School Board
The Pine Lake Preparatory Board of Directors consists of nine volunteers focused on strategic planning, policy, governance and fiscal responsibility for PLP. We bring many years of experience from various industries, including: manufacturing, banking, accounting, law, collegiate education, IT and healthcare. We are passionate about Pine Lake Preparatory and we spend a great deal of our time supporting the endeavors of our leadership team, our teachers, and ultimately, our students.
As a community member, there are multiple ways to get involved. Attend the monthly meetings and hear first hand about the exciting things that the Board is working on right now. Meetings are generally held the fourth Wednesday of each month; details are posted on the Board News page. Community members are welcomed to observe the open sections of our meetings as well as speak during “Public Comment.”
PLP Board of Directors Applications
The Pine Lake Preparatory Board of Directors will consider applications for member positions. There are two types of positions on the board:
- Two-year board appointed seats. Candidates for board ap
- One-year membership-elect seats. Candid
It is strongly recommended that interested candidates attend the informational meeting on Tuesday, February 17th at 6:30 p.m. Pre-register for the call here:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/mgFZQuCUS4-PAUfe0Hv7oA#/registration
See full schedule at right.
Board Application Schedule
Board Meetings
Monthly Board of Directors Meetings are typically scheduled for the 4th Wednesday of the Month, at 6:30 p.m. at the Upper School Seminar Room. The next monthly meeting will be held February 25, 2026.
Register to Speak
Speakers must register before 12 p.m. on the day of the meeting.
- By phone: 704-237-5319
- Or complete this form
Agenda and Link February 25, 2026
BOARD MEMBERS
Sarah Phillips, J.D
Chair
Sarah Phillips is Vice President and General Counsel at Davidson College and serves as assistant secretary to the college's Board of Trustees. She has nearly twenty years of legal experience in a wide range of areas, including education law, employment law, internal investigations, corporate governance, disability law, NCAA Division I athletics, intellectual property, and contracts. At Davidson College, she works closely with the Board of Trustees and has management responsibilities over Legal Affairs, Human Resources, Hurt Hub for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and Title IX and ADA/Section 504 Compliance.
She and her husband, Chad, live in Davidson with their four children. They have been part of the Pine Lake Prep family for nine years and have children in the Upper and Middle Schools, with their youngest joining the Lower School this year. This is the second time Mrs. Phillips has served on PLP's Board. She previously served four years from 2016 to 2020, including over two years as the Board Chair.
Education
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Law – J.D. with Highest Honors
Davidson College – B.A., Magna Cum Laude
Dorothy Powers Gorman
Vice-Chair
Dorothy Gorman is the President and CEO of Junior Achievement of Central Carolinas (JA). JA provides programs and resources to students in the Charlotte region in work readiness, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy. Prior to JA, Dorothy served as an executive at national nonprofit Project Lead The Way and was a consultant with Deloitte Consulting. She has experience in fundraising, strategic planning, operations, and the education sector, and is passionate about serving the PLP community.
Dorothy resides in Davidson with her husband and 2 children.
Education
Furman University - Bachelor of Arts
Master of Business Administration from the University of North Carolina Kenan-Flager Business School, Chapel Hill, NC.
William Aull
Treasurer
Mr. Aull is a parent of three children at Pine Lake, one in 11th grade, one in 10th grade and one in 8th grade. Mr. Aull has served on the Pine Lake Board in the past from 2017-2021 and has been active in the local community, being a Board member and Planning Chair at the Alexander Youth Network and supporting the Charlotte Executive Leadership Council. Since graduating with an MBA from Tuck (Darthmouth) he has worked in Management Consulting at McKinsey & Company where he is a partner and focused on the Consumer/Retail sector. Previously, Mr. Aull worked in Corporate Finance at IBM.
Education
University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill – B.S. Business Administration,
Dartmouth College, Tuck School of Business - M.B.A., Edward Tuck Scholar
Ashton Watson
Mr. Watson has worked for the Charlotte Douglas International Airport for 11 years, and for the City of Charlotte doing Capital Project Management for nearly 8 years with the Department of Transportation (CDOT), for a total of 19 years. He has directed and managed more than 60 projects within the Airport’s Capital Development Program on both the airside and landside, totaling over $3B. He has overseen planning, design and construction of major and complex multi‐million-dollar runway, drainage, and lighting improvement projects, as well as Terminal and Concourse projects.
Mr. Watson serves as an Adjunct Professor and CHAIR Board Member for the UNC Charlotte Aviation Initiative. He also serves as a coach for Lake Norman Little League. Mr. Watson resides in Huntersville with his wife, Kelly and 3 children.
