BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Abigail Jennings
Co-founder, Chair of the Board of Trustees
AbigailJ@pioneersprings.org

Abigail is president of Lake Norman Realty, a full-service real estate firm with seven offices serving the Lake Norman region. Her innovative vision has allowed her to steadily grow her firm into one of the largest brokerage firms in the Charlotte region.

The impact of Abigail’s leadership is felt in her community as well. In addition to being a co-founder of Pioneer Springs in 2012, she is also a founding director for blueharbor bank, a community bank based in Mooresville, NC serving the Lake Norman region. Abigail is also founder and president of the Lake Norman Lucky Cat Program, a non-profit dedicated to humanely managing the population of community cats through TNRM (trap-neuter-return-manage). She also serves as vice-president of the non-profit economic development organization, SICDC (South Iredell County Development Corporation), Board Member for the Hugh Torance House and Store, and Advisory Board Member for the Children's Schoolhouse, a co-op preschool in Huntersville, NC.

A graduate of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte with a Bachelor of Creative Arts, her love of nature, local history, and the arts were inspirations as a co-founder of Pioneer Springs. When free time is seized, she enjoys creating art, preserving historic properties, and spending time in nature with her family. She is married to co-founder Randolph Lewis and together they are Pioneer parents of Genevieve and Sophia.

Dr. Barbara Ann Temple
Vice-Chair of the Board of Trustees
BarbaraAnnt@pioneersprings.org

Barbara Ann has over thirty years of educational experience as an Arts Administrator, Professional Development Designer and Leader, Curriculum Developer, Filmmaker, Writer, English Educator, and Athletic Coach. She is a results-oriented high achiever committed to exceeding all goals with a robust track record for developing comprehensive cultural education programming and professional development, building strategic partnerships for educational endeavors, and generating sustainable funding for programs.

Formerly Vice-president of Education for the Arts and Science Council, where she was tasked to develop advocacy films that promote the Arts, Sciences, History, and/or Heritage; implement Cultural Education Blueprint within partnership between Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and the Cultural Sector; model collaborative leadership with stakeholders within the Arts, Science, History, and Heritage Cultural Sectors; create professional development for principals and teachers; and work collaboratively with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and the Cultural Sector in increasing access to and quality of cultural education learning experiences.

Barbara Ann directed, produced, and wrote Nature Matters, an advocacy film illustrating the importance of nature immersion and nature engagement, as well as produced, wrote, and secured distribution for Spiral Bound, an arts advocacy and student empowerment feature documentary.

She received her PhD in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte with specialization in English-Literacy: Writing, and her M.Ed in Special Education, University of North Carolina at Charlotte with specialization: Gifted and Talented. Barbara Ann received her B.A. in English from Lynchburg College, Lynchburg, Virginia. She maintains her North Carolina Teaching License, A Level: English 9-12.

Sandy Knox
Secretary and Chair of Governance Committee
Sandyk@pioneersprings.org

Sandra Knox is owner of Sandra Knox, PC in Cornelius, NC, where she a practicing attorney. She is a graduate of the Antonin Scalia Law School at George Mason University where she received her Doctor of Jurisprudence. She received her AB in Political Science from Davidson College. Her practice areas include commercial and residential real estate, small business formation and planning, and estate planning (wills, trusts, powers of attorney etc. Sandra is a founding board member of Pioneer Springs Community School. She also enjoys volunteering for Schnauzer Rescue of the Carolinas.

Erick J. Peters
Treasurer, Board Trustee, Chair of Finance Committee
Erickp@pioneersprings.org

Erick currently is the Branch Manager of First National Bank in Cornelius, and he has 17+ years of extensive experience in the banking industry. Along with managing the branch, Erick is also the small business specialist and he works with small business owners to meet their strategic goals and objectives. Erick started his career in banking in 2005 and has been in a management role since 2009.

Erick is past Treasurer for the Rotary Club of Davidson and the Lake-Net Business Networking Group. In addition to severing the Rotary board as Treasurer, he also served as Foundations Chair and Membership Chair. Erick is a State of NC Notary Public.

Erick is a graduate of Saint Petersburg College (SPC) and studied at the University of Central Florida (UCF). While attending UCF Erick met his lovely wife Shannon, together they have 4 children and live in the Highland Creek Community. Erick and his family love all sports and outdoor activities and he has a passion for cooking.

