Who We Are

Board of Trustees

CPSC’s Board of Trustees and Board Committee meetings are always open to the public. You are always invited, and always welcome.

You can find our meeting schedule and links to join meetings here. In the interest of time, board policy allows families and staff to speak at board meetings with an invitation from the Executive Director (Arlie Harris) or the Board Chair (Marcia Brooks). You’ll find more details about this process in our Staff or Student/Family Handbook.

The majority of the Board’s work happens at the committee level, and we invite staff and families to serve on our committees. When staff and family members join committees, they feel heard and valued, and make contributions that directly impact the quality of our students’ educational experiences. Our standing Board Committees are Governance, Development, Finance, and Program Excellence. Our current ad hoc committees include Outdoor Learning and Community Relations. If you are interested in joining a committee, please contact the Committee Chair at their cpsc.org email address.

Trustees

Marcia Brooks, Chanel Carrell, Bob Chapman, Joe Fitzsimons, Bryan Gilmer, Richard Hart, Vicky Patton, Tauchiana Williams (Meetings – 3rd Wednesdays @ 6pm)

Officers

Chair, Marcia Brooks; Vice-Chair, Vicky Patton; Treasurer, Joe Fitzsimons

Bios

Marcia Brooks is the executive director of Lakewood Avenue Children’s School (est. 1986), a child-centered, project-based preschool inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach. She was a CPSC parent for nine years. Her son started as a first grader in the school’s first year, and her daughter graduated from CPSC elementary school in 2012. Marcia has served on the boards of the Durham Arts Council, and The Scrap Exchange. She has earned a BFA in drawing (UNH), the NC K-12 Art Education License, NC Early Childhood Teaching and Admin Credentials, and an MID from NSCU College of Design, where she studied environmental design for young children.

Chanel Carrell, M.Ed., MSA, is a distinguished educational leader with a robust background in school administration, program coordination, and curriculum development. Chanel has dedicated her career to enhancing educational experiences for students, faculty, and staff through innovative programs, strategic partnerships, and a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Chanel embarked on her professional journey after earning her Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education from Converse College in Spartanburg, SC. Her passion for education and leadership propelled her to further her studies, obtaining a Master of Education (M.Ed.) with a concentration in Mathematics and a Master of School Administration (MSA) from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In addition, Chanel has acquired various certifications, including Project Management (PMI), Mindful Teacher from Mindful Schools, and Academically and Intellectually Gifted Education (AIG) from Duke University.

Her teaching career began as a third-grade teacher and grade-level chair at Central Park School for Children. All four of her children attended CPSC and graduated during her time at CPSC. At North Carolina State University, Chanel has made remarkable contributions as a University Program Coordinator for the Data Science Academy. In this role, she has successfully managed and secured sponsorships for programming, collaborated with multiple colleges, and hosted career expo events, significantly enhancing the academy’s offerings and student engagement.

Chanel Carrell’s career is a testament to her unwavering commitment to educational excellence, leadership, and the empowerment of students and educators alike. Her work continues to impact the field of education, shaping the future of learning in North Carolina and beyond.

Bob Chapman is a new urbanist developer who builds walkable mixed-use neighborhoods. His urban infill projects include Trinity Heights in Durham and the Village at Hendrix in Conway, AR. He has served on the boards of Preservation Durham, the North Carolina Smart Growth Alliance, Durham Central Park, Duke School for Children, the Carolina Theater, St. Joseph’s Historic Foundation, Friends of the Duke University Art Museum, the Research Triangle Regional Film Commission, the Trading Path Association and the NC Art Society. Bob is presently lead developer for the South Elm Street project in downtown Greensboro.

Joe Fitzsimons is an architect specializing in adaptive reuse of historic buildings and has participated in many of Durham’s recent major renovation projects, including American Tobacco, Golden Belt, and American Underground at Main Street. He has worked on every phase of the Central Park School for Children’s expansion, dating back to the original conversion of 724 Foster Street in 2002. Joe also serves on the Durham Historic Preservation Commission.

