Board of Trustees

Rachel Amankulor

Ms. Amankulor is a long-time advocate for enabling greater high-quality educational opportunities for disadvantaged families. She is the former Director of PennCAN: The Pennsylvania Campaign for Achievement Now, a statewide advocacy organization working to enact commonsense reforms to ensure that every Pennsylvania child has access to a high-quality education.  Prior to moving to Pittsburgh, she worked as Assistant General Counsel at Success Academy Charter Schools in New York City, the largest and highest-performing charter school network in New York City, nationally known for eradicating both racial and income achievement gaps.

She can be reached at r.amankulor@catalystacademy.org

Majestic Lane has over 20 years of experience as a non-profit executive, municipal leader and social entrepreneur. Currently, Majestic is the Deputy Executive Director and Chief Strategy Officer for the Urban Redevelopment Authority of the City of Pittsburgh. Previously, Majestic was the Chief Equity Officer for the Allegheny Conference on Community Development. In this role, Majestic led the Conference’s efforts to advance economic equity and inclusion for the ten-county region of Southwestern Pennsylvania. Prior to his leadership at the conference, Majestic served as Deputy Chief of Staff and the inaugural Chief Equity Officer in the office of Mayor William Peduto where he established the city of Pittsburgh’s first Office of Equity and led the Peduto administration’s focus on opportunity for all residents of the City of Pittsburgh in Education, Workforce Development, Safe & Healthy Communities and Digital Inclusion.  Majestic has also served as a director on a number of boards including the Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh, Partner4Work & Repair the World. Majestic attended the University of Pittsburgh & Lives in North Point Breeze.

Allison McCarthyMs. McCarthy has devoted her entire career to working to achieve equity and excellence for all students. She spent seven years working at the Pittsburgh Public Schools (PPS) in a variety of leadership positions, including Executive Director of Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment, Director of Academic Initiatives, and the Gifted and Talented Coordinator,  Since 2016, Ms. McCarthy has been working for Teach For America where she currently serves as a vice-president. She holds a Pennsylvania Teaching certification and Principal certificate.

She can be reached at a.mccarthy@catalystacademy.org

Thomas WalenchokMr. Walenchok is a licensed certified public accountant in Pennsylvania with more than 28 years of experience in public accounting. He is a partner at Baker Tilly, providing assurance and consulting services to clients in the public sector, including higher education, not-for-profit and governmental organizations. His prior board experience includes serving as treasurer and board member of the Pittsburgh Three Rivers Marathon, Inc. and as treasurer for Our Lady of the Sacred Heart High School.

He can be reached at t.walenchok@catalystacademy.org

Carey HarrisMs. Harris is a long-time advocate for children and an experienced non-profit leader in Pittsburgh. She served for 13 years as Deputy and then Executive Director of A+ Schools. Currently, she is the CEO of Literacy Pittsburgh, and is also the former executive director of the Pennsylvania Early Learning Investment Commission where she worked to form successful public-private partnerships to advance access to high quality early learning. Ms. Harris serves on numerous state and local boards and committees. Most recently she was appointed to serve on the City of Pittsburgh’s Early Childhood Education Task Force.

She can be reached at c.harris@catalystacademy.org

Dr. Kaylan Moore is a passionate educator dedicated to ensuring that learners of all ages have access to high-quality educational experiences. Kaylan is skilled at conducting educational research for school districts, foundations, and nonprofit organizations. She has developed and delivered professional learning to hundreds of teachers and administrators across the country, working with companies such as Scholastic and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, as well as the Harvard Graduate School of Education. In her current role at Project Evident, Kaylan leads the Equitable Outcomes Wallet. This initiative aims to transform the way nonprofits access and utilize data and evidence to drive meaningful change. Kaylan earned a B.A. in English from Spelman College, M.Ed. in Literacy from Harvard Graduate School of Education, and Ph.D. in Language, Literacy, and Culture from the University of Pittsburgh.

She can be reached at k.moore@catalystacademy.org

Angela Segers joined the Catalyst Academy Board of Trustees in July 2025. Bio coming soon!

She can be reached at a.segers@catalystacademy.org

Erin StilingMs. Stiling is an experienced educator and educational consultant focusing on strategic planning, school effectiveness, whole-school improvement efforts, and literacy intervention. Prior to relocating to Pittsburgh, she served as Founding Director of Special Education and Dean of Curriculum and Instruction at a middle school in Boston within the nationally renowned Uncommon Schools charter school network. She was part of the team that helped Uncommon Schools generate the greatest student academic gains of any large charter network.  Previously, Ms. Stiling taught elementary school in Chicago Public Schools. She also serves as an Adjunct Faculty member for the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Education.

She can be reached at e.stiling@catalystacademy.org

Schedule of 2025-26 School Year Board of Trustees Meetings

Board meetings are held at:

Catalyst Academy Charter School
7061 Lemington Ave
Pittsburgh, PA 15206

Note: 2025-2026 school year board meetings can also be accessed online via Zoom as healthy and safety conditions warrant. The meeting information is updated a few days before each meeting.

All board meetings begin at 6pm unless otherwise noted.

Tuesday August 5, 2025  (Zoom Meeting ID: 839 2321 3655)

Tuesday September 2nd (Zoom Meeting ID: 839 2321 3655)

Tuesday October 7th (Zoom Meeting ID: 839 2321 3655)

Tuesday November 4th (Zoom Meeting ID: 839 2321 3655)

Tuesday December 2nd (Zoom Meeting ID: 839 2321 3655)

Tuesday January 6th, 2026 (Zoom Meeting ID: 839 2321 3655)

Tuesday February 3rd (Zoom Meeting ID: 839 2321 3655)

Tuesday March 3rd (Zoom Meeting ID: 839 2321 3655)

Tuesday April 7th (Zoom Meeting ID: 839 2321 3655)

Tuesday May 5th (Zoom Meeting ID: 839 2321 3655)

Tuesday June 2nd (Zoom Meeting ID: 839 2321 3655)

2025-2026 Board Finance & Audit Committee Meetings are held at 7061 Lemington Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15206. Online meeting information will be updated as health and safety conditions warrant. All Finance Committee meetings are held from 9:30-10AM unless otherwise noted below.

Wednesday July 30th, 2025 –  Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86939872895 (cancelled)

Wednesday August 27th – Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86939872895

Wednesday September 24th – Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86939872895

Wednesday October 29th – Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86939872895

Wednesday November 19th – Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86939872895

Wednesday December 17th – Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86939872895

Wednesday January 28th, 2026 – Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86939872895

Wednesday February 25th – Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86939872895

Wednesday March 25th – Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86939872895

Wednesday April 29th – Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86939872895

Wednesday May 27th – Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86939872895

Wednesday June 24th – Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86939872895

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2025-2026 Academic Committee Meetings are held at 7061 Lemington Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15206 on the last Monday of each month at 4:30-5:30 pm, except where italicized. No July, December, or May meetings. In person and via Zoom for health and safety or other factors.

Monday August 25th, 2025 –  Zoom link https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89310759071

Monday September 29th –  Zoom link https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89310759071

Monday October 27th –  Zoom link https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89310759071 

Monday November 24th –  Zoom link https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89310759071

Monday January 26th, 2026 –  Zoom link https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89310759071

Monday February 23rd –  Zoom link https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89310759071

Monday March 23rd –  Zoom link https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89310759071

Monday April 27th –  Zoom link https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89310759071

Monday June 22nd –  Zoom link https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89310759071