Board President Joe Amberger (2013) is the president and owner of Cavalier Fire Protection, Inc., a position he has held since 1998. Cavalier specializes in the design, installation, testing, and maintenance of commercial and residential fire sprinkler systems. He has over 28 years of experience in the fire protection industry in the United States and abroad. He holds a NICET Level III from the National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies. In December 2007, he purchased Lee’s Hill Golf Course with his brother-in-law, Jamie Loughan. They are the sole owners of A&L Golf Services, LLC and Lee’s Hill Golf Management, Inc.

Joe and his wife Kellie have two daughters attending Fredericksburg Academy and one daughter who graduated with the Class of 2022.

Nicole Jinier (2017) is the CEO and Co-Owner of Paragon Autism Services, an agency that provides intensive ABA therapy to individuals diagnosed on the Autism Spectrum. Nicole is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and is licensed by the Virginia Board of Medicine. She has been working in the field of autism since 2005 and holds a Masters of Arts in Teaching degree, with a concentration in Early Childhood Education, as well as a certificate in Autism Education. Nicole has taught courses at the undergraduate level in Child Development and Education and has a wide range of experiences in education and educational advocacy. 

She and her husband Matthew have one daughter who has been attending Fredericksburg Academy since 2013.

Christopher Newman, MD, (2021) is the Senior Vice President, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Medical Officer of Mary Washington Healthcare.

A board-certified internist, Chris has clinical experience in primary care, hospital medicine and post-acute care. Prior to joining Mary Washington Healthcare in 2019, Chris served as the Chief Medical Officer for Penn State Health St. Joseph Regional Health Network where he also led operations of Penn State Health’s Medical Group.

Chris received his undergraduate degree from The University of Scranton and his Medical Degree from Georgetown University School of Medicine. He completed his residency in internal medicine at Georgetown University Medical Center. He received his Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Virginia Darden School of Business where he graduated with honors and received the executive faculty award.

Chris and his wife Heather, a physician with Radiologic Associates of Fredericksburg, are parents to four Falcons in the classes of 2028 and 2031.

After graduating from the College of Charleston with a bachelor’s degree in political science in 2010, Josh returned to his hometown and joined his father at the Cooper Financial Group of Raymond James.

Josh and his team work diligently with their clients around the country to identify their unique goals, concerns and situation, and then create a financial plan for pursuing their long-term objectives. Josh and his team are focused on developing lasting relationships with clients centered around exceptional client service and a disciplined approach to investing.

Actively involved in the communities he holds dear, Josh was recently elected to serve a three year term on the College of Charleston Dean’s Council.  Josh is a 3 term member of the board of trustees of Fredericksburg Academy and a former board member and finance committee chair for The Girl Scouts of the Commonwealth of Virginia.  Additionally, he enjoys volunteering with The Community Foundation of the Rappahannock River Region and also serves as a mentor for students at the VCU School of Business. 

Josh and his wife Elly live in Richmond, VA with their son Henry and dogs, George and Lola. Outside of the office Josh enjoys spending time with his family and friends, reading, cooking, and traveling.

Tanya Thrasher (2022), a member of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, is the publications manager at the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) in Washington, D.C. She also serves as Editor-in-Chief of the museum’s quarterly magazine, American Indian. She has worked at the NMAI since 1998, where she has served as an editor, special assistant to the founding director, and communications coordinator for the project team dedicated to opening the museum on the National Mall. Prior to joining the museum, she worked at the National Congress of American Indians as public relations director. She received her M.A. in Media and Public Affairs from George Washington University, and she currently lives in Fredericksburg, Virginia, with her husband, William, and sons Kaden and Chase.

Ruben Belcher (2022) is an accomplished Construction Project Management Professional, with over 20 years of business experience with planning, negotiating and managing multi-million dollar projects, with extensive knowledge in commercial interiors, adaptive reuse, structural rehabilitation, retail, mechanical and plumbing construction.

