Our Leaders

Jeremy joined the team in January 2014 and served as the schools controller before taking on the role of CFO. Previously at CliftonLarsonAllen, a top ten CPA and consulting firm, Jeremy focused on providing assurance services to clients in the nonprofit, construction and employee benefit plan industries. In addition, Jeremy worked with several national clients that participate in school choice programs.

Jeremy received his bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. He is a member of the Wisconsin Institute of Certified Public Accountants (WICPA) and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). Jeremy also serves on the board of 4C For Children Milwaukee and previously volunteered his time as a basketball coach at HOPE Christian High School.

Erica shares her gifts of communication, organization and efficiency with the entire national office team and assists the chief officers with scheduling, communications, and project management. She also coordinates committee meetings, travel arrangements, board documentation and various other projects.

Erica’s background includes 12 years at Mount Mary University where she held various leadership positions within the marketing and public relations office. Her primary responsibilities included recruitment publications, website management, advertising and communications. Erica’s efforts helped secure record enrollment for the college for many of the years she served the institution. Erica also worked for two years in public affairs at two Milwaukee area hospitals upon her graduation from college.

Erica holds a business administration degree with emphases in human resources and marketing from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh.

Andrew is an educational entrepreneur who believes we are living at the most opportunistic time in the history of the world to be in the field of advancing Christian education.  Through his work he aspires to chase God’s vision enjoying the adventure, privilege and responsibility of serving Him by serving His kids.

He is driven to ensure all children have access to excellent learning opportunities which maximize their potential to fulfill Greater Purpose and live flourishing lives. His passion is to contribute to building an educational ecosystem which will close global and national achievement gaps, build deeply held, internally driven character, and provide faith formation as an integral part of education for all who desire it regardless of a family’s income or where they live.

Committed to this mission, he began his career as a teacher serving students at the high school and college levels while finishing his Ph.D. in educational mathematics. In 2006, he joined what has now become Open Sky Education and serves its Executive Chair/CEO. Through his time at Open Sky, he has supported the growth of the HOPE Christian Schools network and has helped to launch and grow multiple new divisions including the EAGLE College Prep charter schools, Compass after school programs, the Character Formation Project, School Services and the Microschools Initiative.

In addition to his work at Open Sky Education, Andrew works to advance this mission for children by participating in a variety of speaking engagements as well as serving on the boards of mission-aligned organizations including School Choice Wisconsin, School Choice Wisconsin Action, the Institute for Missional Visioning.

Edie (Kastenschmidt) Martwick is a graduate of Wisconsin Lutheran College (2001) where she majored in education. As a college student she was awarded the “Impact Award” recognizing her leadership and contributions to the mission of the college. As a teacher she continued to demonstrate the importance of teacher as leader, serving at St. Marcus, HOPE Christian School, and EAGLE College Preparatory Schools in Arizona. While at EAGLE, she completed her Master’s Degree program in Curriculum and Instruction at Arizona State University (ASU).

Edie moved back to Milwaukee in 2009 to assume another leadership position as Director of Coaching for the Center for Urban Teaching. She mentored first and second year teachers, organized regular small group mentoring meetings, and coordinated the Urban Conference in Milwaukee.

In 2011, Edie returned full time to St. Marcus where she has served as a kindergarten teacher, an instructional coach, Director of Primary, Director of Curriculum and Instruction, and Assistant Principal. In 2015, Edie joined the HOPE team as a Founding Principal. She graduated in 2016 with her Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership from Alverno.  In 2023, Edie was privileged to receive the position of Director of Teaching and Learning with the HOPE Region where she will work with the Deans of Instruction to ensure all HOPE students receive a top-notch education.  This is Edie’s passion so she is excited to use her God-given talents in this manner.

Edie’s experiences in the school as a lead teacher and principal have provided valuable insights for each one of the positions. She is eager to build on her experiences to improve education for the children of Milwaukee.

Ximena Echeverria is a strong believer that provided right the opportunities, potential is unlimited. Her experience and service to inner city students and families has spanned over thirty years. Her experience includes education, training, and leadership in various roles.