Bryan Gilmer is the director of communications at NC School of Science and Mathematics. He helps the school tell stories of the transformative power of NCSSM on people, communities, and the state to inspire alumni, donors, prospective students and families, and governmental partners. Previously, Bryan served as director of marketing and development for Urban Ministries of Durham, the main homeless shelter and emergency services provider in downtown Durham. Bryan earned his bachelor’s degree in journalism from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism and began his career as a newspaper reporter, first for The Greenville News in South Carolina, and then at Florida’s largest newspaper, the Tampa Bay Times. After relocating to Durham in 2003, Bryan worked for a decade as a communications consultant serving many units of Duke and UNC-Chapel Hill as well as corporate clients including Netflix and The Streets at Southpoint. He has also taught newswriting at UNC-Chapel Hill as an adjunct, and has published three crime thriller novels. Bryan and his wife, Jennifer Nolan, an N.C. State English professor, live with their three children in Old East Durham.

Richard Hart is an award-winning journalist who has lived and worked in Durham for more than 25 years. He has been a reporter and editor at newspapers and news services in his hometown of New Orleans, New York City, Jackson MS, Madrid (Spain), and Miami FL, and was the Durham editor of The (Raleigh) News & Observer and the editor of the Independent Weekly. He came to love and appreciate CPSC’s child-centered focus and when his son was in the school’s first kindergarten class, the first class to finish a complete K-5 education. He serves on the board to advance his conviction that Central Park School for Children has an obligation as a charter school to pass its insights and experience with project-based learning on to the rest of the Durham Public Schools system.

Vicky Patton served as an assistant to President Terry Sanford at Duke University and led the effort to relocate the American Dance Festival from Connecticut to Durham. She was a founding Board member, then president of the Duke School for Children and managed the creation of their campus on Hull Avenue. Just before committing all her time to the creation of CPSC, Vicky was the Executive Director of The Governors Center at the Sanford Institute for Public Policy where she taught management to executives in state government.

Dr. Tauchiana Williams is a clinical associate professor and director of the Advanced Standing MSW Program of UNC Chapel Hill. She is the coordinator of the N. C. School Social Work License program. Her research areas include Black parent engagement and involvement with a focus on barriers and facilitators that impact student success. Tauchiana serves as the Lead Interventionist for the Substance Use Prevention and Education Research (SUPER) program funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). She is a licensed clinical social worker whose practice areas include child and adolescent mental health, school social work, substance use, and trauma. She was appointed by Gov. Roy Cooper to serve on the N. C. Social Work Certification and Licensure Board where she holds the office of secretary/treasurer. The best honor is being mother to an amazing son at CPSC.

Committees

COMMUNITY RELATIONS

Richard Hart, Chair, Bryan Gilmer, Arlie Harris, John Heffernan (Meetings – TBD)

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S EVALUATION

Marcia Brooks, Chair, Vicky Patton (Meetings – TBD) The committee is supported by the Governance and Program Excellence Committees.

FACILITIES

Joe Fitzsimons, Chair, Bob Chapman, Arlie Harris (Meetings – TBD)

FINANCE

Joe Fitzsimons, Chair, Bob Chapman, Arlie Harris, Vicky Patton, Joy Porter, Christina Fountain, Jalal Osman (Meetings – 2nd Fridays @ 2:00pm)

March’s meeting has been rescheduled for the 15th.