Since his daughter started FA in 2020, he's witnessed great improvements in her learning experience and has been impressed with her excitement to learn and want to be in the classroom. Ruben enjoys outdoor activities with his daughter in his spare time and can mostly be found riding bikes, skiing, driving the RVT, hiking, riding dirt bikes, etc…

Dustin Clements (2021) is an employee of the U.S Department of Defense and currently serves as the Missile Defense Agency Product Manager for the development and sustainment of Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (ABMD) systems. He is responsible for the strategic planning, contract execution, and financial management of the software and hardware development/sustainment for the ABMD system of systems (2003-present).

Mr. Clements holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Project Management from Liberty University, as well as Program Management Level III Certification from the Defense Acquisition University.

Mr. Clements served 9 years in the U.S. Navy as an Aegis weapon system technician and honorably completed his commitment in 2003 as a Chief Petty Officer (1994-2003).

Ryan (2022) joined the common interest community association industry with Landmarc Real Estate in 2007 after working in the logistics industry. He began his career with Landmarc as a Community Manager and quickly became engaged in corporate administration such as procurement, contract negotiations, and employee benefit administration. Ryan’s background in the industry has been heavily focused on condominium associations and homeowners associations with extensive facility maintenance and project management needs. Ryan’s continued involvement in corporate administration led to his advancement to Vice President of Operations in 2013. While serving as Vice President of Operations, Ryan continued to perfect his knowledge of condominium association and boutique-style community management. With his acute attention to detail, Ryan has assisted numerous clients with with overcoming challenges that in many instances seemed impossible. Ryan is an expert client risk and claim manager ranging from minor loss to total loss. Ryan’s continued professional growth led him to the advancement of Landmarc Real Estate’s Vice President in 2017 and President in 2019.

Ryan focuses on unmatched customer service, employee engagement, and effectiveness and efficiency of corporate operations. Ryan prides himself on being a problem solver and possesses the drive and determination to see each remedied. He prides himself on not focusing on titles at Landmarc, rather results.

Ryan graduated from Bridgewater College with a BA in Business and a minor in Economics. Ryan is a member of the Washington Metropolitan Chapter of CAI Virginia Legislative Committee, and holds the Certified Manager of Community Associations (CMCA), Association Management Specialist (AMS) and the Professional Community Association Manager (PCAM) and has spent the past 14 years professionally managing community associations.

Bill Freehling (2022) has lived in Fredericksburg since 2004. He has had 10-year stints working for The Free Lance-Star as a business writer, and as Director of Economic Development and Tourism for the City of Fredericksburg. Bill and his wife, Emily, have two children at FA. He received a bachelor of arts from Wake Forest University and a master of communications from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is a product of private schools, having attended St. Paul's School and Gilman School in Baltimore and St. Mark's School in Southborough, Mass. He is delighted to be part of the FA community.

Mary Gray (2024) graduated from FA in 2012 after 13 wonderful years at the school. She went on to study Politics and Religion at UVA, where she found that she loved studying how people’s beliefs affect their behavior. This led Mary Gray to a career in advertising and brand strategy in San Francisco. Mary Gray has a deep passion for helping organizations figure out who they are at their essence (based on who their employees are, and what their customers need). She is currently doing workplace culture consulting for a company called Frontier. Mary Gray is applying all of her favorite parts of human psychology and advertising to help people have better days at work and make their businesses more successful. She currently lives in Charlottesville, where she enjoys seeing a lot of live music, enjoying great food, and spending time in nature.

Lee Murray (2022) was born and raised in Lynchburg, Virginia. After graduating with a Business degree from the University of Mary Washington, he began his career in wealth management. Lee holds the titles of Financial Advisor, Branch Office Manager, and Managing Director with Cary Street Partners. He and his wife, Karli, live in downtown Fredericksburg with their son and daughter. Outside of the office, Lee enjoys spending time with family and friends, whether it be on the boat, playing golf, skiing, or traveling.

