The Pinewood Preparatory School Board of Trustees recently elected four new members. Carolyn Baechtle, Kelly Knight, Ward Katsanis and Michael Meltzer will each serve a three-year term on the board. Pinewood is an independent, co-educational, college preparatory day school located in Summerville serving students in 3-year-old preschool through 12th grade.
“We welcome the talents and passion for education that our newest members bring to the long-term focus for Pinewood Preparatory School to ensure continued national recognition within our academic, fine arts, and athletic programs,” board chairman Dr. Chip Mann said.

Baechtle
Baechtle served as Assistant Head of School and Director of Admissions at Pinewood from 1999 to 2009. A former classroom teacher for nine years, she also served six years as a District Superintendent, four years as a Principal, and five years as an Assistant Principal. Baechtle also served as an Adjunct Instructor at Charleston Southern University teaching graduate level courses in school finance, school law, and curriculum development. She is also a former Assistant to the President of Belk Department Stores.
Baechtle was a member of the New Jersey Commissioner’s Council on Early Childhood Education, Secretary/Treasurer of the New Jersey Association of School Administrators, a member of the Kiwanis Club, and an Institutional Representative to the Boy Scouts of America. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in French/Elementary Education from Muhlenberg College, a Master of Arts in Educational Administration from Rowan University, and a Doctorate in Educational Administration from Nova Southeastern University.
Knight attended Pinewood when it was Summerville Academy and Pinewood-Summerville Preparatory School. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the College of Charleston and a JD from the University of South Carolina School of Law. Her daughter is a Pinewood third-grader.

Knight
Member of Knight Law Firm, LLC, Knight serves as Town Attorney for Ridgeville, was formerly Corporate Counsel for Summerville, is a member of the South Carolina Bar Judicial Qualifications Committee, Member of Dorchester County Procurement Appeals Board, Past President of Dorchester County Bar Association, and Past Board Member of Dorchester County Public Defender Corporation. Knight serves as a Board Member of the Greater Summerville/Dorchester County Chamber of Commerce where she serves as Chair of the Young Professional Council of GS/DC COC, Advisory Board Member of First National Bank of South Carolina, Past President and Member of Kiwanis Club of Summerville, Past Board Member of Dorchester Interfaith Outreach Ministries (Palmetto House), Summerville Rotary Club, and the Junior Service League of Summerville.

Kastanis
Katsanis is a graduate of the Cincinnati Country Day School in Cincinnati, Ohio. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry and Classics from Williams College and an MD from the University of Cincinnati. His residency was done at the University of Louisville and his Fellowship in Gynecologic Oncology was done at the University of Louisville.
Kastanis is currently a Gynecological Oncologist with Carolina Center for Gynecologic Oncology and an Adjunct Instructor in Obstetrics and Gynecology at MUSC. He was formerly an Assistant Professor in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Tennessee at Memphis and Clinical Instructor in Obstetrics and Gynecology at University of Louisville. He is a member of the South Carolina Medical Association, Charleston County Medical Association, and the South Carolina Obstetrical and Gynecologic Society. Ward is the parent of a Pinewood Senior, a Freshman, and a rising sixth-grader. His wife JeNae is a pre-school teacher at Pinewood.

Meltzer
Meltzer is the Executive Producer East Coast for M Creative Group. He is also an Independent Producer of feature films including “Up the Creek” (1984), “The Hidden” (1987), “Dead Heat” (1988), “Kalamazoo?” (2006), and “Freaky Deaky” (2010 in preproduction). Meltzer is the owner of a talent management company representing actors and writers and Former Vice President of Creative Affairs for Robert Cooper Films. A member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, he has served as a speaker and advisor to Pinewood Drama classes and productions.
Michael is involved with The Village Playhouse in Mt. Pleasant and the Charleston Acting Studio.  He holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Finance from the University of Southern California.