Gib Barrus, Board Chairman
B.A., Physics, Earlham
College
Gib is the current owner/director of Camp Celo. He is a former teacher
at Carolina Friends School and did work with Calhoun Design and
Construction. His father was a former staff member at AMS during its
first twelve years of operation and Gib was a student. He is also the
parent of two daughters who attended AMS. He has done community
development work
with Brethren Voluntary Service in Honduras and has served on the board
for Spruce Pine Montessori. Gib is an active member of Celo Community
Inc. and Celo Friends Meeting.
Jon Pertee
B.A., Evergreen State
College
Jon is the owner of his own design and building company called Winter
Star Woodworks specializing in small homes. He served as an AMS intern
in 1983 and has helped lead field trips for the school. He is the
father of Isak and Aije Pertee who are former students of AMS. Jon has
done/ is doing volunteer work in the public school system, Appalachian
Therapeutic Riding Center, Odyssey of the Mind, Toe River Valley Watch,
and AMS workdays.
Benjamin Reckendorf
Ben is the owner of his own business called Carolina Worm Casting, a
"Green" company that provides organic soil amendments to the greater
RTP area of North Carolina. He was the VP for Voyager Electrical
Company and served as Senior
Security Consultant for Security Solutions Inc. He and his wife have
been foster and adoptive parents to more than ten children. He also
served as VP of Administration for the Parent Family Association of the
Sterling Montessori Academy. Ben is a former student of AMS from
1967-1970, and house parent and intern from 1973-1974.
Rob Pulleyn
B.A., Sociology and
Anthropology, Lake Forest College in Illinois,
M.A., Sociology, The University of New Mexico.
Rob is a ceramist and shows frequently in the region. He has been a
filmmaker and tapestry weaver. He founded and was the publisher of
Fiberarts Magazine and Lark Books for thirty years prior to selling his
business to Sterling Publishing/Barnes and Noble. He has served on the
boards for Professional Parenting and Planned Parenthood, Asheville Art
Museum, and Penland School of Crafts. His daughter was involved in Camp
Celo which brought him into contact with AMS. Besides his daughter, he
is also a single adoptive parent to three other children.
Elley Jordan Schopler
B.A., African Studies
UNC Chapel Hill
B.S., Nursing UNC Chapel Hill
Elley is an Obstetric/Maternity nurse and an International Board
Certified Lactation Consultant. Elley's family started coming to the
family work camps to help build Arthur Morgan School in 1963, and they
have been members of the Celo Community since 1972. Her mother was a
staff member at AMS, and she and her two sisters are former students.
She has volunteered at the Health Department as a lactation consultant,
with Carolina Friends School as a substitute teacher, and at the
Piedmont Wildlife Center.
Tim Wells
B.S., Environmental
Studies with an Education
Concentration from Warren Wilson College
Tim is a thirteen year veteran of
teaching at Carolina Friends School. He taught middle school for eight
years and is currently in his fifth year teaching in a three-four-five
year-old class room. Jonas, Tim's son, is an AMS alumnus. The
emphasis on successful community living, Quaker values, and
experiential education is what drew Tim to the School, and why he is
honored to serve on the distinguished AMS Board.
Astra Coyle
B.A., Philosophy, Skidmore College
G.C.F.P., Feldenkrais Guild of North America
Astra
has been a Feldenkrais Practicioner in private practice at the Celo
Health Center for the past five years. Her work is dedicated to
teaching people how to learn for themselves. Astra has worked in
several non-profit settings. She managed educational workshops for a
non-profit media arts center, produced and directed documentaries and
managed a small fund raising company. She and her family live in Celo
Community. Her step-son will be attending AMS next year.
Cindy McMahon
B.A., English and Philosophy, Guilford College
M.A., English, UNC
Certificate in Leadership Asheville, UNCA
Certificate in Nonprofit Management, Duke University
A 1981 AMS alumna, Cindy is currently the owner of Spark Consulting in
Asheville, offering executive project management to small businesses.
She has functioned as the Director of
Operations at the YWCA of Asheville and was the Coordinator for the
United Way Volunteer Center in Asheville. Cindy has served on many
boards including The Center for Participatory Change, The Education
Coalition and the Board of Commissioners for the Housing Authority of
the City of Asheville.
Susan Larson
B.A., English, Kalamazoo College
M.A., English, The University of Chicago
M.A.L.S., UNCG
Susan
retired in 2008 as the Sr. Director of Corporate and Foundation
Relations at UNCG. In the Triad she also established and
coordinated the Duke Certificate Program in Nonprofit Management. In
the mountains she was the first president and executive director of the
Toe River Arts Council while serving on many nonprofit boards,
including Penland School of Crafts.
Larson was on
the staff of
Mayland Community College, heading the fundraising and public relations
efforts. She is also a current board member of the Foundation for
Mitchell County. Currently she is vice president of the Foundation for
Mitchell County and co-leader of MainPRO, Mountain Information for
Nonprofits.
Amy
Boyd
B.A., Biology, Earlham
College
M.A., Environmental
Studies, Antioch New England Graduate School
PhD, Ecology and
Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona
Amy
has spent the past nine years teaching biology, environment studies and
science education at Warren Wilson College in Asheville, NC. Her prior
experiences include: adjunct and part-time teaching at Prescott
College, Franklin Pierce College and Keene State College; working with
children and teachers in science education and school garden programs
at elementary schools in Tucson AZ; running a youth hostel in
Gettysburg, PA; and teaching at The Meeting School in Rindge, NH. She
has three years of volunteering as a scientist/mentor with the program
PlantingScience. She also has many years of volunteer service in the
elementary, middle and high schools around science education.
David Nash
B.A., Economics,
Davidson College
J.D., University
California - Hastings
David's
legal career has been split between American Indian Law and Federal
Poverty Law working largely for tribal governments and non-profit legal
organizations including the Navajo Nation Justice Department, the
Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Legal Division, and Legal Services of
North Carolina. Currently he is employed as the Chief Operations
Officer and in-house legal counsel of the Asheville Housing Authority.
David enjoys volunteering at Hall Fletcher Elementary School with
special projects and field trips as well as serving on various boards
such as Friends of Camp Celo, the Cherokee Indian Hospital Foundation,
Community Action Opportunities of Asheville and Buncombe County and the
Asheville-Buncombe Homeless Initiative Advisory Committee.
May
Toms
B.A., English
Literature, Antioch College
M.Ed., Early Childhood
Education, University of New Hampshire
Early Childhood
Credential, American Montessori Society
Retired
from a 24 year career in education, May has taught in both public and
private schools in North Carolina, Virginia and Maine. The
last
five years of her teaching career were in the Greensboro Montessori
School as a Primary teacher. She has been a Stephen Minister for
Greensboro Urban Ministry, coordinated and hosted homeless guests
through Guilford Interfaith Hospitality Network, and volunteered with
Salvation Army's Daywatch and Nightwatch programs who serve the
homeless that are not in shelters. May is a past board member of the
Greensboro Montessori School and is currently in the Certification
Program of the Servant Leadership School of Greensboro.
Jody
Pred
B.A., Beloit College
Jody
is a 1971 alumnus, and from 1981 - 1984 he was also an AMS
staff
member. He and his wife reside in the Celo valley where he serves on
the Celo Community Inc. board of directors. A skilled carpenter, Jody
now boasts the position of stay-at-home father to his lovely daughter,
Daisy.
