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As a non-profit, 501(c)3 organization, TVCS is governed by a 7 member Board of Directors. Board members are elected to 2 year terms that can be renewed 3 times. There are 4 leadership positions on the TVCS Board including President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer. Elections for these positions are held every year during the August board meeting. There are also 5 standing board committees including: Executive, Finance, Programs/Personnel, Facility, and Community Awareness. Committees are generally chaired by a board member but may include teachers, parents, or other members of the community.
The board generally meets on the 3rd Tuesday of every month at 6:00 p.m. in the main building at TVCS. Changes and additions to the regularly scheduled board meetings are posted on the community bulletin board in the main building at the school as well as on the website calendar. Parents, teachers, or interested members of the community are welcome to attend. Minutes from all board meetings are archived in a notebook in the Administrative Director’s office and are available for the public to review.
Jeff CarterPresident
Jeff has been an active part of TVCS since 2006 when his children began their education here. He has been instrumental in the development of the school's fundraising committee and joined the board of directors in 2010. Jeff’s colorful background has provided him an array of experiences ranging from real estate investments in Manhattan to instructing courses in Alaska for the National Outdoor Leadership School. Since moving to Teton Valley in 1995, Jeff has served as a chaplain at Teton Valley Hospital and Surgicenter, a hospital board member, the Scoutmaster for local Troop 185, a board member for the Alta Retreat Center, and Board President for VARD. He has also taught yoga at Yoga Tejas in Driggs. Jeff served on the Land Use Subcommittee during the last revision of Teton County’s Comprehensive Plan: 2005-2010. He ran for Teton County Commissioner in 2004. He currently sits on the county planning & zoning commission. Jeff has two joy-filled sons, Nathan and Mitchell.
Melissa HeimerlVice President
Melissa is an attorney with Heimerl Law Firm, PC in Victor, and has been practicing law in the areas of real estate, general business & corporate law and dispute resolution since 1997. Melissa graduated Magna Cum Laude from Syracuse University College of Law, where she was an editor of the Syracuse Law Review. The first 10 years of her career were in Buffalo, New York, as an attorney in a large law firm and then as principal law clerk to the administrative judge of all Western New York courts. Melissa’s family moved to Teton Valley in 2007, and their two children have loved attending TVCS. Melissa has been on several not-for-profit boards and committees in the past, including the board of her children’s preschool in Buffalo and committees for the United Way and Children’s Hospital of Buffalo.
Tim WattersTreasurer
Tim and his wife Margot moved to Teton Valley from the Midwest in 2004. Four of his five children have attended TVCS and Tim has served on the Board for the past six years. Tim’s professional background is in Finance; having worked for several financial institution in both commercial and investment banking on the east coast and in the mid-west. Tim is the part owner of a native plant nursery in the Valley that specializes in wetland restoration. He has also served on the Board of Friends of the Teton River and currently sits on the Board of the Community Foundation of Teton Valley.
Michael DeryOriginally from suburban Boston, Mike attended the University of Massachusetts. He fell in love with the Rocky Mountains while hiking the Continental Divide in the early 80's and pursued his dream to come west when he moved to Teton Valley in 1991. He is married with 3 children and works as a general contractor. "Having started my kids in the public schools we decided to move them over to the TVCS. I have personally seen the difference in my children that comes from smaller classes, project-based curriculum, and education of the whole child. I am motivated to work with TVCS because this school offers an educational opportunity that every student should be allowed to experience."
Susanna ReuterOriginally from the east coast, Susy holds a bachelor’s degree in world religions from Georgetown University. While an undergraduate, she served as a campus representative for Teach for America (a national teacher corps) and later worked as their National Placement Director. While receiving her master’s degree in public health, she was selected as an Albert Schweitzer Urban Fellow. After graduate school, she and her husband served two years with the Peace Corps in the Philippines. As a researcher and project manager, she has worked on domestic violence prevention initiatives and various health projects in PA, MA, and MI. In 2007, she moved to the Valley with her husband and four children, three of whom attend TVCS.
Willy WarnerWilly has lived in Teton Valley since 2000. He is married to Abby who is the director of the National Outdoor Leadership School's Teton Valley branch. The two youngest members of the family are their children, Peter and Isabel, who are both enrolled at TVCS. Willy brings to the board 20 years experience in the outdoor education field as an instructor, administrator and program director.