School Leadership
Co-Founder, Board Member, & 1st/2nd Grade Teacher
Melanie Walker-Malone
After spending 56 of her 62 years in Birmingham, Alabama, Melanie moved to Takoma Park, Maryland in 2023 to be nearer to her children and grandchildren. This means that she has also weaned herself from her eighteen-year stint as Founder and Head Teacher at Red Mountain Community School, a small-by-design school devoted to Mason’s philosophy and methods. She returns to the school in Birmingham regularly to work with teachers and curriculum while cultivating means to secure sustainability and longevity for this beloved work. Her new chapter looks a lot like her last chapter – seasonal living, reading, long walks, baking, keeping, making, while exploring the riches of the DC area.
Melanie feels deep in her bones that she is not done teaching yet! She is excited to bring the lessons learned from RMCS to a new, sister work that can benefit her own grandson and be a gift to the nation's capital. ​
​
.jpg)
Co-Founder, Board Member, & K5 Teacher
Anna Claire Walker
With a deep passion for education, storytelling, and community engagement, Anna Claire brings a unique blend of experience in theatre, teaching, and nonprofit leadership to Heartwood Day School.
Over the last 15 years, Anna Claire has worked in children's theater performance and education with organizations such as Sitar Arts Center, Imagination Stage, Washington Improv Theatre, and Project Create; early childhood education, specifically supporting students with learning disabilities; serving as both a counselor and program director for Hidden Valley Camp in Maine; and the Director of Marketing and Storytelling at District Bridges.
Now, Anna Claire is thrilled to embark on this new journey with her mother, bringing her lifelong dedication to education and the arts to Heartwood Day School. She believes deeply in the transformative power of play, creativity, and community—principles that are more vital than ever in today’s world.
​
Board Member
Mandy Deter
The hope of education for every child became a pursuit for Mandy over 20 years ago. Her own three children have struggled with dyslexia, dyscalculia, ADD and depression. Understanding the struggling learner has become a tender longing for Mandy and she has discovered hope for these students in Red Mountain Community School's (RMCS) broad and deep philosophy. Before teaching at Red Mountain, Mandy earned a History degree from Samford University in Birmingham and applied that liberal arts education to jobs on Capitol Hill. She returned to school to earn a BS in Nursing and worked in psychiatric and medical settings until she began teaching her own children at home and then at RMCS. Mandy now serves as the Head Teacher at RMCS and teaches high school.
She is married to David, a Chaplain at Children's Hospital of Alabama.
​
​
​
Board Member
Ben Odendahl
Ben is Senior Counsel at Smith Garson, a DC-based lobbying firm. Named a “Top Lobbyist” in 2024 by the National Institute for Lobbying & Ethics, Ben represents for-profit, non-profit, and municipal government clients across the country, specializing in transportation & infrastructure, international trade, and appropriations.
Ben is an Alabama native and holds a Juris Doctor from Cumberland School of Law and a B.A. in Political Science from Birmingham-Southern College. He is a member of both the Alabama Bar and the District of Columbia Bar. He is an avid fan of the Atlanta Braves and has not lost a game of Trivial Pursuit in 15 years.
​