BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Much of our school's vitality and success may be attributed to the passion and commitment of our faculty along with the leadership and skill of our Board. By working collaboratively with our school community and managing key initiatives our Board helps us achieve our mission.
Our Board of Directors meet once per month in addition to actively participating in various project-based committees throughout the year. Members come from a variety of backgrounds and as a result they bring a wealth of professional expertise to our organization.
If you are interested in serving as a Board Member for PCWS, or would like to learn more, please contact: board@potomacwaldorf.org

Josh Hartman
Board Chair
Josh is a partner at Adduci, Mastriani & Schaumberg LLP who specializes in intellectual property and unfair competition disputes before the U.S. International Trade Commission and U.S. district courts. He represents companies ranging from growth stage to Fortune 500 in industries as diverse as life sciences, cleantech, cybersecurity, and automotive. Josh received his law degrees from Columbia Law School and the London School for Economics & Political Science, from which he graduated with distinction. Josh is a PCWS parent; his two sons are enrolled in the Grades and Early Childhood programs, respectively.

Zak Butterfield
Secretary
Zak has been an IT professional for almost 20 years and currently owns J9 Solutions LLC, a professional services company that assists private and federal organizations with their intelligence needs. J9 Solutions provides support at all tiers of the BI stack including requirements, data warehouse architecture, dimensional modeling, ETL, and the semantic/reporting layer. Zak received his BS in Computer Science from UCLA. He has been a PCWS parent for five years and his child currently attends the school.

Jesse Tsai
Treasurer
Jesse is a senior manager at a large consulting firm, where he advises companies on special tax projects, particularly tax credit financing and sustainable initiatives. He holds a double B.A. in Philosophy and East Asian Studies from the University of Delaware, as well as a law degree from the George Washington University Law School. In addition, he is a Certified Public Accountant. He was born and raised in the Northern Virginia area, where he currently resides with his family. Jesse is a PCWS parent, with a daughter in the Early Childhood program and a son aiming to follow his sister’s footsteps once he is older.

Rod Rodriguez
Director
Rod is an executive with a US Defense Contractor. Before entering the defense industry, he spent a career as a USAF officer flying F-16s around the world. Rod attended Rutgers in New Jersey for his undergraduate degree and Southern Methodist University in Texas for his MBA. He is married and the father of four children, with one currently enrolled at PCWS. Rod is actively engaged in scouting as a Den Leader at Pack 658, has also coached baseball with Little League, and coached ice hockey as part of Northern Virginia Ice Dogs and USA Hockey. When not chasing around after his youngest, he spends his free time boating on the Chesapeake Bay. He lives with his family in Alexandria, VA.

Simi Nary
Director
Simi currently teaches Third Grade at PCWS. She began her experience with Waldorf education in 2000 as a co-founder of the Riverbend Garden Waldorf Homeschool Cooperative based in Northern Virginia. While living in Geneva, Switzerland and Nairobi, Kenya for over 10 years, Simi took a active involvement in her children's education, including at L'Ecole Rudolf Steiner de Geneve. She later decided to pursue her Waldorf Teaching Certificate and upon returning to the U.S., worked as an Early Childhood Teacher's Assistant and Afternoon Program Lead Teacher at Primrose Hill Waldorf School in New York. Simi has an extensive background in dance/ movement and Pilates, and has taught in French and Russian. Simi holds a B.A. in Russian Language and Literature from Barnard College, Columbia University.

Tiffany Dovey Fishman
Director
Tiffany has worked in management consulting for over a decade, helping public and private sector organizations navigate and respond effectively to technology disruptions, new business models and broader societal shifts. Her research and client work focuses on developing innovative, yet practical ways organizations can transform the way they deliver their services and prepare for the challenges ahead. Her work regularly appears in the business, education and government trade press. Tiffany holds a BA in philosophy and public health and community medicine from University of Washington and a Master’s in Public Policy from The George Washington University.
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Kate Erklauer
Director
Kate is a member of Blumenthal, Cordone & Erklauer, PLLC, a boutique law firm specializing in D.C. real estate litigation. Her practice includes representing property owners, landlords, tenants, and purchasers disputes. From 2010-2016, Kate was an Attorney Advisor in the Landlord and Tenant Branch of the D.C. Superior Court, where she advised judges on all aspects of landlord and tenant law and provided training to judges and court staff. Prior to practicing law, Kate was a mechanical engineer for Raytheon Company. She is a graduate of George Washington University and Georgetown University Law Center. Kate is the mom to a second grader at PCWS. She has served as class representative and Secretary for the Parent Association.

Arden Phillips
Director
Arden is a corporate governance expert. Throughout his career, he has advised boards of directors of publicly traded companies on: risk oversight, fiduciary duties, board succession, executive compensation as well as other critical matters. Arden has a B.A. in Economics from Columbia University and a J.D. from the Duke University School of Law. Arden also is a PCWS parent; his two sons are enrolled in the Grades program.

Alan Carniol
Director
Alan has worked in education and training throughout his career. Currently, he is the founder of Interview Success Inc. His online courses and training have served more than 60,000 job seekers. Previously, Alan launched Career Cadence and the 40k Project, both focused on helping young people navigate career pathways. Earlier, he was a consultant and corporate trainer for Public Financial Management Inc. Alan has an MBA from the Yale School of Management and a BA in Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania. His family lives in Alexandria, and his daughter attends PCWS in the Mixed Age Kindergarten program.