Meet Our Board

John Pallasch | Chair

Email: jopallasch@carolusonlineacademy.org

John Pallasch serves as chair of the charter school board. Mr. Pallasch has extensive business leadership experience with more than 20 years in the public and nonprofit sectors. He was presidentially appointed as an assistant secretary in the U.S. Department of Labor from 2019–2021. During his time there, he created and implemented the One Workforce initiative; he was instrumental in drafting three significant pieces of the CARES Act and created multiple innovative pilots and new programs in the $1.7 billion Job Corps program. Mr. Pallasch is currently the founder and CEO of One Workforce Solutions in Aiken, whose mission is to facilitate, create, or advance results-driven partnerships across education, the workforce, human services, and economic development.Before his initiatives in the federal government, he was the executive director of the Office of Employment and Training for the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Mr. Pallasch earned a Juris Doctor from Pepperdine University School of Law and a BA in sociology from The Ohio State University. He is a current member of the California State Bar and District of Columbia Bar. Mr. Pallasch states, “We need to create multiple pathways and enhanced choice for students and parents to receive the highest education regardless of zip code.”

Dan Martin | Vice Chair

Email: dmartin@carolusonlineacademy.org

Dan Martin serves as the vice chair of the charter school board. Mr. Martin owns Dan Martin Allstate Insurance Agency in Charleston and is the president/CEO of D.H. Martin & Associates, Inc., a personnel staffing and consulting firm. Mr. Martin is the founder and executive director of the YouthQuest Foundation of Mt. Pleasant, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote self-sufficiency and educational success for low-income, at-risk children. Mr. Martin was the town administrator for Awendaw and serves as vice chairman of the Board of Elections and Voters Registration of Charleston County, where he served 14 years as board chairman. He is also a managing partner of Pathway Real Estate Group, LLC. Mr. Martin served in the United States Army for more than 20 years, holding leadership positions in research & development before retiring in 1997 with the rank of lieutenant colonel. Mr. Martin received a BS from Voorhees College in Denmark, South Carolina, and MBAs from Wharton and Chadwick University. He also holds two MAs in military science from Army War College and Command & General Staff College and is a graduate of the executive management course at Harvard.

Kristen Bell | Secretary

Email: kbell@carolusonlineacademy.org

Kristen Bell serves as secretary of the charter school board. Ms. Bell brings nearly 20 years of experience in government affairs and community leadership in legislative, political, communications, and project management to the charter committee. She is currently a K–4 preschool teacher for the Fountain Inn Homeschool Co-op in Fountain Inn. Before this, Ms. Bell served in a variety of political roles, including campaign manager for Grey Mills for lieutenant governor; legislative coordinator and manager, projects and communications for Stateside Associates, Inc.; special projects and field manager for the Republican National Committee; campaign manager for Boylan for North Carolina House; and field director for Patrick McHenry for U.S. Congress. Ms. Bell earned a BA in political science, cum laude, from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and studied Italian language and culture at the Istituto Italiano in Florence, Italy. Ms. Bell says, “As a strong advocate of school choice, I joined the founding board of COA to bring more quality, individualized education options to the families of South Carolina.”

Dr. Eric Mack | Treasurer

Email: emack@carolusonlineacademy.org

Dr. Eric Mack serves as treasurer of the charter school board. Dr. Mack has more than 20 years of experience in healthcare systems, with expertise in education, budget management, community outreach, leadership, and nonprofit operations. Currently, Dr. Mack is a pastor for the Bethany Baptist Church in Charleston and the enterprise imaging coordinator for the Medical University of South Carolina. Dr. Mack recently served as the board of trustees chair for the Charleston County School Board, where he led cultural competency efforts and facilitated many cultural competency trainings. Dr. Mack earned a Doctor of Divinity degree from International Seminary in Plymouth, Florida, and his master’s, bachelor’s, and associate’s degrees in Christian education from Andersonville Baptist Theological Seminary. Dr. Mack’s professional affiliations include the National School Board Association and the South Carolina School Board Association.

Charles Brooks

Email: cbrooks@carolusonlineacademy.org

Charles Brooks serves as a member of the charter school board. Mr. Brooks brings extensive experience to the charter committee as an attorney and is the owner/proprietor of the Law Office of Charles T. Brooks III in Sumter, specializing in criminal defense law; real estate law; probate, wills, and estate law; personal injury law; and family law. His previous legal experience includes serving as an associate attorney for the Law Office of Larry C. Weston in Sumter and as the assistant public defender of Sumter County. Mr. Brooks has experience in education teaching courses in paralegal studies as an adjunct professor for Central Carolina Technical College. Mr. Brooks earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law and a BA in sociology from Davidson College.

Gretchen Dobbs

Email: gdobbs@carolusonlineacademy.org

Rachel Migli

Email: rmigli@carolusonlineacademy.org

Rachel Migli serves as a member of the charter school board. Ms. Migli is currently a South Carolina certified teacher with an endorsement in biology and 12 years of experience in classroom management that includes skills in differentiated teaching strategies; real-world science experiences; learning and language target-based lesson planning; and collaboration with PLC, ESOL, and SPED teachers. Ms. Migli’s prior teaching experience includes 9th grade honors biology at West Ashley High School, 7th grade life science at Parkside Middle School and Beville Middle School, and as a substitute teacher with the Prince William County Public Schools in Virginia. She also has professional experience as a medical technologist at Lancaster General Hospital in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Ms. Migli earned a BS in medical technology from Gannon University, and she is board certified with the American Society of Clinical Pathologists, LG Hospital School of Medical Technology.