Board meetings generally occur on the 4th Thursday of each month. Click here join the monthly Board Meeting.
Excelsior Classical Academy CFA’s Board typically meets at 6:00 every fourth Thursday from August through May, unless otherwise noted on our event calendar. (November and December meetings are typically on the third Thursday of the month.) Regular meetings are held at the school at 4100 N Roxboro Street in Durham. In the summer, the Board holds a day-long retreat for planning, team-building, and training.
It is a fiduciary responsibility and the intent of ECA’s Board of Directors to conduct meetings in an efficient and professional manner. Therefore, as the Board of Directors conducts business at its monthly meeting, it must refrain from engaging in discussion with the audience. However, the Board welcomes public input and any individual may request to be included in the Public Comment segment of the agenda.
To be included in the agenda, a speaker must notify the Board of Directors via email at least 48 hours in advance. All information will be used in the minutes of the meeting and becomes part of the public record under open meeting laws. The Board may also use the information for follow-up with the speaker.
In order to be able to finish all required business at meetings, the Board limits the amount of public comment time for each speaker to two minutes. Comments must be limited to the topic listed on the public comment form. Individuals shall not yield minutes to other individuals.
All public comments are subject to ECA’s rules of decorum. The use of profanity, personal insults, or hate speech will result in the immediate cessation of the speaker’s time. Please note that it is a violation of law to discuss personnel and private matters in a public meeting. It is also a violation of law to make slanderous remarks or to cast false accusations in a public meeting.
The Excelsior Board is seeking community members to serve on the board or on board committees. Current skill-set needs are:
Please contact the chair if you are interested in serving on a committee.
To view the Board’s signed budget archives, open the following document.
To view the Board’s approved Board Policies, open the following document.
Scott Sipe is the Associate Publisher of Carolina Academic Press, where he has a particular focus on educational software. After growing up in Durham, Scott earned degrees in history and computer science from Duke University and a masters degree in Middle Eastern Studies from the University of Chicago. Spending a few years working in Washington D.C., Scott quickly decided that North Carolina was more his pace, and he has enjoyed watching the many changes and developments in Durham ever since.
Thanks to an influential and transformative middle school Latin teacher, Scott is a strong believer in the values of classical education and knows firsthand how one teacher can make a huge impact in students’ lives. He is very excited about the Excelsior mission, and looks forward to supporting the school’s continued growth and success.
Oshrat Doriocourt is the Director of Operations at the Office of Research Contracts at Duke University. Her job includes development and implementation of processes, practices, and interfaces with other research administration offices and clinical departments. She earned a bachelor’s degree in International Relations from Israel’s The Hebrew University in Jerusalem, a law degree from Israel’s College of Management’s Law School, and Master’s in Law degree (LL.M.) from Duke University School of Law.
Oshrat is a passionate supporter of Excelsior’s mission and vision and strongly supports the Core Knowledge curriculum. She has two children who are students at Excelsior.
Crystal Scillitani spent the last 25 years working in North Carolina schools and universities – serving in multiple roles from teacher to Principal to course instructor of Elementary Education at North Carolina State University. In 2017 she founded LeadingUp Consulting, a consulting firm based in North Carolina focused on advancing student achievement by strengthening teachers and school leaders.
As the first member of her family graduate high school and attend college, Crystal is a firm believer that education is the pathway to success. She hopes to bring her personal and professional experiences to the Excelsior School Board in order to support the school in continued growth and success.
In her free time, Crystal volunteers with The Center for Volunteer Caregiving and Compassion International. In addition she loves to read, travel, and exercise. Prior to her career in education, Crystal also served in the United States Air Force alongside her husband. Crystal resides in Raleigh.
Christiaan Heijmen is a Partner with Focus Search Partners. Christiaan is an executive recruiter in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area.
Christiaan has a B.A. and B.S. from the University of Massachusetts, where he graduated Summa Cum Laude, and was a 4-year division one rugby player. He received his MBA at Duke, where he served as a Coach K COLE Leadership & Ethics Fellow and was recognized in 2013 with the Business Award for Exemplary Alumni Service to the school.
