Niki Cutler, former orchestra pianist and music teacher, believes music makes the world go
round. She should know. A military brat of a highly decorated Silver Star veteran and German mother, she spent the first half of her life overseas in Europe. At age five, her first piano teacher was a ninety-five-year-old German woman born in 1875. Due to her military upbringing, she has lived some high-impact and profound current history: she has seen the Pope and been on European military bases when the Iranian hostages returned, the Lebanese marine base was bombed, the Chernobyl nuclear plant blew up, and the Berlin Wall came down. Through it all, music has taught her to understand and appreciate other cultures. It’s a universal language that evokes emotion and bridges the gaps between cultures–lessons she wants to share at BHI Academy. A graduate of a private American school in Germany, she’s familiar with the opportunities an intentionally-small educational atmosphere can provide scholars. She believes a solid music education is a good fit with the whole-child approach of BHIA. But Niki knows music is more than just practicing scales and learning songs. It also teaches problem-solving, discipline, critical thinking, commitment to a practice, how to work alone, achievement, the progression that comes with effort, cooperation, and collaboration–all invaluable lifelong skills. She has been teaching piano since 1992, both in Europe on military bases and in the US. Well-traveled and an accomplished musician, Niki returned to the states in 1998 after a ten-year stint as the pianist for the US Army European Command Chapel System in Germany, performing for large assemblies, chapel services, and funerals. An experienced teacher, she taught piano lessons at two private academies: College Lakes Christian Academy and Cornerstone Christian Academy in Fayetteville, NC. She established Middle Sea Piano studio when she moved to Oak Island in 2005. A state-certified firefighter and EMT-B, she has served as a volunteer firefighter and in water rescue for fifteen years. She is certified in water and confined space rescue, heavy lifting and moving, structural collapse, wild land fire suppression, AirLink air medical safety (helicopter), hazardous materials, pediatric emergencies, and more; she has a class B license as an Emergency Vehicle Driver. She spent seven years in the Department of Homeland Security US Coast Guard Auxiliary and earned her Instructor qualification at Coast Guard Station Oak Island Flotilla. She has an Associate in Fine Arts in Music from Cape Fear Community College and is currently completing a Music Major with a Concentration in Piano at University of North Carolina-Wilmington. She’s also studying nuclear engineering and technology at CFCC. A seasoned music educator (first through twelfth grades), she looks forward to introducing BHIA students to the joy of piano, as well as handbells, percussion instruments, musical games, theory, and songs.

Nathaniel Diaz-Rua was born in the United States to parents from the Dominican Republic and 
is a native Spanish speaker, bringing a wealth of experience and passion to his role at the 
Academy. An accomplished multimedia producer, his background creating impactful films and 
documentaries about cultural and natural resources conservation for the United Nations has 
not only helped him hone his Spanish language proficiency but also develop a keen 
understanding of global issues. During his tenure as Multimedia Consultant at the United Nations, 
Diaz-Rua was responsible for crafting compelling films and documentaries in both English and 
Spanish, delving into topics ranging from the UN Millennium Objectives to sustainable development 
of natural resources and marine conservation. To accomplish these goals, and before the advent of 
drones for filming and aerial photography, he could be seen hanging from the side of a military helicopter with a camera on-hand or scuba diving with a team of marine biologists to capture footage for his educational documentaries. This experience not only showcased his commitment to global awareness and cultural sensitivity but also solidified his proficiency in bilingual communication. Having grown up in a church environment, he served as a skilled translator of sermons, delivering real-time, simultaneous translations to ensure inclusivity within the non-English-speaking church community. This commitment to effective communication extends to his ownership of a television channel in the Dominican Republic, where all programs were produced in Spanish, offering a unique blend of linguistic expertise and practical media insight. Diaz-Rua also served in the US Air Force during the Desert Shield/Desert Storm conflict in 1991. During his active duty service in the USAF, he was awarded foreign language pay for his Spanish language. He scored a 99 on the Spanish linguistic test–the highest test grade the USAF had seen, to date. Diaz-Rua continues to work remotely as a multimedia consultant and producer in the film and game audio post-production field. In 2019, a film on which he worked as Editing Audio Supervisor won the award for Best Short Film at the Boston International Film Festival. In 2022, he received a Golden Telly Award for Audio Post Production on a Short Comedic Series. His philosophy is rooted in fostering linguistic proficiency, cultural appreciation, and a global perspective. Eager to contribute to Bald Head Island’s commitment to excellence in education, Diaz-Rua is dedicated to creating a dynamic and inclusive learning environment, instilling a love for the Spanish language and culture in students.

