Look for our smiling faces around the school!
Your 2022-2023 Ballantyne Elementary PTA Executive Board
President: Dawn Baynham
ballantynepta@gmail.com Dawn is a mom of three amazing children. Her oldest son, Haeden, is a first grader, and she has two more future bears at home. Although this is her first year on the PTA Board, she has plenty of experience working in a school setting as a former elementary school teacher. Dawn is a Maryland native, and moved to Charlotte four 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 supporting the school and community in this role! |
Treasurer: Austin Fitch
fitcham2@gmail.com At-Large Board Member: Leah Fitch fitch.leah@gmail.com Austin and Leah are entering their second year on Ballantyne PTA board this year, as their daughter heads into second grade. They'll be around for a while as their youngest won't finish at Ballantyne until 2032! Serving as Treasurer 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
ballantyneptasecretary@gmail.com Renee is a mom to two awesome BES bears, a daughter in 5th grade and a son in 2nd grade. This is Renee’s first 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, Fundraising: Wendy La
awesomewendyla@gmail.com and ballantyneptafundraising@gmail.com At-Large Board Member: Tom La tom.littlehouse@gmail.com 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, Special Events: Veronica Dieckmann
ballantyneptaevents@gmail.com Veronica is mom to three wonderful, but sometimes mischievous, children: Paul (5th grader), Aria (4th grader), and Kai (kinder). This year will be her first 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! |
Vice President, Communications: Chelsea Schlepp
ballantyneptacommunications@gmail.com and ceschlepp@gmail.com Chelsea is excited to be starting her first year on the PTA board in the communications role! That means you'll be hearing from her a lot this year! Her two daughters are in their second year at BES, as 1st and 2nd graders. In addition to her mom role, she's also a dog mom, wife, and crossword puzzle enthusiast! She loves to chat (hence the communications fit), so don't hesitate to say "hi!" if you see her around school! |
At-Large Board Member: Kristin Barry
kribarry@live.com Kristin served as PTA Treasurer for 2 years and 3 years as the VP of Communications. She admits to being a Jeopardy! junkie, a macaroni and cheese aficionado, a lover of books & cars, an over-planner/over-communicator, an accountant-on-hiatus, and a full-time mom to very busy 8th & 5th graders. She is a Girl Scout Troop leader, throws a mean Halloween party, and plans Disney trips for friends in her "spare time". Her profile picture is indicative of where you can usually find her...at the ball fields with her softball and baseball players (where she also sits on the board as the communications manager)! Born & raised in Ohio, she is a huge fan of the Ohio State Buckeyes, Cleveland Indians, & Browns. |
Standing Committee Chair - Advocacy: Darcy Meus
darcy.meus@gmail.com Darcey is a proud mama to an amazing first grader! This is her second 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 |
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!