With a bachelor and master degrees in Education, Ximena’s experience includes, teacher, coach, Early Childhood Director, Founding Principal, Turn-around Principal of elementary schools as well as high schools and Assistant Superintendent in the Phoenix Metro area. She began her career as a bilingual teacher and while at Wilson School District, she was sought out to become the Director of the Project Base Program for Sequoia Charter Schools in Mesa. Shortly afterwards, she became the founding Principal of Terra Nova Academy where she developed a fine arts program and was there for six years. She became the  Turn Around Principal for Academia del Pueblo where she was able to move the school academically from closing to a letter “B”. In addition to the academic gains, she was able to develop a strong school culture while implementing a variety of programs from gardening, to a well-rounded sports program.

The experience of implementing programs at a variety of levels came in handy to the positions that ensued. She had the distinct pleasure of serving as a district coach, Principal and Assistant Superintendent at Maricopa County Regional School District, the alternative school district that serves elementary and high school students in Maricopa County. Serving EL students, adjudicated youth, and high school students at one room on-line high school houses afforded Ximena to partner with organizations throughout the valley. It was during this time that she was able to look at education from a different perspective.  Affording students various opportunities and fostering a community that has deep rooted values at the elementary school level is crucial to ensuring that students do not fall through the cracks.

As the Arizona Regional Director for Federal and State Programs, Ximena works closely with school principals in securing and maximizing dollars to provide students the highest quality education under Title I, EL, Homeless-Education and other programs. Ximena is passionate about the success of every school and every child and is committed to Open Sky Education and the philosophy of “building a strong foundation” for all students.

Karina Moreno is the Regional Director of Operations of the EAGLE College Prep schools in the Phoenix, Arizona region, part of the Open Sky Education network.

Karina started in the classroom in 2017 teaching middle school math at EAGLE College Prep Maryvale. Along with her role as a teacher she was a team lead, mentor, dance teacher, and ran The Girls on The Run program after school. Her goal is to work diligently as part of a team with each scholar, family, and colleague with the purpose of giving them the best experience. Four years later Karina became the School Operations Manager at EAGLE Maryvale, her passions continue to be driven by the scholars and family culture. Karina enjoys with her husband and two daughters. They give her purpose each day to keep pushing through and exceeding her own expectations. Prior to EAGLE, Karina was a student athlete, received a softball scholarship to Central Arizona Community College and Embry Riddle University in Prescott, AZ. After fulfilling her student athlete career, she attended Arizona State University studying to become a math educator, her heart always went back to the kids. As a graduate from Arizona State University with a bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education Mathematics, Karina will be pursuing my master's degree in educational leadership.

Yesenia Fitzhugh is an educational leader with an entrepreneurial spirit who has a passion for serving students and their families, engaging leaders and teachers, and advancing education through innovation and creating effective and efficient systems. 

Yesenia has been with Open Sky Education for over 14 years starting her career as an EL teacher leading to her current position as Interim Executive Director of EAGLE and Director of Microschool Initiatives of Soaring.  With her new role, she has an intentional focus on people and processes to ensure the mission of EAGLE is lived out.  In addition to her work at Open Sky, she serves a coach for new principals and assistant principals. 

Kathy brings over 30 years of experience from multiple industries including defense, insurance, manufacturing, consulting and non-profit.  She is passionate about finding cost effective and creative solutions to solve system integration issues.  Her joy comes from implementing automated processes that free up our employees to utilize their gifts and talents in the most impactful way.

Kathy believes that we are all given gifts and talents and she quips that she was given the “gift of geek”. She works to share that gift in ways that provide data and analytics to our teams so that they can work to provide the best education to all of our students district wide.

Kathy graduated from Valparaiso University with a bachelor of science in Electrical Engineering.
 

Diamante is our point person for all application customer support questions.  She works tirelessly to solve issues for all of our school and regional personnel and to provide them access to the training and support they need to use various applications.  She works daily with many of our vendors and holds them accountable to providing timely and helpful answers to our staff. 

Diamante also has a very strong attention to detail that she uses to document and fine tune the Data and Application Team’s policies and procedures.  She has been foundational in getting documentation set up that allows our team to complete tasks in a timely and repeatable manner.

