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Trustees Council

The school is a non-profit, tax-exempt organization. The school's financial and legal matters are guided by a Trustees Council. The Trustees Council (TC) is the unified governing body of the school legally responsible for its lawful operation, financial health and strategic direction.  This body has the long-term goals of the school at heart and works to secure the school as an entity within the broader community and state.  It exercises responsible oversight of the internal structure and management of the school, and delegates’ day-to-day management of the school to the Faculty Chair who is hired by the Trustees Council.  The members of the Trustees Council are drawn from all parts of the school community, including parents, faculty and friends. 

Ideally the Trustees Council has as its members a number of faculty that is close to, but does not succeed, 50% of the total number of trustees. Aside from faculty members who bring an in-depth knowledge of the pedagogy and an understanding of the entire school, trustees bring legal, development, financial, educational, architectural and political expertise to the Trustees Council. The usual route to membership on the Trustees Council is through service on a Board committee: Finance, Development, Site, Investment being four of the most active committees. The Trustees Council meetings are held monthly and are open to the school community. Please refer to the calendar for meeting dates.  The current members of the Trustees Council are:


Allison Fultz, Chair
A.B., Princeton University, summa cum laude, 1984. M.Arch., Princeton University, 1986. J.D., American University Washington College of Law, magna cum laude, Order of the Coif, 2004. Transportation, land use and construction law with Kaplan, Kirsch and Rockwell, LLP.  Licensed architect; practiced architecture in U.S. and Canada for 15 years.  Served on Montgomery County Board of Appeals, 2001-2008; Chair from 2004.  Parent of Nadia Langer, Class of 2018 and Naomi Langer, Class of 2014.



Adrienne Paiewonsky, Vice Chair
BS, Carnegie Mellon University; MS w/Thesis, U of Maryland, College Park; Parent at WWS since 1999; mother of Sam Girdzis, Class of 2012. Joined Trustees Council in Fall 2010.  WWS committee participation has included Management Design Committee (current); ad hoc committee to look at architect candidates (2007); Governance Committee (2003-4); Co-Chair, Development Committee (2001-2); Co-Chair, Spring Gala and Auction Committee (2000-1).  Manager, Friday Morning Music Club Orchestra, 2003-2007. Stay at home mom since 1993. Work experience prior to that at The MITRE Corporation-- Member of the Technical Staff, Center for Advanced Aviation System Development; American Management Systems, Arlington, VA-- Programmer Analyst.

Nancy Hirshbein, Secretary
Graduate of Rutgers College (BA) and The George Washington University law school. Lobbied on behalf of several national not-for-profit organization, specializing in health care issues and international development. Managed advocacy training programs for national and international organizations. After retiring from the political world, established an online retail business. Served on the Board of Directors of Acorn Hill: A Waldorf Kindergarten and Nursery and chaired its Diversity Committee and Parent Circle. Served as Washington Waldorf School Parent Organization co-chair for four years before joining the WWS Trustees Council in 2006. Currently a full-time volunteer, working for the Textile Museum, the Smithsonian Institution, and the Washington Waldorf School. Parent of a Class of 2011 WWS graduate.

Jack Benson, Treasurer
B.S., Colgate University, 1988; M.B.A., 1997 Darden Graduate School of Business at University of Virginia; Reingold, Inc. - Principal - marketing and communications firm 2007-Current; Varsity Group (NASDAQ: VSTY) - CFO, CIO, VP Operations – leading provider of online bookstore solutions and uniform needs for educational institutions nationwide 2000-2006. Birdwood Capital – Principal - venture consulting firm providing financial, strategic, marketing and operational expertise to companies in the communications, technology and Internet industries 1999-2000. Dean & Company – Associate - Strategic management consulting firm focused on financial services, technology, energy and retail industries 1997-1998. Parent of two WWS students. WWS alum (CG-3rd grade)


Barbara Buchman
Education: BA  in Humanities from Case Western University, Cleveland, Ohio, MEd  in Special Education University of Pittsburgh, Applied Arts Certificate Sunbridge College, Teacher Training Certificate, NOVA Institute Silver Spring, MD, Foundation Studies  Certificate Center for Anthroposophy, Keene, NH, Trustees Council, College of Teachers, AWSNA Delegate



Velma LaPoint
Dr. Velma LaPoint, Professor, at the School of Education, Howard University teaches, conducts research, publishes, presents at conferences, and engages in consultation and service to organizations locally and nationally. She teaches undergraduate/undergraduate students, including pre-service teachers and human service specialists, in several courses: Diverse Youth of Color; Youth Placed at Risk and Their Resilience; Youth, Consumer Culture, and the Earth; and Expressive Therapies and Approaches in the Helping Professions. Earned degrees/training are: BS, elementary education/sociology (highest honors), University of Hartford; MA/PhD, counseling, Michigan State University; and child development post-doctoral research fellowships at the National Institute of Mental Health, NIH; Cornell University; and Emory University. Dr. LaPoint has been on the WWW Trustees Council since 2005.

