Tamarack Waldorf School
Board of Trustees
2010-2011
Mary Anne Revolinski, Treasurer
A native of Milwaukee, Mary Anne graduated from Nicolet high school in 1981 and earned a Bachelor of Science in Journalism from UW-Madison. She worked as an account executive at Stephan & Brady Advertising in Madison while attending graduate school before marrying and moving to Chicago where she worked as a manager for Lands' End. She has served on boards for Chicago Lying-In Hospital, North Shore Children's Center, and Milwaukee Winter Club's board. Mary Anne and her husband, Scott, moved back to Milwaukee in 1994 and have four children: Tony, their oldest, is a junior at Creighton University; Ryan (TWS alum, Class of 2009) is a sophomore at University School of Milwaukee; Rose is in 8th grade at Tamarack; and Patty is in 4th grade at Tamarack. This is Mary Anne's fifth year on the Board. She currently serves as Board Treasurer and previously served as Board Secretary. Her committee work since 2005 includes Enrollment, Finance (current), Fund Development, Logo (current), and Executive (current). She believes that Tamarack is an exceptional educational opportunity for her children. Tamarack combines devoted Waldorf teachers and a beautiful urban environment that enriches their lives daily.
Tim Randall, Legal Counsel to Executive Committee
Tim received his law degree from Marquette University Law School in 1997 and has practiced law in Milwaukee since that time. He currently serves as Chief Legal Counsel and Chief Development Officer for the Wisconsin Hospitality Group. Tim is a member of the national, state and city bar associations as well as the Commercial Association of Realtors. He has served on the Tamarack Site Committee since 2008 and, in July of 2008, became a member of the TWS Board of Trustees. He served as Board Vice President and Executive Committee member for one year. This year he serves as legal counsel to the Executive Committee. Tim and his wife, Krystal, chose to enroll their daughter (currently in 3rd grade) at TWS because it offers an education that is more consistent with their values than the north shore public school district in which they live. Specifically, Tim appreciates that Tamarack offers a curriculum that respects the natural intellectual and emotional developmental stages of the child, encourages curiosity, and instills a love of learning.
Sondra Reyes, Faculty
Sondra has been a class teacher at Tamarack for five years and currently holds the 5th grade class. She earned her B.A. from Marquette University College of Communications. She received her Waldorf Teaching Certificate through the Great Lakes Teacher Training Program at Mt. Mary College in Milwaukee. She has served on a number of Tamarack committees including Enrollment, Budget, and Festivals. She currently acts as chairperson for the Community Life Working Group. As a teacher, Sondra observes daily that Waldorf education fosters a genuine enthusiasm for learning in her students. She joined the Board of Trustees during summer of 2009 to serve the school and give back some of the many blessings she has received from the community and Waldorf education.
Martha Flores, Faculty
A native of Milwaukee, Martha earned a B.A. in Elementary Education (Early Childhood Education) from Alverno College and then her Waldorf Teaching Certificate from the West Coast Institute for Studies in Anthroposophy (Early Childhood Education) in Vancouver, Canada. She has been a Kindergarten teacher at Tamarack Waldorf School for eight years. She joined the Board of Trustees during the summer of 2010. She and her husband, Patrick, have a son enrolled in the Rainbow Garden pre-school program this year. To Martha, Waldorf education has always seemed like the right choice for working with children. She values the imaginative and gentle approach to child development offered in the kindergarten, and the tone it sets for a child's success at Tamarack. She also values what the children offer her and how they foster her own growth as a parent and teacher.