Diamante joined the Open Sky Education team in 2019 with a diverse background in customer service and human resources. 

Jeff joined the Open Sky team in 2019, bringing with him the educational background, the executive experience, and the passion for excellence his role as National Director of Facilities demands.

A graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Certified Public Accountant, Jeff’s initial employment experiences were in public accounting, where he attained manager level, and a nationally acclaimed real estate management and development company, where he served as Controller of Asset Management. He then served on the executive teams of three manufacturing companies—as Executive Vice President of Finance, Vice President of Sales, and Principal.

Trevor is responsible for the complete accounting cycle for all legal entities under Open Sky Education’s management. Trevor assists in creating and meeting budgets and consistently sought cost-saving measures to help reduce overall cost per student while continuing to improve the quality of services offered. In his first two years with the organization, Trevor streamlined the audit process and achieved 100 percent compliance for the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program. Additionally, Trevor has created policy and procedure designed to increase efficiency and productivity within the organization and works to secure financing for multiple building projects.

Since graduating from University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire in 2002, Trevor has developed a strong financial background working in the financial services industry as a controller for a major restaurant management company and as accountant and director of business for an H & R Block subsidiary.

Trevor is currently pursuing a master of science degree in professional accounting from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Linda leverages her 20+ years of accounting experience to help the finance team achieve its goals. With technical expertise in accounting for consolidations, financial reporting and forecasting, Linda plays an integral part in the annual audit as well as reporting on the day to day operations of the organization. She gained valuable skills and knowledge from her many years as divisional controller with Zilber Ltd., a national diversified real estate company in Milwaukee and before that in public accounting.

She graduated with honors from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee with a bachelor of business administration in accounting. Linda is a member of the Wisconsin Institute of Certified Public Accountants (WICPA) and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA).

Janet joined Open Sky Education in November of 2013 as an accounts payable manager specialist.  Previously, Janet worked for 15 years at MillerCoors in the finance area, where she was responsible for reporting and analysis activities for planning purposes, budgeting and month-end close.  Prior to that she worked five years for Wisconsin Electric Power Company as a financial analyst.

Janet leverages her cross-functional experience in managing invoice results, variance analysis and implementing processes that allow for disciplined financial management and cost transparency. Janet holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Wisconsin – Whitewater.

Miranda began working with Open Sky Education several years ago as an intern. After graduating from University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, studying for the CPA exam, and working with CliftonLarsonAllen, a top ten CPA and consulting firm she accepted the open invitation back to Open Sky Education to work on our Finance Team as Financial Analyst. 

Sylvia has worked in the payroll profession for over 20 years with a wide range of experience in various industries, including manufacturing, distribution, environmental and professional services. Prior to joining Open Sky Education, she was employed as a Payroll Administrator at Fathom Manufacturing in Hartland, Wisconsin. She has a BA in Human Resources from UW-Whitewater.

Outside of work time, she enjoys working out at the gym and traveling with her husband Gerry. One favorite destination is Door County. They also travel to visit their daughter, two grandsons and son-in-law, who is in the Coast Guard. The military has provided additional destinations in Rhode Island, San Diego and Washington D.C.

McKenzie Laurent-Schnulle joined the team in 2024 as The National Director of Marketing and Communications. She has served in public K-12 education and private higher education in the areas of public relations, marketing, communications, enrollment, and recruitment. 

McKenzie holds a Bachelor's Degree in Communications and Public Relations from Cardinal Stritch University, an MBA from Concordia University-Wisconsin, and a PhD in Business Leadership from Anderson University, SC. She also serves on the Board of Directors for Hosea's Heart, a Nonprofit organization. 

Julie joined EAGLE College Prep Maryvale in 2015 as a first grade teacher. During her time with EAGLE, she has served the Maryvale community as a teacher, Dean of Students, and Interim Principal.  Julie has managed the creation and maintenance of EAGLE Maryvale’s first competitive sports program.  Before joining EAGLE Maryvale, she taught kindergarten, 2nd, and 3rd grade.

Julie is dedicated to growing students in their academics and character values by developing teachers to yield results. She brings knowledge and innovation to EAGLE with 13 years of educational experience.

