Look for our smiling faces around the school!
Your 2023-2024 Ballantyne Elementary PTA Executive Board
President: Dawn Baynham
[email protected] Dawn is a mom of three amazing children. Her oldest son, Haeden, is a second grader, and she has two more future bears at home. She is excited to be filling the president role for a second year. Prior to being on the PTA board, she had experience working in a school setting as a former elementary school teacher. Dawn is a Maryland native, and moved to Charlotte five years ago. When she is not running around with her busy kids, she enjoys spending time hiking, beaching, and having kitchen karaoke dance parties to the best 90s music. She is looking forward to continuing to support the school and community in this role! |
VP Fundraising: Austin Fitch
[email protected] At-Large Board Member: Leah Fitch [email protected] Austin and Leah are entering their third year on Ballantyne PTA board this year, as their daughter heads into third grade and their son starts kindergarten. They'll be around for a while as their youngest won't finish at Ballantyne until 2032! Serving as VP Fundraising and an At-Large board member, Austin & Leah are excited to be involved at BES! In their free time, they enjoy traveling as Leah would spend every moment at the beach if possible. Austin loves everything about the beach too...except the sun, the sand, and the saltwater! |
Secretary: Renee Sobota
[email protected] Renee is a mom to two awesome BES bears, a daughter in 6th grade and a son in 3rd grade. This is Renee’s second year as a PTA board member and she is also one of the coaches for Girls on the Run at BES. When she’s not playing taxi for her kids to activities, Renee loves to read, travel with her family and chase after their crazy Labrador Retriever. Renee and her husband moved to Ballantyne from Columbus, Ohio 15 years ago and still cheer on their alma mater, Ohio State Buckeyes, every chance they get. |
Vice President, Events: Wendy La
[email protected] and [email protected] At-Large Board Member: Tom La [email protected] Wendy: Biggest Disney fan that you have ever met in your life, guaranteed. Full-time homemaker, part-time artist. Silently judging your grammar. Shy, and socially awkward like whoa, but if she can do this volunteer stuff, YOU CAN DO IT. Tom: Second biggest Disney fan that you have ever met in your life. Probably. Driven by design. Passionate about branding. Enjoys Mid Century Modern. Can (and does) sleep anywhere. Absolute stud-muffin. Wendy may have written his bio. |
Vice President, Communications: Darcey Meus
[email protected] Darcey is a proud mama to an amazing second grader! This is her third year on the PTA, and she is excited to become more involved. She grew up in Charlotte and is a CMS kid herself. When she isn’t working her dream job, she loves to hang out with her daughter and spend time with family and friends. She is always planning their next road-trip. The two of them are masters at car karaoke! You might even see them rockin out in the carpool line. (Apologies in advance!) You’ll most likely run into Darcey and her daughter wearing matching leopard print! |
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Vice President, Programs: Lauren McDonagh
[email protected] Lauren: Working parent, convinced by her 2 kids and lovely neighbors to step up and volunteer. Always have so much fun seeing the joy on the kids faces. Loves her job in HR at Brighthouse Financial and proud to have her kids attending such a great school in BES. If you don’t find her at home or school, you may find her at HOTWORX Ballantyne, her current obsession. |
Treasurer: Chelsea Schlepp
[email protected] Chelsea is taking over our treasurer position after spending time as the VP of Communications. Her two daughters are in second and third grade. In addition to her mom role, she's also a dog mom, wife, and crossword puzzle enthusiast! She loves to chat and you'll often see her at our events, so don't hesitate to say "hi!" if you see her around school! |
At-Large Board Member: Veronica Dieckmann
Veronica is mom to three wonderful, but sometimes mischievous, children: Paul (6th grader), Aria (5th grader), and Kai (1st). This year will be her second year as a PTA board member. She recently moved to Charlotte, NC from Los Angeles, CA and brings a wealth of relevant experience from PTAs, non-profits, and corporate marketing. She used to be an avid traveler (pre-kids), visiting over 25 countries on four continents while enjoying extreme sports and activities. However, as a busy mom now, she prefers to sleep and do nothing! She is excited to be a part of the PTA team which supports our growing school and community. Go Bears! |
Standing Committee Chair - Nominating: Emily Hanson
Bio coming soon!
Bio coming soon!
Do want to learn more about our PTA organization? Click Here to view our Organization Chart and see who is responsible for what!
Do want to learn more about our Board and Committee Chair Roles and Responsibilities? Click Here!