Jean Kacanek, Administrator
Jean attended the Interlochen Arts Academy as a high school student before earning a B.A. in Music Education and a M.M. in Woodwind Performance from the University of Michigan. She taught music in Michigan and Kansas before taking positions as director of Project CREATE and music instructor at Carroll College. Jean began her Waldorf administration work at Prairie Hill Waldorf School where she served for four years, continuing that work at Tamarack in January 2003. She has served on the Board since July of 2003 and has been active on Site, Finance, Enrollment, Fund Development and Administrative Working Group committees Her son, Keith, was a graduate of Tamarack's Class of 2005, was an honor student at Waukesha South High School, and currently is combining college courses, work and volunteering. Her husband, Hal, is a music educator who presents multicultural programs in schools. Jean values Waldorf Education for its richness, breadth and depth both academically and socially. The curriculum, including the arts, is beautifully designed to meet the children where they are developmentally in their emotional and intellectual lives. Without being aware of how much they are learning, they are eminently prepared for high school with a wide variety of capacities.
Bela Roongta Eitel, Parent
Bela has long been committed to working on women's issues and helping organizations that focus on improving the lives of women and children. After practicing law for six years, she went to India and consulted with a local human rights organization on domestic violence, sexual assault and gay rights. Upon her return to the states, she served as the Director for the Courthouse Advocacy Program with the Task Force on Family Violence for three years. She currently works as the designer and founder of belabela, a clothing company that offers uniquely designed tees and more. Bela joined the Board of Trustees during the summer of 2009 and is currently a member of the Safety Committee. In addition to her Board work, she is an active classroom volunteer. Her two children attended the Waldorf inspired Lifeways playgroup, kinder-house and kinder-forest. They are currently enrolled in the 1st and 3rd grade classes at Tamarack. Bela values Waldorf education for her children because of the creativity and imagination it encourages, the opportunity it provides to develop a love of learning, and the experiences with the natural world it holds.
Ryan Hundt, Parent
A licensed architect in the State of Wisconsin, Ryan has been practicing in Milwaukee since moving back from Portland, Oregon, where he was a graduate student in the newly accredited University of Oregon Portland Program focusing on urban growth and urban design. Ryan's wife, Jodi, is currently the 7th grade class teacher at Tamarack Waldorf School. They have two children enrolled at Tamarack: Anna, just starting 1st grade this fall; and David continuing his second year in the Sunshine Garden. Ryan joined the Board of Trustees during the summer of 2010 and has served on the Enrollment Committee since 2008. Since first experiencing the school through his wife's journey completing the Waldorf Teacher Training and taking on a class of students, Ryan has come to value deeply the spirit and intent of Rudolf Steiner's teachings. Ryan's appreciation has grown because of the joyful, creative, social beings his children are becoming. Service to the board is his way of giving back to the school and helping it grow.
Jo Yanish, Parent
Originally from northern Wisconsin, Jo completed her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at Cardinal Stritch College. Jo has been a member of the Tamarack community since its inception in 1996, and she generously offered her artistic skills to Tamarack as chairperson of the Holiday Fair decorating committee for ten years. She and her husband, William, have two sons: Edward is a TWS alum and Sam is the 6th grade at Tamarack. Jo is a seasoned business owner, having owned and operated three businesses. She has worked extensively with a variety of art forms, including leatherwork, tie-dye, and woodwork. Her current business is the jewelry company, Flattery Works. Jo joined the Board of Trustees during the summer of 2010. She believes the Waldorf curriculum was what her older son needed to become a talented and well-educated adult. She looks forward to the same outstanding results for her younger son. For Jo, serving on the Board of Trustees is one way she can repay Tamarack for all it has done for her family.
Cassandra Zumstein, Parent
Cassandra earned her Bachelor's degree at the University of Chicago and her Master of Architecture at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She has worked extensively in both Chicago and Milwaukee as both an architect and educator. She and her husband, Russell, have a daughter, Roxanne, in the 7th grade at Tamarack Waldorf School. Roxanne entered Tamarack mid-way through the first grade, and the school and program have suited her well. Cassandra is continually in awe of how the Waldorf curriculum is designed to accompany the natural intellectual, physical and emotional developmental levels of children. She feels it is a remarkable and compassionate program. She joined the Board of Trustees during the summer of 2010 out of a desire to contribute her energy and enthusiasm to the board in return for the many blessings her family has received through their years of association with Tamarack.