Board of Directors
The School Board meets on the third Thursday of the month at 3:30 pm either on the school campus, on Zoom, or both. Sometimes the Board needs to call a special meeting to address a matter prior to the regularly scheduled meeting.
The School Board will provide notice of this at least 48 hours beforehand.
The School Board will provide notice of this at least 48 hours beforehand.
| Board of Directors Meeting | Join Zoom Meeting | Future Board Meeting Dates: | Board Meeting Agendas (Published 48 hours beforehand) | Board Meeting Minutes (published 1 month in arrears) |
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Time: Aug 20, 2026 03:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Every 4 weeks on Thu, until Jun 24, 2027, 12 occurrence(s)
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Meeting ID: 861 5147 1347
Passcode: 3GRTbz |
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BOARD COMMITTEE ANNOUNCEMENTS AND MEETING DATES:These committees report directly to the LLCA Board of Directors. Though a minimum number of Directors are required to serve on these committees, membership is open to non-board members as well.
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Governance CommitteeThis committee deals with school governance. This includes Board (and Committee) recruitment, training, orientation and development, periodic review of the school bylaws, and annual Board assessments. This Committee also serves to nominate new board members to serve new or retiring Board member terms.
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Meeting Dates
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Join Zoom Meeting
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Governance MJuly 13, 2026eeting Agendas
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Governance Meeting Minutes
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Meeting ID: 883 0046 5714
Passcode: 4nSVJP
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Risk Management Oversight CommitteeThe Board Risk Management Oversight Committee assists the Board in ensuring that the school practices sound systematic risk management in order to reduce risk to the school’s people, property, and programs.
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Meeting Dates
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Join Zoom Meeting
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Risk Management Meeting Agendas
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Risk Management Meeting Minutes
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We will meet the second Monday of each quarter at 9:00 a.m.
Monday, October 12th, 2026 at 9am
Monday, January 11th, 2027 at 9am
Monday, April 12th, 2027 at 9am
Monday, July 12th, 2027 at 9am |
Meeting ID: 828 8240 5978
Passcode: BT6bK5 |
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Financial Oversight CommitteeThe LLCA Board Financial Oversight Committee assists the Board in ensuring that the school’s money and assets are being properly utilized and accounted for on a continuous basis. The Board Treasurer typically chairs this Committee.
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Meeting Dates
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Join Zoom Meeting
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Financial Oversight
Meeting Agendas
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Financial Oversight Meeting Minutes
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https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84209250116?pwd=PnOAniZlh2IrgmQRH7iVXRh9yOWx13.1Meeting ID: 842 0925 0116
Passcode: 2erXXY |
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Ad Hoc Resource Development Committee |
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Meeting Dates
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Join Zoom Meeting
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Resource Development Meeting Agendas
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Resource Development Meeting Minutes
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https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88981393621?pwd=YpMWxY4VWYWaU9lY7t7DL803R8mRbu.1Meeting ID: 889 8139 3621
Passcode: RDC0915
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Academic Excellence Oversight CommitteeThe purpose of the Academic Excellence Oversight Committee is to monitor classroom outcomes to ensure the school’s mission and curricular goals are being effectively met.
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Meeting Dates
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Join Zoom Meeting
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Academic Excellence
Meeting Agendas
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Academic Excellence
Meeting Minutes
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Meeting dates are the first Wednesday of each month at 1:00 p.m. Future meeting dates will be set later.
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Meeting ID: 847 8639 0036
Passcode: 9ibFab |
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ABOUT CLOSED SESSIONS |
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It is always the intent of the LLCA School Board of Directors to be as transparent as possible with Raptor Families and members of the public. There are times, however, when school boards are permitted to adjourn to a closed session. |
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The mission of the Lake Lure Classical Academy Board is to provide oversight of school management, not to be a participant in it. We will focus our work on ensuring that the school accomplishes the student outcomes we were chartered to produce, and ensuring that the school operates at all times within all required parameters.The board performs these duties through many oversight functions including, but not limited to, approving items such as budgets, calendars, policies, and programs, as well as through the operation of several board committees created to assist the board in its oversight of financial management, risk management, and other matters. We welcome members of the public to attend all regular meetings. The meeting schedule is continuously updated on the school’s website, as well as regular meeting agendas and regular meeting minutes.
To sign up to speak during a meeting, please email the school office at [email protected] or call 828-625-9292 and press 1. |
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Quick Links |
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Members of Our Board of Directors
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 Randy Nelson
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CHAIR BOARD OF DIRECTORS: Randy Nelson and his wife, Nancy, bought their home in Lake Lure in 2014 and moved here permanently from West Tennessee in 2020. Randy retired from his consulting business in 2020. He has over 35 years of experience in planning and community development, working for cities, nonprofits, and for-profit businesses.
