Faculty and Staff

Originally from Wadena, MN, Carrie Ehrmantraut earned her bachelor's degree in Accounting from MSUM. For the past six years, Carrie worked as a senior accountant at Wanzek Constuction.

Carrie is excited about the unique opportunity that Capstone provides. She looks forward to working with the leadership team to further the school's mission and vision. She's eager to embrace the wonderful community within Capstone.

In her free time, she enjoys traveling, hiking, time at the lake, and following Minnesota sports. Carrie lives in West Fargo with her husband, Dallas, and their two children. They attend River City Church, where they are part of a community group and Carrie serves in the children's ministry.

Stephanie Bares has a B.S. Degree in Accounting from North Dakota State University. Stephanie has worked in a variety of financial environments, including accounts receivable, sales service, banking, and tax accounting. She considers herself very fortunate to have been able to step away from professional work and stay at home with her young children for six years. A gradual return to full-time employment started in 2007, when Stephanie was hired by the Fargo Park District. She was an accountant there for 17 years prior to coming to Capstone.

Stephanie feels blessed to be able to contribute to the meaningful work and mission of Capstone. She is excited about serving alongside others who share a passion for Christ and are committed to the generous spirit of God’s love and mercy. 

Stephanie and her husband Mark live in West Fargo and are members of Sts. Anne & Joachim Catholic Church. They have been married 32 years and have 3 adult children, Nicholas, Brayden & Makenna. As a family, they enjoy the outdoors, especially lake time in the summer when they can often be found with fishing poles in hand. 

Kara is originally from Steele, ND, and graduated from MSUM with a degree in Mass Communications. She has several years of experience in marketing and communications in a variety of industries, from magazine publishing to engineering.

She spent 6 years homeschooling her children, who are now Capstone students. Capstone seemed a natural fit for the Orcutt family because they followed the classical model for their homeschool. Kara was also drawn to the academy due to the emphasis on community among students and staff. Her prayer is that students will develop a love of learning and that God will be glorified as the vision and culture of Capstone unfold

Kara is responsible for telling Capstone’s story. She curates our schoolwide communication, documents moments through photography, and provides graphic design for printed materials and special projects. In her spare time, Kara enjoys playing board games, cooking, proofreading, and snuggling her goldendoodle, Phoebe.

Tom Tucker is the Director of Advancement for Capstone Classical Academy. He has a bachelor's degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing from California State University Fullerton. He has also completed post-baccalaureate studies in broadcast journalism. His range of professional experience primarily includes serving as an Emmy award-winning television and radio broadcast journalist. He has also served as an international corporate trainer.

Tom is looking forward to using his skills in storytelling and relationship building in his efforts aimed at helping Capstone flourish. He is passionate about Capstone and about classical Christian education, and he loves the people who make up our growing school community. 

The entire Tucker family has been directly involved in Capstone since the school's founding. Tom served for two years on Capstone's Parent Fellowship Board, and his wife Patti serves as an administrative assistant at the school. Their daughter, Sophia, helps provide aftercare service. Their son, Levi, is a Capstone student. The Tuckers attend Salem Church in Moorhead, where Tom serves as a prayer minister.

Sue and her husband, Doug, live in Fargo with their three children, are members of Salem EFC, and enjoy spending time with friends, playing strategy board games, and hanging out. Doug has served as the director of FM Child Evangelism Fellowship for 12 years. Sue comes to us with experience as the office manager for Christian Adoption Services, where she supported the financial elements of the office and donor relationships.

About Capstone, she shares, “The thing that sold me is that. . .theology is the ‘mother’ of all sciences and is the underpinning and overarching Truth that informs all other areas of learning. I am very excited to see it in action and the effect it will have on our daughter.”

Sue will primarily assist parents and staff with financial matters and is the staff member to reach out to with questions about tuition matters. She is serving as the dashboard manager for our donor relationships and is an important link in our development chain.

Her prayer is that God would bless our students in their studies with a sound mind, a desire to learn, and a passion to know Him more and for our families to be encouraged in their faith journey and as a result of their experiences with Capstone.

Kelley Peterson lives in Fargo with her husband, Dave. Together they have raised three children, who are all living their young adult lives. They enjoy cooking, playing games, watching movies, and going to the lake together. For Kelley, however, serving kids of all ages continues to be her passion. In her personal life and her career, she has always been dedicated to service, learning, and caring for young people.

Kelley comes to us from Oak Grove Lutheran School, where she directed the lunch program at the North Campus and was known for her delicious and nutritious home-cooked meals and loving service to her students. She served her children through homeschooling for 10 years prior to that. She is excited about serving as a founding staff member for Capstone because she feels that the vision and culture of the academy are Spirit-filled. She is eager to see growth and joy in students as they are blessed by the model of classical Christian education.

Kelley serves as an operations and logistics coordinator for facilities maintenance, the acquisition of supplies, equipment and furnishings, and the lunch program and supports the rest of the administrative team in various areas of need. Her prayer for Capstone is that Jesus would have center stage and that we would be defined by joy as we build up the family of believers.

Annie Thorson graduated from NDSU with a nursing degree and worked in the Emergency Department for nine years before staying home with her three daughters. She is excited to serve families as they begin the Admissions process at Capstone. She is enamored with the joyful learning, curiosity, and wonder that classical education introduces to children as it teaches them what is Good, True, and Beautiful from a biblical worldview. Annie and her family attend Bethel Evangelical Free Church, where Annie is involved with VBS and teaching elementary Sunday School. In her spare time, she enjoys camping in the mountains, spending time at the lake, hiking, downhill skiing, baking, and cooking.