BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Jennifer Wheeler is the Founder and Treasurer of Live Oak Academy of the Lowcountry, where she oversees the organization’s financial strategy and long-term growth. She holds a Master’s degree in Entrepreneurship and a Bachelor’s degree in Family and Consumer Sciences, bringing both business expertise and a people-centered approach to her leadership.

A Hilton Head Island resident since 2014, Jennifer and her husband, Jason, are local business owners who founded Hilton Head Island Boat Rentals and Sales and also own Carolina Canvas, a marine services company serving the Lowcountry boating community.

Inspired by her own children, Jennifer established Live Oak Academy of the Lowcountry from the need for an inclusive educational option that supports both accelerated learning and individualized instruction within a single school environment.

Susannah Winters is a co-founder and owner of Hilton Head Island Coffee Roasters but her connection to the Lowcountry goes beyond the local coffee scene. Raised just outside New York City, Susannah was homeschooled by her mother—an experience that gave her a firsthand appreciation for alternative educational paths and a lifelong love of learning.

Before settling into business leadership, Susannah spent years as a competitive athlete. A kayaker who competed in national and world championships as well as the Olympic Trials, she learned early on the value of discipline and perseverance. After retiring from sport in 2008, she spent a decade with Lululemon Athletica, where she focused on community building, large-scale team leadership, and mentoring new managers across the country.

Now a dedicated member of the Hilton Head community, Susannah brings her experience in leadership and operations to the Board of Live Oak Academy. Having transitioned from the world of elite athletics to corporate mentorship and then to local entrepreneurship, she is passionate about supporting an environment where students are encouraged to pursue their own unique journeys with excellence and resilience.

Lynn Cuccaro is a global educator with more than 25 years of experience in educational leadership, strategic design, and professional development. Deeply committed to lifelong learning, she holds dual master’s degrees in Curriculum and Instruction and in Gifted Education.

As the Founder of The Global Collaborative, Lynn partners with innovative schools and organizations to design sustainable systems that expand what is possible in teaching and learning. Her career spans roles as an educator, director, consultant, curriculum developer, and member of school accreditation teams, working with schools across the United States, Canada, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.

Lynn has collaborated with education organizations including the International Baccalaureate, Toddle, the Center for Advanced Studies in International Education, Sphere International Seminar, Nassau Tract Teacher Center, the Maine State Department of Education, the Spear Center for Excellence in Teaching, and the World Forum Foundation.

In her local community, Lynn has served as Interim Director of the First Presbyterian Day School, a play-based, Reggio-inspired nature preschool, and has held board positions with the Sandbox Children’s Museum and Island Academy.  After years of supporting schools internationally, she is passionate about fostering educational innovation and excellence right here at home.

Sophia Catsambis is Professor Emerita of Sociology at Queens College and

the Graduate Center of the City University of New York (CUNY). She received her Ph.D. from New York University. For 35 years, she trained undergraduate and graduate students in sociology of education, data analytics and statistics. At Queens College, Catsambis served as Director of the MA Program in Data Analytics and Applied Social Research. 

Her research focuses on national equity concerns in education through large-scale longitudinal survey data. She has studied gender and race differences in STEM performance and opportunity; inter-relationships among family, community, and school; ability grouping and tracking in elementary and secondary education; parentalinvolvement in secondary education; social equality in access to higher education. 

Her work has received national attention and has been published in major peer-reviewed education journals. Catsambis has received several major research awards, including awards from the National Institutes of Health (NICHD), National Science Foundation (NSF), U.S. Department of Education, and Ford Foundation. She has served in honorific positions such as Research Associate at the Center for Research on the Education of Students Placed at Risk (CRESPAR) at Johns Hopkins University, Research Consultant at the Office of Institutional Research, CUNY, and member of National Review Panels for NSF, NCES, U.S. Department of Education, and American Association of University Women.