Leadership

Welcome from Dan Quesnel, Head of School

Dear Oakwood Community,

It is my great honor and privilege to serve as the Head of School at The Oakwood School. Whether you are already a member of the Oakwood community or are considering joining us, I am confident that you will find Oakwood to be a truly wonderful place to learn, play, work, and grow.

From the first time I stepped foot on campus, I was struck by the strong sense of community and inclusiveness. Students, faculty, and parents alike have #EaglePride and are eager to welcome guests and share their love of Oakwood. On your next visit, take time to observe students who are truly excited about what they are learning and dedicated teachers, coaches, and administrators who give their time, energy, and talents to make Oakwood such a terrific learning environment.

Oakwood is unique in the Greenville area as a non-sectarian, independent, college preparatory school with an approach to education that includes hands-on, inquiry-based learning, service to others, and a commitment to exposing students to a broad range of academic, fine arts, and athletic opportunities. Oakwood’s students broaden their horizons further through a combination of community outreach, travel in the U.S. and abroad, and a robust international student program. Our graduates regularly attend and excel at some of the best colleges and universities throughout North Carolina and the nation.

I welcome you once again on behalf of the Oakwood community and hope to see you the next time you are on campus. I am confident you will find that The Oakwood School is truly living its founding mission to instill, not just in our students, but in our school community as a whole, the strength of character, the creativity, and the wisdom to make a difference in the world.

Go Eagles!

Dan Quesnel
Head of School

Board of Trustees

The Oakwood Board of Trustees strives to be a diverse entity comprised of individuals who work at being a team and bring to it a variety of different perspectives, balance of skills, and broad thinking.

Election to the board of trustees carries with it a responsibility of stewardship. By definition, trustees are the custodians of the school: they hold "in trust" the mission and the school's reputation. Current trustees accept the obligation to not only preserve, but to also add to the enterprise. Beyond these duties, the work of trustees focuses exclusively on policies and strategies that are future-focused, and not on daily operations, which are delegated to the head of school. Trustees are called upon to contribute their time, thought, and energy, as well as financial resources, to support the viability and growth of the school. — National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS)

A copy of The Oakwood School’s Bylaws can be found here.

2023-24 Board of Trustees
Board Bios

2023-24 Board of Trustees

Board Bios

Jeff Longshore, President

Jeff Longshore and his wife, Shannon, have been residents of Greenville since 2013. They quickly identified Oakwood to be the only choice for their children, Harper and Hank. Jeff enjoys volunteering at Oakwood’s OASES Farm. Jeff holds a BA in Economics from the University of Memphis and has experience in IT, Electronic Medical Records, and now owns a small real estate business. His wife, Shannon, is a Pediatric Surgeon at Vidant Medical Center. Jeff serves on the Board’s Resource Committee. He joined the Board in 2019.

Ira Adler, Vice President

Ira Adler and his wife Jodi are the parents of two current Oakwood students, Arrington and Addison, Oakwood graduate Alex '18 (who left for Duke University), and Abbie (who attended Oakwood from K to 10th grades and graduated Choate Rosemary Hall in Connecticut in 2020 ). With his four children, Ira has had many years experience at Oakwood serving on the Development Committee and Co-Chairing the Annual Fund for two years with his wife, Jodi. Ira also served on the most recent Head of School Search Committee and currently serves as Chair of the Audit Committee and a member of the Development Committee. He has a passion for the school and its mission. Ira is a partner with Eastern Radiologists, Inc., a faithful Oakwood Corporate Partner for many years. Ira joined the Board in 2017.

Brandon Tate, Treasurer

Brandon Tate and his wife, Tamira, have two children who are lifers at Oakwood: Kennedy '20 and Weatherly. Brandon has extensive experience having served Oakwood on the Resources, Facilities, Audit, Human Resources Committees, as well as having been a Horizons Board member. Each year he assists with raising money for the Annual Fund and even served as a past Co-Chair with Tamira. Brandon is a 1998 graduate of ECU with a BS in Marketing and an MBA. Brandon and Tamira are the owners and operators of Atlantic Wireless Communications, Incorporated in Greenville since 1996. Atlantic Wireless operates

15 U.S. Cellular retail locations in North Carolina and Missouri and has been a loyal Oakwood Corporate Partner since the program’s inception. Brandon has extensive experience in building a company with a strong Biblical mission, vision, and core values and received national attention with his revolutionary compensation structure that ties employee pay with these behaviors. Brandon is currently chairing the Resource and Endowment Committees and joined the Board in 2019.

