Mission
EAGLE School of Madison is an independent school dedicated to serving the academic, social, and emotional needs of gifted and talented children, kindergarten through eighth grade, in the greater Madison area.
We are committed to educating and inspiring gifted and talented children by fostering intellectual curiosity, providing academic rigor, and cultivating creativity while forming connections within a thriving and dynamic educational environment. We strive to advance academic excellence and nurture integrity while teaching students to think critically and relate to one another with acceptance and compassion.

Meet our EAGLE School Board Members
Photos by Andy Walder

John Stoneman, President
John and his wife, Jane, are the parents of four EAGLE School graduates, with their oldest child having enrolled in the Nest in 2000, and their youngest having graduated from EAGLE School in 2019.
A lifelong Fitchburg resident, John holds a B.A. from Luther College and an M.B.A. and J.D. from UW-Madison, and currently serves as President of Heartland Properties, Inc. and Chairman of the Board of Settlers bank.
In addition to serving on the Board of EAGLE School, John serves as the co-chair of the Community Advisory Group for Stanford Online High School.

Mary Olsky, Vice President
Mary is a co-founder of EAGLE School. She earned a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Illinois and an M.A. in Literature from Eastern Michigan University. Additionally, she has undertaken classes in law school and many in education.
Mary divides her time between Madison and Scottsdale, AZ, teaching bridge classes at both locations.

Wendy Johnson, Secretary
Wendy earned her Ph.D. from the School Psychology program at UW-Madison. She has been a licensed school psychologist for 25+ years, working at the pre-K, elementary, middle, and high school levels, and was most recently the Lead Psychologist for the Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD).
Wendy retired from MMSD in the summer of 2021. She has had a private practice 15 years, specializing in assessment and short term therapy for talented and gifted children, adolescents, and young adults. Wendy’s areas of expertise include cognitive and academic assessments, the treatment of depression, anxiety, trauma and loss, academic and social-emotional issues concerning talented and gifted students, and leading crisis response in K-12 schools. In addition, she has received extensive training in restorative justice practices and circle facilitation, supporting and leading that work district-wide while working at MMSD.

Lyn Macgregor,Treasurer
EAGLE School Board member Lyn Macgregor lives in Fitchburg with her husband, Ted Halsted, and her two former EAGLE students, Caroline and Jillian.
Lyn earned her B.A. at Boston University and taught high school Humanities and Drama before earning her doctorate in Sociology at UW. Her time at work is currently split between appointments in UW’s Holtz Center for Science & Technology Studies and the Wisconsin Center for Education Research.

Samantha Crownover
Sam and her husband, Bruce, are proud parents of their daughter, Lilly who attended EAGLE from 2009 to 2015. During that time, Sam served as a parent aide and tennis coach. She is the recent past chairperson of the EAGLE Forward: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee.
Currently, she is the executive director of Bach Dancing & Dynamite Society (a chamber music festival), a position she has held for 26 seasons. An advocate for the arts, Sam is involved in many freelance arts and architecture-based projects. She has recently restored the Brisbane House, an award-winning 1868 stone house in Arena, WI, and opened it as a vacation rental. Past positions include staff member of the Peggy Guggenheim Collection and the Venice Biennale’s American Pavilion, in Venice, Italy, and curator of Tandem Press, part of UW-Madison. Committed to volunteering, she has served on many boards of directors.
She is a native Wisconsinite, plays pond hockey, and is active in the arts scene. She loves to travel and seeks out farm-to-table food wherever she goes.

Deb Douglas
Deb earned a B.A. in English, Speech, and Theater at UW-Eau Claire and a M.S. in Gifted Education Curriculum and Instruction at UW-Milwaukee. For over 20 years, she coordinated gifted programming for Manitowoc (WI) Public Schools. She is past president of the Wisconsin Association for Talented and Gifted (WATG) and served on the Parent Advisory Board of the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC).
Deb lives in Fitchburg with her husband, Ray Aldag.

