Board of Directors

About the TES Board of Directors

As a charter school, The Expedition School is governed by its own Board of Directors, a local, volunteer group comprised of education professionals, business leaders, former K-12 teachers, parents, and community members. They share a passion for K-12 education and a deep commitment to seeing TES succeed to its highest potential. The board of director’s primary responsibilities are:

Assure the school follows the mission as written in the charter
Assure financial accountability and financial stability of the school
Make spending choices and set salaries
Hire and Evaluate the Director of Education and Curriculum
Create and revise school and board policies
Fundraise and develop partnerships for the school

Please note the board is not responsible for the day to day operations of the school. Please address classroom and operational issues with your child’s teacher, administration, or other appropriate school personnel.

Click here to review the TES Strategic Plan for 2025-28.

Board Meetings

Board Meetings are usually scheduled every third Thursday at 6:00 PM. If the third Thursday falls on a holiday, then the board meeting will be the Thursday before. The TES Board meetings can be attended/viewed via Zoom. Please use THIS ZOOM LINK to access the meetings. Public comments can be submitted via this form, and must be received 24 hours before the meeting.

Committee Meetings are held regularly throughout each month. Please refer to the schedule and meeting links for more information.

Meet the TES Board

Harry Stanwyck | Hillsborough, NC

Harry Stanwyck is an experienced attorney who advises startups, growth companies, and investors on a wide range of business and transactional matters. He specializes in helping entrepreneurs solve legal and business challenges and to protect and further their mission as they grow their businesses. Harry holds a Bachelor of Arts from UC Davis and a Juris Doctor from Duke Law School, and is admitted to practice law in North Carolina and California. Harry founded the Dad’s Playgroup at the Orange County Public Library and serves as a Big Brother through Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Triangle. He lives in Hillsborough with his wife and three sons.

Melissa Kay | Hillsborough, NC

Melissa Kay is a Registered Dietitian and Assistant Professor at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, where her work focuses on child and family nutrition, early childhood health, and reducing health inequities through community‑engaged work. She has spent her career at the intersection of public health, nutrition, and community partnerships. Originally from Massachusetts, she earned her master’s degrees in public health and food policy and applied nutrition from Tufts University, and her PhD in nutrition interventions and policy, with a minor in epidemiology, from UNC after coming to North Carolina for a fellowship with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. She has experience leading multidisciplinary projects and securing funding to support community‑based programs. Melissa lives in Hillsborough with her husband—an assistant director at a charter middle school—their two super fun children, and a small but mighty dog. Outside of work, she loves reading, thrifting, and is an avid runner. She can often be found running along the River Walk after school drop‑off, usually listening to her book club’s latest pick.

Emily Rodriguez | Hillsborough, NC

Emily Rodriguez is an attorney with over a decade of experience in transactional, regulatory, and compliance law. Her industry experience centers around data, artificial intelligence, and information technology where she specializes in complex commercial negotiations, policy drafting, as well as risk management and mitigation. Prior to becoming a lawyer, Emily worked as a bilingual aide for Princeton, New Jersey public schools. Emily graduated with a Bachelors of Arts from University of Vermont and holds a Juris Doctor from Rutgers Law School. Emily resides in downtown Hillsborough with her husband and their three children. In her free time she enjoys strolling the riverwalk with her family.

Gavin Jocius (Chair) | Durham, NC

Gavin Jocius is an executive with over two decades of experience in information technology, operations, strategy and eCommerce marketing. His most recent prior role was as the Executive Vice President of Art for Circle Graphics, a leading online retailer of custom and licensed works of art that employed over 200 staff members and generated over $80 million in annual revenue. Gavin was the Director of Information Technology and Web Services at Duke University Alumni Affairs and the Global Marketing Director at lulu.com, an online publisher in Raleigh, North Carolina. Gavin holds a Master of Arts and MBA from Duke University. As the father of an EC child at TES, he is passionate about promoting and supporting neurodiversity.

Stephanie Irvine (Vice Chair & Secretary) | Durham, NC

Stephanie Irvine is an education consultant with more than 15 years' experience supporting leaders at the district, state, and federal levels to implement policies and programs that serve children and youth at every stage of their education. She has led or co-led initiatives in areas including student attendance and engagement, school-based mental health, and out-of-school time learning. Previously, Stephanie conducted education policy research at non-profit organizations, including the Education Trust - Midwest and Common Core (now Great Minds). Stephanie graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with degrees in English and political science and holds a Masters in Educational Leadership and Policy from the University of Michigan. She lives in Durham with her husband and two children, both of whom are students at TES.

Pamela Calvo-Velez | Hillsborough, NC

With over 3,000 citations in peer review journals and a novel technology patent, Pamela Calvo-Velez is a leader in applied science and technology. She is an avid advocate for woman in science and has been portraited and recognized as leader in professional societies such as: American Society of Agronomy (ASA), American Phyto-pathological Society (APS), and Seed World; as well as in private organizations. She has more than 15 years of experience in project management and product development. She currently works as a Global Strategic Manager for chemical company BASF. An immigrant, originally from Peru, whose passion for science took shape while working for the globally recognized CGIAR International Potato Center in Lima. She holds a PhD in plant Pathology from Auburn University and a BsC in Biology from the National Peruvian Agricultural University (UNALM). She lives in Hillsborough with her husband (Also a PhD from Auburn University) and their two kids, Samantha (5) and Matthias (2).

