Board of Trustees

Bill Ayres is President of Ayres Carr & Sullivan, P.C. He received his undergraduate degree from Ball State University with majors in Business Administration and Marketing and a minor in Political Science; he earned his JD from Indiana University. His practice areas include civil litigation, business and construction law. Bill has been active in many community organizations as a board member/officer. Bill and his wife Linda are the parents of Samantha (2010).

Martin Bott was born in Giessen, Germany. He studied business administration in Germany with majors in Finance and Marketing and earned his Masters Degree in International Business from the University of South Carolina. He has been working for Eli Lilly and Company since 1988 in various roles and locations, including Indianapolis, Boston, Switzerland, England, and Germany. He currently is an Executive Director of Manufacturing Finance. He and his wife, Angelia Barnes, have two children: Maximilian (2015) and Georgia (2019).

Perian Brett is the 2007-08 Sycamore School Association president.  She and her husband Kenton are parents of Emma (2013) and Laura (2010). She has B.S. degrees in Biology and Physical Therapy from the University of Evansville. She is an avid amateur photographer, and especially likes supporting Sycamore's Hall Monitor.

Bob Brody is the President and Chief Executive Officer of St. Francis Hospital and Health Centers. Bob is active in many community organizations, including the Children's Museum of Indianapolis, the Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library Foundation, and the Greater Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Brody received his undergraduate degree at Boston College and his Master's degree from Duke University. Bob and his wife, Helen, are parents of two Sycamore alums, Scott (2002) and Mary (2006), and current student Courtney (2013).

Ginny Burney served on the Sycamore Board of Directors as VP for Education from 1988-1991 and as Head of Middle School from 1991-96. Ginny is a graduate of DePauw (B.A., Mathematics), Ohio State (M.A., Guidance & Counseling), Indiana University (Ed.S., Counseling & Guidance) and Ball State (M.A. and Ph.D. in Educational Psychology). She works as a G/T Consultant for the Indiana Education Project at Ball State. She is former President of the Indiana Association for the Gifted and serves on the Board of Directors for the National Association for Gifted Children. She and her husband Bryan are parents of three Sycamore graduates: Thomas (1996), Matt (1997), and Amanda (2000).

Traci Caldwell graduated from Indiana University with degrees in both elementary and special education. She has experience in teaching at both the elementary and middle school levels and has worked with students having a variety of exceptional needs. She earned her Master's Degree from Butler University in Administration and Supervision. Traci and her husband, Michael, have two children currently attending Sycamore, Ethan (2016) and Lauren (2018).

Frank Cheng is the President of Oxford BioSignals Inc. and is a member of the company's Board of Directors. Oxford BioSignals is a fast-growing hi-tech company, and Frank is currently leading the transfer of the company's headquarters from the UK to Carmel. Frank earned an MBA in Marketing from Vanderbilt University and previously was associated with GE Healthcare, Hill-Rom, and Roche Diagnostics. Frank and his wife Jean have two sons: Jeffrey (2011) and Richard (2016).

Jeff Hearn returned to the Board in 2005 and was elected President in 2007. He previously served as a Sycamore trustee from 1995-2003, including three years as Treasurer. A graduate of Indiana State University and Drake University Law School, Jeff is an attorney at Sitehawk, a commercial real estate firm. Jeff and his wife Sharon, also an attorney and a partner at Krieg DeVault, are parents of two Sycamore graduates: Lindsay (2002) and Alex (2005). Jeff is an astute baseball fan and a devotee of the St. Louis Cardinals.

Phil Johnson is an Executive Director of Investor Relations for Eli Lilly and Company. At Lilly, he has held various finance positions in Indianapolis, Puerto Rico and Spain. Prior to joining Lilly, Phil worked as a management consultant with McKinsey in Italy and as an investment banker with various firms in both Italy and Chicago. He received a BS degree in Finance from the University of Illinois and a Masters of Management degree from Northwestern University. Phil and his wife, Irma, have both of their children, Nicholas (2009) and Michael (2013), enrolled as Sycamore students.

