Board of Directors
Ms. Cheri HallPresident of the Board of Directors of Mojave Academy
Executive Director of Mojave Academy
Cheri Hall has been interested in education and helping others since she was very young. She even gathered the neighborhood kids together to run “school” when she was in elementary school. Cheri started to teach nursery school at the age of 15. She ran a Brownie Troop when she was 19 years old while going to college to get a teaching degree. She graduated in 1973 and has been teaching ever since. She has additionally been trained as an Applied Scholastics teacher and as a Supervisor for supervising training courses. Since 1975 she has worked in Applied Scholastics schools all but 5 years. Those 5 years she worked at Narconon Chilocco, a drug rehabilitation center in Oklahoma. There she also helped the clients that were semi-literate to learn to read and thus be able to do the program.
Cheri Hall has been with the Mojave Academy since the very beginning planning days for the school in Datil, New Mexico. She is the Executive Director of the school and also the head teacher.
Dr. Charles Prenner
Vice President of the Board of Directors of Mojave Academy
Charles J. Prenner has been on the Board of Directors of the Mojave Academy since 2001. Dr. Prenner received his Ph. D from Harvard University in 1972. Subsequent to that he was an Assistant Professor of Computer Science at both Harvard and the University of California at Berkeley. In 1978 he became a systems developer at Xerox Corporation’s Advanced Systems Division. After taking a few years off from the computer industry, he joined RealWorld Corporation (an accounting software company) and was both Training Director and then later Design Director. In 1993, he and a former colleague formed Advanced Logics, Inc., a software consulting company, and while at Advanced Logics, Dr. Prenner designed many software systems for various corporations such as McKessson and Lincoln Life Insurance Company.
Currently, Dr. Prenner is Vice President of Research and Development for CAT CORP, where he designs proprietary stock and option trading software. Additionally his son attended our school for a few years.
Dr. John Vasko
Officer of the Board of Directors of Mojave Academy
Dr. John Vasko was an associate Chiropractor from 1983-1985, and then opened his own private practice in 1985. He has since opened or ran a total of four successful Chiropractic practices, held Chiropractic licenses in five states and was a member of the International Chiropractic Society, American Chiropractic Society and New Jersey Chiropractic Society. He has been a successful business owner since 1985. He is a regular contributor to his local church, both of his time and finances, and has been a big support to Mojave Academy as well. He has three children, all of whom attended Mojave Academy through most of their schooling. He has been on our Board of Directors for the last six years.
Joanne Cali
Secretary of the Board of Directors
Joanne Cali earned a Bachelor’s Degree from Carnegie-Mellon University in 1983, and worked as a remedial teacher in Florida private schools in the 90s. Prior to that, Joanne had secretarial experience working for a fund-raising office in the 70s, as well as several law offices in the 80s. She has been a key board member for Mojave Academy during the last six years.
Joan Vasko
Board Member for Mojave Academy
Joan joined Mojave Academy in 2000, enrolling her three children in the school while herself training to be a teacher. She held the position of Life Basics In-Charge for many years before moving on to work full time for her church. She is now an Executive for her local church, and her three children are all doing very well in life after having had the good results from our programs.
Staff of Mojave Academy
Cheri Hall
Executive Director and Head Teacher
She is also the President of the Board Directors as described above.
Kendra Copelan
Executive Secretary for Communications and Marketing
Member of the Board of Directors
Kendra’s duties at the school include hiring, training, communications, Ethics Officer and marketing. She is also the Executive in charge of both Estates and Treasury. Kendra has worked in organizations using L. Ron Hubbard’s Administrative Technology since 1988 and has used the Study Technology applied in our school all of her life. She tutored students for a couple years as a youth volunteer at Applied Scholastics in Los Angeles, and has always wanted to work with children. After working for her church full time for eight years, she joined Mojave Academy staff in 2001 and has two children of her own attending the academy.
Laurel Copelan
Estates Manager
Member of the Board of Directors
His duties include care for all buildings, grounds and vehicles, as well as planning and executing construction for our future school buildings.
Helyn Dunn
Public Secretary and Registrar
Helyn has been using the administrative technology of L. Ron Hubbard for many years before coming to Mojave Academy. She worked in an Applied Scholastics school in Clearwater for a few years and has worked in other organizations in executive capacities. She is a trained Public Relations Officer, a published writer and poet and a wonderful mother (her son attends our academy).
Randell Whaley
Treasury Secretary
Randell is responsible for collecting tuition and handling school bills. Additionally he does music lessons and marksmanship with the students, as well as tends Mojave Academyʼs garden during the growing months.
Jessica Qureshi
Director of Technical Services and part-time teacher
Jessica has been trained to one of the highest levels of an Applied Scholastics supervisor. She has been with Mojave Academy for over a year.
Lena Laughlin
Teacher
Lena has worked as a Teacher for Mojave Academy for two years. She has done basic training as a teacher and also acts as our Drama and Art teacher.