Scott Barker

Scott Barker and his wife, Monika, are the parents of Oakwood graduate Simon '20. Scott, Monika, and their family relocated to Greenville from Santiago, Chile where Scott served as the Army Attaché in the U.S. Embassy. The Barkers are a military family that has lived in numerous overseas locations before settling down in Greenville. Scott is currently the President of Old Saratoga, Inc. water bottling company in Wilson County. He has taught at East Carolina University and is involved with numerous veteran organizations in Greenville and the eastern part of the state. Scott is the chair of the Security and Safety Committee and a member of the Head Support & Evaluation Committee. He joined the Board in 2019.

Ashley Eatmon '12

Ashley Eatmon was a member of Oakwood’s fourth graduating class in 2012. Ashley attended UNC-Wilmington and transferred to East Carolina University, where she earned a Business Management degree. During college, she served two terms as Vice President of Risk Management for her sorority, Alpha Phi. Ashley currently works as the Office Manager at Cooke & Associates Construction Company, Inc. She is married to Cameron Eatmon and serves on the board for Rocking Horse Ranch Therapeutic Riding Program. Ashley believes in Oakwood’s mission and philosophy. She knows Oakwood prepared her to succeed in college and beyond, giving her leadership skills and the desire to give back to her community.

Sue Ann Forrest Swift '12

Sue Ann was a member of Oakwood's third graduating class in 2011 and was this year's commencement speaker. Sue Ann completed her undergraduate studies at Campbell University majoring in English and Communication Studies with a minor in Marketing and served as student body president. In 2018, she completed the Master of Public Administration program at East Carolina University. She currently works as a lobbyist in the North Carolina General Assembly as the Director of Legislative Relations for the North Carolina Medical Society, which represents 11,000 physicians and physician assistants. Additionally, she is a current student in the Doctor of Health Sciences program at Campbell University concentrating in Health Administration. She firmly believes in Oakwood's mission and credits Oakwood for helping to develop meaningful skills to grow academically and professionally.

Jimmy Hite

Jimmy Hite is a life-long Greenville resident, father of two grown children, and grandfather of one. Jimmy is also an uncle to Oakwood alumnus Hannah Clark '13. He is an architect and works with his wife, Krestin, in their practice, Hite Associates: Architecture, Planning, Technology, a K-12 educational facility design, engineering, and planning firm. Jimmy serves as the Chair of the Board’s Facilities/Technology Committee and Strategic Planning Task Force. He is also a member of the Resource Committee. Jimmy joined the Board in 2018.

Marc Hustvedt

Marc Hustvedt and his wife Carly moved to North Carolina from Los Angeles and are starting their second year at Oakwood. Their children, Edie and Maverick, are in 2nd and 4th grades. He is an advocate of an independent school education and is an active volunteer at his alma mater, Phillips Academy, in Andover, Massachusetts. He and Carly have offered their development expertise to our capital campaign. Carly served as co-chair to our most recent Blue Jean Ball, which exceeded its fundraising and friendraising goals. Carly also volunteers in the classroom on a regular basis. They both are impressed with the welcoming, inclusive, and supportive culture on campus.

Nick Pantelidis

Panagiotis "Nick" Pantelidis has been an Oakwood parent for several years and continues to serve on the Board's Facilities Subcommittee and its Security Task Force. A longtime Greenville resident, he attended East Carolina University, completing both a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Master of Science in Information Technology. He currently works at ECU in the Instructional Technology and Computing Services Department.

Linda Roberson

Linda Roberson comes with experience from various executive positions at Vidant Health and a small software business process management business. Linda has an MBA, is a Registered Health Information Administrator (RHIA) and Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE). Her leadership responsibilities focused on building strong operational structures including financial oversight, defining marketing and customer relation initiatives, and strategic planning. She now works as an Adjunct Instructor at ECU teaching marketing and leadership in health care. Linda is married to Richard Roberson and live in Williamston. They have two sons and brought their youngest son, Kelby '13 to Oakwood as a junior. As a student, his only regret was that “he did not come to Oakwood sooner.” Linda is Chair of the Committee on Trustees. She joined the Board in 2019.