Christiaan enjoys boxing, hiking, reading, going to Duke Sporting Events, and staying engaged with men and women with disabilities. He, his wife, and their four children reside in Durham, NC, and one of their children attends Excelsior. Christiaan is humbled to serve alongside the other exceptional board members to continue the tremendous work of Excelsior Classical Academy!
Rev. Dr. Tammy Rodman was President of the founding board of Excelsior and has returned to serve again on the board. Tammy has worked for Blue Cross Blue Shield as a Business Analyst and now serves in ministry, currently at Reality Ministries. She holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from North Carolina Central University, a master’s of Divinity from Shaw University, and a Doctorate in of Ministry from United Theological Seminary.
Tammy has served on multiple non-profit boards over the years and has strong leadership and human relations skills. She is a highly motivated person who has the ability to motivate others. She has widespread connections in the Durham community. Tammy has a passion for learning and wholeness for children and the communities in which they live. She strongly supports the mission and vision of Excelsior.
Sherri Swan-Nesbit is the Abdominal Transplant Clinical Research Nurse Coordinator Lead for Duke University Medical Center. She has a RN-BSN from North Carolina Central and a master’s degree in Health Systems Administration from Duke University School of Nursing. She has served on the board of Gorman Christian Academy. Sherri has a sixth grader at Excelsior Classical Academy.
Sherri is dedicated to fostering student success and ensuring that every opportunity is provided to help students excel academically and grow into virtuous adults.
Corey Hawley has worked for over ten years in the accounting field as a CPA and has a background in public accounting. He worked for eight years auditing non-profits (including private schools), for profits, and 401k plans. He then moved into private industry and worked as a Controller for a software company in Raleigh for two years. Corey now works at Vaco, LLC as an Professional Consultant, helping with staff augmentation or other special projects needed by their clients. He has three daughters, one of whom will start at Excelsior in the fall of 2025.
Corey is passionate about fostering opportunities that empower children to reach their full potential. He wants to ensure all children have access to quality education that builds both character and intellect. His expertise in financial analysis, budgeting, and strategic planning aligns well with the needs of Excelsior Classical Academy’s Board. HIs passion for education and its impact on children’s lives drives his desire to serve. He is eager to contribute his skills to support the school’s mission and vision, ensuring continued growth and success for students, staff, and the community.
Joan Lange was a leader in educational reform her entire career. Serving as team leader, department head, and curriculum committee chair several times, she was recognized by her peers as a Lindbergh Leader and Teacher of the Year at Ocoee Elementary. Ms. Lange actively participated in the piloting of the Core Knowledge Sequence at Three Oaks Elementary School in Fort Myers, FL. Later she was recruited to bring the curriculum to the middle school. She became a Core Knowledge National Consultant, training hundreds of teachers in schools across the country, and served as a presenter at the Core Knowledge National Conferences 1991-1996.
Ms. Lange joined the Challenge Foundation in 1997 after more than 20 years as a dedicated educator, quickly becoming an advocate for school choice. She served as the Challenge Foundation National Schools Director and Director of School Leadership. After several years of seeking out successful charter school models to offer Challenge Foundation grant support, she became intimately involved in the development of the TEAMCFA network of charter schools. Her work included seeking out communities in need of high quality charter schools that offer rigorous K-12 curriculum, including the Core Knowledge curriculum in grades K-8, and a college preparatory high school model. She had extensive experience serving on TEAMCFA charter school boards. Ms. Lange assisted in forming local school boards and engaging them in training that includes long range planning, fiscal responsibility, and academic best practices, including school policy, procedures and assessment. Ms. Lange holds a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Arts from Southeast Missouri University.
