OUR PEOPLE
At the heart of any good company is good people. Choice is no exception. Our people come from all over the state and have a wide array of educational, professional, personal, and cultural backgrounds. We are all brought together by the shared passion of helping children.
We also focus on developing one another through meaningful relationships, challenging work, constructive feedback, sound professional training, and a true commitment to nurturing the career path of each team member.
Autumn Hernandez
Rachel Sterchele
Jacob Allen
Jacob graduated from Central Michigan University, receiving his B.S. in Business Administration and Economic Theory. A former U.S. Marine, he enjoys spending his time outdoors kayaking, hunting, and gardening. He also spends time on the weekends working on his family’s tree farm in Lake Isabella.
Kerri Barrett
Kerri is eager to partner with school leaders and boards to achieve their visions for their schools. Kerri lives in the West Michigan area with her husband Colin and their two beautiful children.
Brian Beaudrie
In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his wife and children, volunteering in his community, playing golf and watching sports, especially football.
Abby Cervone
She has worked in the education industry of HR for over five years and truly enjoys having a positive impact on our employees and students. Abby enjoys cooking, golfing, and spending time with her husband and two dogs Niko and Nora!
Patrick Coleman
He loves to help others and takes value in ensuring the company is in compliance with the Michigan Department of Education guidelines. Patrick also enjoys helping with employee relations, benefits, and customer service. He is grateful to work in the education industry and is excited to continue learning and growing in a remarkable company.
Outside of the office, Patrick enjoys playing many team sports with friends, Hanging with his wife, twin daughters, and his Goldendoodle Blue.
Amey Dryer
Amey and her husband Todd live in Brighton, MI with their two energetic boys Cole and Noah and their mischievous dog, Ruby. The boys keep them both very busy with baseball, ninja warrior, swimming, and gymnastics.
Ali DuBois
Michelle Edson
Michelle is married to a golf pro and together they have a daughter who currently resides in sunny southern California. She enjoys traveling and golfing in the summer!
Paul Ezel
Michael Gorham
Outside of work, Michael enjoys spending time with his family, consisting of his wife and five sons, as well as pursuing his passion for music. He sings and plays the guitar and loves the joy creating music brings to other people.
Nicole Hahn
In her free time, Nicole loves to be outdoors, spending time with her family and friends and coaching volleyball.
Laura Helder
Sara Hogle
Bayleigh Ivan
When off the clock, Bayleigh enjoys taking her dog to the dog park and finding new hiking spots to explore.
Cathy Jager
Mitch Jager
Mitch loves to spend time on the courts playing pickleball and tennis, and spending as much time as possible with his nephews.
Amanda Konopaska
Amanda’s Choice journey began in 2009, as a classroom teacher and emerged into leadership where she took on both active and interim Principal roles for two of our academies. Currently, she is the program coordinator and trainer of our Montessori Aligned Preparation Program (MAPP) and works one-on-one with our new Montessori teachers to help them grow as Montessorians. Additionally, Amanda continues to show her love for Montessori as the face behind “Montessori Rocks” a vibrant community of parents, educators, and students that are excited to share with one another their love of all things Montessori. Prior to joining the Choice family, Amanda worked at a private Montessori school as an upper elementary teacher.
Stacey Maycroft
Before joining Choice, she was a payroll assistant at TrueNorth where she became the “go-to” person for all topics. She assisted with employee benefits and participated in the onboarding process for new staff. Stacey’s daughter encouraged her to apply for the position because she works at New Branches Charter Academy. Stacey and her husband will be celebrating 30 years of marriage this year.
Ben Mercer
Ben enjoys spending his leisure time golfing outdoors, hanging out with his friends and family, and being with his wife, Maria, and their son who they welcomed in 2015.
Katie Muller
Outside the office, you can find Katie enjoying the summer weather with family, camping, riding her side-by-side, or out on the lake. In the winter months she enjoys watching the Detroit Lions, and always enjoys a good book and running.
Laura Moellering
She earned her Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees at Eastern Michigan University, and it was during her master’s program in Curriculum and Instruction that Laura truly came to appreciate the opportunity that charter schools presented for students and families who desired a different educational experience. Laura finds great satisfaction in designing programs that met student’s educational and emotional needs.
She is excited to be with Choice where she is able to be part of a community that genuinely respects families and believes in every student’s ability to achieve at high levels. When she isn’t engaged in work, she can be found on Lake Michigan, ideally with one of her three daughters, or curled up with a good book or podcast.
Kristin Molyneux
Kristin graduated from Grand Valley State University with a Bachelor’s in Elementary Education and earned her Master’s in Curriculum and Instruction. Kristin and her husband have been married for over 14 years and have two blissfully beautiful children. Her family is very involved in their church and loves to spend time with family and friends. She enjoys taking her family to different parks, traveling, and visiting exciting places. It is always a learning moment in the Molyneux household.
Sara Mooney
Sara earned her master’s degree in business administration and her bachelor’s degree in business administration in international business and sports management from Davenport University. She is in the process of completing her second master’s degree in education with an emphasis in adult learning and higher education at Grand Valley State University. She was a recipient of the 2014 Davenport University Outstanding Young Alumni award. In her free time, Sara enjoys spending time with her husband, family, friends, and her dog Woody.
