With almost two decades as an educator, in the classroom and as an administrator, Lindsay has spent the entirety of her career in independent schools. Double majoring in French and Sociology with a concentration in education, Lindsay earned her B.A. from Wofford College and spent time studying abroad in Brazil and France. Passionate about languages, world cultures, and global education, she pursued a Master of Education in Language Acquisition and has served in schools ranging from preschool through 12th grade. Joining Mountain Sun is a dream for Lindsay to help children and families experience the wonder of inspired, holistic education. Along with her husband, Thomas, an avid triathlete and outdoor enthusiast, and dog/school mascot, Ludo, Lindsay is overjoyed to call the beautiful mountains of Brevard home and be a part of this magical community.

Board of Trustees

 Contact the MSCS Board of Trustees

RACHEL DIRITO, Chair, and her family moved to Brevard in May of 2020 after initially getting married many years ago in these beautiful mountains and growing up in Asheville. Prior to moving to Brevard, she and her husband Dave began their parenthood journey with both of their kids in Chapel Hill where they loved being so close to family. Max, an Owl and Nina Rose, an Acorn have quickly become accustomed to life at Mountain Sun Community School and all the outdoor joys that come with living in Brevard. Rachel and her husband both work in healthcare and feel committed to serving the people and community of western NC. Rachel is a physical therapist who also has a Master's degree in Public Health and a Bachelor's degree in Parks and Recreation who firmly believes in the power of living an active, outdoor lifestyle. She and her family feel so fortunate to have found their way back to the mountains and the road to Mountain Sun Community School.

JORDAN KUCK, PhD, Vice Chair Governance Committee, is an assistant professor of history at Brevard College, where he teaches European and global history. Jordan has published a number of articles and book chapters on the history of Kārlis Ulmanis, his authoritarian regime, interwar Latvia, and transnational fascism. He is currently working on a manuscript on the Ulmanis regime. Jordan grew up in Nebraska and holds two degrees from the University of Nebraska at Kearney. He obtained his PhD from the University of Tennessee. During his career, Jordan has received a number of prestigious awards, including a Fulbright, a U.S. Department of Education Foreign Language Area Studies (FLAS) fellowship, an Association for the Advancement of Baltic Studies (AABS) grant, and in fall 2021 he will receive the Alumni Promise Award from the University of Tennessee College of Arts and Sciences. Jordan and his spouse, Brittney, have two children at Mountain Sun, Anja and Uli. Jordan and his family live in Brevard. They enjoy hiking, biking, and frequenting Brevard's great bakeries and coffee shops.

DILSHAD POSNOCK, Past Chair, Governance Committee, is a flutist by profession and is a member of the Artist Faculty at the Brevard Music Center and Brevard College. She is also a member of the Asheville Symphony Orchestra. Dilshad grew up in Mumbai, India, and holds degrees from Royal College of Music, London, and Carnegie Mellon University. While in Pittsburgh, she performed regularly with ensembles including the Pittsburgh Symphony, the Pittsburgh Ballet and Pittsburgh Opera. Dilshad served as Artist Lecturer in Flute and Director of the Artist Diploma Program at the Carnegie Mellon School of Music. She has a great passion for teaching young musicians and has been active as a music educator for over 15 years. Dilshad lives in Brevard with her husband, Jason, and their two children, Max and Lylah. They joined Mountain Sun in 2010 and love being long-time members of this wonderful community! Max graduated from Mountain Sun in 2022 after 12 years with us!

REN URIARTE, Treasurer, Finance Committee, graduated from the College of William and Mary with a Bachelors of Arts in Sociology. After college, Ren lived the do-gooder, non-profit life, first in Los Angeles, then in Brevard. The financial aspect of writing and administering grants was challenging, so she took some accounting classes and got a certificate in bookkeeping (with honors). She has worked as the Finance Director for PLATT since 2013. Born and raised in San Francisco, a sports enthusiast and foodie who doesn’t cook, she enjoys playing with her kids, going out to eat with her husband, and traveling with her family.

JOYANNE BARON, Secretary, Governance Committee,  grew up in Sarasota FL. She moved to Western NC to complete her BS in Biology at WCU in 1996, then went on to receive her masters in Physical Therapy at WCU in 1999. In 2004 she completed her Manual Therapy Certification at the University of St. Augustine. Joy moved to Brevard, with her husband Randy, in 1999 and has worked as a P.T. mostly in outpatient orthopedics. She started her own practice in 2017 bringing outpatient P.T. to patients’ homes. Along with any outdoor activity - running, biking, kayaking, hiking, paddle boarding - Joy has been passionate about serving MSCS for the past 14 years. She has served on the Board in previous years and volunteered for community events, in the classroom, and field trips. Their daughter, Annaly, spent eleven years at Mountain Sun and their son, Bryce, is in his ninth year, currently a Monarch. Joy’s family is very grateful for the experience of MSCS and the larger community of Brevard.  

