Waimea Country School is incorporated as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. A Board of Trustees comprised of community volunteers governs the School. Board members are knowledgeable about the local community and help develop external sources of support for the school while encouraging collaborative partnerships with other community leaders and organizations.
President
Andrew Odell – Attorney
Andrew is licensed to practice law in Hawaii and handles a wide range of litigation matters. He grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and moved to the Big Island in 2003 after graduating from the Johns Hopkins University with a degree in General Engineering and a minor in Entrepreneurship and Management. He then earned his law degree from the University of Hawaii, William S. Richardson School of Law, where he served as an editor for the University of Hawaii Law Review. Andrew frequently volunteers with the outreach efforts of the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope, where his wife works. Through these efforts, Andrew has developed a strong interest in education on the Big Island. Andrew joined the Board in 2015.
Vice President
Leia Lawrence – Kumu Hula, Owner Kava Kafe, WCS Parent
Leia Lawrence has lived in North Kohala since she was six months old and is the owner of the Kava Kafe, in Hawi. Leia is a Kumu Hula that studied with Raylene Lancaster for 13 years and has had two uniki (graduations) with Kumu Keala Ching of Kona. She has been an assistant teacher at Kohala Homeschool Co-op as well as a helper at the Montessori School. Leia loves working with the keiki and helping perpetuate Hawaiian culture. One of her children graduated from WCS in 2018 and the other is currently enrolled.
Secretary
Kelly Barrick – Homemaker, Former WCS Parent, Current Teacher Aide
Kelly is a Phi Beta Kappa, summa cum laude graduate of the University of Colorado-Boulder who has lived on the Big Island since 1992. She is fluent in English, French and German; is a graduate of the Denver Paralegal Institute; holds a Hawaii real estate broker’s license; and has spent over 10 years tutoring, substitute teaching and working as a teacher’s aide in public and private schools across West Hawaii. Kelly’s son attended Waimea Country School K-5 and is now in high school at HPA. Kelly spent two years serving as the President of the Parent Association before joining the Board of Trustees in 2011. Kelly is an active member of Waimea Community Theater, earning an Outstanding Volunteer Service award in 2006. She is a senior mediator with West Hawaii Mediation Services and was awarded Volunteer of the Year in 2010.
Treasurer
Randy Campbell – Science Operations Lead, W. M. Keck Observatory
Randy is an astronomer with the W. M. Keck Observatory which operates the two largest telescopes in the world atop Mauna Kea. He has a master’s degree in astronomy from San Diego State University with an undergraduate degree in electrical engineering. His research involves the study of variable stars known as novae. Randy, his wife, Joan, and their two daughters, both graduates of the WCS K-6 program, have been connected to Waimea Country School since 1997, and Randy has served on the Board of Trustees since 1998. He is currently the Board Treasurer and chair of the Finance Committee. As a strong advocate of quality education and independent schools, Randy is a stellar resource for the Country School and for our community.
Jazmin Hicks – Breathwork and Yoga Facilitator
Before moving to the island from Sacramento, California, Jazmin worked in public policy for over ten years, primarily focusing on social service issues, and most recently was the Senior Self Sufficiency Policy Analyst for the California County Welfare Directors Association. In this position, she oversaw the 58 Social Services Directors in implementing public policy and advocated on their behalf with the Legislature and Governor’s Office to influence public policy decisions that impact the lives of California’s most vulnerable citizens. As a new member of the Board of Trustees in 2022, Jazmin is eager to increase fundraising opportunities to expand financial aid to increase the diversity of families that have access to educational opportunities available at Waimea Country School.
Amy O’Meara – Former WCS Parent, Nurse Practitioner
Amy is a nurse practitioner with Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest and Hawaiian Islands. She was formerly an associate professor of nursing at the University of Vermont and is a published textbook author. She earned her BA from CSU Fresno, her MS from Boston College, her DrNP from Drexel University, and a post-doctoral certificate from the University of Vermont. She is a certified women’s health nurse practitioner and adult-gerontology nurse practitioner. Her child graduated from WCS in 2021. Hawaii has taught her to be an enthusiastic gardener.
Ex Officio
Amy Salling, Head of School
Nancy has been a dynamic and respected educator of Hawaii’s children since her arrival in the islands in 1972. She is a graduate of Washington State University and Sonoma State University and is licensed to teach general education and special education in both private and public schools in the State. Nancy moved to Hawaii Island in 1994 and joined the Waimea Country School Board of Trustees in 2001. She retired from the WCS Board when she relocated to Oahu in 2014. Nancy’s passion is to help students succeed, and she continues to volunteer when she visits the Big Island.
WCS Parent Association Leadership
- Melissa Lytle
- Malia Maiava
- Mark Ebersole
- Sonia Watkins