Julie earned her bachelor’s degree from Ashland University in Ohio in Early Childhood Education. During her undergraduate work, she had the opportunity to teach first grade aboard in Germany.  She also received her master’s degree in Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment from Marygrove College and is currently working through her second master’s degree in Education Leadership at Northern Arizona University.

Stephanie joins the EAGLE College Prep team as Principal of the Mesa campus in the Fall of 2023.  Prior to joining the EAGLE team, Stephanie was an elementary and middle school teacher, a district coordinator, a high school assistant principal, and a middle school principal. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Arizona State University, her master’s degree in Educational Leadership from Northern Arizona University, and an Ed.S. degree in Organizational Leadership from Grand Canyon University. 

Rebecca Hancock has been an educator since she graduated from Point Loma Nazarene University in 2005.  After earning her bachelor’s degree in Education, Rebecca taught in a variety of grade levels from Kindergarten through 8th grade and held a variety of teacher leader roles as she earned a Master of Arts in Education from Northern Arizona University.  These years were very formative in her growth as an educator and provided a solid foundation as she learned about instruction and leadership.  She has been a principal since 2018 and is finishing her Doctorate in Education, which has allowed her to refine her leadership skills and understanding of schools as an organization. In 2021, she was honored to accept the position of principal at EAGLE College Preparatory School South Mountain, where is eager to partner with families, educators and scholars to ensure all EAGLE scholars soar.

Katie Evins is the Interim Principal at HOPE Christian School Caritas. She embodies the meaning of Caritas; "Christian Love". She is a child of God, loved and saved by Jesus! She’s eager to share her experiences with every scholar, in hopes that she builds everlasting relationships with all families at HOPE Caritas.

She is a graduate of Grand Canyon University and holds a BA in Early Childhood Education. Her passion is to serve and pour into young children.  

Her hobbies include spending time with family, shopping, watching movies, cooking, and eating snacks. She looks forward to meeting the HOPE Caritas team and family. She believes in building relationships and setting a strong foundation so that our scholars can reach their high academic goals.

"Greater is He that is in me, than He that is in the world." - 1 John 4:4 

I’m Principal Anna Mayo, the proud Principal at HOPE Christian School Fidelis! Fidelis means faithful, and my aim as our school leader is to train our teachers and students to model themselves after Jesus’ words and actions. At HOPE Fidelis, we talk about Christ and College every day with the goal of building future community leaders through Christian character formation and strong academics.

I am a graduate of UW-Stevens Point where I majored in Music Education. As a college student, I was awarded the Chancellor’s Leadership Award which honors graduates who have demonstrated significant leadership, community service, and a commitment to personal growth. My passion for the children of Milwaukee began in 2012, when I first volunteered at a choice school in the city through the Center for Urban Teaching. There, I witnessed firsthand the desire and drive that families and their students had for a quality education.

I have served as a teacher in Milwaukee for over a decade, starting at St. Marcus Lutheran School as a 4th and 5th grade English Language Arts Teacher. In 2016, I joined the founding staff at HOPE Fidelis as a K4 teacher. In 2018, I became the school’s full time music specialist, and have led the program’s growth to include general music for all grades, along with choral and instrumental enrichments. In 2020 and 2021, I was honored with HOPE’s “Faith and Action” and “Team Player” awards. In 2021, I graduated with a Master’s in Educational Leadership and Innovation from Wisconsin Lutheran College. Above all other accomplishments and experiences, I am proud to be a founding member of the HOPE Fidelis staff, and I am honored to be able to partner with our staff, students and families to continue the school's legacy of excellence. 

Ashley Boyte is a graduate of Culver-Stockton College with a degree in Business Administration. While she majored in Business, working with students has always been a passion. Upon graduation, she joined Teach for America and was placed to teach in Milwaukee. She taught Kindergarten at HOPE Caritas while attending Cardinal Stritch University. She graduated from Cardinal Stritch University in 2017 with a Master of Arts in Urban Education. Upon graduation and finishing her Teach for America commitment, Ashley knew she still wanted to work in a school setting. She sought a role where she could incorporate her business skills with her desire to serve children. Ashley became the School Operations Manager for HOPE Caritas and then transitioned to the role of Regional Director of Operations for HOPE Christian Schools, and now serves at the HOPE Prima Principal.. Ashley graduated in May of 2023 with her PhD in Leadership for the Advancement of Learning and Service.

