PACE Board

As a North Carolina Public School (funded in large part by tax dollars), ArtSpace Charter School is not under the jurisdiction of Asheville City or Buncombe County School Districts but is governed by a nonprofit corporation.

Our parent corporation is Partnership for Art at the Core of Education, Inc. (P.A.C.E., Inc), a 501(c)3 and ArtSpace is governed by the P.A.C.E., Inc. Board of Directors. The Executive Director of ArtSpace Charter School is hired by and directly reports to the Board of Directors.

Next Meeting - April 23, 6pm
Committee Meetings
- - Finance - 4/17, 12:30pm
  - Academic Excellence

PACE Board Public Comment Policy

Virtual Meeting login information will be posted here by 4pm on the day of the meeting.

Policy Manual_ACS

Executive Committee of the Board:

Board Chair: Candace Reilly ([email protected])

Vice Chair: Kate Averett Anderson ([email protected])

Treasurer: Colin Felmet ([email protected])

Secretary: Gretchen Brown ([email protected])

2023-24 School Year Meeting Dates

August 15
September 19
October 17
November 14
January 23
February 20
April 23
May 21
June 18 - Annual Meeting

Meetings begin at 6:00 pm. In person meetings are held in the ArtSpace theater. Virtual meetings are held by Zoom. For security purposes, links to the online forum will be posted above by 4pm the day of the meeting and deleted at the conclusion of the meeting.

Candace Reilly- Board Chair

Candace Reilly is the Executive Director at North Carolina Glass Center. She has been an active member of the arts community in Asheville for a decade. Candace holds an MFA in painting and contemporary theory from Savannah College of Art and Design and a BA in art history from Saint Mary’s College, University of Notre Dame. A former art educator and career advocate for the arts, she believes that integrated arts education creates a deeper foundation for learning and a more socially cohesive and enriched community.

Kate Averett Anderson - Vice-Chair

Kate Averett Anderson (she/her) is an art historian, writer, and curator. A native North Carolinian, she

is an alumna of UNC Asheville, where she studied Art History with mentor Leisa Rundquist, and later received her MA in Art History from UNC Chapel Hill under the advisory of Carol Magee. Kate joined the staff of Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center in 2017 where she serves as Outreach Manager. She has co-curated exhibitions and led discussions with students of all ages that explore the radical, experimental community of Black Mountain College (1933-1957) and its relevance to creativity, curiosity, and justice in our everyday lives.

Gretchen Brown - Board Secretary

Gretchen Brown is a Clinical Social Worker and Clinical Addiction Specialist in private practice in Asheville. She holds a Bachelors in Elementary Education from Warren Wilson College and a Masters in Social Work from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Prior to starting her own psychotherapy practice, Gretchen worked in Asheville for many years as a hospital, school, and community social worker with youth, families and adults. Gretchen has two children attending ArtSpace and serves as a parent representative and the secretary on the PACE Board. Gretchen believes strongly in ArtSpace’s creative and individualized approach to learning, and feels very fortunate to be a part a school community that emphasizes respect for others and respect for self. Outside of work and parenting, Gretchen is an avid runner and gardener, and loves adventuring in the beautiful WNC mountains.

Colin Felmet – Treasurer

Colin Felmet, CPA, is the Vice President & Controller at Community Care of North Carolina, Inc. (CCNC), where he manages the Accounting and Human Resources functions for the healthcare-oriented nonprofit. Prior to joining CCNC, he provided audit and advisory services to a wide range of clients, honing extensive skills and experience in financial operations, nonprofit governance, and corporate strategy. His passion for supporting a community built on creativity, inclusivity and respect originally drew him to serve on the Board. Colin lives in Black Mountain with his wife and two children, one of whom is a first-grader at ArtSpace. He enjoys exploring the country with his family in a camper, playing music, and anything outdoors.

David Earnhardt - Board Member

David Earnhardt is the Associate Director for Employer Relations at UNC Asheville. Prior to this role he was an Academic Advisor in the College of Management at UMass Boston, where he ran a co-curricular professional development program for more than 2,000 students. In his experience before UMass Boston, he was a Resident Director at Nichols College, and has formal training in radio broadcasting, management, sales, and promotions work. David holds a Bachelor's Degree in Communications & Master's Degree in College Student Personnel from Western Carolina University and has found a great deal of satisfaction working with college students. On a more personal note, environmental sustainability is a core value, he watches a ton of movies, and cares more about the Carolina Panthers than he probably should. David recently bought a home in the area, and plans to set deep roots in the community for years to come, which is why he was drawn to the board at ArtSpace.

Nicole Cockey - Board Member

Nicole teaches English at Owen High School, where she also serves as co-chair on the Restorative Practices Implementation & Leadership Team. She holds undergraduate degrees in English and Women's and Gender Studies from UNC Wilmington and a Master's in English from Western Carolina University. Before joining the staff at Owen High School, Nicole served as a teaching fellow with teachNOLA, a teacher residency program in New Orleans, and taught 7th and 8th language arts for an open-enrollment K-8 charter school for many years. Her son, Finn, enters ArtSpace as a kindergartner this year, and her daughter, Sasha, will follow suit once she reaches school age. Nicole currently serves as a parent representative on the PACE Board.

Jenny Heim - Board Member

Jenny Heim, AIA, LEED AP BD+C is a registered architect, LEED accredited professional, and works as a project manager and architect at McMillan Pazdan Smith Architecture. After receiving her Bachelor of Architecture degree from Penn State University, she pursued a Master of Architecture with a focus on Sustainable Design from the University of Texas at Austin. She’s worked on projects ranging from commercial, retail, office, higher education, and residential, many of which have received green building certifications. She is passionate about promoting and educating others about sustainability and how design can have a positive impact on our world. She lives in east Asheville with her husband and two children.

Caroline Crupi - Board Member

Caroline is the Assistant Director of ArtsAVL (formerly the Asheville Area Arts Council). Prior to her relocation to Western North Carolina, Caroline worked for the Museum of New Mexico Foundation as the Director of Leadership Giving for the Museum of International Folk Art in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Before her time in New Mexico, Caroline served as a professor of music, teaching at various institutions in and around the Piedmont Triad region, including University of North Carolina School of the Arts, Averett University, Greensboro Day School and the Music Academy of North Carolina. Caroline holds a BA in Music from Florida State University, and an MM and DMA in Voice Performance from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Caroline lives in Black Mountain with her husband, Daniel, and son, Ollie.

Annie Noel- Staff Representative

Annie Noel is a first-grade teacher at ArtSpace Charter School. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Visual Fine Arts and Sustainable Community Living from Northland College, an environmental liberal arts college in Wisconsin. Annie received her Master's in Teaching while completing a transition-to-teaching program, "Teach for America," in Indianapolis, Indiana. Prior to working at ArtSpace, Annie worked in the education department at the Toledo Museum of Art, where she developed community arts programs. Annie believes that arts integration and project-based learning are fundamental to building an enriching education rooted in critical thinking, social-emotional learning, and a growth mindset.