Our Board of Education
Board of Education 2026-2027 Vacancies
The Lake Norman Charter Board of Education is accepting applications to fill three vacancies beginning in the 2026-2027 school year. Open positions include the roles of:
We are seeking candidates from within the human resources, business/finance or educational fields with strong communication, organizational, analytical, and strategic thinking skills. Currently the board is seeking candidates who possess the skill set and experience needed for the Future Ready Committee, the Charter Renewal process, and for the position of Secretary.
The primary purpose of the board of education is to set policy, provide oversight and approve and oversee the management of the school budget. Our charter provides for the role of the board in the form of several committees: budget and finance, investment, audit and evaluation, governance, as well as several board-approved subcommittees that revolve around our strategic areas of focus and needs. Service on the board of education requires a time commitment as well as some prior knowledge and/or skill in the particular area. The board of education meets monthly, typically the first Wednesday evening of each month.
Applications are due FRIDAY MAY 1, 2026.
LNC Board Meetings
The LNC Board is comprised of 9 members. The board's primary responsibility is school governance and to create policy. Board meetings are held once a month, typically on the first Wednesday of each month. Meetings are held in the middle school media center beginning at 7:00 pm. You can view the LNC calendar here.
Public Comment at Board Meetings
Individuals interested in speaking at a public meeting may register by calling the middle school office at 704-948-8600 up to 48 hours prior to the meeting. Prior to speaking to the board, individuals/groups are expected to first follow the “problem resolution” pathway as outlined in the LNC Student Handbook.
Each speaker will be granted 3 minutes. If a group of people wishes to speak on the same topic, one group spokesperson must be selected to speak on behalf of everyone.
Any person who willfully interrupts, disturbs, or disrupts an official meeting and who, upon being directed to leave the meeting by the presiding officer, willfully refuses to leave the meeting may be found guilty of a Class 2 misdemeanor. G.S. 143-318.17.
Meet Our Board of Education
Mr. Greg Kilpatrick, Chair
Mr. Kilpatrick is a partner at McGuireWoods LLP, where he chairs the firm’s Securities and Capital Markets department. Over the past 20 years, he has worked with issuers on a number of complex securities offerings, including private placements, registered offerings, shelf registration statements and 144A offerings. Greg also represents issuers in their public offerings of derivative securities and structured products. In addition, Greg has extensive experience with private equity and private sector M&A transactions. He received his undergraduate degree in Economics from Hampton University and his Juris Doctor from the University of North Carolina. He is an active volunteer in the community, and has served on the Board of Directors of the YMCA of Greater Charlotte and of Hospice and Palliative Care Charlotte Region, and on the Executive Committee of the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce. He and his wife, Leisha, live in Huntersville and have three children; two currently attend LNC and one graduated from LNC in 2017.
Email: GKilpatrick@lncharter.org
Mr. Craig Randall, Vice-Chair
Mr. Randall currently serves as the Chief of the Criminal Division for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Western District of North Carolina, a position he has held since June of 2018. He received his undergraduate degree from Union College (Schenectady, NY) in 1993, majoring in economics, and his law degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1999. Mr. Randall spent six years in the Navy JAG Corps where he prosecuted courts-martial in Norfolk, Virginia, and served as a Staff Judge Advocate for a Navy Admiral in China Lake, California. Mr. Randall joined the U.S. Attorney's Office in Charlotte in July 2005 and has prosecuted/supervised a wide variety of federal cases ranging from violent crime to national security and white-collar fraud, among others. Between 2015 and 2023, Mr. Randall also served as an adjunct professor at UNC-Charlotte, teaching a graduate-level Information Technology course that focused on the legal, ethical and policy implications of developing technology. Mr. Randall and his wife, Cortney, live in Huntersville with their two children, one of whom attends LNC elementary.
Email: CRandall@lncharter.org
Mr. Andrew Palladino, Treasurer
Mr. Palladino brings over two decades of financial and operational leadership experience to Lake Norman Charter. He currently serves as Regional Controller for Enterprise Mobility, where he oversees financial operations for one of the company’s largest Regions. A proud Stonehill College graduate with a degree in Business Administration with a focus on Accounting, Andrew has built a career rooted in financial integrity, strategic growth and ethical leadership. His responsibilities have spanned financial statement preparation, budgeting, compliance, forecasting and facilities oversight. He’s also a three-time Exceptional Achievement Award in Business Management recipient, an honor earned by fewer than 10% of peers company-wide. Known for his collaborative spirit, strong ethics and commitment to continuous improvement, Andrew is excited about using his expertise to serve the LNC community, support the school’s mission and ensure financial stewardship. Andrew and his wife, Ashley, live in Huntersville with their three children, all of whom are LNC students.