Blaire Benson Washington worked in marketing and public relations and was the founder and CEO of b consulting, LLC. A Durham native, she earned her bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication with a focus in Public Relations from UNC-Chapel Hill in 2011. She spent much of her time after graduating working with non-profit organizations, both as a PR/marketing consultant and as a volunteer. Some of Blaire’s favorite clients and partners included Cherokee Gives Back, an organization that has a wonderful volunteer program based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Raise the Children, an organization that provides private education and mentorship to orphans in South Africa; and the Granville Vance Faith Initiative for Community Action, an organization that tackles significant community issues by mobilizing and motivating faith organizations in Granville and Vance counties.
After serving on Excelsior’s Founding Board, Ms. Benson moved to Seattle, Washington and earned a Master’s in Social Work and is now a Mitigation Expert for Criminal Defense.
Mark Anthony Middleton is the founder and pastor of the Abundant Hope Christian Church and the founder and CEO of Abundant Hope Incorporated. Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Mark was educated in the New York City Public Schools System. He is a graduate of North Carolina A&T State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science. He received his theological training at the Duke University School of Divinity and also did course work at New York Theological Seminary. Mark was licensed and ordained to Christian Ministry at the renowned Concord Baptist Church of Christ in Brooklyn, New York where the Rev. Dr. Gary V. Simpson is the Senior Pastor.
Pastor Middleton is an award-winning essayist and a published author. His work appears in the popular African-American Devotional Bible published by the Zondervan Publishing Company. He has appeared on national television (BET) to discuss leadership in the African-American community. Pastor Middleton is a life member of the NAACP and a past Assistant State Director of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. After serving on Excelsior’s Board, Pastor Middleton was elected to Durham’s City Council and then became Mayor Pro-Tempore.
Thomas J. Nechyba is a professor of Economics and Public Policy and is the Director of the Social Science Research Institute at Duke University. His major areas of expertise are Education, Public Finance, and Education Finance.
Professor Nechyba, who received his PhD from the University of Rochester in 1994, joined the Duke faculty in 1999 after spending five years on the faculty at Stanford University. He has lectured as a Visiting Professor at the Fundacao Getulio Vargas in Rio de Janeiro and the Center for Economic Studies at the University of Munich, and he held the year-long National Fellowship at the Hoover Institution on War, Revolution, and Peace at Stanford in 1998/99.Â
Professor Nechyba is a Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research and serves as Associate Editor for the American Economic Review, International Tax and Public Finance, and The BE Journals of Economic Analysis and Policy. He has previously served as Director of Undergraduate Studies in the Department of Economics at Duke and is currently Department Chair.
His research, which has been funded by agencies such as the National Science Foundation and the Spencer Foundation, lies in the field of public economics, with particular focus on primary and secondary education, federalism and the functioning of local governments, as well as public policy issues relating to disadvantaged families.
Kathy Rennie earned a Bachelor’s degree in French from Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania, and a Master’s degree in Special Education from Columbia College in New York. She worked with learning disabled and emotionally disabled students at a private school in New York, a public school in New Jersey, and Durham Public Schools.
Ms. Rennie worked from 2003 to 2013 as the Finance Manager of Triangle Futbol Club, a non-profit youth soccer club of over 900 members which serves the Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill area. In 1980, she and her husband, a former Duke soccer coach, founded the Duke University Soccer Camp, a summer youth soccer camp attended by as many as 2000 players annually, and ran it until her husband left Duke to pursue other opportunities. The Rennies designed and implemented the marketing tools needed to recruit campers ages 6-18, making it one of the largest and most respected soccer camps in the country. Her duties at the Triangle Futbol Club and Duke University Soccer Camp included advertising, publicity, marketing, fundraising, budgeting, account reconciliation, hiring, office management, and payroll.
Tammy White Rodman received her ordination Dec 2009 through the Yates Baptist Association. She launched The Sanctuary Outreach Ministries, a ministry of healing and wholeness for women who have suffered abuse.
Dr. Rodman earned her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from North Carolina Central University. She did Masters level course work at Pfeiffer University in Business Administration and Health Administration. When Dr. Rodman decided to go into the Ministry, she pursued Theological training, earning a Master of Divinity degree May 2008 from Shaw University Divinity School and a Doctorate in Ministry December 2012 from United Theological Seminary with a focus in Christian Education and Urban Ministries.
