWS include the Board of Trustees and the Faculty College. They hold the vision of the school, develop long-range plans to realize that vision, oversee the management of the school, and ensure that the school achieves its mission through its program, staffing, and facilities.
The Board of Trustees has legal and fiduciary responsibility for the school. It sets policies for and oversees tuition, the operating budget, fundraising, financial aid and scholarships, school contracts, insurance, and the school facilities. The Board has ultimate responsibility for the financial state of Richmond Waldorf School. To reach a member of the Board, please email bot@richmondwaldorf.com
The Faculty College, in conjunction with the Director of Education, has authority to make decisions on all pedagogical matters and in hiring, evaluating, and dismissing pedagogical personnel. The Faculty College is responsible for the destiny of the school as expressed through its mission, program, staffing, and facilities. The Faculty College keeps a long-range view of the school and also works with daily educational issues. It strives to address these issues from a pedagogical perspective, keeping the children and the educational process as its highest priority.
The Leadership Team serves as the executive arm of the Board and the Faculty, and it is overseen and accountable to those bodies. The Team includes the Director of Administration, the Director of Education, and the Faculty College Chair who work to ensure coordination and execution of tasks and communication among all realms of the school.
Board of Trustees 2022-2023 Members
Ashley Long, Board Chair, Buildings and Grounds Committee Chair: Ashley Long is a Designer and Project Manager with 17 years of experience in Architecture, Interior Design, and Planning. She began her career working on regional K-12 and higher educational design and joined an international firm developing master plans for federal projects nationally and abroad. She has designed and managed a number of award-winning projects for Virginia universities, and has broad experience collaborating on strategic planning, budgets, and programming for a variety of project types and sizes. After establishing her own business, she worked with select residential clients and currently manages renovations and operations for a growing portfolio of investment properties. Throughout her career she has consistently supported interdisciplinary teams, and values listening to understand and open communication. Ashley has a rising first grader and an early childhood student at RWS. Ashley holds a BFA in Interior Design from Virginia Commonwealth University.
Greg Bauer, Board Treasurer, Finance Committee Chair: Greg is a Director of Software Engineering at Capital One. He moved to Richmond in 2004 for his first job after graduating college. He attended Syracuse University and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology with a second major in International Relations. His two daughters attend Richmond Waldorf School, one will be new to the Early Childhood Kindergarten program and the other will be starting third grade this fall. He resides in Richmond’s West End with his wife and daughters.
Marianne Kelliher, Board Secretary: For over twenty years, Marianne has specialized in creating engaging communications and event strategies that drive company culture, employee recognition and client appreciation. Marianne has worked in many industries including international development, at-risk youth program management, renewable energy & energy efficiency, and travel & hospitality. Her experience at Siemens Gamesa, U.S. Department of Energy, Hilton Worldwide, and Marriott International led her to working for herself under the moniker Bespoke Words. Marianne hails from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and is a proud “lifer” of the Quaker educational system; she attended Friends’ Central School and received her BA in Spanish & Latin American Studies from the University of Pennsylvania, and an MA in International Development Studies from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London. She has worked and lived in the United Kingdom, Dominican Republic, and several European countries; however, Mexico truly captured her heart. She is mother to Amalia, an RWS student, and wife to Antonio, the most interesting man in the world. When she isn’t travelling with her friends & family, chances are you’ll find Marianne talking about, reading about, or cooking food from all corners of the earth.
Committees of the Board of Trustees
Brooke Anderson, Trustee, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice Committee Co-Chair: Brooke is currently the Senior Operations Manager for the Children’s Hospital of Richmond at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Health System. Brooke is also a Registered Nurse and started her nursing career at VCU Health System Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit. Brooke has a Bachelor’s in Business Administration from Howard University and a Bachelor’s in Nursing from VCU. Brooke’s professional journey has consisted diverse roles and experiences over 20 years including private banking, financial analysis, business account manager, esthetics instructor, master esthetician, spa manager, and nurse manager. Brooke’s two children have attended Richmond Waldorf school starting with the Sprouts program. Brooke currently has a child in early childhood and a child in second grade.
Brian Gillert, Trustee: Brian has been in the hospitality field for over 10 years. Most notably working for a non-profit Country Club as the Director of Food & Beverage for the past 9 years. He has also previously served on the State board for the Club Managers Association of America ad the Director of Communications.
Brian has two children in the school currently, one daughter in EC and a son entering 3rd grade. His wife Rachel attended a Waldorf School from EC to 12th grade in Massachusetts and his Father-In-Law, Roberto Trostli, just retired from Waldorf School Teaching this year.
Kadie Parsley, Trustee: Kadie Parsley has been an educator for 14 years, working in both public and private school systems, and currently works at St. Christopher’s School in Richmond, VA. Kadie has a doctorate in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from Virginia Tech, a Master of Arts in Teaching from Mary Baldwin University, and a Bachelor of Arts from Longwood University. She resides in Richmond’s West End with her husband and two daughters.
Heather Simon, Trustee, Long Range Planning Committee Chair: Heather is a creative spirit with a business mindset. In 2008 she founded design agency, BigTree, and continues to grow and evolve its services based on the needs of clients. She works with business owners to analyze and strategize their marketing, and align the visual identity with their mission, vision, and values. BigTree was an integral partner in the rebranding of RWS in 2016.
Involvement in Waldorf education began in 2013 when Heather enrolled her daughter in Sprouts at Richmond Waldorf School with founding member and teacher, Maria Butler. Since then, her love for Waldorf has grown immensely. She remains an active parent in the school and has attended many anthroposophical classes throughout the years to grow a deeper understanding of the Waldorf philosophy.
Kim Washburn, Trustee, Board Recruitment & Development Chair: Kim Washburn has spent over 20 years as an IT professional working for corporations including Circuit City, Performance Food Group, and Virginia Farm Bureau. Her expertise is in Data Management and Business Intelligence. She has a Post-Baccalaureate degree in Information Systems and BA in History with minors in Philosophy and Religious studies from Virginia Commonwealth University.
Kim and her family joined RWS in 2006. All three of her children started in the Early Childhood pre-k program. Her eldest two graduated in 2017 and 2021 respectively, and her youngest is currently in the RWS middle school. Kim has been an active parent volunteer at RWS through the years serving in many capacities such as class parent, Parents Association class representative and Annual Fund class captain for each of her children’s classes at various times, as well as, Parents Association Moderator (2013-2015), Board Trustee (2016-Present) chairing various Board committees, Board Chair (2018-2021) and Secretary (2021-22).
2022-2023 Ex-Officio Members
Tim Daniel, Interim Director of Administration
Erica Childress, ex-officio, Parents Association Co-Moderator
Heather Maury, ex-officio, Parents Association Co-Moderator
Dawn Pollard, Member of Faculty College/Pedagogy: Dawn Pollard is a Class Teacher and Specialty Teacher in Latin and Greek. She has over 15 years experience in Early Childhood teaching. Dawn has a Master’s in Liberal Arts from St. John’s College and a Master’s in Education from Antioch University
Michael Fee, General Counsel: Michael is a corporate attorney, with experience in private practice and as in-house counsel for a Fortune 200 company. In addition, Mike has served for over 10 years in the United State Marine Corps in various leadership roles. Mike holds a BA in History from Fordham University and a JD from Vanderbilt Law School. Mike has two children who attended Richmond Waldorf School.
Faculty College 2022-2023 Members
Dawn Pollard, ex officio member to the Board of Trustees
Letitia Amey
Sara Andrassy
Irina Baranova
Deborah Boes
Katie Bullington
Cathryn Bump
Megan Chase
College member bios are available on the Faculty & Administration page