Casandra was recently asked to lead HOPE Christian School Via in Racine, Wis., as Principal  in 2020. Casandra began her service in Racine at HOPE Christian School Via in 2015 as the founding second grade teacher. In 2017 she became the Dean of Students and then in 2019 the Dean of Instruction. While at HOPE Via, she specialized in school culture, academics, and building lasting relationships with scholars and families.

Prior to joining HOPE, Casandra completed her student teaching at a public district middle school Bridges program. It was this experience where the Lord opened her heart, and she had a passion to work in urban education. She started her first teaching job at St. Rafael the Archangel where she taught 2nd grade.

Casandra participated in numerous leadership trainings and has had the opportunity to be led by some of the best leaders in today’s education. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Elementary and Middle School Education grades1-9th and a minor in Geography through Carthage College and received her M.Ed. Administration Leadership from Alverno College. She also holds a Principal & Director of Instruction license in the State of Wisconsin.

My name is Ms. Renea Taylor and I’m honored to serve as your Principal for HOPE Fortis.  Ephesians 6:10 “Be strong in the Lord and his mighty power.”  We stand Fortis Strong!

About me: I have 3 beautiful children (2 girls and 1 boy). I love dance and music. My favorite color is burgundy. I bring with me 11 years of experience in the field of education, having served as a middle school math educator in the Milwaukee area, including 6 years at HOPE Fortis.  Last year I was Dean of Students at HOPE Fidelis where my duties were to build and support student success. I obtained my Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics from Alverno College, and I will graduate in December 2024 with a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership from Wisconsin Lutheran College (in partnership with the Center for Urban Teaching).

I am committed to building a culture that cultivates a love for Christ and learning in the classroom.  At HOPE Fortis, my primary goal is to ensure that each student feels valued, supported, and motivated to achieve their full potential. I believe a successful school is built on strong relationships among scholars, parents, and staff, and I am dedicated to working collaboratively with all members of our community to uphold the high standards and traditions of HOPE Fortis.  Communication and partnership with parents are crucial to the success of our scholars, and I am committed to maintaining an open and transparent dialogue. Together, we can create a nurturing and challenging environment that prepares our scholars for success in school and beyond.

“Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others.” –Jack Welch, former GE chairman and CEO. I believe that instructional leadership skills, restorative practices and effective teaching are directly related to the success of the scholars in a classroom setting. By allowing God to lead me in this role I know positive connections and lasting success of scholars and staff will be made.

Jayda Luckett is the newly named Principal of HOPE Christian School Semper for the 2024-2025 school year.

She is incredibly passionate about giving all students access to the highest quality education possible, and she cannot wait to bring that drive of excellence to HOPE Christian School Semper! Jayda believes that by providing an excellent education, students will be able to pursue their God-given purpose. She deeply believes in each child’s ability to succeed in their purpose, and she is honored to be able to partner with parents and staff at HOPE Semper as they work to do just that.

Jayda obtained her undergraduate degree from Concordia University Wisconsin, where she majored in Mathematics and Educational Studies. She also holds her Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership and Innovation from Wisconsin Lutheran College. It was at Concordia that God ignited her passion for the Milwaukee education system and belief that the quality of a child’s education should not be dependent on their zip code. Since then, she has spent a decade serving as a math teacher, instructional coach, and summer school principal across multiple Milwaukee Christian schools. She spent seven of those years at one of the top-performing urban schools in Milwaukee, St. Marcus Lutheran.

Jayda is excited to partner with scholars, staff, and parents to make this the most incredible year, but most importantly, above all else, she plans to “seek first His kingdom and His righteousness” this school year. Because if we seek His will first, “He will give us everything we need.” (Matthew 6:33)

Kristie Flohra is the Implementation Lead of Soaring Education Services. She has a love of education and a desire to see all children succeed.

Danielle Van Vlack is a Design and Build Coach who is passionate about sharing the love of Jesus through education.

