Board

The Seven Hills School Board of Trustees is the governing body of our school. Its role is to hold the school, its mission, and its future “in trust.” However, the Board does not attempt to direct the day-to-day operation and management of the School, which is handled by the Head of School and the school’s administration and faculty. The Board of Trustees’ goal is not only governing the School today, but also developing it to serve future generations of students and families. It makes sure that all major decisions are consistent with the School’s mission, philosophy, and strategic plan in order to promote the long-term growth and prosperity of Seven Hills.

Our Board is welcoming new members for the 2024-25 School Year! Below you will find a group shot and member bios.

2024-25 Members

From left to right: Hunter Leemon, Mary Katherine McGetrick, Fred Orelove, Duane Blake, Nathan Hughes, Jeff Chapman, Maggie Ladd, Joi Lenczowski, Thomas Scott, Qasarah Bey Spencer, Wortie Ferrell. Not photographed members include Thomas Eaves, Aliya Farooq, Bakari Ruggiero, and Candace Samuels. 

Qasarah Bey Spencer

As a macro-focused social work practitioner, Qasarah has served in the areas of asset-based community development, community education, and program evaluation. Her previous experience in education includes administration and teaching in private elementary and middle school contexts, in faith communities, and as founding dean and faculty of Koinonia School of Race and Justice at Richmond Hill. Qasarah currently serves as assistant professor in teaching at the VCU School of Social Work. She is also a former Seven Hills parent and faculty/staff person.


Jeff Chapman
After graduating from the University of Massachusetts with a degree in economics, Jeff began his career in the securities industry in 1986. In 1997, he joined Branch Cabell, now RBC Wealth Management. During his years with Branch Cabell, Jeff’s business was primarily focused on fee-based portfolio management. He holds the Accredited Investment Fiduciary® designation through the Center for Fiduciary Studies, which promotes best practices and standards for fiduciaries and for those who service and share in fulfilling fiduciary obligations. Jeff currently provides investment services to individuals, nonprofit organizations, and faith-based institutions.

Jeff is past president of The Edgar Allan Poe Museum in Richmond, Virginia. He  served 14 years on the Poe Museum Board,  twelve of which were as an officer. Jeff has also served 8 years on the board of The Virginia Voice, including, a term as president. Jeff is an avid outdoorsman, always searching for any opportunity to spend a day afield hunting or a day on the water fishing. He lives in the Fan with his grandson, Ben, and German shorthaired pointer, Kady. The three of them get away to their cabin whenever time permits. Most importantly, Jeff looks for any time he can spend with his children and grandchildren.


Duane Blake
Proud parent of two Seven Hills graduates (class of 2022 and 2024), Duane brings 15+ years of IT experience in the financial sector to the Board. Currently serving as a Senior Systems Engineer, Duane is eager to leverage his expertise and give back to the Seven Hills community.
 

Thomas Eaves
Thomas Eaves is the Vice President of Cloud Product Engineering at Tivity Health and the owner of GENER8V, a small, Richmond-based consulting firm. Thomas was part of the school's first graduating class and later returned to teach for two years. This experience as both a student and teacher at Seven Hills has given Thomas a unique perspective on the school's environment and mission. Thomas holds a Master's degree in Software Engineering from Penn State University, which complements his hands-on technical leadership of the last ten years. 


Aliya Farooq
Aliya Farooq was born in Washington, DC and raised in Maryland. She moved to Virginia in 1997, when her husband began his medical practice in Hopewell. She has appreciated raising her four children in the greater Richmond area. Aliya has a degree in Business Administration from Ball State University. She enjoys traveling, community service, and spending time with her family. She has served on the Board of Directors at Iqra Academy of Virginia. She currently serves as the Board Chairperson for Virginia Interfaith Power & Light and Seven Hills School.

Aliya is a board member for Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy and has been appointed by the Governor as a member of the Virginia Council on Environmental Justice. She also serves as Chairperson of the Refugee Committee at the Islamic Center of Virginia and is the co-leader of the local chapter of Salaam Shalom. Aliya was recently accepted into the Leadership Quest program at Leadership Metro Richmond. Through this work, Aliya maintains that dialogue is the key to a thriving community, mutual understanding, and harmony. She also believes that women are the backbone of all societies and have the power to create change within communities.


