The Lincoln Charter School Board is a diverse group of individuals that makes decisions regarding the structure and function of the school. School Board meetings are typically on the fourth Monday evening of each month, locations rotate between campuses. Please contact any School Board member for more information or e-mail the Board at [email protected].
BOARD MEMBERS
President - Cara Dowling
Cara Dowling is your Lincoln Charter School Board President for the 2022-2023 school year. This is her fourth year on the board. She has always been actively engaged in the school by finding a variety of ways to volunteer. This includes serving as the PTO president for 2 years and leading the planning for 3 Denver Track Attacks raising nearly $270K for the school. Her commitment to Lincoln Charter is directly linked to believing that our greatest assets are our staff and students. She also wants to show girls that they have now and, in the future, a strong voice and a seat at the table.
By profession, Cara has over 20 years’ experience in financial services and currently leads a team of product managers in the digital banking space. She served on active duty in the U.S. Navy for 6 years where her job was a crew chief and aviation electrician. Later, she reenlisted and served 2 years with the Army National Guard as a UH-60 helicopter repair technician. Cara is also the proud spouse of a 24-year military veteran.
Cara holds an MBA and Masters of Science in Systems Management from the Florida Institute of Technology, and a Bachelor of Applied Science in Resources Management from Troy University. The Montgomery GI Bill paid for 90% of her education and she is a major advocate for military service as a way to serve our nation while making college goals a reality.
Most important is her family. She lives in the Mountain Island area with her husband David and their two firecracker daughters who are Lincoln Charter students. When not working, you will likely find Cara driving her mom taxi up and down HWY 16 for sports and music. For fun, she loves to travel and take advantage of any break from school to head out of town and often Disney.
Vice President - Tom Brooks
Tom currently serves the LCS community by participating on the School Board and serving on the Facilities Committee (Chair) and Student Conduct Committee (Chair). He has previously served as a school board member (2013-2019) and PTO President for the LCS Lincolnton campus. He and his wife, Amber, have 4 children at the Lincolnton campus and have been a part of the LCS Family since 2012 when their oldest started Kindergarten with LCS. He is currently employed with Wells Fargo as an Engineering Manager with the responsibility of managing multiple development teams and applications.
Tom states, "I believe that all children should be equipped to succeed in their goals and dreams and the LCS community has been successful in equipping the children for success. It is important that we serve our communities to strengthen them and give back to what we have received."
Tom has been an owner/operator of a technology service business for over 20 years, specializing in supporting other small businesses in and around the Charlotte Metro area. His experience in the Information Technology industry working with multiple Top 100 Corporations (AT&T, IBM, Wachovia, Wells Fargo) is an asset to assist the school with technological and business needs.
Treasurer - Chris Wrenn
Chris Wrenn has been a member of the Lincoln Charter community for 8 years. He is currently serving his fourth year on the LCS board as Treasurer. Chris has a Master’s degree with a concentration in Finance and is the Chief Financial Officer for Industrial Timber LLC located in Charlotte.Chris and his wife, Jennifer, have one child who graduated from the Denver campus and two current students at the Denver campus. Their oldest daughter graduated LCS in 2020 and is currently a student at UNC Chapel Hill, their son is currently in the 12th grade, and their youngest daughter is in 8th grade.Chris states, "I am serving on the board, and wish to continue to serve, to give back to a community that has given so much to my family. I want to help ensure that the school continues to be the best it can be. I am unafraid to ask the tough questions and advocate for the whole LCS community. During my service on the board, I have actively sought input from our community. I believe it is important to gather information from teachers/parents/students/administrators regarding challenges they see at the school or changes that they wish to make at the school. I have taken this approach because we are a large and diverse community with many different viewpoints and experiences. I take all of this information, coupled with my experience in the corporate world, and the input of other board members to guide my actions on the board.I would be honored to serve another term on the board and continue to help guide the school to new heights."
Secretary - Alli Moody
Alli is committed to caring for people who are in the most vulnerable moments of their life. She has been a Trauma ICU nurse, flight nurse, and ECMO nurse in our community for 18 years. Currently, she serves as the Chief Nursing Officer for a local hospital and has led a successful response to the global pandemic for her facility. She is dedicated to her profession, family and her faith.
Alli completed her BSN at UNCC in 2004 and earned her Master of Science in nursing in 2013. She demonstrates pattern of success in managing high stress, critical and life-threatening situations. Her tenacious personality and natural leadership skills have served her well in my professional journey.
