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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
Vice President of Manufacturing Finance. He and his wife, Angelia Barnes, have two children: Maximilian (2015) and Georgia (2019).
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).
Traci Caldwell currently serves as the 2009-10
President of the SSA, Sycamore School's parent-teacher
organization. She graduated from Indiana University with degrees in both elementary and special education.
Traci 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.
Seema Mernitz was the 2008-09 President of the SSA, Sycamore School's parent-teacher organization. She graduated with an BA in Microbiology from University of Texas at Austin. Seema completed her M.D. at Indiana University School of Medicine in 1996 and pediatric residency at Riley Hospital for Children in 1999. She served as Chief Resident at Riley Hospital from 1999-2000, and was very active in resident/medical school student teaching and training. After that, she was in private practice at St. Vincent Hospital for a few years before making the decision to stay home to raise her daughters. Seema and her husband Chris are parents of current Sycamore students: Kaya (2013), and twins, Kendrick (2016) and Sophie (2016). She loves to travel and read.
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.
Travis Morgan is a serial entrepreneur, having
owned and operated a number of businesses in widely varied
industries during the last 18 years. He is currently managing member
of Caravel Ventures, a local private equity firm whose primary
portfolio companies include a leading forensic DNA company and a DNA
related biotech start-up. Travis serves on the boards and is in an
active day-to-day executive management role for both companies. His
expertise includes venture creation, mergers and acquisitions, and
change management in rapidly growing enterprises. Travis received
undergraduate degrees in accounting and finance from Indiana
University, is a CPA and holds an MBA from Babson. His daughters
Marina (2nd) and Maris (K) have each attended Sycamore since EC1.
His wife, April also is an active volunteer with Sycamore School.
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.
Chris Obeime is a dermatologist with Doctors Skin Care PC
here in Indianapolis. Originally from Nigeria, Chris attended
Indiana University. After earning his BS, MPA, OD and MD degrees
Chris did his dermatology training in Wisconsin before returning to
practice in Indianapolis. He is the current President of the Indiana
Academy of Dermatology. He serves on several community boards
including the Mercy Foundation and the Martin Center. Chris and his
wife Mercy have three children: Ivie (18), Jerne (16) and Jalu (13)
who is an 8th grader at Sycamore.
Tracy Swearingen is Vice President of Taxation for Duke Realty Corporation, where she has worked since 1987. She is an Indianapolis native and a graduate of DePauw University. Tracy is a Certified Public Accountant. Tracy and Jim Swearingen are parents of two daughters, Rebecca (Class of 2005) and Jada. Tracy and Jim assisted in the capital campaign in 1998 and in the Annual Fund drives in 1999 and 2000. Tracy's interests include reading, music, gardening, and horseback riding. She previously served on the Sycamore Board of Trustees from 2001 to 2007,
chairing the Educational Policy and Technology Committees.
Jack Tanselle is a Director in the Healthcare Disputes, Compliance and Investigations practice at Navigant Consulting, Inc. Jack received a B.S. degree in Communications from Miami University (Ohio) and an M.B.A. in Management & Strategy and Marketing from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University (Illinois). Jack has been a commissioner and coach for Carmel Dads' Club basketball for the past two years, and is the President of the local chapter of the Kellogg Alumni Association. Jack and his wife Laurie are the parents of Thomas (2015) and Mary Kate (2018). Jack enjoys tournament and leisure golf, traveling with his family and reading.
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). |
