Board Members

Lori Bendall

Lori Bendall, Board President

Term Expires 12-2025
Lori.Bendall@chagrinschools.org

Lori Bendall was appointed to fill a vacant seat in April 2021 and was subsequently elected to the School Board in the November 2021 election.

Prior to her election to the Board, Lori was an active volunteer in the District. She served as President of Spark and Vice-President of Chagrin Falls Music Lovers. She was also a PTO building representative and After-Prom administrative chair.

Lori has her B.A. in Finance and Operations Management from Boston University and her J.D. from George Washington University. She is a former transactional attorney with a focus on public contracts and taxation. She is also the founder of a legal recruiting firm that worked with Fortune 500 companies, law firms, and hospital systems to attract attorneys, negotiate compensation and benefits packages, and assist with onboarding.

Lauren Miller

Lauren Miller, Board Vice President

Term Expires: 12-2025
Lauren.Miller@chagrinschools.org

Lauren Miller was elected to the School Board in November 2021. Lauren is also a licensed foster parent and an active volunteer in the School District and the wider community.

Lauren graduated from Chagrin Falls High School in 2001. She attended Miami University and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering Management with a focus in Manufacturing Engineering. She has work experience in both the for-profit and non-profit sectors. Lauren and her husband, Jeff, both grew up in Chagrin Falls and moved back to the village with their three children in 2019.

Laura Hui

Laura Viola Hui, Board Member

Term Expires: 12-2027
Laura.Hui@chagrinschools.org

Laura's career path has included various teaching roles in the Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Greater Cleveland areas. She has worked as a substitute teacher for Chagrin Falls Schools, a middle school string orchestra director, a second-grade classroom teacher, a 1-on-1 aide for twice exceptional students, an adjunct professor of Italian language at Kent State, a preschool music teacher, and a private violin and piano instructor.

As an undergraduate student, Laura discovered her passion for teaching while participating in UMD's premier scholarship chamber music program, through which she performed outreach recitals for elementary students in underserved schools throughout Washington D.C. Furthermore, her diverse interests outside of classical violin led her to study and live in Italy, resulting in Laura earning two separate Bachelor's degrees from the University of Maryland in Violin Performance (B.M.) and Italian Language & Literature (B.A.).

Laura's dedication to education prompted her to shift her focus from classical music performance to elementary education. This led her to obtain a Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) from The Johns Hopkins University. She currently holds an active teaching license from the state of Ohio for PreK to 3rd grade, with a 4-5 endorsement.

During the 2022-23 school year, Laura served on the leadership team for the newly adopted strategic planning initiative. She co-chaired the High Quality Learning Experience inquiry group and played a key role in drafting the briefing report and recommendations, which will guide future curriculum and hiring practices in the Chagrin Falls Exempted Village Schools.

Since relocating to Chagrin Falls in 2015 with her husband and two children, Laura has been actively involved in the community and School District. Her involvement includes serving as a room parent for both children, participating as a Tiger Tutor at Gurney Elementary, volunteering for the PTO, and being a committee member for the Bike & Trike, which raises funds for pediatric cancer research.

In her spare time, Laura enjoys exploring new culinary opportunities, engaging in DIY projects such as sewing, gardening, and home improvement, attempting to play tennis with her kids (who are much better than she is), holding impromptu dance parties in her kitchen, and skiing.

Sabo

Dr. Danielle Sabo, Board Member

Term expires: 12-2027

Danielle.Sabo@chagrinschools.org

Dr. Danielle Sabo was elected to the School Board in November 2023.

Dr. Sabo received both her Masters degree and Ph.D. from Case Western Reserve University in the Department of Sociology where she specialized in the areas of mental health, trauma, criminology, and research methods. Danielle spent her undergraduate career at Ohio University where she competed for the nationally ranked speech and debate team and earned her B.A. in Health Communication and Political Science.

During her early work career, Danielle spent six years at Case Western Reserve University as the Assistant Director for Violence Prevention and Health Education – where she was charged with the development and implementation of a campus-wide bystander intervention program, served as a confidential survivor campus advocate, and functioned as a Title IX advisor working with both General Counsel and Campus Police. For 13 years, Dr. Sabo has also served as a University Faculty member at Kent State University, John Carroll University, Case Western Reserve University, and Baldwin Wallace University teaching collegiate courses on: Criminology, Statistics, Gender & Violence, Research Methods, Human Development, Medical Sociology, Public Speaking, and Advanced Presentations. Dr. Sabo has recently transitioned to Cleveland State University where she serves as a Research Associate in The Criminology Research Center. Danielle's mixed-methods research (quantitative, qualitative, geospatial) focuses on the lived experience of trauma and its impact on health and behavioral outcomes over the life course. In particular, her work strives to amplify the voices of those victims with an intersection of multiple marginalized identities.

Danielle has proudly served as room parent for her son Teddy’s preschool class at Gurney Elementary for the past three years. She was also honored to volunteer as a Speech and Debate coach for Chagrin Falls High School in the 2022-2023 academic year and is a member of the Boosters Club and PTO. When not teaching and doing research, Danielle enjoys spending time hiking through Chagrin Falls parks with her husband and son, cycling on her Peloton, and reading books while cuddling with her German Shorthair Pointer Dakota.

Dr. Robert E. Schleper, Jr.

Dr. Robert E. Schleper, Jr., Board Member

Term Expires: 12-2025
Robert.Schleper@chagrinschools.org

Robert has worked in the field of education for over 15 years and has held positions in educational spaces in Cleveland, Boston, and Denver. He has been a high school English teacher and department chair, a high school principal, and has held administrative positions in gifted and talented education, instructional services, and concurrent enrollment. In the university space, he has held faculty appointments, and has led teams in student support spaces that included academic advising and student success, student affairs, and international affairs.

Robert was elected as a council member for the Village of Chagrin Falls in 2015 before moving to Denver, Colorado for a professional opportunity with Denver Public Schools. While in Denver, he was appointed by the mayor to serve as a Commissioner for LGBTQ Affairs, as well as a Commissioner for Crime Prevention and Control, both for the City and County of Denver. In these roles, he worked collaboratively with stakeholders and legislators at the city, county, and state levels, serving as the liaison to Denver Public Schools.

Robert currently leads learning and development for Tech Elevator, a national educational technology and workforce development company headquartered in Cleveland.

Robert received an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from New England College. He also holds an M.Ed in Professional Teaching as well as a B.A. in Journalism and English, both from John Carroll University. He has completed graduate programming, licensure, and been selected to participate in other academic opportunities including Northeastern University’s MAT program, and multiple other professional and educational certifications.

Robert moved to Chagrin Falls in 2002, and his husband, Thomas, is a 2003 graduate of Chagrin Falls High School. In 2020, after several years in Denver, Colorado, they returned to Chagrin Falls to raise their daughter Josephine, CFHS Class of 2037. They reside in Moreland Hills.

Chagrin Falls Board of Education

400 East Washington Street
Chagrin Falls, OH 44022
440-247-5500

Email all Board members as a group at:
Board@chagrinschools.org

*Please note that our practice is that our Board President speaks on behalf of the Board as a group and so you can expect to hear back from our Board President and/or Superintendent or Treasurer in response to your email, but not individual Board members.