CCS Board of Directors

 GILBERT BAILEY, CHAIR
Gilbert is Co-Owner of fencePBT.com, Inc. an importer, exporter and retailer of fencing equipment for the Olympic sport of fencing.  Prior to founding fencePBT.com, Inc. Gilbert was Vice President of Sales & Information Technology for Software Express, Inc., a nationwide leader in academic software licensing. Gilbert began as an Account Executive with Software Express, Inc. in 1991 and held several positions until his departure in January of 2000. He was responsible for both the sales and information technology (IT) organizations. He helped Software Express, Inc. grow from a six person academic start-up in 1991 to a nationwide leader with over 50 employees. During his tenure Software Express, Inc. was placed on the prestigious Inc. 500 list twice, once in 1995 as the 337th fastest growing privately held corporation in America and again in 1996 as number 325.  In 2000 Gilbert also developed and wrote a leasing software platform for Wilmar Leasing, Inc. headquartered in Charlotte, N.C.  This leasing platform is still in use today.
 
Gilbert received his Bachelor of Arts (Political Science / Russian Soviet Studies) from Guilford College in 1991.  He currently serves on the college’s alumni board of directors.  He is a Certified Netware Engineer (CNE) as well as a Certified Lotus Notes Consultant (CLP.) Gilbert has over 25 years of technology experience.

COREY NUTTING, CO-CHAIR
Corey has a total of six years experience working for Community Charter School.  Four years as a classroom teacher, and two years as an assistant teacher.  At CCS he taught 1-2 and 2-3 classes.  He has also taught Pre-K and Kindergarten.  He is currently a realtor with the firm of Center City Realty.  He has lived in the Charlotte area for 20 years. Corey received his Bachelors in Elementary Education from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.  He is married with two children.
                            
ELBERT TOLSON, TREASURER

 

AMY SUTTON, SECRETARY
Amy has been a CCS parent since the 2005-06 school year. She currently has two children enrolled at CCS and has volunteered to organize or assist with various events and field trips this year. She has a deep affection for and commitment to Community Charter School.
 
Amy is the office manager at Open Door School, which was one of the “mother” schools of CCS’s inception. Although she is in the office and not the classroom, the director’s intention to have a consistently trained staff has allowed Amy to participate in the Open Door School teacher training sessions for the past two years. She has been trained in the implementation of Progressive Education and Positive Discipline in the classroom.
 
Amy’s prior Board experience includes sitting on the BELLAS (Breastfeeding Encouragement, Learning, Liaison, And Support) Board of Directors from 2005-2007.
 
Amy has a unique perspective to bring to the Board: along with being a committed CCS parent, she has a professional understanding of some of the tenets of CCS’s philosophy. She also has hands-on experience with the administrative side of running a school, including budget management, marketing, and staff/parent/child relations.
 
NICK TRIPLETT
Nick grew up in the Carolinas.  As a North Carolina Teaching Fellow, he earned a Bachelor’s degree in U.S. History and a Masters degree in Teaching at UNC-Chapel Hill.
  
After graduate school, Nick and his wife Susan settled in Charlotte, where he taught social studies at Providence High School for six years.  Nick became a National Board Certified Teacher in 2006.  For the past three years he has been lucky enough to stay at home with his son, Owen.
 
Nick has served as co-coordinator for the Charlotte Area Green Party for the past five years and as assistant treasurer of the North Carolina Green Party for the past two years.  During this time he has been a community activist, working on issues of social justice, grassroots democracy, education and the environment.
 
ANDY HABENICHT
Andy is an associate attorney in the litigation department at Kennedy Covington and is a member of the employment law and motorsports practice groups. He focuses on advising clients on a broad spectrum of employment litigation and human resources counseling issues. Andy’s practice includes matters before the EEOC, Department of Labor, and other administrative agencies, as well as employment discrimination, non-competition, and trade secret protection cases in both state and federal trial and appellate courts and in arbitration. Andy also advises and assists clients on avoiding litigation through workplace training, wage and hour guidance, and human resources best practices education. He has additionally drafted employee handbooks and a variety of employment, confidentiality, and severance agreements. Andy has experience handling employment-related matters in a wide variety of industries, including, for example, the motorsports, construction services, manufacturing, professional services, and financial services industries. Andy regularly coordinates with the firm’s corporate group and supports clients’ business transactions as a member of due diligence and deal teams.
 