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GOVERNANCE

Vicky Patton, Chair, Marcia Brooks, Chanel Carrell, Arlie Harris, Alice Maniloff (Meetings – 1st Thursdays @ 4pm)

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OUTDOOR LEARNING

Marcia Brooks, Chair, Vicky Patton, Brenda Brodie, Arlie Harris, Lucia Marcus, Carly Apple, Kristi Moyer, Betsy Johnson, Wendy Tonker (Meetings – 2nd Thursdays @ 4pm)

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PROGRAM EXCELLENCE

Marcia Brooks, Interim Chair, Tauchiana Williams, Arlie Harris, Lucia Marcus Sandra Martinez-Zuniga (Meetings – 4th Tuesdays @ 4pm)

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Our Foundation

The CPSC Foundation is managed by the CPSC Executive Director, Kate Moser, and a board of directors. The members of the Foundation board are Robert “Bob” Chapman (President), Geoffrey Phillippe (Treasurer), James “Buster” Black, Vicky Patton, and Alan Staple. Ex Officio Members include John Heffernan (Executive Director, CPSC), Marcia Brooks (Chair, CPSC Board of Trustees) and Kate Moser (Executive Director, CPSC Foundation). Read more about each board member below.

James Black

James Black is Vice President of AIG Global Real Estate Investment Corp. He manages real estate investment for AIG in the southeastern United States. Buster received a Bachelor of Science degree from the College of Charleston and a master’s degree in Real Estate Finance from New York University. Buster is a Central Park School for Children parent.

Marcia Brooks

Marcia Brooks is board chair of Central Park School for Children. She is the executive director of Lakewood Avenue Children’s School in Durham. Marcia has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of New Hampshire, and a Master’s degree in Industrial Design at the North Carolina State University College of Design, with her thesis in Early Childhood Environmental Design. She earned certification in K-12 art education and has the North Carolina Early Educator Certificate and credentials in Early Childhood Teaching and Early Childhood Educational Administration.

Bob Chapman

Bob Chapman is the Foundation’s board president. He is Managing Director of Traditional Neighborhood Development Partners, LLC in Durham. He also serves on the boards of Central Park School for Children and of the Triangle Community Foundation Real Estate Foundation. He previously served on the boards of the Congress for New Urbanism, the National Town Builders Association, Duke School for Children, and the North Carolina Art Society. Bob received an A.B. degree from Duke University.

John Heffernan

John Heffernan is in his fourteenth year as executive director of Central Park School for Children. Previously he taught elementary school for 10 years in New York City and in Durham, where he was honored as “Teacher of the Year.” John was selected as a Kenan Fellow for Teacher Leadership in 2007 and as a Fulbright Memorial Scholar in 2004. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree with a triple major in Psychology, Philosophy, and Studio Arts from Georgetown University followed by a Master of Arts degree in Elementary Education and Teaching from Bank Street College of Education.

Kate Moser

Kate Moser has over 15 years of development experience in higher education, healthcare, and nonprofits. She has been part of four major capital campaigns raising millions of dollars for organizations in Virginia, North Carolina, and around the world. Kate attended Hollins University as a Batten Scholar and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication Studies. She also received a certificate in Leadership Studies from the Batten Leadership Institute.

Vicky Patton

Vicky Patton is the founder of Central Park School for Children. She previously served as executive director of the Governor’s Center at Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy and as Assistant to the President for Duke president Terry Sanford. Vicky led successful efforts to relocate the American Dance Festival to Duke and to convert the Duke Pre-School and Primary Program into Duke School School for Children. She has A.B. and M.B.A. degrees from Duke.

Geoffrey Phillippe

Geoffrey Phillippe is a Strategic Innovation Partner at Elephant Ventures, LLC. Geoffrey has a Bachelor of Science degree from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Northeastern University, and an M.B.A. from the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California. He is a Central Park School for Children parent.

Alan Staple

Alan Staple is a Vice President at the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI). His responsibilities include leading price reduction negotiations for CHAI with the global pharmaceutical and diagnostics industries and identifying new opportunities and funding partnerships that expand access to life-saving medicines. Alan served as founding treasurer and board member of Central Park School for Children. Alan has a B.A. in economics from Oberlin College and an M.S in Economics from the London School of Economics and Political Science.