Board of Directors
The Board is primarily responsible for the overall vision of the school as well as governance and financial oversight. Board meetings are held once a month at the school. The Board Meeting Schedule and Public Comment Policy can be accessed here.
Amanda Galindo, Board Chair
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Amanda Galindo has worked in Sports and entertainment management for 13+ years in the areas of hospitality operations, training and development, human resources, leadership, marketing, and communications. She also brings four years of experience serving on a charter school board for a start-up school in Las Vegas, NV, including supporting the creation of the charter, board selection, model creation, school leader selection, financial planning, and overall support to the planning of the school opening. She has also served on charter school advisory boards in various states and worked for a charter management company as a charter network liaison and a director supporting 34 charter schools in NV, CO, ID, and AZ. She is passionate about community, family, and supporting great charter schools like ours. Amanda, her husband, and their children are proud to be part of the Bradford family.
Josh joined the board in the fall of 2016 to provide assistance to the finance committee.
He has bachelor's degrees in accounting and business, as well as his MBA. Josh is a licensed CPA in Maryland, NC, and DC and has been in public accounting since 2009. He is an owner at Dembo Jones, P.C., where he specializes in providing outsourced accounting solutions, assurance services, and tax preparation services to his not-for-profit clients. Josh and his wife moved to North Carolina from Maryland in 2015. They are excited for their 2 boys to start at BPS in the fall of 2025 and 2027.
Dave Kapka, Treasurer
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Dave Kapka joined the board in 2023, bringing a background in corporate finance and operations specializing in both public and private companies. He holds a bachelor's degree from Luther College in management information systems with an extended emphasis in accounting, an MBA from Wake Forest University, and is a licensed CPA in North Carolina. Dave is currently the vice president of finance for NSI Industries located in Huntersville and, prior to that, has worked for multiple other manufacturing companies in the area. Dave moved to the area in 2009 and lives in Huntersville with a daughter and son who attend Bradford Prep.
Maeghan Iddings, Secretary
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Maeghan Iddings is the Administrative Officer for the VISN 6 TeleMental Health Hub for the W.G. (Bill) Hefner Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Salisbury, NC. Maeghan brings expertise in Business Management and Operations, Innovation, and Teambuilding. In her current role Maeghan performs program administration and management duties, customer service relations, budgetary management, and overall office functions for the TMH Hub Department. She received her Bachelor of Science in Human Nutrition/Business Administration from Winthrop University and a Master of Business Administration from the American Graduate University. She began her federal career in April 2008 under Nutrition and Food Service, which included a collateral assignment as the MOVE Coordinator for the Salisbury main facility, Charlotte, Hickory, and Winston-Salem VA outpatient clinics. In September 2011, she became the Oncology Program Specialist for Medicine Service, where she assisted in managing the High-Quality Patient-Centered Care for the Rural Veteran with Cancer Grant. In October 2017, she became the Administrative Officer for Social Work Service, where she coordinated care for 18 diverse programs. Before her VA career, she worked for the York County Board of Disabilities and Special Needs Center, where she managed the Healthy Choices Project grant for the county. Maeghan lives in Concord with her twin daughters.
Britany Blaney joined the Bradford Preparatory School Board in June 2020 and brings expertise in business operations and leadership development. She is presently employed with Nuveen Real Estate, A TIAA company where she holds the position of Business Manager of Multifamily Real Estate Accounting. In this role, she leads the Multifamily Real Estate Accounting operations of the Nuveen investment management firm by working with accounting, asset management, and portfolio management to ensure the application of policies and procedures align with business needs while serving as the SME of the accounting software and ancillary products. She attended the University Of North Carolina At Greensboro, where she studied Business Administration and holds a variety of certifications focused on leadership development and asset management. Her award-winning leadership, training, and support have promoted career development and growth for her teams. In addition to her career, Britany currently serves as a ministry leader at her hometown church, in Mooresville, NC. Britany currently resides in Cornelius, NC, with her daughter.
