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.

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.

Heather Bridgforth

Heather Bridgforth, along with her husband Dr. Andrew Bridgforth have lived in Greenville, NC since 2022 with their two wonderful daughters Margaret (First grade) and Virginia (PK4). They have been a proud Oakwood family since Margaret started in PK3. Heather is an elder law attorney, at The Graham Nuckolls Conner Law Firm, and is the current president of the Pitt County Bar Association. Heather is licensed to practice law in California, North Carolina, and Virginia. She earned her Juris-Doctorate degree from the University of Richmond School of Law. After graduating, she practiced Estate Planning and Estate Administration in Charlottesville, VA for six years.

Heather was born and raised in the beautiful mountains of Reno, Nevada. Her husband, Dr. Andrew Bridgforth, southern Virginia, is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon with additional fellowship training as a hand surgeon at Orthopaedics East & Sports Medicine Center, began his medical career while in the Navy. During his time in the military, the two lived all over the world, including stints in Twentynine Palms, CA, and Rota, Spain, where their first child was born.

Now with two daughters and two golden retrievers, (George and Bill) Heather and her husband are a proud family of six. Greenville’s strong family values, close-knit community, and proximity to many attractions compelled the family to make Greenville home. Heather’s parents, Andrew’s parents and Andrew’s twin brother have all followed suit and joined them in making Greenville home, for which they are very grateful!

Meredith Perdue Davis

Meredith was one of the original forty-two students when The Oakwood School opened its doors in 1996. Meredith has witnessed firsthand Oakwood’s remarkable growth from a fledgling school to what it is today. While much has changed, she appreciates that Oakwood’s core mission has stayed steadfast: to educate the next generation of critical thinkers and cultivate an inclusive and compassionate body of students who strive to make a difference in the world.

Meredith’s path led her to the University of Virginia where she was a member of the Swimming and Diving team. She then attended the University of North Carolina for dental school and her specialty training in Pediatric Dentistry. While in dental school, she met her husband Bobby who now owns a general dentistry practice in Greenville. Meredith is a local pediatric dentist and adjunct faculty member at the ECU School of Dental Medicine. They have two children ages 2 and 6; their oldest, Ford, is thriving at Oakwood!

Jimmy Hite

Jimmy Hite is a life-long Greenville resident and a practicing architect with Hite Associates, a K-12 architecture and planning firm founded in 1984. As President and Director of Design, Jimmy has been involved in hundreds of public and private K-12 school projects in North and South Carolina. Jimmy serves as the Chair of the Board’s Security Committee and is a member of the Resource Committee. Jimmy joined the Board in 2018.

Julie Moore

Julie Moore and her husband, Ryan, moved to Greenville in 2015 after Ryan concluded his career in the U.S. Army. A graduate of the University of Florida College of Dentistry, Julie relocated to eastern North Carolina to further her career in dentistry and currently practices with Gamboa Family Dentistry.

The Moore family joined the Oakwood community in 2016 after recognizing the school’s commitment to academic excellence and the development of the whole child. Their daughter, Whitney ’23, and son, Elliott ’25, are Oakwood graduates, and their youngest daughter, Lexi, is an Oakwood lifer.

Julie has enjoyed supporting Oakwood throughout her family’s time at the school and is honored to serve on the Board of Trustees. She is passionate about the mission of independent education and looks forward to helping Oakwood continue to provide an exceptional learning environment where students are challenged academically, grow in character, and are prepared to make a meaningful impact in their communities.

Prashant Mudireddy

Prashant Mudireddy and his wife Deepti Ananthula, moved to Greenville in 2017 and quickly became part of the Oakwood community. Their children Eeshan (12th grade) and Dhiren (8th grade) have attended Oakwood since coming to Greenville. Prashant currently serves as the Chief of Gastroenterology at ECU Medical Center and Deepti is an Internist with ECU health in Washington. Prashant and Deepti understand the value of excellence, dedication, and lifelong learning. He and Deepti have been especially impressed by Oakwood’s strong academic and athletic programs and are grateful for the role the school has played in their children’s growth and success. They credit Oakwood with fostering their children’s academic confidence, curiosity, and genuine love of learning. Prashant is proud to support Oakwood and looks forward to helping the school continue to grow and thrive as the leading independent school in Eastern North Carolina.

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 has lived in Greenville for over 20 years and are parents of two children at Oakwood, Brody (6th grade) and Iggy (2nd grade). 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 (6th grade) and Caroline (4th grade), 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.

Sue Ann Forrest Swift ('11)

Sue Ann was a member of Oakwood's third graduating class in 2011. 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.

Carl Turner

Carl Turner and his wife Mary Catherine both grew up in eastern North Carolina, and they are the parents of Sophie (2nd grade). 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 University; and the Executive Board for Scouting 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.