Board of Directors
Michele Coldiron
Michele Coldiron was born and raised in western Canada. She traveled to New York in 1976 for a PhD in Systematics and Evolution—leaving the next year for California with an en route Masters in Science from the City Univ. of New York. She earned a Masters in education from Stanford U, and taught in public and private schools at the junior and senior high school level. She later co-founded the non-profit Creative Catholic Works. Mother of four with two grandchildren, in 2020 Michele and her husband moved to Ohio to be closer to their youngest daughter.
Dr. Jim Cowardin
Dr. Jim Cowardin is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy (BS) and The Ohio State University with a Doctorate in Special Education. He has served as a classroom teacher, a school administrator and teacher trainer, and he has been the main developer of three Community Schools in the Central Ohio area. Dr. Cowardin’s academic area of concentration is Applied Behavior Analysis and automated learning systems.
Bob St. Germain
Bob St. Germain originally from Springfield, MA, graduated from both the United States Military Academy at West Point with a BS degree in General Engineering and Harvard University with an MBA degree in General Management. After service in the U.S. Army, he went on to management roles at Polaroid Corporation, Northrop Grumman Corporation, Holophane Corporation, and NSI, Inc. before leaving to pursue a career in investment banking. He is currently Managing Director and Principal with Corporate Finance Associates where he runs its Columbus, OH office and provides merger and acquisition advisory services to privately held companies in the middle market. Bob resides in Gahanna with his wife Judy.
Terry Lanham
Terry Lanham is originally from Northern Kentucky, where he was born and raised. He is a graduate of Northern Kentucky University with a degree in Marketing and Business Administration. For the last 23 years, he has lived in the Powell and Dublin areas with his wife, who is a graduate of The Ohio State University. Terry spent the majority of his career with the Kroger Company and Newell Rubbermaid Office Products, serving in key positions as Global Sourcing Manager, Marketing Manager, Retail Sales Manager over five manufacturing facilities, and National Sales Manager for Food and Drug Stores. He most recently served as Partner and President of My911, an emergency response application provider, and Genesis eCommerce LLC, an online B to C retailer.
Greg Lawson
Greg Lawson is a research fellow at an independent research and educational nonprofit institution in Columbus, where he is an expert in Ohio’s state budget, state and local taxes, and education policy and funding, among other areas. He previously served on two Columbus-based community (charter) school boards, is the author of numerous white papers and reports, and has been published in Ohio’s major newspapers and in national publications, including Forbes. Greg lives in Westerville with his wife and their three, school-age children.
Shawn Parker
Shawn Parker is a lifelong resident of Columbus and is the founder of his own real estate and asset management firm. He is a graduate of The Ohio State University, where he has also completed graduate coursework at the Fisher College of Business. Shawn previously served as an Assistant Scoutmaster with Troop 117 of the Boy Scouts of America and is a current member of the Knights of Columbus and a volunteer Director of Ohio State’s Delta Chi House Corporation.
How We Started
Our Founding
In late 2020, a number of people interested in promoting classical education opportunities for central Ohio youth began meeting and discussing methods and plans for accomplishing their vision. In the summer of 2021, the Founder’s Group, as they came to be known, submitted an application for approval to Hillsdale College Barney Charter School Initiative, and in September of the same year the application was approved. The Founders group that preceded the formation of the Governing Authority included Michele Coldiron, Dr. Jim Cowardin, Dr. David Gallit, Daniel Gibson, J.D., Greg Lawson, and Shawn Parker.
