Board of Trustees

Board Trustee and SFGS Founder and teacher Lee Lewin with President of the Board Craig Barnes

Craig Barnes M.A, J.D., President
Craig is a former civil rights attorney who represented Denver’s nurses in the nation’s first comparable worth wage case and who, at one time, obtained the highest settlement for a woman in a wage case in Colorado’s history. He is the author of In Search of the Lost Feminine, an exploration of the archeological and mythological origins of patriarchy. His stage play, “King’s Yellow”, presented the case for Mary Sidney, countess of Pembroke, as the true author of Shakespeare plays.

Laura Holt, M.A.
Laura earned her M.A. in librarianship from the University of Denver. She is currently a librarian at the School of American Research. She spent 25 years as a librarian at the laboratory of Anthropology, Museum of New Mexico. She maintains professional memberships in the American Society of Indexers, the New Mexico Library Association and the New Mexico Book Association.

Bruce Miller, M.B.A., Vice President
Bruce received a B.S. degree in Civil Engineering from Carnegie-Mellon University and an MBA from the University of Chicago. He has worked in the field of corporate finance for over 30 years and currently is working as a finance executive with three technology companies in Santa Fe and also serves on the board of directors of the Santa Fe Business Incubator. Bruce’s two daughters are recent graduates of the Santa Fe Girls’ School.

Lee Lewin, B.A.
Lee is a co-founder of the Santa Fe Girls’ School and a professional educator. She serves as the educational director for the School. She is licensed by the state of New Mexico to teach grades K through 8 and has earned the state’s bilingual education endorsement. She holds two undergraduate degrees, one in Russian language and literature and the other in education. Lee devotes volunteer time to the community in the area of civic affairs.

Janet Graham, M.A
Janet is the school’s administrator. She has over 30 years of teaching and administrative experience. She earned her undergraduate degree in education from Colorado State University and holds a graduate degree from St. John’s College.

Melissa Benedict, Secretary-Treasurer
Melissa earned a Bachelor of Liberal Arts from St. John’s College and a Masters of Arts in Psychology from the Goddard Graduate Program. She also studied comparative literature as a graduate student at UNM and returned to study accounting for several years in the Anderson School at UNM. Melissa has many years of experience in accounting and management with for-profit and not-for-profit organizations, including seven years as finance director for a private school. She has volunteered for neighborhood, political action, and social welfare organizations, performing arts groups and schools.

Steve Robinson, M.Arch
Steve is a Registered Architect, certified through the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards. He is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania in Liberal Arts and received a Master of Architecture from Yale University. He has a wide range of experience working with private clients, public agencies and academic institutions. His major local projects include the Gerald Peters Gallery, Milagro at Los Luceros, and the Taos Senior Center. He is founding member and President of the Board of Directors of the Santa Fe Railyard Community Corporation. Steven is the author of the book, The Energy Efficient Home.

Joan Brooks Baker
Joan is a photographer, and a native New Yorker, who has lived in Santa Fe for almost 30 year. She is a devoted member of the community of Santa Fe, not only for its beauty and energy, but for its enthusiastic blend of three cultures and a unique appreciation of its core place in the creative world. Joan’s fascination for the past several years with the history and presence of the Black Madonna has resulted in a current slide presentation of Black Madonnas and her portraits of women.

Elaine Sullivan
Elaine received her master’s degree in Education at Xavier University, Cincinnati, Ohio, and her master’s degree in Applied Behavioral Science at the Leadership Institute of Seattle. She has retired from 25 years in corporate consulting and training and now does part-time marketing and human resources work in a local medical acupuncture practice. She was a co-founder of the Santa Fe Chapter of PFLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) and of the Santa Fe Alliance, which works to support locally-owned businesses and to educate Santa Feans about the value of keeping our dollars circulating in our own community.

Carolyn Thomas
Carolyn has been a teacher for 30 years and a student for even longer. She currently teaches in the philosophy department at University of New Mexico. Carolyn has degrees from Duke, Stanford, St. John’s College, and University of New Mexico. She loves books, ideas, conversation, and learning. She’s also a member of the Studebaker Drivers Club and enjoys tinkering with old cars and trucks.

Sheila Vaughn
Sheila is a psychologist who spent 30 years in private practice in southern California, where she specialized in working with adolescents. She was an adjunct professor at the University of California, Irvine, where she taught developmental psychology. Sheila’s activities, since her recent move to Santa Fe, include board member at Girls’ Inc., developing her consulting business, and hiking with her retriever.