Governing School Board

Governing School Board

Wai’alae is governed by a Governing School Board (GSB) charged with the responsibility of oversight for financial, organizational, and academic viability of our school and implementation of the Wai‘alae School Charter Contract.  As a charter school, the GSB has the independent authority to determine the organization and management of the school, the curriculum, virtual education, and compliance with applicable federal and state laws.  In many ways, the GSB sets the “what” (vision-aligned goals, direction, strategy, and policy), while the CEO and school leadership team determines and executes the “how” (operations, financial transactions, academic specifics pertaining to curriculum and pedagogy).  The GSB also ensures that our school complies with the terms of the Wai‘alae School Charter Contract from the Hawai’i State Public Charter School Commission. As a governing body, the GSB conducts matters according to the GSB Bylaws and sets yearly goals which align with and support the school’s endeavors.

Meetings

The Governing School Board meets on the fourth Monday of each month except for June and December (unless otherwise noted). The meetings are held in-person at Wai’alae School bi-monthly and via Zoom all months. Meetings are open to the public, and an agenda with meeting link is posted on this page about a week prior to the meeting date. The minutes of each meeting are also posted, but only after they have been approved and accepted by the GSB. The Board also hosts an annual summer retreat for Wai’alae School leadership and Community Circle organizations (Governing School Board, Wai’alae School Foundation, and Friends of Wai’alae) to energize, connect and align strategic planning efforts in support of the school.

Meeting Agendas and Minutes (see below)



Waiʻalae Governing School Board Community Accord

This document serves to establish expectations and norms for our Governing Board. This includes topics such as onboarding to the GSB, professionalism, confidentiality, conflict resolution, channels of communication, and more. Each member of the Governing Board agrees to uphold the terms of this Accord during their service to Waiʻalae. This is an evolving document that will be revisited each year by the Governing Board, however, we welcome stakeholder feedback at any time regarding this Accord to board@waialae.edu.

Wai`alae Community Accord

August 19, 2024

September 23, 2024

October 28, 2024

November 25, 2024

December 2024 - RECESS

January 27, 2025

February 24, 2025

March 24, 2025

April 28, 2025

May 2025 - TBD (Memorial Day)

June 23, 2025

July 2025 - RECESS

rescheduled

JOINING THE GOVERNING SCHOOL BOARD

As a steering, strategic, and policy-making body, the Governing School Board ideally has a makeup that pulls from expertise in a variety of areas, including law, finance, business, human resources, community leadership and resources, academia, progressive and whole-child education, and more. GSB members serve two-year terms and volunteer between 4 and 10 hours per month, sharing their professional expertise by advising school leadership, long-term strategic planning, working in committees, and seeking community resources and opportunities for the school. GSB members must be reflective, life-long learners, and exemplars of Wai‘alae’s Vision Elements:

The Governing School Board (GSB) invites interested persons to apply to serve on a GSB Committee as non-GSB members (Education, Operations or Governance Committee). After a designated amount of time, committee members may be asked to join the GSB or they may remain on a committee.

We are currently seeking community member(s) with the following skillsets

Application Process

  1. Meet informally with the GSB Chair and/or the Chair of the GSB Committee of interest to learn about Committee roles, responsibilities, requirements, and overarching goals, as well as how they relate to the roles, responsibilities, requirements, and overarching goals of the GSB itself.
  2. Complete a Committee Member Application Form and submit it to the GSB.
  3. If you are invited to join a Committee, then it is expected that you attend Committee meetings and contribute to the Committee’s work as a non-GSB member of the Committee.

Board Members

Wai’alae’s Governing School Board is a passionate and connected group of community members working in alignment, sharing their unique strengths and diverse perspectives to support Wai’alae School in its mission to nurture and educate the whole child.  The Governing School Board recognizes the charter school movement’s role in innovating and improving the larger public school system in Hawaii.  Board members generously donate their passion, energy, resources, and expertise to govern and advise Wai’alae School.
Troy Ballard

Troy Ballard

Governing Board Chair

Troy W. Ballard is a lifelong public educator, a champion of educational equity and excellence, and an attorney. Troy resonates closely with the mission and vision of Wai’alae School and views his role on the board as working to ensure these concepts and values are embodied within our community decision making processes. Troy attended the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa graduating with undergraduate degrees in both American Studies and Political Science. Afterwards, he attended the University of Pennsylvania graduating with a Master’s of Science in Urban Education. He additionally attended the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa’s William S. Richardson School of Law, graduating with a Certificate in Native Hawaiian Law and a research focus on educational equity and school desegregation. Troy currently practices law on Oʻahu supporting matters involving contracts, compliance, and miscellaneous education matters. He additionally serves as the Administrative Officer for Mālama Maui Nui and serves as a lecturer-in-law at Richardson and Mānoa's Department of Educational Administration.

Email: board@waialae.edu

Kristen Brummel

Kristen Brummel

Education Committee

Kristen Brummel has 20 years of education experience in Hawai’i’s Department of Education as an Elementary Teacher, Mentor, Instructional Coach, Presenter, Complex Area Induction and Mentoring Program Coordinator, and Education Specialist in Teacher Leadership. She is a National Board Certified Teacher, a 2014-2016 Hawaii Hope Street Group Fellow and was the 2011 Hawaii State Teacher of the Year. Kristen has served on committees such as Hawaii’s Teacher Leader Workgroup, the Great Teachers Great Leaders Task Force, the Teacher Education Committee for Elementary and Early Childhood, and the University of Hawaii College of Education Alumni Association Board of Directors with the goals of learning from others and bringing teacher voice to the conversation. Kristen loves growing with her two children, Daniel (11) and Grace (8), and is excited and honored to serve the Wai’alae school community, whose mission and vision she wholeheartedly believes in.