Kraig Kinchen is a research physician at Eli Lilly and Company. He received an undergraduate degree from Tulane University and a Masters degree in Social Policy from Oxford University. Following employment in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, he received his M.D. from Harvard Medical School. He completed his internship and residency in internal medicine at the Johns Hopkins Hospital. Kraig and his wife, Tina Harris, are parents of Kourtney (2013) and Justin (2016). Tina Harris attended elementary school in our present building when it was a public school.

Abby Klemsz earned two advanced degrees at Indiana University: a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering and an M. D. She and husband Michael are the proud and busy parents of six Sycamore students: Nicholas (2009), Ellie (2010), Benjamin (2012), Margaret (2013), Lillian (2015), and Annie (2016). She is an Assistant Professor in Clinical Pediatrics at Riley Hospital and works closely with residents at IU School of Medicine. Abby is one of Sycamore's most effective volunteer promoters and recruiters.

Randy Loser previously served on the Sycamore School Board of Trustees from 1992-98, and was Board President from 1995-98. During his tenure he led negotiations for the purchase of the school's campus, and was active in strategic planning, fundraising and many other areas. A graduate of Butler University and The University of Chicago Law School, Randy is Assistant General Counsel of Eli Lilly and Company. Randy and Cindy's children, John and Kimberly, both attended Sycamore. Randy reports that he is an avid, if untalented, golfer.

Michael Mervis is a Director for Mervis Industries, his family's business that operates in three Midwestern states and Mexico. He and his wife, Julie, have four boys, all of whom are Sycamore School students: Isaac (2001), Joey, (2013), Sam (2016) and Gabe (2018). A graduate of Indiana University, Michael was a coach and science teacher at Park Tudor School for 13 years before joining the family business. He was attracted to Sycamore School by the quality of the Sycamore graduates that he taught and coached at Park Tudor. He has served on the boards of the Bureau of Jewish Education and the Jewish Community Center, and he is president of the Mervis Family Foundation. Michael is an avid bicyclist, and he is a serious fan of Ben and Jerry's ice cream.

Meredith Miles is the first graduate of Sycamore School to serve on its Board of Trustees. Meredith is a coordinator for the Division I Women's Basketball Championship at the NCAA and manages the Final Four hospitality functions, volunteer and memento programs and serves as a staff liaison for local community events concurrent with the championship. She previously served as the Community Relations Manager at National City Bank where her responsibilities included sponsorship management, local marketing and public relations for the bank. Meredith graduated from Sycamore School in 1995, Brebeuf Jesuit in 1999 and received a degree in communication arts and sciences from DePauw University in 2003. She is active in local community organizations, including the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Indianapolis Zoo and Girls, Inc.  Interestingly, Meredith's family had one child enrolled at Sycamore each year from the founding year through 2003.

Andy Neher and his wife Gina are the parents of three Sycamore students: Emily (2012), Evan (2015), and Erin (2016).   Andy and Gina are both graduates of Ball State University.  Andy is President of Lawn Pride Incorporated the largest locally owned and operated lawn care company exclusively serving Indianapolis.  Andy and Gina are active in the community, volunteering their time and expertise for various professional and civic boards. Sycamore has been a very fortunate recipient of their expertise and generosity, as they have spearheaded efforts to improve campus landscaping and tree population.

Michael Twyman joined the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust in 1999 following an extensive career in nonprofit management and working in the private sector as an independent consultant in housing and community development. Dr. Twyman graduated with honors from Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee. He earned his doctorate at the Indiana University School of Social Work and Public and Environmental Affairs. Michael has served on various nonprofit boards, receiving an Outstanding Board Service award in 2000 given by the United Way of Central Indiana. Michael and Adelpha are the parents of Elias (2016).

Jean Wright served as President of SSA, Sycamore's most active volunteer organization, in 2006-07. In that capacity she led a very successful year in fund-raising and special events. She currently is the co-owner of M³ Photography. Jean received her BA in English and communications from Purdue University. Previous to M³ Photography she worked in various marketing and management positions. Jean and her husband Aaron are the parents of two Sycamore students: Clay (2014) and Owen (2017).