School Committee

The St. John’s School Committee is a group of volunteers charged with the long-term strategic vision and financial health of the School. These volunteers are parents of current students, parents of alumni, members of the St. John’s Episcopal Church, and members of our community who believe in the vision for and value of a St. John’s education.

The School Committee’s primary duty and responsibility is to ensure the School remains faithful to the highest demands of both the Mission and the academic community. The School Committee, as a group or individually, is not involved with the day-to-day operation of the School, but instead is responsible for:

Establishing policies and academic goals and objectives for the School, and an organizational structure of the School to provide clear delineation of authority and proper reporting procedures from the School to the Mission;
Monitoring the progress of the School in carrying out its policies, goals, and budgets;
Hiring and being responsible for the care, support, and evaluation of the Head of School;
Preparing an annual School operating budget, reflecting tuition policy and budgeted expenditures for School and School-related programs, for submission to and ultimate approval by the Bishop’s Committee;
Establishing fundraising policy for the School, and supervising all School-related fundraising activities;
Maintaining effective communication with the faculty, parents, Bishop’s Committee, Church members, and the community-at-large;
Assuring that the physical plant is adequate for the School’s programs, and that adequate reserves are established and maintained for the maintenance and improvement of the physical plant; and
Exercising such authority as may be required (consistent with the Constitution and Canons of the Episcopal Church and of the Diocese, the policies established by the Bishop’s Committee, and the law) for the proper and efficient operation of the School.

Christopher Potter, Erica Bogardus, Damian Mate, Charles D’Arcy, Stephanie Peters, Kelli Cheshire, Mike Casey, Celia Coulter, Patty Cyr, Laura Breaux, Natalie Boyd, Allen McNamee

Not pictured: Andy Sulick, Russ Hennings, Shannon Wernemar, Andrew Schneider

NAIS Principles of Good Practice for Boards of Trustees

2021-2022 Members

Erica Bogardus, Chair of School Committee

Erica holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Notre Dame and both a Juris Doctor and a Master of Public Administration from the University of Southern California. She is licensed to practice law in the State of California and admitted to practice in various federal jurisdictions.

Erica has been practicing law for nearly 19 years. Throughout this time, she has devoted her practice to defending the constitutional rights of the indigent and underserved. Erica served as a member of the Board of Directors the Orange County Attorneys Association, the union that represents the attorneys employed by the County of Orange. Today, Erica continues her commitment to serve the indigent in private practice, holding memberships on appointment panels throughout the State of California and in multiple federal jurisdictions, including the prestigious Criminal Justice Act Appellate Panel in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, defending the constitutional rights of those convicted of felony crimes in the Courts of Appeal of the State of California, the California Supreme Court, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the United States Supreme Court. Erica also represents members of government employee unions in and around Southern California.

Erica is the proud wife to Keith and mother to second grader, Emma and fifth grader, Jacob. Both of her children started their St. John’s experience in the Cardinal’s Nest, Jacob when he was merely 5 months old. She has proudly held a position on the PTF Board for the last five years and enjoys her time serving the St. John’s community. Erica's favorite aspect of being a part of SJES is seeing the joy on her kids' faces when they arrive to school each and every day.

Kelli Cheshire, Vice-Chair, Chair of Governance Subcommittee

Kelli Cheshire is a School Administrator with over fifteen years’ experience in Elementary Education. Her career began as a general education classroom teacher specializing in early childhood education with an emphasis in reading intervention. After 8 years in the classroom, she transitioned into school administration where she has served as an Elementary Principal for the past four years.

Kelli is an instructional leader with an enthusiasm for developing curriculum and a commitment to ongoing professional growth in herself and others. Leading a California Distinguished School with over eight hundred and fifty students and seventy-five faculty, she successfully administers a balanced budget while operating a school in a decentralized management system. Kelli implements and monitors special programs while managing site operations to ensure safety and efficiency. With a passion for Social Emotional Learning and leveraging emotional intelligence when working with students and staff, she looks toward empowering individuals to recognize and manage their emotions and behaviors to adapt and achieve personal goals.

