Taft Graduated as Valedictorian from Utah Valley University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management. He has worked for the past 13 years in the real estate and construction industry, the last four serving as COO of American Charter Development. At ACD he employs his expertise in all areas of charter school development from finance to construction. During his tenure, he has managed and underwritten in some capacity the development or financing of over $275 million dollars, consisting of almost 1.9 million square feet in charter school facility projects. Taft has built strong relationships with banks and other financial firms, giving him access to various sources of capital to facilitate the financing of charter schools. He has also underwritten hundreds of charters across the country. This experience allows him the unique expertise of properly evaluating a charter. In short, Taft knows what it takes to create a successful charter school and he has the relationships to make it happen. Taft speaks Spanish and is an Eagle Scout.

Bio coming soon.

Valerie Croce is a Certified Lean Six Sigma Green Belt with over 20 years of business consulting, specifically in the areas of organizational management, strategic planning and process improvement. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature from Frostburg State University in Maryland and an academic minor in Spanish from the University of Cuenca in Ecuador. Born and raised in the Washington DC area, Valerie moved to Charlotte, NC after graduating from college in 1998. She is an active member of her community serving as an Officer for the One Minute Apologist ministry and previously as the Chairman of the Board of Directors for the non-profit A Cause for Tea. She lives in Huntersville, NC with her husband, three kids, and two dogs.

Bio coming soon.

Jason moved to the Huntersville, NC area with his family in 1992 where he graduated from North Mecklenburg High School in 1993. He went on to obtain his Bachelor's degree in Business Management, focusing in International Business from the University of North Carolinas at Charlotte. Jason's experience in the construction industry has enabled him to travel to many parts of this great country and participate in many exciting and challenging projects. He started out building homes in the Huntersville area for several national home builders. He then went on the road with his small family as a Working Site Superintendent working on his tools and managing large crews in over 25 cities across the country. Jason is known for high production and great morale and has worked his way through the other facets of the industry including Safety Instructor, Project Engineer, and Project Manager while also completing his MBA online. These leadership positions have steeped him deeply into accounting, human resources, operational management, scheduling, and reporting. He then went on to work as an owner's rep for one of the country's leading charter school developers where he was heavily involved with identifying land, seeking out financing, coordinating between engineers, architects, municipal leaders, and General Contractors. Currently, he and wife and their ten children live in Lincolnton, NC where he operates a foam injection business where he services homes and businesses in the Carolinas and Virginia. Jason is fluent in Portuguese and Spanish and is also an Eagle Scout.

Kelly Singleton Headd is a lead accountant for a Fortune 500 company. Kelly earned her Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Management with a minor in Business from East Carolina University. Growing up in Huntersville, Kelly has stayed active in her community. She is currently on the Social Community in her neighborhood, as well as a Girl Scout Leader for her daughter’s troop. Kelly lives in Huntersville with her husband, daughter, and their three cats.

Emmaleen is an attorney with experience conducting criminal and family litigation. She just returned back to the law after taking some time to raise my young family. Emmaleen has two children that both attend Lakeside and are thoroughly enjoy their experiences there. Lakeside charter is an amazing school beaming with positive energy and enthusiasm. I would like to do all I can to help the school and its pupils thrive and reach their full potential.