Nicki Sinclair graduated with her Bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education/ English from Kutztown University of Pennsylvania in 1998. She has a Master's degree in Executive Leadership from Gardner Webb University and has held her North Carolina K-12 Principal License since 2011.

Nicki has over 22 years of experience in education. She launched her career teaching 8th grade language arts in Davidson County before moving to Charlotte in 2003. In CMS, she taught high school English and middle school language arts for several years. Nicki then had the opportunity to begin teaching at another local charter school where she taught 7th grade language arts for seven years and served as team lead for three of those years. During her time as team lead, Nicki collaborated with teachers and families to ensure student success, built a strong grade-level community, and was able to confirm her desire to help teachers and positively impact students from an administrative position. During this time, Nicki earned her Master's degree and served as a principal intern.

Nicki's belief in seeing students as individual learners with individual needs is what drew her to Corvian Community School in 2015. Initially, she served as the principal of the middle school while simultaneously planning for the launch of the high school. In 2018, Nicki became the Director of High School Education and built the high school program from the ground up, adding one grade every year. She presided over the first two graduating classes and saw students matriculate to various colleges and universities, including competitive schools like Davidson, Chapel Hill, Virginia Tech, and NC State. Under Nicki's leadership, the high school earned accreditation through Cognia, navigated the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic, was placed on the College Board Honor Roll for its strong AP program, and exceeded growth based on NCDPI metrics. She did all of this while staying true to the basic school philosophy that Corvian was founded on, creating a strong, inclusive community of learning. 

During the 2023-2024 school year, Nicki transitioned to the role of Executive Director. In this role, she led efforts to address gaps in Corvian's policies, improve communication with parents and staff, nurture a working relationship with the Cardinal PAC, reestablish the Cardinal Athletic Boosters, and restructure a variety of financial, curricular, and personnel matters. Nicki is passionate about ensuring the long-term health and well-being of the school, its students, and its staff, and she is so excited to lead Corvian into the future. 

In his 19th year of education, Christopher Shaffer joins us and comes full circle back to Charlotte, NC. Christopher started his education journey as a CMS teacher at University Meadows Elementary School. He was then selected to be one of the founding team leaders to launch Berewick Elementary School where he led both third grade and kindergarten. During his time at Berewick, he earned his National Board Teacher Certification. 

Christopher then found himself relocating to Rochester, New York where he worked for 13 years at Uncommon Schools. There, he served as Dean of Curriculum and Instruction where he wrote and oversaw all curriculum, led the school’s data response planning, as well as led the school in the capacity of assistant principal. As Christopher led, he earned his master's degree in educational leadership both at the building and district level from St. John Fisher University. After that, from 2014-2016, Christopher decided to expand his leadership knowledge and achieved the highest distinction at the Relay Graduate School of Education’s National Principal Academy Fellowship. 

In 2016, Christopher opened his own school in the heart of Rochester. During this time, he demonstrated a proven track record of achieving great results for students. Most recently his 3rd and 4th graders surpassed the home district by more than 50% in math and exceeded the New York State average in both 3rd and 4th grades on the New York State Test. Christopher also led his school in being the model for the integration of social and emotional learning. He and his entire team were professionally recorded to serve as a resource for other schools across the country. Christopher’s focus on the whole child has allowed many teachers and students to flourish under his leadership. In recent years Christopher was one of three of Uncommon Schools' Elementary Principals of the Year and Founder’s Award recipients. 

In his last two years at Uncommon Christopher served in the role of Senior Principal. During this time, he continued to run his own school while coaching and supporting other leaders across multiple campuses. This allowed him to expand his impact beyond his own campus and bring alignment to the region. 

This year, Christopher achieved the status of Platinum Leader (the highest level of distinction) at the Leverage Leader Institute, a program that selects 20 of the best school leaders from across the country, demonstrating excellence in the areas of staff culture, student culture, data driven instruction, observation and feedback, professional development, and curriculum and planning. 

Now Christopher finds himself back in Charlotte to be closer to his family. He, his husband Steven, and two dogs Bubbas and Mabel are so happy to be back where it all started. Christopher is so incredibly excited and humbled to lead Corvian’s elementary school, and he is excited to preserve all the things that make Corvian great. He is committed to raise the bar of excellence to achieve amazing outcomes for students and families. 

Holly Chapman graduated from UNC Charlotte with a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education. She also received her Master’s degree from UNC Charlotte with a focus on gifted education, and is currently in the school administration add-on licensure program at UNC Wilmington to obtain her K-12 principal license. 

She began her teaching career in Fort Riley, KS where her husband was stationed with the Air Force. She taught second grade on post and loved the community within the military families. She found Corvian in 2013 and has been here ever since. From the moment she walked through Corvian’s doors, she fell in love with its whole-child philosophy, nurturing atmosphere, and community feel. Throughout her years at Corvian, she has taught second, third, and fifth grades, as well as served as Corvian's AIG coordinator/teacher and testing coordinator. She launched Corvian’s first AIG program in 2016 and provided resources to teachers to enrich instruction within the general education setting. During her time as testing coordinator, she ensured compliance with state-mandated policies. In her role as Associate Director of Elementary Education she assists in managing the day to day building operations, providing instructional leadership and professional development to staff, and overseeing curriculum development activities. She is passionate about building positive relationships with students, parents, and staff. She is committed to ensuring the development of the whole child: cognitively, physically, and social-emotionally. 

Holly currently lives in Denver with her husband and their two children. She enjoys baking, exercising, crafting, and spending time with her family. Holly is excited about the direction that Corvian is going and is looking forward to finding even more student success in the new elementary school building in August. 