Jennifer Whiteside has joined Open Sky Education as National Director of Talent Acquisition.  Jennifer brings her passion for people, our communities, a best-in-class talent experience and a hands-on approach to operational excellence and Talent Acquisition.

Jennifer currently calls the Northwest suburbs of Chicago home and will be relocating to the area in the near future.  She has one son, Cooper who is 19 years old and a college freshman.  Cooper is an avid sportsman and was on the High School football and Lacrosse team where Jennifer spent many days, evenings and weekends as a team mom.  She also has two furry family members, Pugs named Charlie and Merton.

Jennifer grew up in Ireland and South Africa and enjoys spending time with her family traveling, playing games and spending time outdoors where she can be found on walking trails.  She likes to read and watch all things crime and, in her downtime, can be found watching 48hours, forensic files or a 20/20 documentary.

Jennifer had a wealth of Talent Acquisition experience and previously was the Head of Talent Acquisition at Evolve, a hospitality company based in Colorado.  She has supported and led specialized and operational recruiting teams in a variety of industries across the United States, with experience building, growing and leading local and geographically dispersed teams.

Jennifer has a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Western Illinois University. 

Mr. James Degnan is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science.  While he majored in Environmental Science, ensuring scholars receive an excellent education has always been a passion of his. In addition to Environmental Science, James also has a passion for technology and business. James was the School Operations Manager for HOPE Caritas for the past 4 years. The SOM role was a perfect fit to combine all of the areas he was interested in. This year, he is starting his new role as the Regional Choice Compliance Officer. He is excited to continue to serve across the HOPE network.

I, Liz Lavelle, am the proud Regional Compliance Manager for our HOPE Christian Schools in Milwaukee.  Previous to my role of the Regional Compliance Manager, I was the School Operations Manager at HOPE Fidelis since they opened in 2016 and served at HOPE Prima previous to that.  Having gone to Wittenberg University (2008) for Early Childhood Education I have always loved working with school-age children.  After two years of Americorps service and a Master’s Certificate in Non-Profit Management from UW-Milwaukee I found my calling working in school operations.  Christ has called me to serve the HOPE Regional community. I love being apart of the HOPE Christian Schools Regional network because I get to serve our scholars, families, and staff everyday.  I can always be reached at 414-203-5270 or liz.lavelle@hopeschools.org with any questions or ideas to make our school the best it can be. When I’m not at school, I enjoy spending time with my family fishing at parks, reading with my son, and laying in a hammock on warm summer evenings.   I can’t wait for another wonderful year of serving the Lord, sharing His word, and showing His love to our students!

Edie (Kastenschmidt) Martwick is a graduate of Wisconsin Lutheran College (2001) where she majored in education. As a college student she was awarded the “Impact Award” recognizing her leadership and contributions to the mission of the college. As a teacher she continued to demonstrate the importance of teacher as leader, serving at St. Marcus Lutheran Schools, HOPE Christian Schools, and EAGLE College Preparatory Schools in Arizona. While at EAGLE, she completed her master’s degree program in curriculum and instruction at Arizona State University (ASU).

Edie moved back to Milwaukee in 2009 to assume another leadership position as Director of Coaching for the Center for Urban Teaching. She mentored first and second year teachers, organized regular small group mentoring meetings, and coordinated the Urban Conference in Milwaukee.

In 2011, Edie returned full time to St. Marcus where she served as a kindergarten teacher, an instructional coach, Director of Primary, Director of Curriculum and Instruction, and Assistant Principal. In 2015, Edie rejoined the HOPE Christian Schools team as a Founding Principal. She graduated in 2016 with her Master of Arts in Educational Leadership from Alverno College.  In 2023, Edie was privileged to receive the position of Director of Teaching and Learning where she worked with the Deans of Instruction to ensure all HOPE Christian Schools students received a top-notch education.  In the fall of 2024, Edie was promoted to the leadership role in Wisconsin of Regional Executive Director. 

Edie’s experiences in the school as a lead teacher and principal have provided valuable insights for each one of the positions. She is eager to build on her experiences to improve education for the children of Milwaukee and Racine, Wis.