Governance for the school is provided by the Board of Trustees whose membership includes the Head of School. The Board carries the overall and ultimate responsibility of the school’s management, policies, and perpetuation. It hires and evaluates the Head of School, who is responsible for the oversight of the daily operations and for the implementation of Board policies. The Board of Trustees serves as a major resource for the support and growth of the school.

Jennifer Levine, President

Jennifer Levine, along with her husband Jeff Aeder, is a founder of Wolcott and parent of four Wolcott graduates. Subsequent to the founding of the school, she and her husband were named 2013 Chicagoans of the Year by Chicago Magazine. She currently volunteers at Wolcott in a variety of capacities.

Formerly a practicing lawyer, Jennifer worked as a litigator in corporate, government, and private practices. She also served as an administrative law judge at the Illinois Human Rights Committee. She formerly served as board chair of the Renaissance Society at the University of Chicago.

Jennifer is a graduate of Brown University and the Georgetown University Law Center.

Jeff Aeder

Jeff Aeder is the Chairman and co-founded JDI Realty in 1988. Before forming JDI, Jeff worked from 1985 to 1988 as a Vice President with LaSalle Partners, a Chicago-based national commercial real estate firm.

Jeff is a graduate of New York University with a Bachelor of Science

Jeff and his wife Jennifer Levine co-founded Wolcott to make quality high school education possible for Chicago students with learning differences. Jeff created Milt’s BBQ for the Perplexed a Kosher BBQ restaurant located in Chicago’s Lakeview Community.

Joel Davis

Joel received his undergraduate degree in Kinesiology from the University of Colorado-Boulder and then went on to attend the DePaul College of Law where he received his JD in 1989. He worked for the firm of Hlusitk, Huizenga, Williams and VanderWoulde from 1989 through 1995 focusing on transactional matters and environmental law. In 1995 Joel joined Help At Home to become General Counsel. Help At Home provides home care services to elderly, disabled and intellectually disabled individuals with the goal of allowing them to remain connected to their community and avoid institutional placement.

Currently, Joel is a principle at Help At Home where he also serves as President and General Counsel.

Rich Gamble

Rich Gamble is the Founder and President of Realized Value Collaborative LLC, a consulting practice focused on business and talent optimization. He is a strategic and tactical leader with over 30 years of experience collaborating with partners and high-performing teams to convert organizational objectives into successful outcomes. He draws on a diverse set of professional experience in industrial supplies, quick service restaurants, media, and not-for-profit cultural institutions.

Rich has a bachelor’s degree in Behavioral Sciences from the University of Chicago and a master’s degree in Marketing from Northwestern University’s Kellogg Graduate School of Business.

As a lifelong Chicagoan, Rich is civically active serving on several not-for-profit boards. He, his wife (Melissa) and their daughter (Lily, a Wolcott student) live in Chicago’s South Loop. In his free time, he enjoys time with his family, travel, culture, fitness, and dining – a foodie at heart.

John Jennings

John Jennings brings more than 30 years of financial leadership across industries, including software, healthcare, and services. He has served as Chief Financial Officer and in senior leadership roles at multiple private and public companies. John currently works with boards of directors and executive teams on financial strategy and value creation. He is a graduate of the University of Denver with a BA degree in Finance and Marketing, and an MBA degree. John serves with several not-for-profit boards of directors in Chicago involved with education, athletics, and healthy food access. He seeks to apply his experience to further the community, culture, and mission of Wolcott College Prep. John and his family live in Lincoln Park.

Stacey Kole

Stacey Kole is a clinical professor of economics at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. From 2004-2020 she served as the deputy dean for MBA Programs at the same institution. Previously, Stacey served as a member of the faculty and associate dean for MBA Programs at the University of Rochester’s Simon School of Business. Prior to her career in academics, Kole was a financial economist in the Office of Economic Analysis at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and began her career at the New York Federal Reserve Bank working on country risk analysis.

Stacey Kole received a bachelor’s degree in history and economics from the University of Rochester in 1982. She received her PhD in economics in1992 from the University of Chicago.

Stacey became involved with Wolcott as the parent of a Wolcott student and seeks to make quality high school education possible for Chicago students with learning differences.

Michael Minnis

Michael Minnis is the Deputy Dean for Faculty and the Fuji Bank and Heller Professor of Accounting at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. A nationally recognized scholar in accounting and financial reporting, his research focuses on how financial information shapes decision-making, capital allocation, and transparency, particularly in private and closely held firms.

Michael has held multiple leadership roles at Chicago Booth, including Executive Director of the Chookaszian Accounting Research Center, and previously served on the Private Company Council, an advisory body to the Financial Accounting Standards Board. He earned his Ph.D. in Accounting from the University of Michigan and a B.S. in Accountancy from the University of Illinois. His work has been widely published in leading academic journals and cited in national media.

Leah Pittacora

Leah Pittacora is a results-driven strategy and operations professional with experience leading global teams in the identification and implementation of growth and continuous improvement initiatives.