Guy DuBeau
Guy holds a B.A. from the University of Missouri and M.S. and J.D. degrees from the University of Wisconsin. He has been affiliated with EAGLE since 1997 when his oldest son enrolled in the Nest.
He and his wife, Patti, have had four boys go through EAGLE, with the last one graduating in 2020.
He served as the President of the EPO and has been on the Board since 2001 where he currently also serves as legal counsel.

Rob LoBreglio
Rob LoBreglio has served on the EAGLE board of directors for the past four years. He holds a B.A. in Religious Studies from Vassar College, as well as a degree in Brewing Technology from The Siebel Institute of Technology.
Rob is the Brewmaster and co founder of The Great Dane Pub and Brewing Company. He is also the parent of an EAGLE alum and has served on the EAGLE Parent Organization.

Erin Jonaitis
Erin Jonaitis is new to the EAGLE Board of Directors in 2022. She and her husband, Graham, are the parents of a current EAGLE student, Hazel (6/7).
Erin has a Ph.D. in Psychology and an M.S. in Statistics from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. She currently works as a scientist and statistician at the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Institute, where she studies memory and thinking in middle-aged and older adults.

Manish Patankar
Manish Patankar earned his Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences and is currently a member of the University of Wisconsin-Madison faculty.
EAGLE School provided the nurturing environment for his daughter who went on to UW-Madison after high school. Manish lives in Fitchburg with his wife and daughter.

Matt Thiel
Matt, his wife, Emily, and three children live in Madison’s near west side. They have been involved at EAGLE since their daughter, Addie, started in the Primary in 2014. Their sons Elliot and Julian started in the Nest in 2017 and 2021, respectively.
Upon growing up in Menasha, WI, Matt attended UW-Madison and earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Mechanical Engineering. After graduating, Matt began his professional engineering career at ACS, Inc, headquartered in Verona, where he is presently a Principal and the Director of Facilities Planning and Integration.
Matt and his family enjoy outdoor activities of all kinds, including paddling on Lake Wingra, biking through the Arb, and playing on the sand volleyball court at Westmoreland Park. They also enjoy following and attending pro sports including the Brewers, Badgers, Bucks, Packers, and Forward Madison FC.
Matt has also served on the EPO board as treasurer since 2023.
ex-officio members

Ellen Bunn, Staff Liaison
Ellen has a B.A. in Anthropology and Geology from the University of California at Davis and M.A. degrees in Anthropology/Paleoanthropology from the University of California at Berkeley and in Library and Information Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She has taken education classes at Edgewood College and is involved in ongoing professional development in various national organizations for educators and librarians.
Ellen and her husband have three adult children who are graduates of EAGLE School: the oldest enrolled in the Nest in 1993, and the youngest graduated in 2010. Ellen joined the EAGLE School staff in 2004 as a science teacher, has been the K-8 school librarian since 2009, and became staff liaison to the EAGLE School Board in 2018.

Joie Sunderman
Joie Sunderman serves as the President of the EAGLE Parent Organization (EPO), supporting collaboration between families and educators to enrich the student experience. In 2009 she founded a real estate investment firm in Chicago. Joie managed properties alongside her husband until 2021, when she sold the company.
Residing in Fitchburg, Joie is a proud mother of two EAGLE School students Susan and Sloan. In her free time, she loves outdoor adventures, reading, and crafting.

Andy Wright, EAGLE School Director
Andy holds a Master of Education degree in Private School Leadership from the University of Hawaii, a Bachelor of Arts in Geology from Earlham College, and a teaching credential in K-12 Mathematics from California State University Fresno.
Throughout his many years in education, Andy has served as a science, math, and computer teacher; an Associate Dean of Students; an Associate Middle School Head; and a Head of Middle School in various settings across the country, including independent schools in Pennsylvania, Utah, New Mexico, and California. Andy has served as the EAGLE School Director since 2018.