The WCA Board of Trustees

The Board is tasked with upholding the mission of the School by setting policies, hiring the Headmaster and keeping him accountable, strategically planning for the future, and ensuring WCA’s spiritual and financial well-being.

The Headmaster hires the staff and oversees all operations. Board members may serve two consecutive three-year terms and are elected by the WCA Association.

The role of a trustee is to ensure that the mission and vision of the school be preserved for the next generation. 

Natalie Taylor. President

Natalie Taylor moved to Cleveland in 2008 as part of a church-planting team. She serves alongside her husband who pastors CityView Baptist Church in downtown Cleveland. Bill and Natalie have 4 adult children and one enrolled in WCA’s upper school. Their youngest daughter graduated in WCA’s first senior class. Natalie has an eclectic background that includes laboratory microbiology, vaccine manufacturing, inside sales, and current part-time work in social science with the University of Chicago.  She also has worked in community development for a local non-profit. While her older children were in school she stayed at home to support raising her family and currently works from home.

Aaron Fenton. Head Support and Evaluation Committee (HSEC)

Aaron and his wife Julie moved to Cleveland in 2006 and live in Avon Lake. Aaron and Julie’s three children, Elizabeth, Lucy, and Jack all attend WCA with two in the Grammar school and one in the Upper School. Aaron joined the board in 2019 and has supported the establishment and development of a number of committees, most recently serving as co-chair of the Head of School Search Committee. Aaron and Julie have been involved in the local Christian community for a number of years and currently attend Providence in Avon. Aaron is the Global Vice President, Commercial Strategy and Operations for TeleTracking Technologies, a healthcare logistics company.

Megan Putnam. Committee on Trustees

Megan and her husband, Jonathan, are native to NEO. They have been part of the WCA community since 2015 where their three children are currently enrolled. After graduating with a Bachelors in Early Education, Megan spent almost a decade serving on staff with CRU, building student leaders both stateside and abroad.  Currently, Megan and her husband operate a guest home in Lakewood where International students live with their family to learn English. They attend and serve in their local church, Parkside Church Westside.

Daniel Pierre. Committee on Trustees

Daniel and his wife Hannah are native to the west side of Cleveland, and now live in Westlake. Daniel serves as a deacon at Grace Church of North Olmsted, and he and Hannah both teach in the adult and children’s ministries there. Their three children attend WCA, since 2012. Daniel committed to serve on the board of trustees in 2019, and is eager to help build up this unique school, which provides classical education to train kids not only to think clearly from the firm foundation of God’s Word, but also aims to foster their personal relationship with the Lord. Daniel is a comprehensive and pediatric eye surgeon at the Cleveland Eye Clinic, and is supported by Hannah from the home.

Heather Croft. Secrectary, Committee on Trustees, and Strategic Planning Committee

Heather and her husband, Wesley moved to Cleveland in 2015.  After a few years of homeschooling they joined the WCA community.  Together they have 4 children, Olivia, Hudson, Mattie and Sawyer.  Heather was homeschooled, attended a classical Christian school and a traditional Christian school growing up.  She attended the University of Georgia where she earned her bachelors degree in child and family development.  Heather and Wesley have a passion for discipling students and have served in various youth and college ministries throughout the years.  They also have a passion for classical education that was birthed out of Heather’s own upbringing as well as from a desire to raise children who are equipped to go into all the world and preach the gospel.  Their family attends and serves at Parkside Church Westside.

Jeff Swartz. Vice President; Head Support and Evaluation Committee (HSEC)

Jeff and his wife Becky live in Medina and have 3 girls, all of whom attend WCA. They are members of Grace Church of North Olmsted and have been in the Cleveland area since 2013. Jeff is the Chief Executive Officer and a board member for Seaman Corporation in Wooster, and also serves on the board of the Wayne County Economic Council.

Tom Demitrack. Committee on Trustees

Tom Demitrack is a partner in the Jones Day law firm, where he has practiced since 1979 following his graduation from The Ohio State University Law School that year. Tom and his wife Peggy live in Lakewood, Ohio. They have three grown children, all of whom are married. Tom and Peggy have been blessed with nine grandchildren. Tom is a member of Cornerstone Bible Fellowship in North Ridgeville where he serves as the Treasurer. He is also on the Board of Trustees at the City Mission in Cleveland.

Jenna Isaacs. Committee on Trustees

Jenna has a wealth of professional expertise in the area of labor law (previously employed as a labor law attorney for large firms). We believe she would be a great asset as we look for ways to cultivate HR policies and procedures. She has been serving the school in various ways including classroom volunteer support, and serving on the Board Governance and Development Committee. Jenna and her husband, Andrew, live in Bay Village and have been a part of the WCA community since 2018. They are the proud parents of three WCA grammar school students and one soon-to-be WCA Kindergartener. Jenna and Andrew own and operate a custom home remodeling company, and they love the opportunity to renew the homes of their customers while also enhancing the lives of their team members and trade partners. Before this, Jenna practiced labor and employment law as an attorney at a Cleveland law firm. Her undergraduate degree is from the University of Notre Dame and her law degree is from The Ohio State University. Between receiving those degrees, she participated in Teach For America and taught high school special education in the Bronx. She and her family attend Providence Church in Avon.

Andy Tanner. Resource Development and Planning Committee

Andy has a wealth of experience, wisdom and expertise that will benefit our board. He previously served on the WCA Board of Trustees for five years beginning in 2015. While in that role he participated in two capital campaigns and various fundraisers, was active on the building committee responsible for planning the purchase and construction of WCA’s current facilities and roles on various other committees. Andy and his wife Donna have three children and five grandchildren. Their youngest child, Danny, attended WCA beginning in kindergarten and graduated high school in 2020. Today Andy has two grandchildren attending WCA, Tanner and Knox Elwell. Andy was Chief Financial Officer for The NRP Group for 23 years prior to retiring at the end of 2023. Andy and Donna are members of Grace Church in Middleburg Heights.

Denny Abbuhl. Treasurer; Finance Committee

Denny displays a spiritual maturity, high level thinking and a great deal of Board experience that will help lead and strengthen our board in the next few years. Denny and his wife, Becky, live in Westlake and have five sons and three daughters-in-law. Four of their sons attended WCA (two of them have graduated and one is currently enrolled in the Upper School). Denny is Executive Pastor at Providence Church in Avon. Prior to joining the staff of Providence in 2022, Denny had a 25+ year career in the corporate sector serving midsized companies in the role of CFO and COO. He previously served on the WCA Board of Trustees from 2012 to 2019. He is still on the Finance Committee. Since 2017, Denny has had a growing passion for global missions and has made several trips to Central Asia.

Gordon Daily.

Gordon and his wife, Cara, live in Rocky River Ohio with their 3 children, all who attend WCA. Gordon is CEO and Co-founder of BoxCast, a Cleveland technology startup that streams millions of events for churches, schools, municipalities and businesses each year. The Daily family are members of Providence Church of Avon. Gordon has spent some time serving WCA on the finance committee and often volunteers his time to assist WCA with technology.

articles on classical christian education