She has served on the Board of Directors for Urban Ministries Homeless Shelter and for Durham Interfaith Hospitality Network (an organization which houses homeless families and their children). She also served as Board President for Durham Interfaith Hospitality Network. She has been an intern with Durham Congregations, Associations and Neighborhoods (Durham CAN), and has worked at Reality Ministries and other faith-based ministries.
Prior to going into ministry, Dr. Rodman worked at Blue Cross Blue Shield North Carolina for 14 years, holding various positions. Her last position there was Business Analyst.
Natalie Dekle earned a Bachelor of Humanities with High Distinction in Secondary Education/English from Pennsylvania State University at Harrisburg. She also received the Humanities Academic Achievement Award. Natalie is licensed to teach high school English, middle school language arts, and middle school science, with additional certification in Teaching Diverse Learners. She has taught at public and private schools in Pennsylvania and North Carolina, and at a community college in Pennsylvania. During her teaching career, Ms. Dekle was twice selected for inclusion in Who’s Who among American Teachers. At her last school, in addition to serving on the School Improvement Plan Committee and co-chairing the school’s re-accreditation committee for two re-accreditation cycles, Natalie served as a faculty representative on the School Advisory Board and advisor to the yearbook staff.
Outside of her work in education, Ms. Dekle has worked as a guest curator at the Hershey Museum and a project director at the Hershey Community Archives, researching and compiling a museum exhibit and an oral history project on the Italian Community in Hershey. She also has experience in arts administration, through her employment as Program Director at the Hershey Educational and Cultural Center and at Pinecone: Piedmont Council of Traditional Music in Raleigh. Her responsibilities at these organizations included maintaining membership records, as well as budgeting, staffing, and publicity.
Cynthia Gadol earned a BA in Statistics from the University of Georgia, after majoring in Art the first two years. She worked as a Programmer/Analyst and Technical Writer for a number of years. Ms. Gadol earned a Master of School Administration from Appalachian State University. She holds a North Carolina K-12 Principal’s license and is also licensed to teach High School Mathematics.
As one of the founding teachers at Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy, which opened in rural, western North Carolina in 1999, Ms. Gadol helped develop the high school curriculum. Over a period of twelve years she taught various courses: Art and Art History, Logic I and II, Rhetoric, Algebra I and II, Geometry, and AP Statistics. She served as Chair first for the Mathematics Department and then for the Trivium Department. She was a member of the Curriculum Committee, the Scheduling Committee, the Scholarship Committee, the School Improvement Team, and the AdvancEd Accreditation Team.Â
Ms. Gadol led professional development courses at TJCA on teaching critical thinking and logic throughout the curriculum, Socratic questioning, and Paideia seminars. She worked with the Drama Club, helping with sets, designing and sewing costumes, and occasionally directing and coaching. While at TJCA, she was the National Honor Society adviser and oversaw Prom and Graduation activities. The National Society of High School Scholars recognized Ms. Gadol as an Educator of Distinction after one of her students who was a member nominated her. She was selected for Who’s Who among American Teachers for three years, nominated by four different students. Her school nominated Ms. Gadol for Disney’s American Teacher Award for creativity in teaching and for NC Charter School Teacher of the Year. The recognition of which Ms. Gadol is most proud is the TJCA’s Punniest Teacher Award, presented in 2006 by the senior class. To date, she is the only recipient of this award.
Ms. Gadol’s peer teachers elected her as the upper school teacher representative to TJCA’s Board of Directors. Ms. Gadol was invited by the TEAMCFA Representative to became a TeamCFA Fellow in 2012. She worked in administration at two TEAMCFA schools, Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy and Lake Lure Classical Academy, before opening Excelsior Classical Academy.
Ms. Gadol’s retires in June, 2025, at the end of Excelsior’s tenth year.
