Christopher Schafer joined the SBCS Board in 2012 and has served as its President since 2018. Christopher is a Detective with the Buffalo Police Department and an active member of the SBCS Finance and Facilities Committees.  Prior to serving  on the SBCS Board of Directors, Christopher served as PTO President for five years. Christopher has two children who have attended South Buffalo Charter School. 

Anne Marie Tryjankowski has had a long career serving students and the education community in Western New York.  She taught first, second and third grades in Buffalo schools and served as a central office administrator in the areas of family involvement, assessment and technology.  Dr. Tryjankowski retired from Canisius College as an Associate Professor of Graduate Education and Leadership where she taught courses in curriculum leadership and leadership theory while supervising administrative interns. She currently teaches courses in family/community engagement and research techniques at Buffalo State College.  A long-time advocate of charter schools, Anne Marie’s interest in the charter school model dates back to the early 2000’s when, as the Managing Director of the Education Innovation Consortium, she co-authored “The Renaissance Project - Developing a Network of Charter Schools in Buffalo.” She has also published a Charter School Primer as part of publisher Peter Lang’s primer series. To balance her focused work on providing equitable educational opportunities for all children, Anne Marie and her husband operate a small organic garlic and herb farm and spend time with their “barnyard” of rescued farm and domestic animals.

Matthew S. Szalkowski, Esq. is a Confidential Law Clerk for a New York State Supreme Court Justice. Prior to that, Matt worked for 9 years as a prosecutor in the Erie County District Attorney's Office. He is the Board's treasurer and active member on the Board's Finance Committee. He coaches little league baseball and is a member of South Buffalo's Blackthorn Club. He resides in Orchard Park, NY with his wife and three children.

Kathleen Linhardt has been a Member of the SBCS Board since the school was first chartered in 2000. She is currently Vice President/Administrative Counsel with Ellicott Development Company, a real estate development and management company, where she has worked for 30 years. Kathy is also a practicing attorney, a member of the Erie County Bar Association and its Real Property Committee. She was a past Chair of the Mt. Mercy Academy Board of Trustees and has volunteered on several other committees over the years. At SBCS, she serves on the Human Resource and Facilities Committees of the Board.

Jennifer Mack is a VP Operations & Contracts by trade.  She has one child currently enrolled at South Buffalo Charter School and one that graduated from SBCS in 2020. She has been on the SBCS PTO committee since 2012. Ms. Mack also coaches soccer for West Seneca Soccer Club.  Jennifer holds an Associate Degree from Alfred State College in Business Administration. She is a voting member of the SBCS Board of Directors and an active member of the SBCS Academic Committee.

Hi! My name is Carine Merritt. I am a proud mom to 3 amazing boys, a business owner, a full-time bank teller with M&T bank and the Parent Representative on the Board of Trustees at South Buffalo Charter School. I am happy to say all of my children (ages 13, 10 and 7) attend SBCS, and they all love it! I enjoy modeling, acting, writing, painting, cooking and helping people of all ages and backgrounds. I am looking forward to seeing all the amazing things the Board of Trustees will do for all the children and staff of SBCS!