Lee currently sits on the Board of Visitors for his alma mater, the University of Mary Washington, as well as the Board of Directors for the City of Fredericksburg’s Economic Development Authority. Additional community involvement includes past service on the Board of Directors for the Friends of the Rappahannock, the Massad YMCA and the Rappahannock Area YMCA. Lee and Karli have two children who attend Fredericksburg Academy.

Charlie Payne (2019) is a Partner at Hirschler, a national-caliber law firm based in Virginia.  A native of the Fredericksburg area, Charlie prides himself on the business development services he provides to the region. His practice areas include corporate and general business law, zoning and land use, commercial real estate, and federal and state government relations. Charlie is also the former general counsel for the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and an adjunct Professor at the Thomas M. Cooley Law School.

Charlie has served on many boards over the years to include the Fredericksburg Regional Alliance Board (Executive Board Member), Wells Fargo (Fredericksburg) Advisory Board and the Hampden-Sydney College Board of Trustees from 2012-2016. 

Charlie’s daughter, Libby, has been at Fredericksburg Academy since preschool. 

Rebecca Payne (2024), a native of Chesapeake, VA, and a proud graduate of Mary Washington College, began her career at EG&G, a legacy company of Amentum Services, Inc., in March 2002. Amentum is a premier global services partner, supporting critical programs of national significance across defense, security, intelligence, energy, and environment.

As Vice President, Rebecca drives the vision and strategy for an engineering services business area. She leads a team of skilled professionals in delivering acquisition support, system development, equipment fielding and modernization, testing and evaluation, and logistics services, along with integrated information systems solutions within the federal market space. Rebecca is committed to fostering a positive and diverse work environment, collaborating with clients at all levels, including senior government officials and industry partners, to develop innovative technical solutions. She also promotes a strong company culture and champions mentorship opportunities to support the professional growth and development of her team members.

Rebecca and her husband, Bradley, married in 2001. Their daughters, Lydia (Class of 2026) and Vivian (Class of 2033), have been proud Falcons since Kindergarten. The Payne family takes great pride in being part of the FAmily!

Xavier Richardson (2017) is the Senior Vice President and Chief Corporate Development Officer of Mary Washington Healthcare. Xavier is responsible for managing fundraising, assisting with grant-making efforts for community organizations, community benefit programs and services, legislative and community affairs. He oversees the Mary Washington Hospital Foundation, Stafford Hospital Foundation and Mary Washington Healthcare Community Programs.

Prior to joining Mary Washington Healthcare in 1997, Xavier served as an Assistant Director of the U.S. General Accounting Office in Washington, D.C., was also employed by McKinsey & Company in New York, and worked on Wall Street.

Xavier earned his undergraduate degree from Princeton University, where he graduated magna cum laude and was a National Achievement Scholar. He holds a Master of Business Administration from the Harvard Business School, where he was awarded the General Motors Fellowship for second year studies. He also received an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Saint Paul’s College.

Xavier received the first James Farmer Distinguished Lecturer Award by the University of Mary Washington. He was awarded The Virginia Hospital and Healthcare System’s Meritorious Service Award for outstanding contributions to the community and healthcare industry and, was the recipient of the Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce highest honor, the Prince B. Woodard Award for exceptional leadership. The city of Fredericksburg named Xavier “Fredericksburg’s Hometown Hero” and he was chosen as a recipient of the “Strong Men and Strong Women in Virginia History.” Xavier is a recipient of the Rotary International Paul Harris Fellow Award and the Good Scout Award from the Boy Scouts of America.

Tammy Sandy '01 (2017) - When Tammy's family moved to the Fredericksburg area from Falls Church, VA, they quickly discovered that the public education available was not what Tammy needed. She joined Fredericksburg Academy shortly after the beginning of the school year for sixth grade, and graduated in 2001 as part of the first class to be double-digits.

Tammy attended the University of Virginia and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering. Directly after graduation, she was hired by Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics as a specialist in Hematology and Urinalysis. Tammy is currently employed by Johnson & Johnson and works with ophthalmic lasers. She is the owner of four cats and three dogs, the oldest dog being a grand champion show dog.