Board of Directors

Dustin Embrey, Chair

Dustin joined the Board in February 2021 and is the Executive VP for the enterprise software company Rival. He received his Master’s Degree from Central Michigan and his Bachelor’s Degree from Radford University. Dustin and his wife have three daughters, with two currently attending ECS and the youngest starting as a kindergartner in the fall of 2024. In his spare time, Dustin loves sports, cooking, exercising, and spending time with his family.

Heather joined the Board in March 2023 and is a member of the Finance Committee. She holds a B.S. in Accounting from North Carolina State University and an M.S. in Accounting from Appalachian State University. A licensed CPA, Heather has more than fifteen years of experience in auditing and accounting, with a focus on nonprofit organizations and foundations.

She currently serves as Director of Finance at Ravenscroft School, where she oversees the school’s financial operations. Before joining Ravenscroft, Heather held finance leadership roles with the Friends of the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, the North Carolina Aquarium Society, and Carolina Meadows.

Heather and her husband, John, have lived in Wake Forest since 2017 and have two daughters who attend Endeavor Charter School. She is excited to be part of the Endeavor family and to support the school and its mission through strong financial governance.

Tracy DeMarco, Secretary

Tracy joined the Endeavor Board in June 2017.  She received a B.A. in English from Duke University and a J.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, but she always roots for the Blue Devils.  A Wake Forest native, Tracy is a litigator in the Raleigh office of McGuireWoods LLP where she has practiced since relocating from Washington, D.C. in 2014.  Tracy lives in Wake Forest with her husband, Paul, and three sons. Tracy is glad to be a part of the Endeavor family and enjoys serving the community. 

Jaclyn Parks, Board Member

Jaclyn joined the Endeavor Board in April 2019.  Originally from Greensboro, Jaclyn has been happy to call the Triangle home since 1996.  She is a proud Journalism School graduate from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, but found her calling in event planning and graphic design.  She is currently the Director of Home Tours & Events for the Home Builders Association of Raleigh-Wake County but spent ten years prior to that planning weddings and other social events. She and her husband Dan have lived in Wake Forest since 2006 and have two daughters and one crazy Plott Hound (the North Carolina State Dog!). 

David joined the Endeavor Board in February 2021. He received a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. A Raleigh native, David is the Director of Innovative Finance for the North Carolina Turnpike Authority where he has served in various roles since 2013. David lives in Wake Forest with his wife, Kristen, and their four children, three of whom are currently attending ECS. He is glad to be a part of the Endeavor family and to support the community by serving on the Board and its Finance Committee.

Katrina joined the Board in March of 2023. She received a B.A. in Communication Studies and Spanish from Clemson University and a J.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Katrina is a Business and Tort Litigation Partner at Jones Day and lives in North Raleigh with her husband, Jesse, and their two children who attend ECS. Katrina is thrilled to be a part of the Endeavor family and to support the school by serving on the Board and its Governance Committee.

Kristen joined the Board in March 2023. She has a B.A. in Elementary Education and a Masters in School Administration from University of North Carolina-Wilmington. Kristen has 12 years of education experience in Wake County as a teacher, instructional facilitator, intervention coordinator, testing coordinator, and most recently as an Administrator. She lives in Wake Forest with her husband, Mike, and their two children, both of whom attends ECS. Kristen is excited to be part of the Endeavor school community and to support the school through various multitudes.

Meg joined the Endeavor Board in 2025. She earned a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of North Carolina Wilmington, as well as a B.S. in Nutrition and an M.S. in Traditional Chinese Medicine from the Midwest College of Oriental Medicine. She currently serves as Development Manager for the Environmental Research and Education Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to funding environmental research and scholarships. Meg is the proud parent of two Endeavor students and is excited to actively contribute to the Board and its Community Development Committee.

Tomas Helfrich joined the Endeavor Charter School Board in 2025 and serves on the Community Development Committee and serves as the Foundation Committee Liaison. He is a Specification Engineer for Leviton Network Solutions, currently serving the Mid-Atlantic Region. Tomas has had a career in Program and Project Management since 2011, serving varying industries, such as: Manufacturing, Life-Sciences, Technology and Regulatory. Tomas graduated from SUNY Oneonta with a B.A. in Fine Art and Design.

Originally from Port Jefferson, NY, Tomas moved to Wake Forest in 2017 with his wife Marlene and their first son. Their second son was born in North Carolina, rounding out their family of four. Both Keagan and Walter are attending ECS this year, one in Middle School and one in Elementary School, respectively. The Helfrich’s enjoy an active lifestyle, consisting mostly of sports (baseball, hockey, and football) and arts (music, crafts, carpentry), and they look forward to contributing to the ECS family.

Dan joined the Endeavor Board in May 2025. He attended Elon University and has spent more than 15 years in corporate real estate, where he leads the Raleigh office of Vestian Global Workplace Services and advises companies on complex office and industrial real estate decisions. 

A Raleigh resident since 2000, Dan is also active in the community, having previously served as Treasurer, Vice President, and President of the Food Runners Collaborative. 

He enjoys coaching youth baseball, basketball, and softball, and continues to play competitive baseball himself. Two of his children are current ECS students, and he is grateful for the opportunity to serve the school community as a member of the Board.

Andrew MacDougall joined the Endeavor Charter School Board in 2025 and serves on the Finance Committee. He is a Financial Advisor with Baird in Raleigh/Wake Forest, with a career in financial services dating back to 2009. Before joining Baird, Andrew was a Software Engineering Manager at Northwestern Mutual, where he helped develop financial planning software.

Originally from Cold Spring Harbor, NY, Andrew moved to Raleigh in 2016 with his wife, Merissa. He graduated from Fairfield University in Connecticut with a degree in Finance and Economics. In addition to his work with Endeavor, he is the committee chair for the Young Professionals at the Wake Forest Area Chamber of Commerce and coaches his daughters’ soccer team.

Andrew and his family live in Wake Forest, where they enjoy an active lifestyle, prioritizing health, spending time outdoors, and being with friends. Their daughters, Scarlett and Savannah, are both proud ECS students.