Board of Trustees
Luke Schnell President
Luke’s family joined Great Oak School in August of 2014. He began attending Board Meetings in June 2016 and officially joined the board in September 2016. Luke studied Philosophy at Lon Morris College; Creative Writing at the University of Houston; and English Literature/History at Sam Houston State before joining the US Army Corps of Engineers in 1997. For the last 16 years he has worked in various Operational and BD roles in both the Chemical Transportation and Oil and Gas Service industries. His roles have included West Texas Operations Manager and North American Operations Manager for Weatherford Directional Drilling, Director of Business Development for Archer Well Company and President of Archer Directional Drilling. Today Luke is the Chief Operations Officer for QES Directional Drilling. Luke and his wife Lindsey have four children (Erik, Ethan, Sylvia and Margo).
James Jackson Vice President
James’ family joined the school in the Fall of 2013 when his daughter Ryan started first grade. After attending the board meetings since joining the school, James formally joined the Board in March of 2015. James holds a BA in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from The Pennsylvania State University and an MBA from the Graziadio School of Business and Management at Pepperdine University. He is the Director of Financial Systems and Processes at Valerus Field Solutions, LP. James has held various leadership roles in Information Technology and Materials Management in manufacturing organizations as varied as Home building to Aerospace to Oil & Gas. He also has prior BOD experience as Director and VP.
Dave Tegtmeier Secretary
Dave’s family joined Great Oak School in Winter 2009. He joined the Board as Vice President in May 2013. Dave holds a BFA in Theatre Design & Technology from Stephen F. Austin State University and MFA in Arts Management from Western Michigan University. Dave is currently a Project Manager at Edwin Jones Company, a rep agency for lighting controls. His previous work experience is in production management and project management for theatrical systems.
David Alvarey Treasurer
David was born in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and was raised in an army family in various locations in the U.S. and Germany. After graduating from the U.S. Military Academy (West Point), he served six years in the army as a Field Artillery officer in Oklahoma, Germany, Kosovo, and Iraq. Upon returning to the U.S. and leaving active duty, David earned his MBA from Duke University, and has lived in Texas since 2009. David and his wife, Laura, have two children at Great Oak School (Kiera and Luke). In his free time, he enjoys keeping busy by spending time with the family, golfing, skiing, and traveling.
JR Batek Member at Large
JR’s family joined Great Oak School in August of 2014. He co-chaired the FUNdraising committee in 2016 and joined the board in 2017. JR studied accounting and management information systems at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and has a Master’s in Business Administration from Rice University. JR has held various positions with manufacturing companies including auditor, pricing manager, SAP systems lead, marketing manager and finance and reporting manager. He and his wife Becky have two children at Great Oak, Jack and Cecelia.
Zuzana Leckova Member at Large
Zuzana has a BBA in Accounting from Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY, MBA in Managerial Accounting from Pace University, New York, NY and MS in Taxation from Fordham University, New York, NY. She is a CPA in the state of New York. Zuzana’s accounting and tax experience ranges from Big Four Accounting Firm, VP of Tax in The Royal Bank of Scotland plc to most recently working for a local CPA firm. She has served on the Board of Directors of Great Oak School as the Treasurer from January 2010 until becoming a full time staff member at Great Oak School in November 2014. Zuzana joined the board back in September 2016. Zuzana’s two daughters joined Great Oak School in September 2009, when the school first opened its doors. Zuzana loves photography, traveling, tennis, skiing and music.
Britney Maxwell Shirk Member at Large
Britney holds a Bachelor’s of Arts in Psychology from the University of Oklahoma and a Master’s in Marriage and Family Therapy from Akron University. She also works part-time as a child and family counselor. Britney and her three children found Great Oak School in 2012. They fell in love with the community and have been happily connected ever since that time. In free time, Britney enjoys yoga, her artistic endeavors, cooking, traveling and the outdoors. Britney is grateful for the opportunity to connect children, families and teachers together at Great Oak School. Britney joined the board in September 2016.
Tami Arndt-Beatty Early Childhood Representative
Tami was born and raised in the small Northern California coastal village of Point Reyes Station. As a young adult she was employed as a nanny in Hawaii where she discovered Waldorf education. This discovery lead her to pursue a study in anthroposophy on the islands and ultimately to return to California to enroll in the Bay Area Waldorf Teacher Training. Tami graduated in 2002 and started her family in West Marin. Over the course of her teaching career, Tami has taught as an assistant and lead teacher in a home preschool using Waldorf principles, was an assistant at Marin Waldorf School for four years and eventually created and opened her own home-based preschool inspired by Waldorf education once her two sons were born. In January 2015 Tami moved to the Houston area with her husband and three children. Tami taught as a Lead Kindergarten Teacher at Bayou Village School in Houston for two years. Tami is an active runner, enjoys crafts and creative work and is devoted to her family. Tami joined the board in March 2017.
