School Board Bios
School Board Chair Carolyn Pitches
Carolyn Pitches is serving her eighth term as a School Board member and has been chair since 2018. She previously served as vice chair of the Fairfax City School Board for six years and is the Fairfax City Schools representative to the Washington Area Boards of Education. Ms. Pitches is currently a Math Specialist at Flint Hill School and serves on the Community Planning and Development Committee for Fairfax County Public Schools. She has 28 years of teaching experience and has been a resident of the City of Fairfax since 1999. Her two daughters attended City schools from kindergarten through twelfth grade, graduating from Fairfax High School in 2020 and 2022. Ms. Pitches earned a B.A. in Elementary/Middle Education from Virginia Tech and a Master's in K-12 Education from George Mason University.
Amit Hickman is serving her second term on the City of Fairfax School Board and as vice chair. She is the education director for a local non-profit early childhood program where she has worked for over 15 years. Ms. Hickman served on the Daniels Run Elementary School PTA as vice president of fundraising and as president. She is also a member of the City of Fairfax Neighborhood Readiness Team. Hickman holds a Master of Education in curriculum and instruction from George Mason University and is currently pursuing her Master of Social Work, also at GMU. School Board Member Lauren Bartelme
Lauren Bartelme is serving her first term as a member of the City of Fairfax School Board. She holds Bachelors of Science in Physics from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Masters in Teaching from Johns Hopkins University. She has a background in science and math education, from teaching geometry and physics in Baltimore City as a member of Teach for America to teaching middle school science in Fairfax County Public Schools. She has been a city resident since 2009, where she lives with her husband and two daughters. Her oldest daughter is a freshman at Fairfax High School (attended Providence and KJMS). Her youngest daughter attends a specialized school for dyslexia in Annandale.
School Board Member Kristina Cecere
Kristina Cecere is serving her first term on the City of Fairfax School Board. She is an evaluation specialist in the Office of Evaluation at Arlington Public Schools. Previously, she worked at Fairfax High School for over a decade as a math teacher and AP Coordinator. Ms. Cecere has served on the Providence Elementary School PTA in many roles, most recently as the Director of Afterschool Enrichment. She was also appointed as the city’s School Board representative for the FCPS Advanced Academic Programs (AAP) Advisory Committee in the 2020-2021 school year. Mrs. Cecere holds a Master of Education in curriculum and instruction from George Mason University, a Certificate in Education Finance and a Master of Public Policy from Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy. Ms. Cecere and her husband moved into the City of Fairfax for the past 12 years and have two children in the city schools.
School Board Member Sarah Kelsey
Sarah Kelsey is serving her first term on the City of Fairfax School Board. She has also served as secretary and membership chair for the Mosby Woods Community Association, classroom representative for the Lord of Life Preschool Board, and three years as the book fair chair for the Providence Elementary School PTA.
Mrs. Kelsey grew up in Kansas City, Missouri where she taught elementary school and special education for ten years. She has taught preschool since moving to the City of Fairfax with her husband, two children, and dog. Mrs. Kelsey received her B.A. in elementary education K-6 from Northwest Missouri State University and a Master in Special Education from University of Kansas.