Peter Blumenfeld
Board Trustee, Chair of Facilities Taskforce
Peterb@pioneersprings.org

Peter is a Senior Project Manager and the Multisite Practice lead for the Carolinas market for JLL. He is an experienced project manager with a proven track record of adding value to an organization’s portfolio in architecture and construction. He has worked in architecture and construction for over 15 years. He received his Bachelors of Architecture with a Minor in Business from the University of Miami. He has vast experience in planning and zoning, permitting, and historic preservation as well as commercial, healthcare and residential construction and design. He is an associate member of AIA and the National Eagle Scout Association. He held the role of Cub Master for Pack 13 (Hornets’ Nest District) for over 6 years and currently is an assistant scout Master with Troop 13. He actively volunteers with the Mid Atlantic Chapter of the Multiple Sclerosis Society (2010 – Present). Peter is an Eagle Scout Award recipient, and has also received these notable awards: the Da Vinci Award (Innovation to the company), Carolinas Innovation Award (Innovation to the market), and the Spotlight Award Recipient (Catalyst award for being a role model).

Joseph Vaughn
Board Trustee
Josephv@pioneersprings.org

Joseph is a dedicated advocate for education with a rich and diverse background in both academic and professional pursuits. A native of the Carolinas, Joseph holds a Bachelor’s of Business Administration (BBA) from Queens University of Charlotte’s McColl School of Business and an MBA from Winthrop University’s College of Business Administration. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Entrepreneurship at Iowa State University’s Ivy College of Business, where he aims to blend his nearly decade-long experience in banking, financial crimes deterrence, and regulatory compliance with rigorous academic research.

Joseph’s personal educational journey has spanned a variety of schooling environments, including homeschool, public, private, and charter schools. He credits the charter school system with providing him the space to truly express himself during his final years of high school (where, incidentally, he was a student of Becky's). This experience has inspired his passion for serving as a board member and contributing to the continued growth and success of the school community.

In addition to his educational journey, Joseph’s professional career includes notable roles in financial compliance, risk management, and consulting. He is certified in several financial compliance specialties, including being an American Bankers Association Certified Regulatory Compliance Manager (CRCM), a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE), and a Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS).

Outside of his professional and academic endeavors, Joseph lives in Ames, Iowa, with his wife, Stephanie, and their beloved pets. He enjoys reading, traveling, and rewatching favorite TV shows. His commitment to lifelong learning and community service makes him eager to support Pioneer Springs Community School and its mission.

Chuck Kistler
Board Trustee
ChuckK@pioneersprings.org

Chuck Kistler is a Senior Director for the TIAA General Account on the fixed income team. He has over 18 years of experience in portfolio management, risk management, and capital markets. He is responsible for private fixed income investment activities globally across the TIAA General Account including investment grade private fixed income, high yield private fixed income and private credit, private ABS, and private infrastructure. Prior to rejoining the firm in 2023, Chuck was Head of Client Portfolio Management for Kuvare Asset Management, which managed investments in Private Credit, Private ABS, Commercial Mortgages, and CLOs. During his previous tenure with Nuveen, he was Head of Private Markets Investment Risk with coverage over private debt, private equity, energy, and infrastructure. Chuck holds a B.S. in finance and B.S.B.A. in economics from University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and an M.B.A from Auburn University. He has completed post graduate work in Applied Economics at Johns Hopkins University. Outside of his professional pursuits, Chuck is deeply committed to his community and to causes close to heart. He is the founder of the non-profit SockItToPD. He is the co-founder and operator of Vaulted Oak Brewing. He has created a now annual event called Pancakes over Parkinson’s as well as hosting a charity dinner that have raised over 250,000 for the Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research. He serves on the board of directors for the UNC Charlotte Athletic Foundation. He is a certified sommelier and an Ironman Triathlete.

Cindy Lippard
Board Trustee
CindyL@pioneersprings.org

Cindy has over 13 years of experience in the education community, having taught basic
business, government, finance, economics, science, and math courses to the homeschool
community. She has experience with various levels of neurodiverse students, including twice
exceptional (2e) students. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Winthrop University,
an MBA from Darla Moore’s School of Business at the University of South Carolina, and a Doctor
of Business Administration (DBA) from the Belk College School of Business at the University of
North Carolina at Charlotte. Her research interests are in entrepreneurship and methodological
techniques. Professionally, Cindy is a certified Project Manager from the Project Management
Institute. She was a management consultant in technology prior to her homeschool journey.

James Freeman
Board Trustee

Bio coming soon.