Kelli holds a Bachelor of Science from The University of Arizona and both a Masters in Education and a Masters in Educational Administration from Concordia University, Irvine.

Kelli is the proud wife of Stephen and mother of identical twin boys, Joshua and Jackson (Cardinal Class of 2027). Her family has been a part of the St. John’s community since 2016. She is an active member of the PTF serving as a member of the board for the past three years. Kelli joined the School Committee in the Summer of 2020. Our families favorite aspect of being part of SJES is being part of a "School Family" where are children and family are known, loved, and cared for each and every day.

Mike Casey, Treasurer, Chair of Finance Subcommittee

Mike is a graduate of LaSalle University in Philadelphia where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Finance. Further, he earned his Master’s Degree from Pepperdine University’s Graziadio School of Business and Management in Executive Management.

Mike began his professional career at Merrill Lynch in New York City. In 25 years at Merrill, Mike held various executive positions both in the home office and field. Mike has led financial advisors for Merrill Lynch and Morgan Stanley in St. Louis, Kansas City, Tucson, Sacramento, Boise, Las Vegas and Southern California, while twice being named Director of the Year. Now as Managing Director for Oppenheimer & Co., he leads the advisors, managers and staff of the Southern Region in all aspects of wealth management based in Newport Beach.

Mike, and his wife Julie, who currently chairs the SJES Learning Commons Task Force, support many community and charitable organizations, including Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America (where Mike served on local boards), the American Heart Association, and the American Cancer Society. He has also led efforts in support of Feeding America, Working Wardrobes, and Habitat for Humanity and served on the charitable giving board for Bank of America.

For the last 10 years, the Casey family have been residents of Dove Canyon. While not at work, they enjoy the multitude of outdoor activities that come from living in great weather, including the beach, running, golfing, biking, swimming and Brynn’s many extracurricular activities. They also love to travel, enjoy sports and music and spending time with family.

Russ Hennings, Chair of Advancement Subcommittee

For the past 4 years, Russ Hennings has fulfilled a vision that he set out to achieve over 25 years ago. Russ is currently the Co-founder of Moonbeam Studios, Inc., a full-service advertising agency in Rancho Santa Margarita. Moonbeam Studios has the privilege to support high-caliber clientele such as Oakley, 5.11 Tactical, RED Digital Cinema, Living Spaces and more!

Outside of Russ’ professional life, he enjoys everything to do with his family and balances the rest of his free time with many philanthropic efforts. Russ and Chrissy have two children, Acacia, who is in Kindergarten and Jack, who is in Preschool.

Russ’ philanthropic focus is primarily on supporting children through education. He frequently donates through the California Masonic Foundation to support great programs such as Raising a Reader, which supplies books to under-privileged children below the 3rd grade. He is also an active Shriner and supports the Shriner’s Hospital for Children as well as the Childhood Learning Center, dedicated to helping children with auditory issues. Russ has also served for the past 3 years as the 901st District Inspector for the Masons of California in the Southern Orange County area. Both Chrissy and Russ are active members of St. John’s Episcopal Church as well.

Laura Breaux

Laura Breaux works in Finance and Accounting for a medical device and pharmaceutical company. She is the Treasurer of the Glaukos Foundation, and a long-time PTF board member. Laura loves the sense of community for the parents and children at SJES. She loves the opportunity to get involved and how happy her children are at school.

Laura is also a proud alumna of St. John's. Both Laura's children joined SJES when they were infants in the Nest classroom. Jordy is now in sixth grade, and Spencer is in second grade.

Natalie Boyd

Natalie joined the St. John's community in 2019. She is a former Public Relations account executive at Zeno Group. Natalie is a current member of the National Charity League, Canyon chapter. She is a proud parent of three SJES cardinals. Charlotte is in seventh grade, Ainsley is in fourth grade, and William is in first grade.