Her family joined Lincoln Charter in 2013 and she has three daughters at the Denver campus. In her first year at LCS, she immediately jumped into service filling the role of secretary on the PTO board. Her service to the PTO board continued for 4 years assisting in all the events sponsored by the PTO.
Her leadership mantra comes from the late Ruth Bader Ginsberg, “Fight for the things that you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you.” As a parent with a vested interest in the success of the school, she will always fight for what will serve the LCS community best.
Jonathan Austin
Dr. Jonathan Austin is a Lincoln county native and a 2004 graduate of West Lincoln High School. After West Lincoln he then attended Appalachian State University during which time he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps. After four years, two Marine Corps deployments, Dr Austin returned to Appalachian State University where he completed his degree in Cell and Molecular Biology. He then obtained his Doctoral of Dental Medicine degree from East Carolina School of Dentistry. Dr. Austin and his wife, Kelly, are the proud parents of three children ages 4, 7 and a newborn. They are actively involved in many Lincoln County community organizations, charities, and events. He is also a board member with the Lincoln County Child Advocacy Center, Lincoln Cultural Center, and the North Carolina Services for Dentistry. He is a member of the American Dental Association, North Carolina Dental Society, the Academy of General Dentistry, and is a Fellow with the International Congress of Oral Implantologist. He currently owns and operates a practice in Lincolnton.
Dr. Austin has been honored to be a part of the LCS community and being able to serve on the School Board. He is a firm believer that students should be in-person in the classroom as much as possible and has been amazed by the wonderful folks serving on the Board with him these past years which was difficult during the pandemic. He is looking forward to many more years of service in the LCS community.
Tammy Buckshi
Tammy Buckshi is serving her first term on the Lincoln Charter School Board. Her goal throughout life has been to support in the development of our youth, and hopes to continue that in this new role. In her professional life, she holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics, Spanish, and Education as well as a Master’s in Mathematics Education from Boston University. Tammy has been an educator for twenty-three years, during which she has taught at the elementary, middle, and high school levels, as well as worked as a math specialist in the curriculum office of one of the highest performing school districts in the U.S. Throughout the last 20 years, Tammy has also worked as an educational consultant, writing and publishing Pre-AP curriculum and professional learning experiences. Tammy facilitates workshops for teachers and administrators in schools around the world, supporting fellow educators with delivering high-quality instruction and providing access and equity for all students. Additionally, Tammy has coached school athletics and multiple youth sports, has been an active member of the PTO, and has created and ran various clubs. In her personal life, she enjoys playing all sports, piano, painting, hiking, biking and all things nature, and most importantly, doing it all with her family!
Steve Lockey
Steve believes that parent involvement is incredibly important at Lincoln Charter School. His desire to be involved at LCS is why he is serving on the school board. He currently has two students attending LCS and one that graduated in 2019.He has made an effort to volunteer and be involved at our school since his daughter started LCS in 2007. Steve believes that it takes a village to raise a child and can’t imagine a better village than LCS. He believes in our school, our teachers, our administrators and our mission. He currently works as an airline captain at JetBlue Airways, which allows him to have had the honor of serving on our school board for 3 consecutive terms previously, and to continue to serve currently, so he understands first hand the importance of his position.
Pete Lohri
Ryan Waddle
Ryan has two daughters: one in 8th grade at the Denver campus and a Middle School cheerleader, and a two year old future eagle. Ryan has lived in Lincoln County since 1994, both in Lincolnton and Denver. He graduated from East Lincoln High School, and NC State University with a B.S. in Business Management with a concentration in Finance as well as the UNC Chapel Hill - NC School of Banking and Louisiana State University's Graduate School of Banking.
Ryan has worked in the banking industry for 19 years, specifically in business and commercial lending, and for 16 years at Peoples Bank with his current role as Sr. Vice President, Area Executive, where he serves the community around Lake Norman and the Charlotte Metro. Internally, he has served on the bank’s Finance Committee since 2019.
Ryan has served on the LCS Finance Committee since 2017 and worked on the team for restructuring the debt and funding the latest expansion at the Lincolnton Campus. He has also been involved in budget planning, forecasting, and making recommendations to the school board. Other positions in the community include serving as the Treasurer of the Lake Norman Homebuilders Association for 8 years, and previously serving as Vice President. He is a member of the Rotary Club and served as Treasurer from 2008-2012. He currently is a member of Lincolnton Chamber of Commerce, Leadership Lincoln participant, Golf Committee Chair, a member of the Mooresville Chamber of Commerce, and a Leadership MSI participant. He is also a current member of Lake Norman Economic Development Corp., Iredell Co. Economic Development Corp.