Committed Parents, Educators & Community Members
Wild Oak Independent School is a nonprofit organization governed by a Board of Directors. We are a small team of committed parents, educators, and community members with a range of experiences and backgrounds. While we are all different, we share a love for children, education, and our Western North Carolina community.
Wild Oak’s leadership model is one of collaboration, democratic decision-making, and transparency. Our community is intentionally small; all voices, including students’ and their families, will be heard.
Wild Oak Founders
Cecily Rouse Timmons
Co-Founder
Cecily has worked with nonprofit organizations for over fifteen years, focused primarily on fundraising and communications. She has a Master’s in English and is working on her Ph.D. in Rhetorics, Communication and Information Design at Clemson.
Cecily is excited for Wild Oak to come to fruition so that she can witness children embracing curiosity, experiencing wild inspiration, and feeling the empowerment of education.
Lindsay Jalonen
Co-Founder
Lindsay has worked extensively with children and mental health since graduating with her BA in psychology, including direct counseling in a therapeutic wilderness setting.
The Jalonens dream of a school that embraces the beauty and natural curiosity of childhood as a central component in the learning process.