HEATHER RICHARDSON, DEI Committee, Advancement Committee, grew up mostly in Raleigh, NC. She received a BS in Mathematics at Appalachian State University in 1996 and began teaching and working as a naturalist & high ropes instructor at environmental education centers around NC. She taught at a Montessori School in Madison, WI, while living/working on a CSA organic farm with 75 member families. From 1999-2006, Heather taught math (among other roles) at the Outdoor Academy which ultimately guided her to assist young people with personal problems rather than math problems. She went on to receive a MAEd from WCU in School Counseling in 2008 and has been practicing as a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor in Brevard since 2009. She works with children, adolescents, young adults, and their parents/families at a small agency (Alliance CBS) using a wide variety of interventions that lean on a strength-based approach. Her youngest, Birdie attends Mountain Sun. They love the Brevard community and feel very fortunate to live, learn, and play in such a beautiful area.

VIRGINIA FAIRCLOTH, Parent Community Coordinator, Advancement Committee, is a graphic designer from Charlotte, NC. She received her BFA in Graphic Design with a minor in Art History from UNCC in 2008. She and her husband, Matt, moved to Brevard with their two daughters, Riley and Eleanor, in May of 2020. Virginia and her family began their Montessori journey at Pawleys Island Montessori School in SC where Riley was in the Infant program and later in the Primary program at Charlotte Montessori School. Virginia has served on the AIGA (American Institute of Graphic Arts) Charlotte board and has led multiple graphic and sustainability networking campaigns over the years. When Virginia is not working, you can find her helping Matt on their mini farm, mountain biking, canoeing, hiking and/or snowboarding with her family. She is so grateful to be a part of the Mountain Sun community.

JOSH HARRIS, Risk Management Committee, Finance Committee, is a physician assistant with Pardee - UNC Health. He earned his bachelors degree in Recreation and Leisure Serve from Middle Tennessee State University and Masters in Physician Assistant Studies at Wingate University. Before training to be a medical provider, he worked in Outdoor Education for over 10 years developing a deep connection to the people and mountains of Western North Carolina. Josh and his wife Katie are excited to join the Mountain Sun community with their son, Wilder. When not at work, Josh enjoys rock climbing, trail running, and mountain biking while being outside with family and friends.

MEGHAN VALDES, DDS, Finance Committee, is originally from Miami, Florida. Dr. Valdes was raised in a large Cuban family where Spanish was her first language. Dr. Valdes completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Florida in 2015, where she received her Bachelor of Science in Biology. Her dental education brought her to North Carolina, where she earned her Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from the University of North Carolina Adams School of Dentistry in 2019. One of Dr. Valdes’ greatest passions is being able to give back to the community. While in dental school, under her tenure as Co-President of the Hispanic Dental Association, she started a free volunteer dental clinic, Vidas de Esperanza, located in Siler City, NC.  Dr. Valdes also had the opportunity to provide quality care to the surrounding under-served community of the Triangle area as a coordinator for the Student Health Action Coalition. Here, she helped organize and manage free dental clinics every Wednesday night during her third year of dental school at UNC. Dr. Valdes moved to Brevard in July of 2019 and has since been working at Water Oak Dental-Main Street. She is a member of the Brevard Rotary Club and is excited to be a part of the MSCS board. In her free time, you can find Meghan appreciating the outdoors through hiking or mountain biking. She also enjoys spending time with her husband, AJ, and her two dogs, Gus and Lyra. She also loves salsa dancing!

SHANE BRAGG, Fundraising Chair, Advancement Committee, was raised in the hills of Nicaragua and Costa Rica where she was surrounded by entrepreneurs who taught her the art of the hustle. In her teenage years, she moved to Florida where she eventually studied and mastered the concoction of simple, sustainable cleaning products. Her passion for space organization, cleaning, and service began to grow in a unique and undeniable way. Fast forward, Shane is now a proud mother, wife, entrepreneur, and community advocate. She founded Green Go Clean Co., where she and her crew make earth-friendly household products and provide personalized cleaning services. Although she’s a dedicated leader of her company, she always finds time to put back into her community. Shane is active in local organizations such as Moving to Conservers, the Transylvania Hunger Coalition and Mountain Sun Community School. You can catch her every Saturday at the Transylvania Farmers Market, or—when she has time—camping out in Pisgah Forest with her husband and daughter.