Student health is important to Andrew Hano, but it’s not just limited to academic well-being–it also includes physical, and mental health. Hano has been ensuring whole-child wellness throughout his nearly thirty years of teaching. His educational expertise includes serving as an eighth-grade lead history teacher and middle school girls lacrosse head coach at the Winston-Salem, NC, Summit School, an age three through grade nine independent school founded in 1933. His physical education, program management, and coaching and mentoring bona fides have been honed through many years as Head of Boys Camp and Camper Recruiter at Pennsylvania’s The Susquehannock Camps, which delivers multi-sport athletic development and confidence-based learning for children ages seven to sixteen, and as a personal trainer at Winston-Salem’s Wake Forest University Campus Recreation. Hano has also coached girls’ lacrosse and basketball, boys’ basketball, middle school baseball, and middle school cross country. His other physical education skills include swimming, football, hockey, and waterfront activities. He has a BA in Secondary Social Studies Education and a Master of Education with a concentration in Social Studies from Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, NC. His extensive experience with an independent school is a good fit for BHIA’s culture of lifelong learning: an academic approach that centers on a well-rounded, child-centric education in an intentionally small classroom environment.

Erin Palmer is a perfect addition to our team because of her long-time personal and professional 
commitment to whole-person health. A licensed and board-certified private-practice 
psychotherapist since 2013, she helps children–especially tweens and teens–be their best 
selves by providing in-person and telehealth counseling services. Specializing in trauma, mood 
disorders, substance abuse and addiction, eating disorders, and general life stress, she takes a 
flexible and open approach to her healing work, tailoring her treatment to the young patient’s 
unique needs in the moment: cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), Eye Movement Desensitization 
and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy, Internal Family Systems (IFS), psychoanalytic, existential, 
and motivational enhancement, and/or mindfulness. Her heart for service isn’t just limited to local 
youth; it extends onto the global stage. She was a Sane Ukraine Project volunteer for eighteen months, 
training fifty Ukrainian psychological resilience and trauma educators via translators to facilitate ongoing work in that nation under siege. She also donated weekly video sessions in trauma coping and recovery tools. Her past experience includes work as a county juvenile drug treatment court coordinator and a county substance abuse services treatment court case manager and adult outpatient clinician, as well as a stint as a mobile crisis clinician serving a hospital, a local mental health nonprofit, and the community. Ms. Palmer is a summa cum laude graduate from Georgia State University with a BS in Psychology. She did her graduate work in Psychological Counseling at Columbia University Teachers College in New York City. She graduated with a Master of Education magna cum laude, with a focus on multiculturally-competent counseling, agency and organization consulting, group counseling, career counseling, and psychology and spirituality. BHI Academy’s motto is scientia potentia est: Knowledge is power. Ms. Palmer leans into that axiom through her work of empowering young people’s self-awareness and internal reflection for a healthy and enriching life.

Melanie Robbins has been visiting Bald Head Island since 1973. Her memories harken back to 
a time of unpaved roads and no marina. She and her husband, Bill, were key contributors to 
Get The Point and have served on the board of the Smith Island Land Trust. Robbins became a 
full-time resident in 2012 and has served on the boards of the Bald Head Chapel, Public Safety
Auxiliary, and the Middle Island Property Owners Association; she is chair of the Middle Island 
ARC.  No stranger to the classroom, she worked as a high school English teacher and subsequently 
earned her Master of Science as a Speech-Language Pathologist before retiring and moving to 
Bald Head Island, where she will share her special expertise with BHIA scholars and families. She is 
now the principal of Robbins Interiors, LLC, working exclusively with island property owners. 