Wortie Ferrell
Wortie is a Senior Vice President at Davenport & Company. Previously, he taught, coached, and served as an administrator at three independent schools over a 19-year career. He currently serves on the boards of the Capital Region Land Conservancy and Collegiate School, and formerly served on the St. Stephen’s Preschool board. Wortie received an AB from Princeton, MBA from UVA, and MEd from Columbia. He and his wife are both Richmond natives, and they and their three children returned to Richmond in 2015.


Nathan Hughes
Nathan Hughes, a native of Richmond, holds a Bachelor of Science degree in finance from VCU. His career as a full-time business broker and commercial REALTOR®  has spanned since 2005. During that time, he has earned the Certified Business Intermediary (CBI) designation from the International Business Brokers Association and the Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM) designation.

In 2015, Nathan took a pivotal step in his career by founding Sperity Real Estate Ventures, where he currently serves as the principal broker. His professional approach places a strong emphasis on teamwork and delivering exceptional customer service. Over the years, he has cultivated a niche in the Richmond restaurant market and has become a trusted advisor to small business owners.

Nathan's true passion lies in connecting people with opportunities. Drawing on his background as a small business owner, insights gained from the development community, and extensive experience in the real estate, restaurant, and financial industries, he is committed to identifying innovative solutions that empower Richmond businesses with the tools necessary to enhance the quality of life for residents and visitors alike.

Giving back to the industry and being involved in the community is important to Nathan. He currently serves on the Board of the Economic Development Authority for the City of Richmond, and in mid-2017 wrapped up a term on the Commission of Architectural Review for the City of Richmond. Nathan has been and continues to be very involved with the REALTOR® associations, most recently serving 6 years as a Director on the Board for the Virginia Realtors and 3 years as a Director on the Board for the National Association of Realtors, as well as a variety of committee work on the local, state, and national levels. For several years, Nathan was involved with Special Olympics of Virginia, and helped each year with the planning of their fundraising event, Over the Edge.Nathan also has a son attending Seven Hills in the Seventh Grade program this year.


Maggie Ladd
Maggie Ladd is the Principal of Heide Partnerships, LLC. She has spent the last twenty years working in Ophthalmology, focusing on patient advocacy in rare ocular diseases and, more recently, research and clinical trial management. Maggie considers herself a lifelong learner and is ambitious to work within her community to help promote support and change for students with neurodevelopmental disabilities. 

Growing up in rural Pennsylvania, Maggie values the strength of communities and the importance of relationships. She has watched firsthand how communities like Seven Hills can impact the growth of students like her son, a recent 2024 graduate. She attended boarding school in New England before graduating from Lafayette College in Easton, PA, with a degree in Psychology. As a Division I Basketball player, her love of sports and the outdoors is still a part of her daily life. She lives with her husband, Byron, in Midlothian, VA, and their three children, two of them are now adults and still keep them busy.


Hunter Leemon
Hunter is the Chief Executive Officer of Sportable. He was introduced to Sportable when he volunteered to lead the Power Soccer team in 2009—that began a love affair with the organization that carried him to his current position. Hunter has a passion for sports & the city of Richmond, and he strongly believes that both communities are enhanced by the Sportable team, including athletes, volunteers, staff, board & supporters. He leads the entire organization on a mission to tell the story of Sportable and create a greater impact in Richmond & beyond.

In addition to his duties with Sportable, Hunter serves as President of the Society of Alumni for Randolph-Macon College, as well serving as a member of the Randolph-Macon College Board of Trustees.

Prior to joining Sportable Hunter was the Director of Sales for the Richmond Kickers, one of the largest soccer clubs in Central Virginia. Hunter was responsible for all aspects of non-soccer related revenue generation for the club, and was intimately involved with all aspects of marketing and game day operations.

A native of Lawrenceville, VA, Hunter received his undergraduate degree from Randolph-Macon College, and a graduate degree from VCU's Center for Sport Leadership. He lives in the Northside of Richmond with his wife Dee Dee, son Oscar, and cats Ky Ky & Romeo. 


