Kathy Bull

Board President

For nearly 20 years, Kathy served as Co-Owner and Chief Financial Officer of Coastal Maritime, a stevedoring, warehousing, and logistics company operating at the Ports of Jacksonville, Fort Lauderdale, and Savannah. A highlight of her time at Coastal Maritime was hosting President George W. Bush, who delivered a nationally televised speech on the Colombian Free Trade Agreement from Coastal’s dockside terminal.

​

Kathy dedicated seven years to The Playgarden’s Board of Directors, including five years as Board President. Under her leadership, The Playgarden experienced significant growth, culminating in the purchase of the beautiful beachside property it had rented for over a decade. During her tenure, The Playgarden also launched the Southeast’s first Forest Kindergarten and hosted LifeWays Teacher Training onsite. Kathy was instrumental in recruiting and onboarding the organization's first Executive Director, establishing Board Committees and governance structures, and developing its first strategic plan and scholarship program. She currently continues to serve on The Playgarden’s Advisory Council.

​

A founder of the Sophia Circle, an anthroposophical study group, Kathy has a strong commitment to lifelong learning and service. She participated in Antioch University’s Administration and Leadership Cohort (2019–2020) and completed Explorations workshops through the Center for Anthroposophy. Kathy is a certified Guardian ad Litem (Child Advocate) volunteer and a member of both the Society for Human Resource Management and the Nonprofit Center of Northeast Florida.

​

Kathy and her husband Niels, a native of Denmark and retired Merchant Mariner, have three school-age children. She remains deeply engaged in their education, having served as PTO Chair and Class Parent. Kathy also serves as a local coordinator for NW Services’ PEACE program, connecting international exchange students with host families in our community.

Juan Succar

Treasurer

Diversity has marked Juan’s life: born and raised in his mother’s native Colombia, in close contact with his father’s Lebanese roots, Juan has lived and worked in 5 countries across Europe, South America, and North America. Juan’s biggest pride is his family, composed of his wife Laura and their four wonderful children: Martin (20), Lucas (17), Pablo (14), and Helena (6). 

​

Juan holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Engineering. His professional life spans 25 years in which he has held local, regional, and global roles in large multinational corporations, medium national companies, and entrepreneurial ventures in different industries.  During this period, Juan worked in Business Strategy, Marketing & Communications, and New Business Development.

​

In 2018, Juan and his family radically changed their life, moving to Jacksonville to co-found with his brother a Real Estate Venture that offers Residential Property Management Services, Property Development and Renovation, Tenant Improvement, and Commercial Cleaning, and Disinfection Services.

​

Juan has always felt a strong passion for education. At different points of his career, he has held various teaching positions in Colombia: Math & Trigonometry Teacher (High School), Marketing Professor (University – Undergraduate School), and Corporate Reputation Professor (University – Graduate School). 

​

Juan serves as JEC's Board Treasurer.

Vickey Grover

Secretary

Vickey earned her Bachelors Degree in Psychology from Hollins College and her Master’s Degree in Social Work from the University of Maryland, Baltimore.  After over a decade of both program administration and providing direct crisis services to victims of violent crime, Vickey retired to spend more time with her children and husband.

Always wanting to raise their family in a beach community, Vickey and her husband moved to Atlantic Beach and subsequently discovered The Playgarden and the Waldorf approach to education.  It was through their deep love of the Waldorf pedagogy that the family embarked on their homeschooling adventure.  

Vickey has been homeschooling her children since 2014 and is one of the founding members of Spring River School, volunteering in a variety of capacities since Spring River’s inception.  

​​

Vickey serves as Board Secretary.

​

Amy Ayers

Board Member

Amy holds a Master's in Behavioral Analysis, Performance Management, and Behavioral Leadership from Florida Institute of Technology and a Bachelor of Science with an emphasis on Organizational Behavior Management from Florida State University. Over the past twenty years, Amy has worked as a Corporate Consultant and Executive Coach for Fortune 500 companies including Kraft Europe, CIGNA, ADM, Dow Chemical, TIAA Creff, and Chick-fil-a as well as Enterprise Ireland and Stanford Business School’s Executive Education program. Amy takes a behavior-based, whole systems approach to her consulting practice, looking at the environmental factors that support or detract from employee performance, morale and business results. 