Email: APalladino@lncharter.org
Ms. Amy Carr, Secretary
Ms. Carr is a long-standing supporter of the NC Charter School system. She has devoted much of her time and creative energies over the last 10 years learning about, developing programs for and supporting the unique needs of the charter schools her children attended. Most recently, Amy worked as Fundraising and Community Relations Coordinator at a local charter school. In this role, she successfully developed and implemented fundraising and communication strategies to help fund the growth of the intermediate and upper school campuses. Since becoming an LNC parent, she has been an active volunteer in many capacities. Outside of business hours, Amy shares her time and abilities with several non-profits including the Kennedy Strong Foundation and JDRF. She received her Bachelor's and Master’s degrees in Accounting from the University of Virginia. Amy and her husband, Jed, live in Concord with their two children, both recent graduates of LNC.
Email: ACarr1@lncharter.org
Ms. Nicole Benford
Ms. Benford is currently the Director of Niner Finances at UNC Charlotte where she leads a department that teaches Financial Literacy. She aims to ensure that students are graduating not just with their academic credentials but also with the life skills needed to manage their finances. Nicole has a Master's in Accounting from UNC Charlotte and has served on the Accounting Advisory Board of the Turner School of Accountancy. She has also served on the Board of the North Carolina Association of CPAs. Nicole and her husband, Julius, live in Charlotte and have 4 children, one of whom attends LNC.
Email: NBenford@lncharter.org
Mr. Jeffrey Flanagan
Mr. Flanagan serves as the General Manager of Carolina’s Dispatchable Generation– West at Duke Energy, where he provides strategic oversight and leadership for multiple regulated electric generation facilities. Mr. Flanagan has spent his career working in the utility industry where he held roles in project management, engineering, and operations leadership. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Paper Science & Engineering from North Carolina State University in 2002 and a Master of Business Administration from the University of South Carolina in 2007. Additionally, he is a licensed Professional Engineer. Jeff resides in Huntersville with his wife, Maggie. He has three daughters, two of whom attend LNC Middle School, with the third set to join LNC in the class of 2041.
Email: JFlanagan@lncharter.org
Mr. Jorge Gonzalez
Mr. Gonzalez is an HR professional who currently serves as a corporate HR director for Spectrum. He runs a department of 20 HR professionals who serve over 100,000 employees across the country. Jorge received his undergraduate degree from the University of Florida in 2012 with a Bachelor’s degree in History. Jorge has lived in the Lake Norman area since 2018 and has three young children, one of whom attends LNC Elementary. In 2024 he served on the LNC Future Ready Committee. He is also an active volunteer in local youth sports, coaching both basketball and baseball. Jorge is committed to ensuring our students receive real world career exposure and are prepared to become leaders in our community.
Email: JGonzalez@lncharter.org
Mr. Gray Morris
Mr. Morris is a Higher Education Consulting Director for Huron Consulting Group where he specializes in helping large R1 research universities optimize their accounting operations and achieve their long-term strategic initiatives. He possesses a broad range of operations, accounting and systems knowledge and leverages his more than 20 years of experience to quickly understand complex business problems and recommend dynamic, sustainable, technology-driven solutions. Prior to joining Huron, Gray spent nearly a decade leading finance business transformations at large research universities and global Fortune 500 companies while employed as a technology consultant for Deloitte and PricewaterhouseCoopers. Gray holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Old Dominion University and a Master of Science in Accountancy from Gardner-Webb University. Gray is passionate about giving back to our local and international communities through advocacy, charitable, and humanitarian efforts which support youth education, father’s rights, food security, mental health and natural disaster response. Gray and his wife, Morgan, live in Concord with their four children, two of whom are LNC students.
Email: GMorris@lncharter.org
Mr. Derik Screen
Mr. Screen is a distinguished fintech professional and entrepreneur with an extensive background in finance and business intelligence. With over 15 years of experience in the higher education sector, Derik currently contributes his expertise at UNC Charlotte’s OneIT - Financial Services division, while also enriching future leaders as an Adjunct Professor at the Belk College of Business. Derik holds a Bachelor of Science from The Virginia Military Institute, earned in 2004, and further advanced his education with a Master of Business Administration degree obtained in 2008. His academic and professional journey has been driven by a deep passion for education, particularly in the realms of emerging technologies such as cryptocurrency and artificial intelligence. These interests align seamlessly with his role at Lake Norman Charter, where he is dedicated to steering the school towards a "future-ready" curriculum. Previously, Derik has contributed his leadership to several notable boards including the Rockbridge County Regional Library Association, the Virginia Military Institute’s Diversity Commission, and the UNC Charlotte’s Staff Council. His experience in governance and strategy brings valuable perspectives to the Lake Norman Charter Board of Education. Derik lives in Huntersville with his wife, Katrina, and their two children, who are both proud attendees of Lake Norman Charter Middle School. Together, they are deeply embedded in the community, sharing a commitment to fostering educational excellence and innovation.
Email: DScreen@lncharter.org