ROSWELL, Ga. – Swift School’s Head of School Chris Pomar (center, above) announced today that seven new board members will join the school’s board of trustees. Rachael Barron, Sally Galanti, Greg Gerhard, Josh Hargrove, Kevin Lennon, Aaron Phillips, and Ashley Quackenbush will begin their first term in August. 

"These seven individuals bring a broad array of expertise and professionalism, but above all else a desire to support Swift School and its mission," Pomar stated. "I am grateful for their willingness to make our school one of their top volunteer priorities and I look forward to the positive impact they will make. It’s critical for our board to possess a range of talents and contacts, and this group adds many unique talents to Swift’s governing board."

Rachael Barron has partnered with Swift School to deliver faculty professional development in executive function skills and her Grit and Growth Mindset student workshop. Barron created and trademarked The Effective Student Method™ which simplifies academic management through a step-by-step curriculum and allows students to track their results and experience improvement. Effective Students has offices in Atlanta and Charlotte, N.C. The organization offers workshops, camps, and resources for parents, teachers, personalized coaching for students, and student-athletes. She is the parent of dyslexic students and understands Swift’s unique place in the academic landscape of greater Atlanta. 

 Sally Galanti is a licensed child and adolescent psychologist in Georgia who is in private practice. She specializes in assessment of ADHD, anxiety and learning disorders. She has experience working with a wide range of ages from children to college-aged young adults. Dr. Galanti obtained her Ph.D. in psychology with an emphasis in school psychology from North Carolina State University. Prior to working in private practice, Dr. Galanti worked at the Ethan D. Schafer Center for Learning Differences at Lawrence School. She was instrumental in helping to create the Swift Enrichment Continuum’s reading screening program, which offers free reading screenings to kindergarten through third grade students in the community.

Greg Gerhard is the father of a current Swift School student and serves on Swift’s Capital Campaign Committee. Gerhard has had an impressive career in finance, serving as a Client Manager at Suntrust, Director of Grantmaker Education & Strategic Partnerships at the Southeastern Council of Foundations, Chief Financial and Operations Officer at Financial Development Systems, and most recently, as Partner at Merit Financial Advisors. He currently serves as an at-large consultant to Merit and remains a partner in the firm.

 Josh Hargrove is a Swift School alumnus and becomes the first former student to sit on the school’s board. A former collegiate lacrosse player, Hargrove holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from LaGrange College. Following graduation in 2023, Hargrove began work in the brain injury unit at the Shepherd Center in Atlanta. His main responsibility is to ensure that patients are medically stable to make it through the day’s therapy sessions. Hargrove’s patients work with occupational, physical, and speech therapists to reconnect the brain’s neurons so they can return to their normal life. Josh currently works at Children’s Medical Center in Dallas Texas as a registered nurse. 

Kevin Lennon currently serves as the Chief Financial Officer for Advanced Care Partners, a leading pediatric healthcare company specializing in supporting children with complex medical needs across Georgia, Florida, and Texas. Lennon has more than 15 years of experience in the finance industry working across multiple industries including healthcare, real estate, and consumer banking. Since 2014, he has dedicated time as a volunteer for the Association for Financial Professionals and participated in the working group that developed the beta test for the Certified Corporate Financial Planning and Analysis Professional (FPAC) credential.

Aaron Phillips is a seasoned entrepreneur with over two decades of experience in construction, development, and mergers and acquisitions. He is the  Founder and CEO of Oakley Services, an innovative family office and industrial services portfolio company. Currently, Phillips operates six successful contracting firms including AMCON Industrial, LaborWorx, BoldAir Mechanical, RIGUPATL, Helix, and DivvyWorx. He and his wife are the partners of Home Plate Baseball Club in Peachtree City.  

Ashley Quackenbush is a current parent and has been instrumental in revamping the Swift Parent Association, serving as the chair during the 2023-24 school year. She is a fierce and passionate advocate for Swift and is currently a parent volunteer on the Swift Capital Campaign Committee. Her professional background in human resources, recruiting, marketing, and accounting only partially prepared her for being the CEO of her three-boy household and volunteering at Swift.

Please join us in welcoming these new board members. For more information on Swift School or to inquire how we can help your child with a language-based learning difference, ADHD, or executive functioning diagnosis, please call (678) 205-4988 or email admissionassociate@theswiftschool.org.