Education
Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Civil Engineering from UNC - Charlotte
Matthew Belmont
Mr. Belmont, CFA is a seasoned finance professional with nearly two decades of experience in debt capital markets and institutional investor relations. He currently serves as a Managing Director at Regions Bank, where he leads efforts in loan syndications, secondary trading, and private credit partnerships. Prior to Regions, Matthew worked at Credit Suisse and UBS on their leverage finance sales and trading desks.
Mr. Belmont is a CFA charterholder and actively contributes to his community through leadership roles with Junior Achievement of Central Carolinas, Davidson College Presbyterian Church, and Lake Norman Little League. He lives in Cornelius, NC with his family and enjoys coaching his sons’ baseball teams.
Education
MBA from NYU’s Stern School of Business
BA in Economics and Psychology from Bucknell University, Magna Cum Laude and with Phi Beta Kappa honors
Steve Buege
Secretary
Steve Buege is the Founder and Managing Partner of Armitage Advisors, a national healthcare management consulting firm. With 15+ years of experience in strategic planning, team building and business transformation, he serves as a trusted advisor to healthcare executives across U.S. nonprofit, private and publicly traded healthcare organizations on a mission to make healthcare work better. Prior to founding Armitage, Steve's career spanned roles at HealthScape Advisors, Huron Consulting Group, and the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.
Outside of work, Mr. Buege is an active mentor, community leader, and golf enthusiast. He and his wife, Megan, mentor newly married couples, host international students at Davidson College, and support youth leadership through local and national programs.
Education
Mr. Buege graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a degree in Finance.
Bryan Thurtle-Schmidt, Ph.D.
Dr. Thurtle-Schmidt is a professor in the biology department at Davidson College, where he teaches biochemistry, leads an active research group, and participates in faculty governance. He has extensive pedagogical training, and over 20 years of experience in biomedical research. He resides in Cornelius with his wife and two children.
Education
Indiana University, Bloomington - B.S. in Biochemistry, B.A. in History
University of California, Berkeley - Ph.D. in Molecular and Cell Biology
University of California, San Francisco - Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Christopher Cody, Ph.D
Dr. Cody is a Principal Researcher at the American Institutes for Research (AIR), where he
serves as the project director for postsecondary administrative data and longitudinal studies
work with the National Center for Education Statistics. Dr. Cody is also an Adjunct Professor for
the School of Government at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Prior to joining AIR,
Dr. Cody was the Director of Research and Public Policy at The Public School Forum of North
Carolina. While there, he was a fellow with the Education Policy Fellowship Program sponsored
by the Institute for Educational Leadership. Dr. Cody’s work on charter school governance and
finances, along with his research on postsecondary education has been presented at national
conferences, such as the Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action and the Association of Institutional Researchers Forum.
Dr. Cody resides in Huntersville with his wife and 2 children.
Education
B.A. – Wake Forest University, Religion
MPA – Western Carolina University, Public Affairs
Ph.D. – North Carolina State University, Public Administration
Matthew Dellinger
Mr. Dellinger is a practicing attorney at Dellinger Law, PLLC in Davidson, focusing on civil litigation, contract and construction law, land use and real property issues, and local government matters. Matt has counseled and represented a diverse client base ranging from individuals and nonprofits to large corporations in his 17 years of practice.
Deeply engaged in his community, Matt served on the Town of Davidson Board of Commissioners, chaired the Town of Davidson Planning Board for several years, and currently sits on the boards of the Cain Center for the Arts, Davidson Lands Conservancy, and Davidson Youth Baseball Association, drawing from his past experience as a pitcher for Davidson College. He and his wife, Lacey, live in Davidson with their two sons, Garland (rising 4th grader) and Emery (rising Kindergartner), who keep them bouncing from one sports season to the next.
Education
B.S. in Psychology, Davidson College
Juris Doctorate, University of South Carolina
Board Committees
Open Session Meeting Agenda
Meeting of the Academic Excellence Committee of the Board of Directors
Pine Lake Preparatory, Inc.
Thursday, January 22, 2026
https://davidson.zoom.us/s/8439457873?pwd=NDVnYWEvZlFNZzZjRzViSEdKS3hYQT09
Agenda:
- Call to Order and Attendance (8:30 AM)
- Conflict of Interest Reminder per NCGS 138A-15(e): In accordance with the State Government Ethics Act, 138A-15(e), it is the duty of every Board member to avoid both conflicts of interest and appearances of conflict. Does any Board member have any known conflict of interest or appearance of conflict with respect to any matters coming before the Academic Excellence Committee today? If so, please identify the conflict or appearance of conflict and refrain from any undue participation in the particular matter involved.
- Discussion: College matriculation data
- Adjourn