Board of Trustees

ANGELA MUSTO –  President  – amusto@dogwoodcharterschool.org

Angela has been a teacher for over 18 years, in both charter and traditional public school environments, and currently teaches at Belle Vernon Area High School. She holds an MS in Educational Psychology and a BS in Physics Education. 

As an educator, and as a mother Angela understands the deep need for variety in educational models so that all students feel supported. The mission, vision and curriculum at Dogwood Charter School aligns with Angela’s own educational methodologies, and as part of the Board, she looks forward to supporting the school in hiring and developing a well-rounded team of teachers who are equally committed. She also brings grant writing experience to Dogwood, and she hopes to help the school get as much funding as possible! 

AMELIA BAUER – Vice President – abauer@dogwoodcharterschool.org

Amelia is a Mechanical Engineer and team lead at Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory, with an education background that includes both a BS and an MS in Mechanical Engineering. She will bring to Dogwood Charter School her knowledge of structural engineering to ensure a safe, code-compliant school facility, as well as a passion for leadership and building personal relationships, which she believes are foundational to any successful organization. 

Amelia witnesses first-hand the need for agile, flexible engineers and scientists who can work in a variety of environments—skills that, when developed at a young age, allow for greater

innovation at work and beyond. When we foster a love of learning in kids, they become adults who continue to learn and love learning, growing, and innovating based on what they learn. She believes Dogwood Charter School can foster that love of learning in its students. 

KARISSA QUINLAN –  Secretary – kquinlan@dogwoodcharterschool.org

Karissa recently joined the board and her bio will be posted shortly.

JEFF VERMEIRE – Treasurer – jvermeire@dogwoodcharterschool.org

Jeff is a data engineer with seventeen years of experience in leading data visualization tooling, data science environments and languages, and high performance database design. Jeff is keenly interested in data science and machine learning, and currently works as Senior Data Platform Engineer at Weights & Biases, a company that is developing the tools and platform for leading AI and machine learning practitioners. 

Jeff knows all too well that the needs of many children aren’t met by a system designed to serve the majority, not the entirety. He was one of them well into adulthood, though as he says, “I was lucky.” Many of those under-served children struggle to get by, let alone thrive. Jeff felt compelled to join the Dogwood Charter School Board to advocate for those who may slip through the cracks, and ensure that every child who walks through Dogwood’s doors is given everything they need to flourish. In short, he says, “I’m here for the children’s sake.”

FRANNY MCALEER – Board Member – fmcaleer@dogwoodcharterschool.org

Franny has over 30 years of experience in education, as an educator, educational consultant, professor, and the founder of Learner’s Link, a consulting firm that helps educators and administrators develop creative courses and instructional strategies, as well as work on their own professional development. 

For Franny, an interest in new possibilities in education began when one of her 4th-grade students raised his hand during a lesson on architecture and asked, What if instead of just learning about the columns the ancients used, we created our own? This “What if?” kickstarted Franny’s lifelong fascination with novel learning methods. She is interested in what is possible at Dogwood Charter School, with its goals of inspiring wonder and the uniqueness of each child, and providing them with a place to live, learn, grow, and question in a challenging and engaging setting.

JESSICA VOZEL – Board Member – jvozel@dogwoodcharterschool.org

Jessica recently joined the board and her bio will be posted shortly.