2023-24 PTO Board

Sami Villwock, President

Ashley Kimball, Secretary

Lauren Hitch, Treasurer

Sarah Beck, Incoming Treasurer

Brittany Lassiter, Co-VP of Communications

Garrett Lyon, Co-VP of Communications

Brie Robinson, Co-VP of Communications

Ellen McClannahan, Chair of Celebrations/Appreciation

Brandy King, Co-Chair of Teacher Needs

Sara Chelton, Co-Chair of Teacher Needs

Kim Frech, Co-Chair of Outreach

Elizabeth Ratliff, Co-Chair of Outreach

Devon Scott, Co-Chair of Family Help

Molly Kramer, Co-Chair of Family Help

Jeff Malinowski, Co-Chair of Events and Fundraising

Ian White, Co-Chair of Events and Fundraising

Daniel Howard, Co-Chair of Events and Fundraising

Zach Hood, Chair of Enrichment

Malenia Carroll, Chair of Spiritwear

Carolyn Wagner, Spiritwear Squad

Ashley Miller, Spiritwear Squad

Kellie Lutito, Bake Sale Coordinator

Heather Crabtree Jones, Angel Tree Coordinator

Lauren Melancon, Past President

Wendy Hinton, Advisor

Kate Blocher, Advisor

Marisa Williams, Advisor

PTO Board Member Bios

Learn more about each of our Board Members below.

Sami Villwock, President

My name is Sami Villwock, parent to Ernie Galloro (age 6) who is an incoming First Grader at Dan Mills, and wife to Tony Galloro. I was previously co-chair for Events and Fundraising in the 2022-2023 school year at Dan Mills. By day, I am an Underwriter in Small Commercial at Velocity Risk here in Nashville. We moved to Nashville in June of 2020 with my family from Iowa and we are so happy to have landed in the Dan Mills Zone. In my spare time, I enjoy immersing myself in all things creating and appreciating art, going to Ernie’s baseball games, and spending time with family and friends.

Ashley Kimball, Secretary

Ashley Kimball is thrilled to have two Dragons at Dan Mills again this year, one in second grade and one in Kindergarten. With a mini dragon in training at home, Ashley’s family will be at Dan Mills for many years to come. This is her second year serving on the Dan Mills PTO Board, but she comes with lots of other board experience, plus has worked in the public school system and with Teach For America Nashville. She is ready to dive in, learn more, and grow in this wonderful community. Her house is divided between Skywing & Nebula! Go Dragons!

Sarah Beck, Incoming treasurer

Brittany Lassiter, CO-VP of Communications

Garret Lyon, Co-vp of Communications

Hi, Dragons and dragon keepers! I am Garrett. My wife Audrey and I are parents to two little humans, Fendall (1st grade) and Gideon (pre-school). Our Family loves to hike, roll around outside, build forts, play “the floor is lava”, and we sometimes spontaneously start dancing if the mood strikes. We also love board games and generally being loud and in motion.  

I am originally from Fairfax, Virginia which is about 30 minutes outside of DC. We moved here from Seattle right before 2020 for work and could not feel more lucky. Nashville has been a great place to land and felt like home from the moment we tumbled out of the moving van. 

I am stoked to be Co-VPing the Communications committee with Brie and Brittany. Please reach out if we can do anything. I am most excited about helping on the PTO to get a chance to meet more of the Dan Mills community and help out or just chat as much as I can. If you see me around say, “hi.” 

Brie Nicole Robinson, Co-VP of Communications

Hi, Dragons!  This is my first year on the PTO Board, and I am looking forward to helping with communications of all kinds.  Chief among my responsibilities is to continue acting as the primary culprit behind all of the puns on the DMES marquee. 

I am originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, though I have lived here for over 15 years having originally moved here to attend the Owen Graduate School of Management at Vanderbilt.  I am the Founder and Owner of PTY Consulting, and I specialize in Change Enablement and Transformation for companies and non-profit organizations of all sizes and across industry sectors. 

I have a rising 1st grader, Wyatt, who loves to sing, swim, and play soccer goalie.  In our free time you can find us at the pool, walking our dog, Nyx, or grabbing pizza at 5 Points.  We look forward to another great year as part of the Dan Mills community, and to helping more families feel connected and engaged with this wonderful MNPS tribe.

kim frech, Co-Chair of outreach

My name is Kim Frech and I’m the new Chair of Outreach. I grew up in middle Tennessee, graduated from MTSU, and have lived in Nashville for about 8 years.

I have a first grader at Dan Mills. In my spare time I attempt gardening and read entirely too many books.

Elizabeth Ratliff, Co-chair of Outreach

Elizabeth Ratliff is a mother of 2 dragons (2nd & K) and professional photographer at Elle Jackson Photography. Working with an exceptional organization called Able Voices, which teaches photography to disabled young adults, and serving as Mid TN Representative on the TN Council for Autism, she is so excited to serve as Co-Chair of Outreach.

