“The (Waldorf) school will have its own administration run on a republican basis and will not be administered from above. We must not lean back and rest securely on the orders of a headmaster; we must be a republic of teachers and kindle in ourselves the strength that will enable us to do what we have to do with full responsibility. Each one of you, as an individual, has to be fully responsible.”
— Rudolf Steiner
Maple Village Waldorf School is a self-administered, collaboratively led institution. Its leadership is divided into three governing bodies and one supportive body: the Board of Trustees, the Pedagogical Committee, Administration, and the Parent Village. Together these groups work collaboratively to support our unique and comprehensive Waldorf education and assume responsibility for the integrated, yet distinct, areas of school governance.
The Board holds the legal and fiduciary responsibilities of the school, the Pedagogical Committee holds the pedagogical aspects of the school, the Administration is responsible for the day-to-day running of the school and the Parent Village is a supportive body that serves as a voice for the parent community as well as communicating information from the governing bodies to the parent community.
Board of Trustees
Maple Village Waldorf School is a non-profit, tax-exempt organization. As such, the school’s financial and legal matters are overseen by the Board of Trustees (BoT), who volunteer their time and expertise to make recommendations on budgets and finance, legal matters, fundraising and development, as well as strategic direction of the school. They ensure that the mission of the school is upheld and partners with the pedagogical and administrative leadership of the school in accomplishing the mission. This body has the long-term goals of the school at heart, and works to secure the school as an entity within the broader community and state. It is charged with the oversight of the internal structure and management of the school, and delegates day-to-day management of the school to the Dean of Education, who is hired by the Faculty and confirmed by the BOT, and Business Administrator, who is hired by the BoT and Pedagogical Committee. The members of the BoT are drawn from the school community as well as local residents and others with experience in Waldorf Education. It includes two members of the faculty/staff who act as liaisons. Ideally, trustees bring legal, development, financial, educational, architectural, and political expertise to the BoT and serve for a two year period. The path to BoT membership starts with expressing interest to the BoT President, or being invited by a Board member to contact the President. The potential member submits a resume and letter of interest, then meets briefly with the Board to determine if this seems like a good match. If all parties agree, the potential member is invited to visit three successive regular Board meetings as an observer. At the end of three meetings, if all agree, the new member is invited to join the BoT. BoT meetings are held monthly, or more often as needed.
Meet our current members:
Angie Hendrix
President

Angie joined the MVWS Board as of August 2019. She has a background in education, with a bachelor’s degree from Indiana University. She taught middle schoolers for 4 years in Paramount & Culver City before utilizing her teaching skills in the corporate world.
Elizabeth Seward, PhD
Vice President

Elizabeth has been in a Waldorf classroom (independent and public charter schools) since 1984 as a parent volunteer, handwork assistant, High School teacher, lead handwork teacher, class teacher, teacher educator and mentor, and evaluator.
Paola Schouten
Faculty Liaison

Paola was born, raised and educated in the Netherlands. She was exposed to the Waldorf Festivals since childhood, which ignited her interest in Waldorf Education. After High School, she studied at the Vrije Pedagogische Academy (Steiner Teacher Training College) in Zeist,…
Angie Perez
Faculty Liaison

Angie Perez was born, raised and educated in Colombia. She earned her BA degree in Social Work. While in college, Angie gained experience…
Henry Lau
Member

Henry is a studio director, project manager, and architectural designer with over 20 years of experience leading large project teams and implementing successful strategies to deliver a variety of large-scale and complex sports architecture projects. He knows how to work…
ANDI LEVINE
Non-voting Attendee

Andi Levine was born and raised in a small town in Pennsylvania and attended Penn State University and the University of Manchester…
Lisa J. McCarthy
Non-voting Attendee

Lisa has been a Waldorf Educator for 25 years. Although she loved being in the classroom, she has found so much joy and fulfillment in her role as Dean for past six years, working with teachers, students, parents, administration, the Board and the community.
Pedagogical Committee
The Pedagogical Committee is lead by our Dean of Education and is comprised of selected grades and early childhood teachers. The committee is responsible for the cultural realm of the school. It guides the pedagogy and actualizes the mission of the school through teaching, curriculum development, teacher selection, evaluation and mentoring, strategic planning, mission renewal and AWSNA accreditation. Along with other members of the faculty and staff, the members of the Committee are also involved with various committees throughout the school.
Administration
The Administration Team manages and develops resources in service to the school by implementing policies and plans, managing human resources and facilitating daily school operations. They also handle issues of policy, equality and relations with the state. Additionally, the Administration assures clear communication among all facets of the school community, making sure that the rights of the individual (parents, students, teachers) are balanced along with considerations related to matters of the state, accrediting bodies and the like.
Parent Village
Parent Village provides the leadership and volunteerism that make this school the amazing place it is. Whether it’s contributing around campus, appreciating our in-house and local community, showing hospitality to prospective families, ensuring safety, keeping us up-to-date with technology, supporting diversity, helping to fundraise or creating special events, Parent Village is a place for families to come together and support the school and each other.