Karen Maybee
Co-Founder/ Board President
Karen Maybee has an intense passion for helping others. This passion is fueled by her experiences in counseling, education, and fitness. Karen earned a BA in psychology from Canisius College and finished her teaching credential with George Mason University. Karen taught at the middle school level and coached cheerleading. She also worked as a personal fitness trainer – one of Karen’s clients competed in the World Games and placed 6th at the Paralympics. Karen brought her love of fitness into the classroom, challenging her students to make healthy choices and educating them about the power of nutrition and its direct effects on behavior and performance. It is this experience, along with her own nutritional practices, that were the impetus for the BSDA organic, whole food meal program. In addition to founding BSDA with her husband, Karen volunteered to create both high school and middle school cheer squads for the public school. She continues to coach and develop the program. Seeing the personal growth in students and athletes continues to fuel her desire to help children discover their potential.
Scott Maybee
Co-Founder, Past Board Member
Scott is a graduate of Canisius College, Buffalo NY and now lives in Big Sky, MT full time with his wife Karen and two young sons. He has been intimately involved in more than 20 diverse ventures including retail, wholesale distribution, manufacturing and real estate. He has served as a strategic adviser and has developed several businesses from the ground up in hands-on leadership roles. At the core of Scott’s business philosophy are strategic planning, strategic management, visibility, and accountability.
Carrie Chapin
Board Member
Growing up in Upstate New York, Carrie Chapin spend many winters ski racing all over the northeast. Including, calling Northwood School in Lake Placid, New York home for several years. All through college, at The State University of New York, she ski raced as well as began coaching children. She moved to Big Sky in 2007 in search of more outdoor adventures. She and her husband had spent many years moving every six months. From summers in Maine, as rafting and kayaking guides, to winters in New Hampshire, as the Director of Youth Ski Racing at Cranmore Mountain. They were looking for a place to settle that had both of their summer and winter passions in one location. When Carrie is not working on maintaining and growing the family business, she enjoys all that South West Montana has to offer with her husband and two children. Being part of the Big Sky Discovery Academy, she is exciting to see the vision and growth of a Montessori education advance children’s love for learning.Barbara Rowley
Board Member
Barbara Rowley has been deeply involved in creating educational, recreational and creative opportunities for children in the Big Sky area for 28 years. She is the founder and chair of Camp Big Sky, the founder and producer of Big Sky Broadway, a founder of the Big Sky Preschool, which operated from 2005-2010 in the Ophir School, a founding board member of Friends of Big Sky Education–the organization that led the effort to establish Lone Peak High School–and a founding board member of the Warren Miller Performing Arts Center. She has also served on the boards of the Big Sky Chapel, the Big Sky Arts Council, and the Big Sky Community Organization, and is a past president of the Ophir School Council (now PTO) as well as a founding board member of a large outdoor education center and camp, Colorado Outdoor Education Center. A graduate of Washington University in St. Louis (BA, Political Science and English) and Northwestern University (MA, Journalism), Barbara spent two decades as a contributing editor and writer to Outside, Parenting, and Family Fun magazines, as well as many other publications, websites and film, including a book on activities for young children (Hyperion/Disney) and a book on family computing (Microsoft Press). She and her husband Taylor Middleton have raised their two girls in Big Sky since birth; both daughters are graduates of Lone Peak High School.
Laura Sacchi
Board Member
Laura is originally from Pennsylvania and spent almost 20 years living and working as an international investment banker in NYC. She is a graduate of Colgate University and holds an MBA from Columbia University. She is fluent in French and conversant in Italian and Spanish. Laura visited Big Sky in the summer of 1994 and purchased her first piece of Big Sky real estate, where she now lives with her two children. She moved to Big Sky full time in the summer of 2001 and has since been very active in the community. Laura is the founder and former Executive Director of Morningstar Learning Center, co-owner of Big Sky Brochures and an active member of All Saints in Big Sky. She is passionate about pursuing the many outdoor activities that Big Sky has to offer, especially skiing, snowshoeing, fly fishing, golfing, hiking and camping with her kids.