Leah is a graduate of the University of Illinois with a BS in Biochemistry and the University of Chicago Booth School of Business with an MBA with concentrations in Finance, Strategic Management, and Economics.

Leah became involved with Wolcott to contribute to the school’s mission to make an improved high school experience, education, and future an option for students in the Chicago area with learning differences.

Mark Salisbury

Mark Salisbury is a seasoned leader who brings over twenty-five years of HR expertise to his current role as Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) at Transdev U.S., the country’s largest transportation services provider employing over 13,000 people who serve the public’s municipal bus and paratransit needs across 90 locations.

Prior to joining Transdev, Mark’s diverse industry experience includes healthcare, pharmaceuticals, biotech, supply chain, and marketing for companies such as Blue Cross & Blue Shield, Pfizer, and McDonald’s.

Mark has supported Chicago’s youth as a volunteer leader with the Chicago Society of Human Resource Management’s Education Advocacy Committee. This team of professionals provides live interactive training sessions in Chicago schools focused on career preparation including sessions on resume building, interviewing skills, and the responsibilities of holding a job.

Originally from the Twin Cities, Mark earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minnesota and a Master of Arts degree from St. Mary’s University in Minneapolis. Mark has been a Chicago resident since 2000, living in the Edgewater and River North communities. He is an aviation enthusiast and enjoys travel and the outdoors.

Jamie Diamond Schwartz

Jamie Diamond Schwartz is a member of the Next Generation Board of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM). She co-chaired the Museum’s 2015 Chicago Luncheon which raised nearly $6 million. In April 2017, Jamie received the National Leadership Award for the Midwest Region of the USHMM. Jamie recently served for more than a decade on the board of Friends Against AIDS at The University of Chicago Comer Children’s Hospital.

Mrs. Schwartz has a BA from the University of Michigan.

She is a founding Trustee who became involved with Wolcott to help make it possible for Chicago students with learning differences to get a quality education without having to leave home to attend high school.

Nancia Shawver

Dr. Nancia Shawver is a founding trustee at Wolcott College Prep, as well as an experienced psychotherapist in private practice. She works with a diverse range of clients and consults with families of children facing learning challenges. Driven by her commitment to creating educational opportunities for students with learning disabilities, she became involved with Wolcott to help establish a high-quality high school where these students can thrive. Her dedication is personal as well; her youngest daughter Emily graduated from Wolcott in 2020. Dr. Shawver holds a BFA in Acting; and an MA and Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology. In addition to her professional work, she is a longtime volunteer at Beyond Legal Aid, where she offers Spanish language translations, and helps coordinate their immigration helpline.

Evonne Taylor

Evonne is the CEO and President of Taylor Made Business Solutions LLC.

She worked with Fortune 1000 companies to structure their short- and long-term investment grade debt at First Chicago/Bank One/Chase and managed a $185 million real estate portfolio for CIGNA Investments. She also worked as the Chief Financial Officer of Francis W. Parker School.

Evonne earned a BBA from Howard University and an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Laura Walder

Laura Walder is the Founder of the Hoop ‘Til It Hurts Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to investing in young athletes who aspire to play competitive basketball by providing essential resources both on and off the court. As a marketing specialist for the Foundation’s social enterprise apparel company, she has helped drive initiatives that directly support their philanthropic mission.

A University of Arizona alumna, Laura brings her educational background and entrepreneurial spirit to her community engagement work. As the parent of two sons, including Preston, a 2024 Wolcott College Prep graduate, Laura has firsthand experience with the Wolcott community and its educational approach.

Together with her husband Paul, Laura has been actively involved in various philanthropic ventures focused on youth development and education, demonstrating her commitment to creating opportunities for the next generation. Laura currently serves on the Project Education Plus Board.

Laura’s combination of non-profit leadership, marketing expertise, and dedication to educational advancement makes her a valuable addition to the Wolcott College Prep Board of Trustees.

Laura and her family live in Lincoln Park.

Meg Walsh

Meg Walsh is a Co-Owner and member of the Board of Directors of Walsh Construction Company, a fourth-generation family-owned business founded in 1898. She brings years of leadership experience and a genuine commitment to the people and organizations that matter most to her.

Meg is a graduate of The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. with a Bachelor of Music.

In addition to charitable foundation management, Meg serves on the Board of Trustees at St. Ignatius College Prep, and the Board of Directors at Misericordia Home. Meg is directly involved in medical research related to Cystic Fibrosis, which impacts herself and two of her children. This work is a primary and driving focus for Meg and her family, with the hope to ultimately find a cure.

Meg is the proud parent of Wolcott graduate Kate ’26. During Kate’s time at Wolcott, Meg and her husband, Dan Regan, were active and enthusiastic members of the school community, generously giving their time and support to Wolcott’s students and mission. Meg and Dan have two other children, Jack and Sarah.