Ryan Minnehan | Hillsborough, NC

Ryan Minnehan has worked in higher education development roles for 15 years. He serves as Director of the Reunion Program at Duke University, where he leads fundraising and engagement efforts for undergraduate alumni in reunion years. He grew up in Washington and Minnesota, and graduated from the College of Saint Benedict / Saint John’s University (MN). Ryan lives in Hillsborough with his wife and two children.

Ryan Nilsen | Hillsborough, NC

Ryan Nilsen is an educator working in community engagement at UNC-Chapel Hill, where he advises project-based fellowships and scholarships for undergraduate and graduate students and teaches courses through the Department of Public Policy and the School of Education. Ryan also works as a facilitator with Outward Bound Professional programs through the North Carolina Outward Bound School and served as a founding board member of the Holler Creek School of Appalachian Ecology. He grew up in the Triangle and graduated from NCSU with a double major in English and international studies and a minor in mathematics before completing a Master of Theological Studies degree at Duke University and a graduate certificate in nonprofit leadership through the UNC School of Social Work. Ryan, his partner, and their daughter keep a lively flock of chickens at their home in Hillsborough and spend much of their free time hiking, hunting mushrooms, paddling, and playing along the Eno River.

Josh Poulin (Treasurer) | Hillsborough, NC

Josh Poulin serves as a Chief Audit Executive, bringing over ten years of experience in leading internal audit initiatives, managing risks, and enhancing compliance within financial, operational, and IT frameworks. At Extreme Networks, he is responsible for the company’s audit strategy and collaborates with executive leadership and board committees to ensure strong internal controls, ensure regulatory compliance, and uphold financial accountability. Originally from outside Asheville, Josh received his Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Appalachian State University. He is dedicated to leveraging his knowledge to support public education, fostering an ethical and accountable culture that drives long-term success. Josh resides in Hillsborough with his two sons, who are both students at TES.

Paul Roithmayr | Hillsborough, NC

Paul Roithmayr is an Organization and Leadership Development consultant with over 30 years of experience helping organizations and their leaders create value, grow, optimize, and adapt. He is the Managing Principal of Same Page Solutions LLC, which he founded in 2008. Paul has a wide range of contextual experience (e.g., in multiple industries, working internationally/cross-culturally, and in most any organizational circumstance); bringing people with diverse backgrounds together to achieve great things in challenging situations is fun and rewarding to him. Paul brings expertise in strategic planning and execution, culture change and transition, leadership development, team and cross functional effectiveness, and participative improvement methods to the board. His previous positions include VP of Organization Development (OD) at Gemstar-TV Guide, Director of OD and Training at 20th Century Fox Films, and various domestic and international OD roles at Intel Corp. Early in his career, Paul contributed to basic and applied research in the areas of aircrew performance, airline accidents, the effects of training and personality on interviewing, and the high-technology market. Paul holds a master's degree in Industrial and Organizational Psychology (with a certificate of specialization in OD and Leadership) from the University of West Florida and a bachelor's degree in Psychology (with a minor in Business) from the University of Texas at Austin. He lives in Hillsborough with his wife (an audiologist/speech language pathologist/advocate for those challenged by adversity) and two wonderful children.

Matt Filter | Hillsborough, NC

Matthew "Matt” Filter is a local government professional and currently the Economic Development Manager for Durham County. Matt has spent nearly fifteen years in the public sector, focusing primarily on economic development, urban planning, and transactional real estate. Matt holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a Master of Public Policy (MPP) degree from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. He is also a licensed North Carolina Real Estate Broker and a member of the American Planning Association’s American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP). In 2025, he was named "40 Under 40" by the Triangle Business Journal. He doesn’t have as much free time as he used to – his favorite job is being a Dad to his energetic and opinionated boys – but he is a passionate advocate for pet adoption, particularly beagles.

Board Committees

TES Board Committees are small and instrumental working groups with a board member that serves as chair, as well as a second (and sometimes third) board member as a participant. Internal and external community members with expertise in the committee’s area of focus are at times recruited to serve on Board committees.

Contact the Board

To contact the board of directors, e-mail [email protected]

Recent Board Communication

Trust, credibility, transparency, and communication are key to the health of a school community, and the Board is eager to ensure the TES community feels informed and connected to the decisions being considered and made. In addition to the availability of Board meeting minutes, updates from the TES Board are sent several times each year. For previous Board communication, click below.

Board Agendas & Meeting Minutes

If you are unable to access any of the files below or would like to request additional information, please contact [email protected]. (Please note that since minutes cannot be posted until they are approved by the Board at the following month’s meeting, there is a four week lapse between minutes being taken, officially approved and then posted.

Past Meeting Minutes

Board Policies

View the list of TES Policies (approved by the TES Board.)

TES Bylaws (Revised and Approved 10/21/22)

View our Diversity in Hiring Effort.