Amy was introduced to Waldorf education at the Denver Waldorf school in 2012. She immediately felt at home and that her intuitive parenting ethos was honored, supported, and inspired by the Waldorf pedagogy. Amy continued to learn more about Waldorf Education through her time at Mountain Phoenix Community school in Denver, Colorado. In 2017, Amy moved home to Atlantic Beach, Florida, and enrolled her children in the Playgarden and the Seaside Charter School. She was actively involved in both schools and was instrumental in creating a strong Parent Teacher Organization at the Seaside Charter school and served as PTO President from 2017-2020. Amy’s children currently attend Spring River and the Playgarden. 

Amy enjoys living in Atlantic Beach, raising her three children, building out her micro-farm, learning more and more about permaculture, plant medicine, parenting, soul work, and traveling. Amy serves as Chair of The Resource and Development Committee.

Barbara Braathen

Board Member

Barbara has resided permanently in Jacksonville FL since 2020 and is happy to participate in the Anthroposophical community here.  

A graduate of UCLA, she had a gallery of contemporary art in New York and continues as a collector and private dealer of contemporary art.

​

Barbara serves as the Chair of the JEC Anthroposophical Committee and leads the Sophia Circle Anthroposophical Study Groups.

Lauren Galvin

Board Member

Lauren Galvin (Dostaler) was born and raised in Neptune Beach and lives in Jacksonville with her husband, Tom, and 3 sons.

Lauren graduated from Florida State University with a degree in English Literature and worked in sales for 10 years before starting her family. Lauren has always been an active member in her community. She served as Vice President of the Board of Directors of The Playgarden for two years.  During that time, Lauren served on the Spring River Committee and played a leading role in assisting with the legal separation of the two organizations in July 1, 2021.

​

Lauren is passionate about building a Waldorf community and providing a Waldorf Education for her children and for all families who want this opportunity.  In her spare time, Lauren loves to cook from scratch, garden, sing, craft, and read. 

​

​

Leila Matta

Board Member

Leila moved to Jacksonville in 2024 and has two sons at Spring River. Her life has been devoted to the arts, education, community-building, spiritual practice, and nutrition, which combined to draw her to Waldorf education when she and her husband, Eric, became parents in 2014. 

Leila is from Michigan, where she earned her degree in communication design. She was swiftly recruited by Mercedes-Benz, where she spent 20 years managing brand identity and design. However, the most personally meaningful work she did there was successfully connecting the art and business communities in Detroit, Dallas, and Toronto by building long-lasting, award-winning partnerships with educational institutions. Through her skillful curation, Leila turned corporate workspaces into modern galleries and created opportunities for artists of all ages. She was invited to an international conference in Korea to present on her success in defining the social role of art.  

With her entrepreneurial vision and gift for designing solutions, Leila has founded organizations at times of need, from Free Birds Soccer Collective to an innovative tech start-up that went global. She has taught art and design classes (as well as meditation at a women’s prison during her years in a Zen Buddhist seminary). She has held board and council positions at the Detroit Institute of Arts and the College for Creative Studies. But the work Leila is most proud of is co-founding a Steiner-inspired educational community in 2020. As Co-Chair of the Board, she brought together teachers, families, and spaces to offer the gift of Waldorf education for early childhood through 4th grade. She held administration, budget, and TA responsibilities. 

Since transitioning into government work in 2022, Leila has been a Strategic Business Advisor specializing in Human-Centered Design. However, breaks for school pick-ups, festivals, and family beach walks are her favorite moments.

​

Alyssa Nemes

Board Member

Alyssa began her work with grassroots organizations in the 1990’s at a time when social responsibility was laying the groundwork for community supported endeavors. She was inspired by the implementation of local resources where people were drawn together to innovate and co-create through common spiritual goals. The ability to operate methodically in complex systems led her to later pursue research-based fields of study, designing human clinical trials for medical research. 

