Board of Directors

The Whole Learning School Board of Directors is a working board, responsible for the development and implementation of policies and programs that will enable the school to reach its educational, operational and financial growth goals.  We currently have four Board members with additional applications pending.

People who volunteer for our board come from varied backgrounds, yet all are united in wanting the best for TWLS.  TWLS currently has several open board positions. If you care about kids and education and want to learn more about serving on the TWLS board, contact Ann Rooney at A.Rooney@twls.org or call 952.345.2295 for more information.

Rick Hartfiel ~ Board Chair

Rick’s term as board chair began in January, 2010.  Professionally, he has been director of Investment Banking for Craig-Hallum since 2005.  As chair of TWLS, he brings more than 15 years experience in investment banking focused on emerging growth companies. A long-time community activist, Rick joined the board in October 2009, shortly after his daughter Annie became a student at the school.

“The Whole Learning School is a special place–we feel very lucky to have found it for Annie, as the alternatives are pretty bleak for the large number of kids like her, who are 3-5 grade levels behind their peers. Already this year, Annie has learned to type, count money, gone to a school dance and learned to play in a bell choir.”

Rick has an MBA from Harvard Business School and a B.A. from Amherst College.

Doug Neal ~ Treasurer

Doug joined the TWLS Board in July, 2009.  Doug is currently the Post-it® Super Sticky Notes Product Marketer for the 3M Company.   He is engaged in local community philanthropy teaching an ESL class at the Neighborhood House.  Most recently, Doug graduated from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business with a focus on marketing and general management.  Prior to that, Doug was a Small Business Development Peace Corps Volunteer in the Andes Mountains of Peru.  His passion lies in creating social positive change in the world via service to community and others along with being a Super Chicago Cubs fan (from Chicago), a bike rider, hiker, yoga practitioner, and world traveler.

Nancy Conboy

Nancy joined the board in November, 2009. She earned her B.A. from the University of Minnesota in 1986. She is currently pursuing a Masters Degree in Nonprofit Management at Hamline University. Nancy worked for twenty years in the software industry as an enterprise software sales executive. From 1998 to 2009, while at IBM Corporation, she led software and technical consulting teams to design customized solutions for customers’ information management challenges. Nancy and her husband Kevin lived in Washington, D.C. and Chicago before settling in Eden Prairie, Minnesota in 2002. They have three sons who are enthusiastic participants in Boy Scouts. She is also an active volunteer for the Boy Scouts, Eden Prairie Community Education Advisory Council and for PROP (People Reaching Out To Other People), a food shelf in Eden Prairie. Nancy also serves on the board of Eden Prairie Meals on Wheels. Her passion is to help encourage communication, collaboration and coalitions between diverse groups of people, tapping into the unique talents, gifts and strengths of each and every individual. Nancy is passionate about building environments where all children can gain confidence.

Casey Nolan

Casey joined the TWLS Board in November, 2009. Casey is an attorney at the law firm of Gray, Plant, Mooty, Mooty & Bennett, P.A., practicing in the areas of Employment and Immigration Law. As an attorney, Casey frequently counsels clients on employment law and immigration issues. In addition, she has experience litigating several employment lawsuits, including cases involving claims of sexual harassment, national origin discrimination, age discrimination, noncompetition clauses, the Fair Labor Standards Act, and contract-based employment claims. Before attending law school, Casey worked for three years as a teacher at alternative schools in Boston, Massachusetts and Portland Oregon working with middle and high school students with learning disabilities and emotional and behavioral disorders.

Amy Proshek

Amy joined the TWLS Board in November 2009. Amy is a manager with Deloitte & Touche LLP in downtown Minneapolis, and she has clients around the country in healthcare, financial services, and medical devices. She has an undergraduate degree in Counseling and Psychology from the University of Minnesota, and she spent time working with women and children at Chrysalis and as a counselor and program director at a chemical dependency program for adults. She was hired by Deloitte in 2000 and obtained her Masters in Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting from the University of St. Thomas while working for Deloitte and starting a family. She is a licensed Certified Public Accountant in the State of Minnesota and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

Kate Heegard Hartfiel

Kate was educated at Skidmore College. She currently works as a painter and member of the Rain Collective, a confluence of Minneapolis artists.

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Ann Rooney  ~  Head of School

Ann has been the TWLS Head of School since 2006 and joined the School Board in June, 2009.  Having Ann on the Board will help to bridge the gap between the daily operations, enrollment and curriculum aspects of the school, and the growth goals of which the Board is focused.  Prior to being named Head of School, Ann served as TWLS’s Lead Teacher, Director of Curriculum, and Director of Instruction.  She has served special education students for 16 years, earning her Bachelor of Arts degree in K-12 special education from St. Could State University and her Master of Education degree from St. Mary’s University in Minnesota.  Ann also speaks on behalf of special education issues at many professional conferences, including the Minnesota Autism Society and the Independent School Forum.