Tarrah Jackson is a veteran educator with over twenty years of experience in both public and charter school settings. Tarrah earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Special Education from Ohio University in 1999. After serving as a special education teacher for a year with Princeton City Schools, she accepted a full scholarship to Northeastern Illinois University to pursue a Master of Arts in Inner City Studies. While earning her Master’s degree, she interned as a graduate student Archivist for the Secretary of State and worked as a special education teacher in a K-8 Chicago Public School. 

After completing her Master’s degree in 2002, she continued to work as a special educator in multiple districts, teaching both elementary and middle school students for the next thirteen years. During this time she continued to hone her skills in the areas of literacy and leadership. While teaching middle school English in Flint, Michigan, she became a certified Wilson Reading practitioner, trained staff in Step Up to Writing, and served on the district level compliance monitoring team. She continued to teach Reading after relocating to Fairfax County, VA. While teaching middle school there, she participated in a year-long intensive professional development focused on Adolescent Literacy with Kyleene Beers and Bob Probst. This allowed her to partner with staff within her school and district wide.

In 2009, her family relocated to the Charlotte area and Tarrah began working as a K-5 special education teacher for Rock Hill Schools. During her tenure there she was recognized multiple times for her contributions to the educational community. Tarrah was awarded Teacher of the Year and received district awards for Quality Instruction and Design and Creating a Nurturing Environment. In an effort to share her experience and knowledge with others she began providing district level professional development and serving on district level committees related to improving student learning outcomes. In 2015, while working in Rock Hill Schools, she earned a Master of Arts in Executive Leadership from Gardner Webb University. In 2017, and wanting to be closer to home, she began working as a special education teacher at a Charlotte area charter school. At the same time she held a position at Winthrop University as an adjunct professor, teaching a course on Characteristics of Students with Learning Disabilities. The following year she transitioned into the role of K-5 Assistant Principal of Curriculum and Instruction. During her six years of service as an Assistant Principal, Tarrah has enjoyed building relationships with students as well as partnering with staff and families to create a school culture that is committed to student growth and excellence. 

When not at school you can find Tarrah in the stands cheering on her sons in various sports. She is an avid reader, who also enjoys cooking and spending time with family and friends. Tarrah is excited to join the Corvian School Community family and looks forward to continuing to move Corvian onward and upward.

Sierra Davis is a passionate, thoughtful and collaborative educator and school leader. Sierra graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Political Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2018. In May 2024, Sierra will receive her Master’s degree, also from UNC, in School Administration and will be a candidate for licensure through NCDPI.

Sierra has been teaching for 5 years, working with students ranging from Kindergarten to 6th grade. In 2021, Sierra started her very own private tutoring and consulting business where she worked with teachers and students K-12. Sierra has also held several leadership positions, such as PLC leader, New Teacher Coach and completed a Principal Internship as part of her Master’s degree program.

Sierra’s education philosophy centers on equitable, culturally-responsive, best practices for instruction and possesses a deeply held belief that all children can learn given the appropriate support.

Sierra is looking forward to learning and growing alongside the Corvian staff, faculty and students next year!

Rebekah DiGavero has over 20 years of teaching experience ranging from grades 3-12. In the classroom, she helps students succeed by building an authentic learning community marked by student choice, skills-based coaching, and a growth mindset. Rebekah has a proven track record of helping her students achieve strong results on end-of-grade and AP testing. In addition to teaching in the classroom, Rebekah has served in a variety of administrative roles in private, public, and charter schools that have allowed her to advocate for students and teachers. She has extensive experience in providing professional development, managing vertical alignment, and developing academic programs across subject areas and grade levels.

Rebekah holds a Bachelor's Degree in English Education, as well as a Master's in English Education with a concentration in curriculum and instruction. She is certified to teach three AP courses and, over the years, many of her classes have achieved a 100% pass rate. 

Rebekah joined Corvian in 2018 when the high school launched. In various capacities, she has collaborated with staff and administration to build a strong academic program and to develop student programming including Corvian's Student Ambassador Program, the AP Capstone Program, and Corvian’s chapter of Key Club. Additionally, she played a vital role in developing student recognition opportunities. Rebekah also serves as the Director of Camp Corvian and has built it into a thriving program. At Corvian, Rebekah works with other administrators to strengthen the academic program and provide support to teachers in the classroom. Rebekah looks forward to continuing to partner with teachers and families as Corvian continues to grow and thrive.

Jen Rolls holds a Bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Colorado, Boulder and a Master’s degree in Education and Human Development from the University of Colorado, Denver, where her focus on adolescent brain development and executive function skills informs her approach to guiding students toward college readiness.

With over twenty years of experience, Jen has served in various roles in all levels of education, from teaching and coaching middle school students to her most recent position as the Associate Director of Family Engagement at Davidson College. Her tenure with Quantum Learning took her across the globe, teaching students in the US, Malaysia, Singapore, and Hong Kong, where she emphasized building relationships, communication skills and literacy. Prior to relocating to North Carolina, Jen served as the Dean of Academic and Career Advising at Colorado Early Colleges, where she led the academic advising team, designed and taught college readiness courses, and empowered students to achieve post-secondary credentials upon high school graduation. Certified as an Academic Life Coach, Clifton Strengths Coach, and Global Career Development Facilitator, Jen is deeply committed to helping students understand their unique strengths and learning styles to achieve academic excellence.

Jen values a school environment where students and families feel a sense of belonging, safety, and community, viewing education as more than just a curriculum but as a transformative journey toward personal and academic growth. She is excited to serve on the administrative team at Corvian Community School and contribute to the mission and vision of supporting the whole child and developing high achieving, happy, healthy students.