Jeff Malinowski, Co-Chair of Events and Fundraising

Jeff Malinowski is a first-time Dan Mills Board Member on the Events and Fundraising Committee and the parent of a second-grade Dragon named Julian.  He and his wife, Amal Bouhabib, have been Nashville residents since 2015.  Jeff works as an audio mix engineer for Paramount networks and often gigs locally and around the South with his Grateful Dead cover band The Stolen Faces.  He is excited and eager to get more involved with the Dan Mills community!

Brandy King, Co-Chair of teacher needs

Brandy King is a Nashville native as well as a Dan Mills Alumni. She's the proud mother of Harper King, a rising 1st Grader at Dan Mills. This is her first year serving on the PTO Board. Brandy was an Ophthalmic Technician, she now works from home for her and her husband's company. In her free time she loves spending time with family and friends, doing arts and crafts, and cooking. Our family is so excited to help our school succeed and grow in any way we can. We are Proud Dragons! Go Midori!

Sara Chelton, Co-Chair of Teacher Needs

Sarah Chelton is the proud mama of a rising second grader. She has been a Nashville resident for 13 years. Sarah previously taught in the suburbs of Chicago and in MNPS. In her free time she enjoys making playlists, exercising, and floating or kayaking on Lake Barkley in Kentucky. She is excited to support our wonderful school.

Ellen Duer McClanahan, Co-Chair of Celebrations/Appreciation

Ellen is a Nashville native who moved to East Nashville in 2005. She has a rising 1st and 3rd grader this year. This will be her first year serving on the Dan Mills PTO board.

In addition to being co-director of Teacher Celebrations for the 2022 school year, she is also the current vice president of The Battle of Nashville Trust.

Lauren Melancon, Past President

Hi friends! I’m Lauren, mama of a 4th grader at Dan Mills (Go Nebula!). This will be my fourth year on the PTO Board and I am so excited to be able to continue to grow our Dan Mills Community this year! I love nothing more than chatting with fellow Dragons families and sharing information about our fabulous school so please never hesitate to grab me! This year, I am excited to continue to nurture the many traditions Dan Mills has and work with teachers, administration, and parents to create new ones.

When I am not working on PTO tasks (is there such a time ;-) ) I work as the Education Director at DancEast and also volunteer with the Nashville Book Connection and Friends of MNPS Libraries. In my free time you can find me running the Melancon taxi to dance or swimming, working to perfect my biscuit and pimento cheese recipes (taste testers always welcome), working to keep the squirrels out of the garden, and trying to make it through one of the many books stacked on my nightstand.

I would LOVE for you to join us as much as you can this year, even if that is only for 5 minutes at Friday morning coffee or a quick hello during Open House or Dragon Dash! If you have more time to share - I’d love that too and will totally put you to work! Please never hesitate to reach out and remember EVERYONE IS A MEMBER OF THE PTO AT DAN MILLS!

Wendy Hinton, Advisor

Wendy will be serving in an advisory role for the Dan Mills PTO this year. This will be her ninth year serving on the PTO board, and she’s excited about the opportunities for Dragon families this school year! She has a 2nd grader at Dan Mills, a 7th grader at Litton, and a 9th grader at Hume-Fogg. She is a former MNPS teacher and Dan Mills alumni. She enjoys reading, walking in the neighborhood, and spending time with friends and family. She loves to travel and keeps her suitcase packed and ready for her next adventure.

Kate Blocher, Advisor

Kate Blocher hails from the great state of Indiana and has lived in Inglewood for 15 years with her husband, Ryan and three children: Hudson (15), Cord (10) and Indiana (8), all who have attended Dan Mills. She has served on the Dan Mills PTO Board for seven years in various capacities including Treasurer, Co-VP, Communications and rescuer of children out of trees. Since her Hoosier Hoop Dreams never quite materialized, Kate is currently the former President of Colts Chocolate Co. But, as a Jack of all trades, Master of none, she enjoys spending time participating in triathlons, gardening, cooking, creating Pinterest files she never uses and drinking all the coffee!

Marisa Williams, Advisor

Marisa Williams is the parent of two Skywing Dragons, Roxy a 5th grader and Reese a 3rd grader. They love Dan Mills and she wants to do everything she can to support their school! This will be her 5th year on the PTO. Marisa was the Incoming Treasurer 2019-2020, Treasurer of the PTO from 2020-2022 and then Events and Fundraising Co-Chair from 2022-2023. This year she is staying on as an advisor to help out where needed and to train the new Board.

Marisa is very passionate about promoting inclusion and continuing to build the community of Dan Mills. The Dan Mills teachers, faculty, and staff work so hard to educate our Dragons and she loves working alongside them! Marisa worked as a Supply Chain Engineer for 14 years and is currently a stay-at-home mom. She enjoys spending time with family, exercising, watching sports and traveling.

Dan Mills Elementary School PARENTS AND TEACHERS ORGANIZATION BYLAWS

It is the mission of the Dan Mills Elementary School PTO to engage our talents, skills, interests and abilities to make Dan Mills an outstanding learning environment for all of our students. In order to achieve this mission the PTO is governed by its bylaws. The full bylaw document can be reviewed by clicking the link below.

These bylaws were updated on June 15, 2022.