board of directors

The board consists of 12 positions including the principal, a teacher representative, and a student representative. Each year 1/3 of the board comes up for election. To view current candidates


Shellae Jones, Co-Founder and President, has expertise in organizing, special projects and community outreach. Her qualifications center around her ability to get the community moving together, and building a strong presence through partnerships and collaboration. Ms. Jones holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Criminal Justice from Coppin State College, 1993.
email Shellae Jones      Top of page





Sue Fothergill, Co-Founder & Vice President, has an expertise in advocacy and organizing. She is an Education Advocate for the ACLU of Maryland. Her qualifications center around education policy analysis and parent and youth leadership development. (Past Member) Board of Directors Save Our Streams, Co-Founder Baltimore Education Advocates Coalition, Recipient of the John Brown Education Advocacy Award. Interests include politics and reading. Sue and her husband, Leo, have lived in Northeast Baltimore for 8 years where they are raising their two young boys.
email Sue Fothergill      Top of page





Rob Noble, Co-Founder & Treasurer of the Board, has expertise in Financial Management, Process Management, Quality Control Management, Reporting Systems Design and Data Analysis. As Principal of REN Consulting Services, he has worked extensively as a Financial Consultant with many of the "New Initiative"/Charter schools in the Baltimore area. Rob also serves as the treasurer on the Board of Directors, at Midtown Academy, Inc.
email Rob Noble      Top of page





Ava Schweikert, Co-Founder & Secretary, email Ava Schweikert      Top of page





Robyne Lyles - Thistle, Co-Founder and Director of Facilities, has expertise is logistics and finance. Ms. Lyles � Thistle has an M.B. A., in General Management from the University of Chicago School of Business, and a B.A. in Religious Studies from the University of Virginia. She is the vice-president and CFO of Freedom Services, Inc., a chauffeured passenger transportation company located in Baltimore. She and her husband started the company in 1991 and now have 35 amazing employees. Her current passion is managing the restoration of her family's circa 1811 house in Stone Hill. She also loves swimming with her daughter Maeve, playing Ultimate Frisbee with her husband, Mark and cooking with her friends.
email Robyne Lyles      Top of page





Kuana Holley-Burris, has an expertise in customer service. She is currently a Medical Insurance Specialist with the Department of Finance for Johns Hopkins Hospital. Recently, Mrs. Holley-Burris has been accepted into the Dental Hygiene undergraduate program at the University of MD. She is the mother of three boys, two of which currently attend City Neighbors Charter School. In her spare time, she also enjoys spending time with her husband and children, writing poetry and cooking..
email Kuana Holley-Burris,      Top of page





Gwendolyn Unoko, Director of Resource Development,
email Gwendolyn Unoko      Top of page





Coleen Dibble, Director of the Organized Parent Group,
email Coleen Dibble      Top of page





Doris Dow, Director of Community Relations,
email Doris Dow      Top of page




Michael Chalupa, Principal, has been a classroom teacher in grades 4-8. He is an experienced administrator of policies and programs, a passionate advocate of teachers, has written and implemented new curricula, and directed a grass-roots, parent-led cooperative to professional independent school status while maintaining core values of community service, global awareness, character education and tolerance. Mike came to City Neighbors from Massachusetts, where he completed his Master�s degree at Harvard Graduate School of Education.
email Mr Chalupa      Top of page




Monica O'Gara, Teacher Representative.
email Ms Ryerson      Top of page




TBD, Student Council President





Will DuBois, Esq. DLA Piper and Associates. Advisor to the Board. Will DuBois's practice focuses on environmental litigation and counseling. He has represented property owners in both federal and state courts in matters involving CERCLA liability and cost recovery and disputes over liability for state-mandated cleanups. He also counsels clients on a variety of environmental aspects of transactions and environmental compliance, including under the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act, and state regulations. In 2005, Mr. DuBois received the Maryland Pro Bono Resource Center's prestigious Pro Bono Service Award, honoring his extensive work on behalf of City Neighbors, and other organizations working to establish charter schools. J.D., Vanderbilt University Law School 2003, B.A., University of Maryland 1999
Top of page


home    our school     calendar     news    contact