JOSEPH PARRY
Joseph is committed to spending a lifetime living out the Jesuit ideal of “service to others,” particularly in the arena of education.  Born and raised in Buffalo, New York, Joe gained a unique perspective in his own education while attending the local public school system K-8 and a private Jesuit high school 9-12.  His passion for education and public policy led Joe to pursue a BA in government at Georgetown University.  While in Washington DC, he participated in eye-opening internships, including Meet the Press and the United States Senate, that allowed him witness first-hand the key education policy debates of the day, for example, the proposed impact of the recently passed No Child Left Behind legislation.  After graduating from Georgetown in 2002, Joe joined the Teach For America movement and spent two amazing years teaching middle school and coaching baseball in Nashville, NC.  Teaching in eastern North Carolina helped highlight for Joe the challenges educators face on a daily basis to ensure that every single student receives a true opportunity to succeed in school and in life.  For the past four years since completing the program, Joe has switched to the private sector and assumed a business position working in real estate and structured finance in Charlotte, NC.  Meanwhile, he has remained active in education in the local Charlotte community.  In 2007, Joe completed a yearlong fellowship working with Charlotte-Mecklenburg School Board member Molly Griffin and Superintendent Dr. Peter Gorman.  Joe is currently married and lives in the South Charlotte area with his wife, Katie, who is also active in education: teaching at Myers Park HS the past two years, and currently working at East Mecklenburg HS with the Communities in Schools dropout prevention program.  Next year Joe will be pursuing his Masters in Business Administration at the Babcock School of Management at Wake Forest; upon completion he is aiming to focus on social entrepreneurship, expanding and strengthening the connections between corporate America and local public education systems.
 
RENEE COOPER-BAZZELLE
Renee is the owner of Mert’s Heart and Soul Restaurant in downtown Charlotte. Her family has a long history with CCS, beginning with the attendance of her son. She currently has two grandchildren attending with two rising Kindergarteners attending in the fall of 2009/2010.  As a former Board member, she brings experience in CCS Board matters, Charlotte business connections and time and commitment.
 
KATHY GREENE
Kathy is a parent of a first grader at Community Charter School. She spends time each day volunteering at the school and has assisted with grant writing.  She supports the mission and the philosophy of the school.  She currently does legislative research and grant writing for a national non-profit. In addition to this, she taught elementary school in Croward County, Florida and Charlotte-Mecklenburg School District for fifteen years. She has a BA from App State. She has seven children.

 

DEBORAH HOPKINS
Deborah has been a part of the CCS community for 3 years now. She and her husband Dennis are active CCS parents, often seen in the halls. They have three children (2 currently attend CCS, their youngest will begin kindergarten in the fall).

Deborah is deeply rooted in Charlotte. She graduated with honors from Myers Park and went on to study Fine Art @ UNCC. She graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Fine Arts and state certification to teach Art K-12. Deborah taught in a CMS Montessori Magnet school prior to the birth of her first daughter, Sloane (a current 3rd grader). Her son Killian (a current 1st grader) followed as well as her youngest daughter Skylar (rising Kindergartner). Deborah has served as an elder/session member at church for the past 7 years. (The session is charged with spiritual care, setting strategic direction, budget and legal responsibilities as well as staff oversight.)


Deborah is a natural, collaborative leader with a passion for CCS. She believes in the mission of the school and desires to use her leadership gifts to contribute to positive growth for the benefit of all our children. Deborah believes the entire community benefits when our schools are a place where children flourish.


Deborah is present and engaged as a CCS parent, volunteering in various capacities for the school and staff. She contributes to overall school direction by participating in the strategic planning committee meetings. She also serves as a regular substitute teacher. Deborah loves getting to know the students and finding ways to encourage them.
 
Deborah’s interests include running, reading, photography and eating dessert.
 
 ”CCS is a very important part of the life of our family. With all three of our children attending, I have a vested interest in the success of CCS. My desire is to serve our community by being a dedicated and actively engaged member of the board.”
 
CHARLES THOMAS
Charles is the owner of Sankofa Creative Management, LLC, Sankofa Photography and Sankofa Journeys Charles Thomas is an artist, educator and entrepreneur.  Mr. Thomas is currently the director of education of The Light Factory Contemporary Museum of Photography and Film.
 
Mr. Thomas is a native of Charlotte and has been a photographer and educator in the region for over 10 years. Mr. Thomas graduated from Duke University with a degree in Economics and has received his photography training from Central Piedmont Community College. He has been trained as a teaching artist through the Arts and Science Council, Blumenthal Performing Arts Center, The Kennedy Center and the Afro-American Cultural Center.
 
In addition to being a professional photographer, Mr. Thomas is an African Drummer, Origami Artist and student of men’s studies and rights of passage programming. His international travels include: India, South Africa, Europe, Mexico, Puerto Rico and most recently China.



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