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Vice Chair Board of Directors: Russ Pitts. and his family has lived in Lake Lure for over twenty-six years. Russ has degrees in electrical engineering, computer science, and management information systems, and has served in senior leadership roles for multiple fortune 500 companies during his thirty+-year business career. He has served on multiple Town of Lake Lure committees and boards since 2000, including serving as Mayor-Pro-Tem for Town of Lake Lure from 2005-2009. Russ began his career in education in 2008 while serving on Lake Lure's town council. Russ helped found LLCA charter school in 2010 and has served on multiple LLCA boards and committees since the school's inception in 2010. Russ is also a member of Lake Lure Community Education Foundation board, as well as a board member of PANGAEA Internet company. Board Members:
 Dr. Kate Sloss
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VICE CHAIR BOARD OF DIRECTORS: Dr. Katherine "Kate" Sloss. Kate Sloss grew up in Cleveland Ohio where she attended a public high school with an innovative curriculum developed by parents and teachers that fostered creativity, self-directed learning, and the curiosity to explore new ideas.
She attended the University of Colorado, Boulder for undergraduate studies and CWRU for medical school. She completed a three-year residency in Family Practice in Columbia Missouri.
Her summers were spent as a counselor at a Quaker summer camp in Vermont and participating in outdoor adventures.
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 Mark Hamann
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Mark Hamann was born and raised in Toledo OH. He is a graduate of the University of Toledo where he played varsity baseball and earned his Bachelor of Education degree. He earned his Master’s Degree in the Art of Education from Marygrove College in Detroit MI.
A history teacher for 32 years at the secondary level, Mark also was the head varsity girls’ fastpitch softball coach for two Toledo area high schools, earning a state championship with each.
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 Beth Gordon
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TREASURER BOARD OF DIRECTORS: Beth Gordon and her husband, Brian, moved to Lake Lure in March of 2019. Beth was raised in central Oklahoma and is a graduate of the University of Central Oklahoma with a B.S. Degree in Health and Physical Education. She continued at UCO earning 30 hours of accounting credits to qualify to take the exam for Certified Public Accountancy. She became a CPA in 1989 and was licensed in Oklahoma.
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 Sue Hamann
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BOARD MEMBER: Sue Hamann was born and raised in Northwest Ohio in the small town of West Unity. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Education from the University of Toledo in Secondary Comprehensive English with certifications in Reading K-12, Gifted and Talented K-12, and Middle Grades. She later earned a Masters Degree in Guidance and Counseling Grades K-12. Sue taught English grades 7-12 for 30 years in the Ohio public schools where she coached and advised many clubs. After retirement, she and her husband moved to Lake Lure in 2013 where she has enjoyed ten years of working with students and teaching the AIG students at LLCA.
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Board Member: Sandy Hamel was born and raised in Massachusetts, and holds a B.S. degree in Computer Science and Marketing from Southern NH University. Sandy enjoyed a 27 year career in technology, retiring from Microsoft after serving as the East Region Group Marketing Manager. After retirement, Sandy and her husband ran a successful charter business in the Caribbean for 10 years, providing sailing adventures for families from all over the world. As active outdoor enthusiasts, Sandy and her husband are now full time residents of Lake Lure, enjoying the hiking, bicycling, water sports, pickleball and golf that the area has to offer.
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Board Member: Paige Hanlon, a North Carolina native, was born and raised in Charlotte, NC. Paige, and her family, moved to Lake Lure in 2022. Paige earned a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education. She went on to teach at the Elementary and Middle School level, in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Washington State. Paige, and her husband, Mark, have two daughters that currently attend Lake Lure Classical, and are an active part of the Lake Lure Classical community.
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Board Member: Hannah Fry Burgin is an attorney, small business owner, and western North Carolina native who grew up in the community served by Lake Lure Classical Academy. She is an alumna of Appalachian State University, where she graduated summa cum laude with a B.S. in Sustainable Development, and Wake Forest University School of Law, where she earned her Juris Doctor. Hannah is licensed to practice law in North Carolina and South Carolina, with a practice focused primarily on family law. Hannah believes that strong primary education is foundational to the success of children, families, and the communities in which they live. Her background has fostered a particular interest in community integration and the ways schools, families, and local institutions can work together to build thriving communities. Now raising her own family in western North Carolina, Hannah is proud to serve the students and families of Lake Lure Classical Academy.
Board Member:
Sallie Smith was born and raised in Rutherford County, North Carolina. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Davidson College, her master’s degree in education from Gardner Webb University, and her M.Ed. in Educational Administration from Western Carolina University. Sallie is certified in middle school mathematics and language arts and taught in the Rutherford County School System for thirty years. She served as the headmistress of Eshinutsa Secondary School in Kenya, East Africa and as a teacher’s assistant in the Head Start program on the Cherokee Indian Reservation in Cherokee, North Carolina. Early in her career, Sallie enjoyed living and working in Montana as a teacher consultant for Math Thematics, a National Science Foundation sponsored curriculum project at the University of Montana, Missoula. Sallie was one of the first teachers in Rutherford County to earn National Board Certification and subsequently worked on several National Board committees to craft renewal standards for board certified teachers. Sallie is a member of the Women Roofers of Rutherford County and is on the Board of Directors of Kid Senses Children’s Museum in Rutherfordton. She resides in Columbus where she owns and operates a worm farming business.