Tera Thomas brings a wealth of expertise to BHI Academy. A long-time beekeeper, not only will 
she be guiding the scholars in their grant-funded beekeeping activities, teaching them about 
effective hive management and honey production, she is also an experienced teacher, education 
program specialist, and school administrator. Bringing out the best in students, staff, parents, 
and schools is her specialty. Her experience aligns with BHIA’s unique offerings and ethos. 
Her roles in schools include teaching grades K-3, serving as Assistant Principal of the Newburgh 
Free Academy, a New York public high school, working as a literacy advocate, and partnering with 
a number of schools as a program specialist, with activities ranging from student advocacy and 
special events, to short-term suspension, to summer programs. She is dedicated to literacy of all students 
and has expertise in reading remediation. With a number of teaching certifications, Thomas has a BS in English and Elementary Education, a Master of Professional Studies in Humanistic Education, and a Certificate of Advanced Study in Educational Administration and Supervision from State University of New York, and a Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership from Nova Southeastern University in Florida.

Dr. Vaickus attained his MD at Loyola University, and trained in Emergency and Internal Medicine at Chicago’s Cook County Hospital and the University of Chicago. With more than 30 years of experience in medicine, health, and developing treatments for all types of diseases, he has held medical faculty positions at two universities: the University of Iowa and Roswell Park Cancer Institute at SUNY Buffalo. He attained one of the highest honorary titles in medicine: Fellow of the American College of Physicians, a nomination by his peers based on his body of work.

Dr. Vaickus has always been a teacher. He enjoys his unique ability to communicate complicated subject matter to people at any educational level: third grade children (“How the Human Body Works,” “What Are Lungs?”, and “The Scourge Of Tobacco”); college and graduate students (nutritional metabolism, obesity, and alcohol); post-doctoral students (immunology and the business of science); nurses, medical students, interns, residents, faculty members, and fellows (internal medicine, hematology and oncology, drugs, and anti-tumor immunity); community physicians (latest treatments for cancer and cancer research); and pharmaceutical commercial organizations (drug development, clinical trial challenges, biostatistics, and organizational behavior). He has authored over 100 scientific papers, books, book chapters, reviews, and abstracts.

One of his favorite sayings is “Knowledge is Power”, which is incorporated in the BHI Academy logo in its Latin form. He is committed to fostering young minds by teaching them critical problem-solving tools and an “anything is possible” attitude that will allow them to thrive, not just academically, but as citizens of the world and life-long learners. He brings fresh perspectives, relevant medical and past teaching experience, and an innate desire to teach the Life Sciences. The name of his company is a derivative of the Latin phrase “acta non verba,” which translates to “actions, not words,” a philosophy he carries out in his everyday life.

Ms. Vaickus is responsible for securing staff members, vendors, facilities, tools, and technologies 
in the most efficient and cost-effective way, with a goal of keeping the school within budget 
and sustainable. 

A global integrated marketing strategist, Ms. Vaickus brings decades of operations, management, 
and international marketing experience to the team at BHI Academy. She is Chief Operating 
Sales and Marketing Officer for a world-renowned company she co-operates with her husband, 
Dr. Louis Vaickus: akta Pharmaceutical Development (aktaPD®). Her strong suit is supporting the 
internal growth of an organization through a well-honed aptitude for contract negotiations, team 
training, logistics management, and client relations—a “perfect storm” of talents she’ll deploy to guide the Academy’s growth. 
Her commitment to the Academy is to dedicate her time, resources, and expertise into making the school one of the best-in-class educational environments in the world. Because of the Academy’s exceptional curriculum, she believes the daily experience of students, their parents, and the faculty will be transformative. She is committed to and wholeheartedly believes in the Academy’s mission and purpose. Ms. Vaickus’s professional background includes serving as Chief Operating Officer for an environmental company; Vice President of Operations and Sales for PPM (a marketing and ad agency); and a Lead Marketing and Sourcing Manager at GlaxoSmithKline. She owns several businesses, one of which was YRH Inc, a North Carolina pharmaceutical medical education vendor, providing high-scale productions, commercials, product launches, shareholder meetings, advisory boards, marketing logistics, and training for clients, including GlaxoSmithKline, Sunovion, Elan, Eli Lilly, Molecular Insight, TolerX, Pfizer, Harvard, Duke University, Wake Forest University, Cardinal Health, and Johnson & Johnson. She possesses a BA degree from Seneca College in Toronto, Canada. She is a past recipient of the North Carolina Governor’s Service Excellence Award, she served on the boards of the American Heart Association (Mid-Atlantic (7 States) and the North Carolina chapter – Triangle Metro) for over 8 years, and is Chairman of the P3 Group. To-date, she has branded over 1000 companies and designed and implemented campaigns for NBA, NFL players, and Olympic athletes, as well as for top CEOs around the world. What excites, drives, and motivates Ms. Vaickus the most is her family, especially her husband and four extraordinary children. Her passion will always include being of service to others.