Alyssa and her husband welcomed the births of their three children while living in Germany and Switzerland, where she led a campaign to enhance outreach and city funding for an existing Anthroposophical Birthing House. Following a transformative time in the St. Paul’s Steiner School Community in London, the family settled in the greater Boston area, where Alyssa supported the local Waldorf school on economic reform, inspired by the work of The Institute for Social Renewal. She went on to found an independent educational cooperative of experienced Waldorf Teachers, and hosted a rich community social life anchored in seasonal festivals. She participated in the development of entrepreneurial education models with the Pioneer Institute Boston, and completed Waldorf Board Training with Leading Together.  Alyssa holds degrees in Fine Art, Natural Science and Mathematics.

Alyssa is passionate about the establishment of free thinking learning guilds, and having been raised on a small family farm, deeply committed to securing farmland for biodynamic cultivation in order to provide adults and children with community education in agricultural settings.

​

Carrie Zarka Dooley

Board Member

Carrie is the founder of Shakti Life Kitchen, an organic plant-based food company that has served Northeast Florida for 13 years. She was part owner of European Street Café for over three decades where she learned the importance of community service and how valuable it is to work in collaboration to meet idealistic goals. The bonds she formed with European Street have secured many donations that support Waldorf education including the garden space that is now Jacksonville Educational Community's "home."  Carrie has a B.A. in Sociology, is a certified Plant-based nutritionist from Cornell, and holds a certificate in Waldorf Education from Antioch University where she is currently working on her Master’s project in outdoor education. 

​

Being raised in Northeast Florida, and being immersed in the service industry for over 30 years has allowed Carrie to make supportive connections city-wide that support the mission to further Outdoor Waldorf Education and set the platform for our becoming Biodynamic garden. She is deeply connected to the life of the land and gets her inspiration from that which grows locally. She is a mother to 13-year-old Zophia, a student at Spring River. Carrie was hired as Spring River School’s program director in 2021.  Prior to that, she served as a volunteer for the Waldorf movement for eight years where she served as Board President of The Playgarden, Inc. in 2012-2013 and board member for the following seven years.

​

Carrie is co-founder of the NE Florida Chapter of the Anthroposophical Society named the Sophia Circle. She facilitates six monthly Anthroposophical book club meetings that allow the members to live into the deep work of studying human wisdom. Her dedication to this study has helped her create a bond with the Center for Anthroposophy, our nation's premier organization supporting Waldorf teacher training and the growth of Biodynamics.

​

Megan Russo

Board Member

Megan Russo is an attorney, mediator, and business owner.

Together with her husband David, Megan discovered Spring River and the Waldorf Education model while searching for a meaningful public school alternative for their neurotypical daughter.

They were quickly captivated by how the Waldorf approach allowed their daughter to thrive in ways they had never imagined possible. Today, two of their children are flourishing at Spring River.

​

Hailing from the hills of West Virginia, Megan’s childhood was steeped in the beauty of the great outdoors. Her love for nature continues to this day, fueling her belief in outdoor education as a vital tool for nurturing the whole child.

​

As a dedicated board member, Megan is honored to support Spring River’s mission and is committed to ensuring its long-term success for future generations.

Michelle Carter

Advisory Board Member

​

Michelle is a devoted servant to the community and JEC's first Advisory Board Member. 

Michelle received her Bachelors of Science in both Biology and Chemistry from Wilmington College and a Master’s of Science in Chemistry from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. She began her chemistry career developing analytical methods at the FDA, and subsequently conducted and oversaw sample analysis at a contract analytical chemistry laboratory. Michelle is currently a freelance chemist.

​

Michelle was introduced to The Playgarden and Waldorf education in 2014 and was an active member of the Board of Directors for six years.  She served as Secretary for four years, then served a two-year term as president. She played an integral part in the successful separation of Spring River from The Playgarden in 2021 and in the founding of the new organization, JEC.

Michelle has worn "many hats" at Spring River - forest school teacher, STEM teacher,  games teacher, Enrollment Director, and devoted Board Member.  She is a member of the Sophia Circle and completed the Explorations course offered by Antioch University and the Center for Anthroposophy in the spring of 2019. She has volunteered with Duval County Special Olympics Surfing Program as a surf coach for over 5 years.  

Michelle is one of the founders of the school and will be a treasured advisor to the Board.

​