Joi Lenczowski
Joi was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, spending most of her formative years there. She attended Tulane University, where she earned a degree in biomedical engineering. She later pursued her medical studies at Duke University School of Medicine, earning her medical degree in 1996. She completed her training in dermatology and dermatologic science at the National Institutes of Health and Emory University Hospital system. After that, she worked as a clinical dermatologist in various locations, including Charleston, SC, New York City, NY, and Richmond, VA. She retired from clinical medicine in 2021.Joi is a certified Culinary Medicine Specialist with a strong passion for giving back to the community. She volunteers for medical missions in Honduras, regularly participates in Meals on Wheels, and actively contributes to her boys' high school PTAs. When she's not busy actively volunteering, she enjoys traveling, gardening, and exercising. Joi is also a proud mother of three Seven Hills graduates from the classes of 2018, 2021, and 2023 and is committed to ensuring the school’s continued success.


Mary Katherine McGetrick
Mary Katherine McGetrick is a commercial real estate attorney with Williams Mullen. She has over 20 years of experience in counseling developers, investors, landlords and tenants in a wide range of complex real estate transactions, including the acquisition, development, financing and leasing of retail centers, office buildings, mixed use, multi-family and single-family properties.

Mary Katherine grew up in Winston-Salem, North Carolina and graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill before moving to Richmond to attend law school at the University of Richmond. She joined Williams Mullen as an associate in 2001 and continues to enjoy practicing law and remaining active in the Richmond real estate community. She is a past president for the Richmond Chapter of Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW).

Mary Katherine is a 2010 graduate of Leadership Metro Richmond and LMR helped spark her passion for the Richmond community. Mary Katherine has served on the Board of the Peter Paul Development Center and is a past Board chair for CancerLINC. Mary Katherine is excited to be a part of the Seven Hills School Board of Trustees, serving as Board Chair for the 2024-2025 school year.
When not busy with work and volunteer commitments, Mary Katherine enjoys dining in Richmond with friends and family, including husband, Brad, and 16-year old twins, Caroline and Thomas (a 2022 Seven Hills graduate), travel, cooking, and riding the Peloton bike.


Fred Orelove
We are pleased to welcome Fred back this year as he served as the founding Board President of Seven Hills School. His son, Sam, was a member of the first graduation class. Fred is also a Professor Emeritus of Special Education and Disability Policy at Virginia Commonwealth University, where he was Executive Director of the Partnership for People with Disabilities. Besides 7HS, Fred has served on the boards of several organizations including SPARC, Planned Parenthood, Cadence Theater Company, and St. Joseph's Villa. Fred has volunteered with Greater Richmond SCAN and reads to his third-graders at Lois Harrison-Jones Elementary School. He is a longtime Northside resident, where he lives with his wife, Irene. In addition to Sam, Fred has a daughter named Emma. In his retirement, Fred enjoys travel, reading, gardening, word puzzles, yoga, and pickleball. 


Bakari Ruggiero
Bakari is a graduate of the very first class of Seven Hills School as well as a Richmond Community High School graduate. He attended ODU with a passion for helping kids, particularly those facing cultural and societal challenges. Bakari has coached soccer, worked as a mentor and a truancy officer for RPS, but now owns the best frozen treat shops in Richmond. He is ecstatic for the opportunity to help steer Seven Hills and its kids into an even more promising future.


Candace Samuels
Candace was born and raised in West Chester, PA and is a proud parent of a 7HS 2018 graduate. Candace graduated from Temple University with a Bachelors in Computer Information Systems in 2003. She then moved to Richmond the following year. Since then, Candace has built a successful career in IT. She has spent over 15 years at Capital One, serving as a Business Analyst, Production Support Specialist, Project Manager, and Product Owner. 

Throughout her career, Candace has remained steadfast in sticking to her passion for volunteering. She has served as a cheerleading coach, an executive decision-maker within Parent Associations and non-profits, a leading committee member for two athletic Booster Clubs, a Program Manager for an initiative that teaches project management to middle schoolers, and a mentor to several college interns for software development and Agile programs.


Thomas Scott
Thomas Scott was among the first faculty members at Seven Hills School when it was still housed at St. Thomas Episcopal Church. Additionally, he taught high school and college level English. Now he’s a marketing copywriter with a middle school son of his own. Seven Hills’ mission is as important to him today as it was when he taught there. He aims to help make it the best school it can be, and to help its graduates foster real, useful change in the world.