Natalie shares that her favorite aspect of being a part of St. John's Episcopal School is, "each and every St. John's student is welcomed into a school environment that values each child for their unique, individual qualities. SJES simultaneously creates a nurturing and academically rigorous school environment, that has the ability to challenge each child at their own individual needs. As parents, we have been thrilled to experience this school environment alongside our own three, very unique children. The opportunities for growth that we have witnessed with our own children at SJES has been remarkable!"

Celia Coulter

Patty Cyr

Patty Cyr has sent her three children to St. John's. Christopher was a member of the Class of 2017, Mark was a member of the Class of 2020, and Katie is a member of the Class of 2022 and will graduate this Spring. Patty is an Attorney and Adjunct Professor at UC Irvine School of Law. She is involved in Laura's House. Her favorite aspect of St. John's is the community. Patty loves the blend of tradition and innovation grounded in the Episcopal faith. She is grateful for the faculty and administration.

Damian Mate

Allen McNamee

Allen is a St. John's Alumni parent. Taylor was a member of the Class of 2017 and Cameron was a member of the Class of 2019. Allen is a Deputy General Counsel at In-N-Out Burgers. He is a Board Member at the California Employment Law Council. Allen's favorite aspect of SJES is the clear focus of St. John's leadership, faculty, and staff always acting in the best interests of our children.

Stephanie Peters

While in Investment Banking and Fixed Income at Morgan Stanley in New York City, Stephanie gained extensive deal experience in debt, equity, structured products and Mergers & Acquisitions, executing approximately $3 Billion in deals. Subsequently, Stephanie invested in early stage companies and provided strategic advice to female entrepreneurs, while a Managing Director at Golden Seeds.

Stephanie holds an MBA from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, majoring in Finance and Entrepreneurial Management and an Honors Bachelor of Commerce from Queen's University in Canada. Prior to her MBA, she worked in the entertainment industry as Director of Sales and then Director of Promotions and Public Relations for Ticketmaster Canada.

She has also held volunteer leadership roles in The Toronto Junior Board of Trade, Wharton, Queen's, and PTA/PTF Boards. Currently, she works for Wharton MBA Admissions. Stephanie and her husband, Bill, have four sons, two are proud St. John's Cardinals and two graduates.

Andrew Schneider

Andy Sulick

Andy Sulick is an Orange County native. His father is a retired Marine officer and his mother was a Catholic school elementary teacher in South Orange County. Andy holds a master's degree in Catholic educational administration from Loyola Marymount University, a bachelor's degree in education/history from the University of Redlands, and is a member of Santa Margarita Catholic High School's Charter Class of 1991.

Andy began his teaching career at his alma mater in 1996 where he not only taught history, but coached football and golf. In 2001, he left Santa Margarita for the corporate world and gained valuable business experience over the next two years while working at FedEx. In 2003, Andy began his post as founding director of admissions at JSerra Catholic High School in San Juan Capistrano. His successes at JSerra ultimately propelled him into the role of assistant headmaster in 2012 at SMCHS.

In the summer of 2014, Andy was appointed president of Santa Margarita Catholic High School returning to the "Eagles' Nest." His proven record of success in enrollment marketing, development, business, administration, and deep ties to the alumni community serve him well in his role as president. Andy is proud of establishing a new program at the school, Eagles Edge, which provides students with "real-world" growth and networking opportunities. As president, Andy maintains ties to his original passion of teaching by guest speaking in the community at area high schools, colleges and nonprofit organizations.

Andy and wife Julie, a 1993 graduate of SMCHS, have enjoyed expanding their alumni status to that of current parents and alumni parents, with their daughter McKenna graduating in 2018; son Drew is a member of the Class of 2021, and youngest son Noah looks forward to following in the family tradition as a member of the Class of 2023.