Shatara Morris
In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family and serving in various outreach activities and ministries with New Hope Baptist Church where she is a member.
Kurt Naber
In Kurt’s spare time, he loves spending time with his wife Kathy and 2 sons (both of whom are attending WMAES).
Ashtyn Overweg
In her free time, she enjoys spending time with friends and family, training for triathlons and being in the outdoors.
Carrie Paddock
Carrie and her husband, Burt, have been married for 17 years and have two daughters, Hannah and Rylee. They enjoy basketball in the winter and beach time in the summer!
Mandy Patouhas
Cheryl Paull
Kelsey Peterson
In her free time, Kelsey enjoys volunteering with Special Education Ministries in Holland, Michigan, as well as spending time with her husband and mini Goldendoodle Milo.
Erin Sangalli
Erin comes to Choice with a major in Interdisciplinary Health Services and a minor in Management with a Human Resources focus from Western Michigan University. When she’s not assisting our Choice staff, Erin enjoys spending time with family and traveling. Erin has a true desire to provide the best possible experience, and is grateful to have the opportunity to learn from the State’s best teachers and support staff!
Tony Schmid
Tony graduated from Purdue University with a Master’s in Education and Saint Joseph’s College with a Bachelor of Science in Communications & Marketing. Tony loves being outside, playing and watching baseball, and spending time with his wife and family.
Jennifer Shiels
Jennifer graduated from Central Michigan University in 2009 with a bachelor’s degree in accounting and minors in finance and legal studies. From there she pursued a career as a public accounting professional with Deloitte, obtaining her Certified Public Accountant license in 2010 and gaining experience performing single audits on charter schools across the Midwest. Since leaving public accounting in 2012 Jennifer has ventured into several industries bringing budgeting and financial reporting experience from wealth management, not-for-profits, hospitality and wholesale food distribution companies.
In her free time, Jennifer enjoys spending time with her husband and two kids camping, hiking and biking. She also values maintaining a healthy lifestyle and seeks to incorporate healthy eating along with being active. Jennifer resides with her family in West Michigan.
Caryn Slater
In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her friends, family and two dogs. She loves DIY projects, traveling, and exploring her city.
Beth Spaman
Aside from her duties with Choice Schools, Beth loves meeting and learning about new people and staying healthy and active. She cherishes her time with her husband, two wonderful children, and the family’s husky dog, Chevy.
Nicole Tuinstra
Nicole likes to bowl in her spare time with her family. She also has participated in the Shadblow Theater summer concert for the past 2 years. Nicole also likes to spend time with her husband and 2 daughters as well as her extended family.
Nicole is excited to make the transition to Choice Schools Central Office. “I am excited to work with the Curriculum and Instruction team and the Special Education team. My new role will allow me to work with both general education and special education teachers, which will benefit all of our students.”
Sarah VanderBaan
Free time for Sarah includes traveling, yoga, and spending time with her family relaxing in Northern Michigan. West Michigan is where Sarah calls home. Volunteering is important to Sarah as she serves on the Executive Board of Family Hope Foundation.
Sarah is excited to work at Choice and collaborate with general education and special education staff to meet the needs of all students.
Sarah K. Wildey
Sarah received her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the School of Education and Human Development at Brenau University and is currently completing her Master’s degree from the Broad School of Business at Michigan State University.
Matt Witkowski
He has classical education experience working with the BCSI Initiative (a Lambert client). He earned his bachelor’s degree in marketing from Grand Valley State University. Outside of work, Matt coaches two high school swim teams in Grandville. Matt is married to his husband Alan, and they are looking to adopt a child.
Kristen Zizio
In her free time, Kristen enjoys camping in the summer and spending time with her friends, family, and two cats. Originally from the east side of the state, Kristen enjoys exploring all that West Michigan has to offer.
Our partners’ perspective
When we hired Choice it was like a light bulb turned on. They are extremely supportive of our vision and allow us to be who we want to be while providing the foundational support for our students, staff and school community success. We would not be where we are today without
Choice Schools."
- Susie Schlehuber, Founder and School Leader at Lake Superior Academy
Choice Schools has created and implemented a vision for every child to learn and grow based on his/her needs. They have instilled this mission in their educators, who strive every day to provide the tools for students to reach their full, unique, and empowered potential and purpose.”
– Lisa Gillon, Principal at Livingston Classical Academy
I have worked with Choice Schools Associates for the last 13 years. The service and support that Choice provides its leaders and schools is top notch. They have figured out a successful formula to support the schools in each facet of operation - human resources, finance, operations, and curriculum and instruction. Their support allows me to focus on the daily operation of my school.”
– Terry Larkin, principal at New Branches Charter School Academy
I could not be happier, prouder, more grateful, amazed, awestruck and relieved by our decision to partner with Choice Schools Associates to operate Ivywood Classical Academy. What an adventure this school has been. Every curveball that came our way we managed to HIT OUT OF THE PARK, thanks to our amazing partnership we have built with Choice. I recommend Choice Schools to anyone who is looking for a trustworthy, competitive, experienced, and mission-driven organization. They are simply the best.”
- Tyler Horning, Founder and Board President at Ivywood Classical Academy