Suzanne S. Nash
B.A., University of Maryland, 1992, J.D., Catholic University, Columbus School of law, magna cum laude, 1997. Litigation attorney with Lerch, Early & Brewer until 2004. Joined the WWS Development Committee in 2011 and the Trustees Council in 2012. Suzanne and her husband Scott Nash own a local grocery chain founded by Scott, MOM's Organic Market and are both natives of the Washington, D.C. area. Parent to Natasha Nash, Class of 2018, Allan Nash, Class of 2021 and Claire Nash, Class of 2024.

Linda Caro Reinisch
B.A., German Studies, 1978, American University; Graduate Research Assistant, Education and Human Development/Intergenerational Learning, 1989-91, George Washington University; Co-Founder/Managing Director, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, 1980-88; Vice President, League of Washington Theaters, 1986-88; Consultant, Non-Profit Administration, various organizations, 1988-2007; Adult Literacy/GED Teacher, PLAN (Push Literacy Action Now), 1988-90; Reading Tutor, For Love of Children, 1990-91; Program Evaluator, Even Start at Ketchem Elementary School, 1991-92; Executive Director, Liz Lerman Dance Exchange, 1993-97; Managing Director, Zenith Community Arts Foundation, 2008-10. Served on various non-profit boards; on WWS Trustees Council since 2005. Fiber Artist and Musician. Parent of Isabel Twanmo, Class of 2014, and Cecilia Twanmo, Class of 2017.

Chrissie Sant
B.A., Dickinson College (International Studies) 1992, M.A. Wake Forest University (History) 2000. Waldorf early childhood coursework at Sophia's Hearth Early Childhood Center, the Rudolf Steiner Institute, and Lifeways Early Childhood Program.







David Scher
B.S, Cornell University, 1989; Juris Doctor, Fordham University School of Law, 1993; Attorney, Sony Electronics Inc. 1995-1998; Staff Counsel, Computer Curriculum Corporation, 1998 - 1999; Senior Counsel, USWeb/CKS – marchFIRST, 1999 - 2000; Director of Business Development, eAssist Global Solutions, 2000 - 2001; Corporate Counsel, Intelligent Decisions, Inc., 2001 – 2003; Legal Consultant, Kroll Ontrack Inc., 2003 - 2005; Assistant General Counsel, Carfax, Inc., 2005 – 2007; Principal, The Employment Law Group, 2005 – Present; Dave is an active news commentator appearing in many newspapers, including The Washington Post and Fortune.com as well as on local TV and ABC's Nightline with Dianne Sawyer.


Alison Whitmire
Principal of C-lever; CEO Coach;, curator of TEDxRockCreekPark and has two previous TEDx conferences; degrees in Accounting and Finance from Texas Tech University; MBA from the University of Chicago; Certified Public Accountant (inactive); Certified and Credentialed Executive Coach: Community service includes work with ASTAR (Autism Spectrum Treatment and Research Center) and Washington C.A.S.H., a microfinance nonprofit. Member of the inaugural board and past co-chair of the Charlotte, NC Race for the Cure. Past co-program director for the Jeff Galloway Marathon Training program in Charlotte NC. Lives in Bethesda with her husband, Ken, and eight year old son and WWS student, Cole. Joined the WWS Trustees Council in September 2012.


Taisto Saloma
High School Chair, Athletic Director, HS Humanities, 2003
BA History, Guilford College, concentration in sports studies. After graduating from Guilford College in 1998, Taisto became a professional golfer. He worked at Indian Spring CC and Columbia CC as a teaching professional and he played professionally for four years. Taisto left the golf world in 2002 to pursue a career in high school teaching and coaching. He became the varsity basketball coach for WWS for both the boys and girls in the 2002-2003 season. Taisto began teaching America History at WWS in 2003, along with become the school’s Athletic Director. His interests include politics, sports, exercise and animals, particularly dogs. He enjoys spending time with his wife, Abby, and his friends.


Natalie Adams, Ex-Officio
B.A. cum laude, Harvard University, 1976. Foundation Studies, Emerson College, Sussex, England, 1977. Certificate, Waldorf Teacher Training, Pedagogical Seminar, Stuttgart, Germany, 1980. Class teacher Rudolf Steiner School, New York City 1980-1985;class teacherWashington Waldorf School, 2002-2005. English teacher, Waldorf School of Bucharest,Romania 1994-97. Teacher,inWaldorf Teacher Training,  Bucharest, Romania 1995-1996. Served on Board of the Hartsbrook School, Hadley MA 2005-2009, Trustees Council Washington Waldorf School 2005-present, Board of Research Institute of Waldorf Education 2010-present. WWS  Faculty Chair 2005-present