Jason Darling, Board Member
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Jason Darling joined the Bradford Preparatory School Board in March 2017 and brings expertise in marketing and strategic planning. He is presently employed at Huber Engineered Woods, where he holds the position of AdvanTech General Manager. In this role, he is responsible for the development and execution of tactical and strategic plans to achieve annual profit and volume goals for an industry-leading building products brand. Before Huber Engineered Woods, Jason held various project management and strategic marketing positions with The Clark Construction Group (based out of Bethesda, MD) and W.R. Grace (based out of Cambridge, MA). His educational experience includes a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Duke University (1999) and a Master of Business Administration from The Fuqua School of Business at Duke University (2006). In addition to his roles with Huber Engineered Woods and Bradford Prep, Jason also serves as a volunteer youth soccer and baseball coach. Jason lives with his wife, Meghan, and three children (two boys and a girl) in Huntersville, NC.
Justin Griffith, Board Member
James Lorello, Board Member
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Dr. James A. Lorello is the Dean of Students at Verto Education. In this role, he oversees Student Life across Verto Education’s international first-year programs. He has worked in higher education for over a decade. Previously, James served as Associate Dean of Students and Director of Student Accountability & Conflict Resolution at UNC Charlotte. Before his time at UNC Charlotte, James was at Appalachian State University, where he served as associate director of student conduct and an adjunct faculty member in the student affairs graduate program. Previously he worked in housing and residence life at both Appalachian State University and Georgetown University. James received a BA from the University of South Florida in religious studies, an MA from Appalachian State University in college student development, and an EdD from UNC Greensboro in educational leadership & cultural foundations. Dr. Lorello’s main research interests have been with boys' and men’s development and meaning-making for students. He is co-author of the chapter on ethics and decision-making in the 2nd edition of “Student Conduct Practice: The Complete Guide for Student Affairs Professionals.” James and his wife Jessica live in Highland Creek along with their three children, two of which attend Bradford Prep.
Fernando Pena, Board Member
Fernando Pena's career has spanned across several different disciplines including marketing, technology, and strategy. He founded Rokture, a company dedicated to boosting revenue growth and digital channel adoption for small to medium-sized businesses. Before his entrepreneurial venture, Fernando held significant roles in financial services, leading marketing and technology initiatives at Truist, Wells Fargo, Bank of America, TIAA, and Seacoast Bank in Stuart, Florida. Fernando has also provided consulting and strategic advisory services with Accenture, Red F, and Forrester Research. He holds an MBA in Marketing Management from Benedictine University, a BA in Information Systems, and an AS in Computer Science from Monroe College. Originally relocating to the Charlotte region in 2004, with a brief two-year stay in South Florida, he now resides in Concord, North Carolina, with his wife and son.
Rachel Pierson-Bonin joined the board in 2024 and has worked at UNC Charlotte in the Human Resources Department since 2014. She is currently a Compensation and Position Management Analyst with previous experience as a Talent Acquisition Consultant. Her HR experience in the public sector brings to the board expertise in strategic workforce planning, employment laws and governing procedures, reviewing, interpreting, and applying state and federal laws pertaining to education, recruiting, hiring, and evaluating personnel, and compensation analysis. She received her Master's Degree in Public Administration in 2020 with a focus on nonprofit management and board development. Rachel has a passion for education and serving her community. In addition to her career, she volunteers with her church, local Girl Scout troop, and various non-profits in the Charlotte area. Originally from Bradford, VT, Rachel and her husband Dave moved to Charlotte in 2007 and quickly fell in love with the Queen City. They live in the Highland Creek neighborhood with their daughter, Charlotte, who attends Bradford Prep.
Melissa Ramirez, Board Member
Melissa (Mel) Ramirez is presently a Managing Director/Executive employed at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, where she is the Head of Global Commercial Card Fulfillment, Servicing, and Operations in Global Banking Operations. Mel joined the bank in 2005 as a Quality and Productivity executive, where she supported a number of businesses, including Human Resources and Consumer Credit Cards. She also worked with MBNA, the company’s consumer cards division, and was based in Chester, England, for two years. Mel then joined the Global Commercial Cards team as the Global Product Head, where she managed the global expansion of the business to over 100+ countries. She also held a role as the Global Business Risk and Innovations Executive and the Head of EMEA Commercial Cards for Global Transaction Services based in London for the Commercial Cards business. Most recently, she was a Global Banking and Markets Transformation and Change Executive. Previously, Mel spent 13 years in various operations, Six Sigma, and process management roles for JPMorgan Chase in the credit card, mortgage, and retail banking lines of business. Mel has a bachelor's degree in communications from the University of South Florida and an MBA from the University of Tampa. She lives in Huntersville, NC, with her three children.