Email: board@waialae.edu

Leon Geschwind

Leon Geschwind

Governing Board Vice-Chair

Leon Geschwind is the father of two young daughters and a proud Wai’alae parent. He is the NOAA Education and Outreach Specialist at the Inouye Regional Center. He is a believer in Wai’alae’s whole-child approach and is passionate about engaging communities around climate change science and solutions. Prior to NOAA, Leon taught middle and high school Earth, Physical, and Environmental Science, served as adjunct faculty at Hawaii Pacific University, and led the Bishop Museum science education department. He has a Bachelors in Global Environmental Science, a Masters in Educational Technology, and is pursuing a PhD in Learning Design and Technology from the University of Hawai’i at Manoa.

Email: board@waialae.edu

Scott Nishimoto

Scott Nishimoto

Education Committee Chair

Scott Nishimoto is the former Executive Director and current Associate Director at Ceeds of Peace. Scott is also an Obama Leader in the inaugural Obama Foundation Leaders USA cohort, as well as a board member for Waiʻalae Public Charter School and Pacific Buddhist Academy. He was raised here on the island of O’ahu by two incredible storytellers, mentors, and community catalysts – Michiko and Warren, both retired oral historians. The stories they’d bring home to his dinner table about violence, injustice, and inequality inspired him to attend law school to study social justice. There, he became actively involved in community organizing and peace initiatives.  After finishing law school, he followed his passion into the non-profit world where he worked with adults with disabilities for nearly 7 years at a local non-profit called Abilities Unlimited. Even more than his qualifications, though, Scott believes it’s his identity as a father that shapes his plans and actions for the work he does in our community. As the father to his two kids, Elle and Rui, he has a deep personal urgency pushing him to bring his community and the world closer to this goal of peace, as distant as it may sometimes seem.

Email: board@waialae.edu

Keʻōpū Reelitz

Keʻōpū Reelitz

GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE

Keʻōpū Reelitz believes every child in Hawai‘i deserves quality care and education from birth. She has spent the last several years dedicated to increasing access to and investments in early childhood care and education. Wai‘alae School Board enables her to bridge the gap from early childhood to elementary-age education and child care. Keʻōpū is currently the Director of Early Learning and Health Policy for the Hawai‘i Children’s Action Network (HCAN). Previously, she worked for the State Executive Office on Early Learning as the communications lead, as the public information officer at the State Department of Human Services, at the Office of Hawaiian Affairs on self-governance initiatives and as an award-winning editor of Mana Magazine. Keʻōpū is a graduate of the University of Arizona College of Law, Loyola University Chicago and Kamehameha Schools Kapālama. When she’s not working or volunteering with Wai‘alae, she’s likely running around literally and figuratively. She’s a mom to three young children, a wife and an avid walker, jogger and cyclist.

Email: board@waialae.edu

Jordana Ferreira

Jordana Ferreira

Governance Committee Chair

Jordana Ferreira, currently serving as the City and County of Honolulu’s Early Childhood Resource Coordinator, is dedicated to enhancing access to quality learning environments for Oʻahu’s youngest children. She has extensive experience leading early learning sustainability and expansion efforts, supporting and advocating for increased access to early learning opportunities for young keiki and their ‘ohana across the State. A Pacific University graduate with a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and a Master’s Degree in Communications from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, Jordana is deeply committed to advancing equity for young children and creating nurturing environments where all keiki can thrive. Her career began by supporting children with disabilities and their families, revealing systemic challenges that inspired her to champion systemic changes for keiki and their ʻohana. She understands the barriers facing communities firsthand and firmly believes investing in our children’s future is paramount for community prosperity.

Email: board@waialae.edu

Star Ventura

Star Ventura

Governance Committee

Star Ventura has a passion for community building, social justice and family empowerment. She is a Registered Nurse Clinical Coordinator at Queens Emergency Department working to support best practice, performance improvement and nursing education. Star obtained a degree in Social Work from the University of Hawaiʻi, then went on to study nursing at Johns Hopkins University in Maryland. She has been a member of the teaching team at Chaminade University School of Nursing as clinical adjunct faculty, as well as participating in hospital nursing ethics committees and nursing regulatory reviews. At Waiʻalae, Star has been a member of the Governance Committee and COVID Task Force. She is also a proud mom of two Waiʻalae keiki.

Email: board@waialae.edu

Committee Members

Lianna Lam
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Operations Committee
Yuliya Bentcheva
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Operations Committee
Yao Hill
-
Education Committee

Past Committee and Board Members

A big mahalo to our past board members for their generous service and many contributions to Wai’alae School!

Bernard K. Nunies, SHRM-SCP, SPHR
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Operations Committee Chair
Andy Tomlinson
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Operations Committee Member
Justin Levinson
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Governance Committee Member
E. Brook Chapman de Sousa
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Education Committee Chair
Lianna Lam
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Governing Board Member
Tray Spilker
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Operations Committee
Jane Dickson
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Education Committee Member
Susan Serrano
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Governing Board Member
Tom Hutton
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Governance Committee Chair, Mission and Vision Integration Team
Leila Shar
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Treasurer, Operations Committee Member
Keane Kitagawa
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Operations Committee Member
Nikos Brown
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Education Committee Member
Fiona Hayashi
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Vice-Chair, Secretary
Kate Leary
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Education Committee Member
Rod Todorovich
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Board Chair