Tamara Shusterman

Tamara Shusterman and her husband Doug have lived in Greenville since 1999. Doug is a radiologist with Eastern Radiology, a long-term Oakwood corporate partner. Both their children are Oakwood lifers, Devon '16 attended Duke University and Ava '19 recently graduated from Brandeis University. Tamara has a Master of Public Health and has served on multiple boards while living in Greenville. During her children's time at Oakwood, Tamara served in various capacities including room mom, PSA social, development, athletic boosters and her favorite, producing the yearly musical. Tamara credits Oakwood for not only the academic success of her children but their critical thinking, empathy, and global view. She is excited to support Oakwood as it continues to grow as the premier independent school in Greenville.

Allen Sicley

Allen Sicley and his wife, Kimberly, have two children at Oakwood, Adrianna (8th) and Hampton (3rd). The Oakwood School has provided a positive educational experience for Adrianna and Hampton. Allen and Kimberly strongly value the educational excellence that Oakwood provides for their children in Greenville. Allen is a native of northern New York, relocating to the Greenville area in 2002. Allen and Kimberly both work in the pharmaceutical industry. Allen is the Head of Quality at Novartis in Wilson. Kimberly is the Manager of Microbiology at Pfizer in Rocky Mount.

Trey Sloan

Trey Sloan and his wife, Kristi, have lived in Greenville for over 20 years and are parents of two children at Oakwood, Brody (3rdgrade) and Iggy (PK3). Trey’s wife, Kristi, has served on the Parent Service Association for the past 3 years. She is currently the marketing chair for the PSA and is serving as co-chair for this year’s Blue Jean Ball. Trey is a four-time graduate of ECU. He has a BS (2007) and MS (2009) in Exercise Physiology and a PhD (2011) in Bioenergetics. He went on to obtain his MD (2015) at the Brody School of Medicine and completed his residency training in Emergency Medicine at the Brody School of Medicine and ECU Health. Over the last five years, Trey has worked as an emergency physician at ECU Health Medical Center and is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at ECU. He currently serves as the Medical Director of Clinical Skills Education at the Brody School of Medicine.

Rachel Speicher

Rachel Speicher, along with her husband Jim, are Greenville transplants from the Midwest. They have lived in Greenville since 2015 and are a proud Oakwood family. Their children, Jefferson (2nd) and Caroline (Kindergarten), both started in the PK4 class and love going to school. Rachel is impressed with the learning environment provided at Oakwood and the focus on each student developing individual strengths while encouraging students to grow into thoughtful members of a community. Rachel hopes to continue to help Oakwood provide unique opportunities for students to discover and develop their talents through curricular and extracurricular programs offered at school. Rachel is an Anesthesiologist with ECAA.

Sangita Tewari

Sangita Tewari and her husband, Andy, have two boys who began attending Oakwood in 2002 and are now alumni. Ravi '15 left Oakwood for UNC Chapel Hill and Jeevan '18 left for Duke University. Sangita is a CPA and was an auditor with Price Waterhouse for almost 10 years. Sangita served on the Head of School Search Committee and recently served as Chair of the Resource and Endowment/Investment Committees, as well as a member of the Facilities/Technology Committee. Sangita currently chairs the Audit Committee and serves on the Development Committee. She believes in Oakwood's mission and is excited to support Dan and the excellent work he is doing as Head of School. Sangita joined the Board in 2018.

Carl Turner

Carl Turner and his wife Mary Catherine have lived in Greenville for twelve years. Both grew up in eastern North Carolina, and they are the parents of Sophie (PK4). Carl and Mary Catherine found Oakwood to be an excellent combination of talented faculty, dedicated administration, congenial student body, committed board, and supportive parent base. Carl is an executive in the pharmaceutical industry with over thirty years of experience. He has served in leadership roles on multiple boards including Family Service of Lake County in Lake County, IL; Board of Trustees for N.C. Wesleyan College; and the Executive Board for Boy Scouts of America East Carolina Council. Carl and Mary Catherine believe strongly in education and the impact of community in raising youth to become thriving members of society.

Dan Quesnel, Head of School (ex officio)

Dan Quesnel has been Oakwood’s Head of School since July 2018. He and his wife, Ellyn, are also parents of Oakwood students Emily and Nate. Dan graduated from UNC Asheville and received his Juris Doctorate from Wake Forest University. Prior to Oakwood, Dan served for 11 years as a Middle School Coordinator, teacher, and coach, as well as General Counsel for Forsyth Country Day in Winston-Salem. Dan joined the Board in 2018 as an ex officio member by virtue of his role as the Head of School and the Board’s sole employee.