Jane is pursuing a career in Marketing.

Jayden is getting his degree in Early Education, specializing in Music.

Grace is earning a Masters, then a PhD, in Special Education.

Alivia is seeking a career in Radiology. She is currently a track star.

Steve Arnold is one of those rare individuals who can explain technical things in such a manner
that anyone can comprehend them. That’s his job at BHI Academy. His understanding of computer systems makes him uniquely qualified to ensure the school’s network infrastructure and devices function optimally and securely so that we can focus on what we do best: educate our scholars. Certified in MS and MCITP, with a strong base in the Microsoft AD DS (Active Directory Services) network, Steve understands how important it is to have safe and secure computer operations–especially in a school environment.

Strategizing, word smithing, editing, creating for BHI Academy… it’s all in a day’s work for Aaron Betts! He has extensive professional experience running social media accounts for businesses both small and large. He is adept at surfing the digital waves, fast on his feet, and an enthusiastic team player. Most important of all, he gets results with authentic, meaningful, targeted social media communications.

Mary Gukelberger has been deploying her impressive accounting and finance management skills to the commercial and small business sectors for more than twenty years. Highly skilled and
dedicated to accuracy and detail, she dots every i and crosses every t in the finance arenas of accounts payable and receivable, bank reconciliations, monthly reports, payroll, benefits administration, quarterly and year-end tax forms, and sales and use tax returns. She prides herself on delivering excellence in financial management with efficiency, attention to detail, nimbleness, responsivity, and professionalism.

 Tonya Jenkins doesn’t just love the culinary arts – she finds her purpose there. Through more than
three decades, she has cultivated a stellar reputation for her exceptional catering. But her craft goes beyond carefully curated menus, flawless cookery, and scrumptious flavors. She excels in
teasing out her customers’ desires and showcasing those dreams on a plate. That is exactly what
she is doing for BHI Academy. She brings her good listening skills, prodigious food knowledge,
and culinary creativity to BHI Academy’s dream of exceptional child-centric education. The result? Delicious and nutritious school lunches that fuel the whole child. Tonya innately understands that BHIA scholars are living the school’s rigorous STEA+M curriculum (science, technology, English/languages, art, athleticism, and math), which requires the right amount – and more importantly, the right kind – of healthy, tasty calories to sustain them throughout their busy days. Designed to maintain energy, fortify strength, nourish the brain, and of course, tempt the taste buds, her mindfully considered dishes fuel the bodies, minds, and souls of students. It’s a good fit. Tonya is known for her culinary masterpieces. BHI Academy is dedicated to creating human masterpieces – scholars committed to lifelong learning, a healthy and active lifestyle, and good stewardship of their community.

Randy Soare relies on over twenty-five years of multimedia experience in his job as BHI Academy™ Designer/Web Master/Developer. His areas of focus include website and interactive
media development, SEO/SEM, social media, e-newsletters, motion graphics, interactive
training, e-commerce sites, branding, and marketing design projects. His technical expertise includes designing and deploying feature-rich CMS-based websites and an extensive knowledge of the full line of Adobe products such as Illustrator, Photoshop, and After Effects, with a special emphasis on 3D animation. He unites his technical and creative skills to help BHIA creatively
grow its brand and online presence.