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Meet Our Board Members

The Wye River Upper School Board of Trustees members are vital to our school's development and the future of the students we serve. We are thankful for their dedication to expanding our network of communities that now know how Wye River helps students with learning differences across Maryland and Delaware.

Chair of the Board

Nikki Williams

Nikki Williams is the Director and Owner of Chesapeake Speech Therapy Services and provides care in many settings within Queen Anne's and surrounding counties including schools, hospitals, private practice, and other educational and clinical settings. Nikki received her Bachelor of Science from Michigan State University and holds a Master of Science in Communication Disorders from Northern Arizona University. She lives in Queenstown with her husband Jason, and their three children.

Treasurer of the Board

Lori Ramsey

Lori is a native of San Diego, CA, and has lived in Los Angeles, Rotterdam, Amsterdam, Barcelona, New York, Durham, NC, and St. Michaels, MD. She earned an MBA from Erasmus Rotterdam School of Management and worked in business development and as a management consultant for over 25 years. Lori enjoys working in start-up operations where creating new products/programs and revenue streams are encouraged and mentoring non-profit organizations. She served on Wye River Upper Schools’ Strategic Planning Committee in 2018/2019 and on the recent WRUS Head of School Search Committee. She is most proud of founding The Shared Table, a partnership of churches where people of all colors would join together to break bread and discuss community issues. Lori is currently on the advisory board of the Talbot County Senior Centers and a trustee and EMT for the St. Michaels Volunteer Fire Department. She has also served on the board of Talbot Village Connections and the MRYC Foundation. She is the Executive Director of Temple B’nai Israel in Easton, MD where she recently produced a Contemporary Art Series featuring curators from the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University, The Brooklyn Museum, and The Jewish Museum of New York. Lori, her wife, Kristen, and son Andrew are avid sailors and reside in St. Michaels, MD.

Trustee of the Board

Robyn Green

Robyn received a B.A. from Howard University, a Masters of Educational Leadership from Kennesaw State University, and a Masters of Secondary Education from Ball State University. She is currently employed as the Director of the Naval Academy Primary School, where she also previously worked as a Special Education Lead Teacher. She has served as the Assistant Principal at a public middle school in North Carolina and in various teaching roles. Robyn currently resides in Annapolis with her husband and children.

Trustee Emeritus to the Board

Patricia McGlannan

Patricia McGlannan is a Co-Founder of Wye River Upper School and the former Director of Business and Development. Her son was in the second graduating class in 2006. She is an active member of local Chambers of Commerce and women's networks and serves actively on the Queen Anne's County Chamber of Commerce Business Education Partnership.

Trustee of the Board

Katie Theeke

Katie Theeke is the Vice President of Marketing and Communications at For All Seasons Behavioral Health and Rape Crisis Center. Through her work, she works to raise the profile of the organization across the Eastern Shore and establish the agency as the top resource for mental health and victim services. Katie came to For All Seasons from Wye River Upper School, where she served as Director of Admissions and Communications for over 9 years, working closely with students, staff, and families to support the educational journey of bright students with learning differences. Katie holds a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and a Masters of Education from Johns Hopkins University. She lives in Easton with her two teenage children, Finnegan and Ember, and her husband, Adam. She is grateful for the vital work and the supportive individuals she has found in this community.

Trustee of the Board

Michele DeFreece

Michele DeFreece has an impressive background in education advocacy and leadership. She holds a Bachelors of Science in Special Education/Elementary Education from Fitchburg State College and a Masters of Education in Student Development in Higher Education from Howard University. Her career has been marked by a commitment to promoting inclusivity and equity in education. Michele has over thirty years of progressively responsible academic and student affairs leadership experience in higher education. She also has expertise in developing, implementing, and evaluating strategic, assessment, and retention plans.

Trustee of the Board

Harry J. Duffey III

Mr. Harry “Stoney” Duffey, III, and his wife Jij have been closely involved in supporting many schools and organizations throughout Queen Anne’s County. Stoney previously served on the board for Kent School. He serves on the Gunston board and was a past board chair. Stoney has close ties to the local 4H chapter with service and involvement for 40 years. Stoney assists Queen Anne’s County Park and is a past board chair. He gives back to his church as a volunteer for St. Paul’s vestry. Stoney also is a member of Wye River’s Resource Development Committee.

Secretary of the Board

Tom Mendenhall

After a career focused on corporate finance and general management, Tom is semi-retired carrying on with consulting assignments where he can add value on a flexible short-term basis in strategic planning, managing projects and solving problems. Previously from 2009 to 2016 he served as Director of School Advancement and Finance at Wye River Upper School. His responsibilities included overseeing the acquisition, renovation, relocation, financing and capital campaign to move the school to its own campus in the restored Centreville National Guard Armory. Tom holds a Masters degree in Management from the Alfred P. Sloan School at MIT, and a BS from Drexel University, where he later served on the Visiting Committee of the College of Business and Administration. During 2011 and 2012 he obtained the Certificate in Fundraising Management and the Certificate in Nonprofit Executive Leadership from The Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University. In 2017 he received the Certificate in Special Education Advocacy at the College
of William and Mary Law School. Tom is married with four children and nine grandchildren. He enjoys fly fishing, reading and writing.

Welcome Letter Nikki and Stephani
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