Main Campus (K-12), 2801 Keystone Road, Tarpon Springs, FL 34688
Phone: (727) 934-0909

Board and Committee Members

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Michele Fasnacht is the visionary and founder of Solid Rock Community School, a K-12 non-profit private school. With Solid Rock she began a revolutionary concept in K-12 education that has benefited thousands of students. Michele has spoken at numerous conferences regarding “Educating Out of the Box” and has been awarded the Tinfoil Star award for Leaders in Innovative Education. With decades of experience in public, private, virtual, and homeschool programs, Michele is willing to create programs to best suit the individual. Michele is also a professional certified health and wellness coach and holistic nutrition practitioner. After battling progressive MS, being sick for decades, diagnosed legally blind, and being barely able to walk or function, she enjoys sharing her success with others and helping them transition to a plant-based diet- the only evidence-based diet that can prevent and reverse disability and disease.

Michele also serves on the board of directors as the vice-chair of the Plant Based Lifestyle Movement of Tampa Bay, which is a collaboration between medical practitioners and passionate community members committed to amplifying the message of  plant-based nutrition’s power to prevent, halt, and often even heal our most debilitating chronic illnesses.

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Melissa Yost has been involved with Solid Rock since 2008. She has her National Administrator’s Credential as well as a certificate in Grant Writing. She is a hardworking and caring individual who wants to see more families have the opportunity to better educate their children, especially those who have children that do not best fit into mainstream, public school. As a mother of three boys, all with different needs, she understands firsthand the importance of a school that can serve a family with children with varying needs. Melissa worked as a registrar and administrator with World of Knowledge, a Montessori School. She spent ten years in finance where her titles included loan processor and mortgage officer, as well as SBA, small and large business loan officer. Melissa Yost has strong ties with the Florida Department of Education, Veteran’s Administration, Florida Corporate Tax Credit Scholarship, Personal Learning Scholarship, and McKay Coalition where she advocates for each student’s needs on a daily basis.
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Melinda Benedetto has over 30 years of accounting and bookkeeping experience. Much of her career has involved serving the accounting and bookkeeping needs of retail companies, small businesses, and not-for-profits. Her detail oriented, structured personality coupled with her outstanding organizational skills make her excellent in this position. In college she was named “Business Administration Student of the Year” and was inducted into the National Honor Society, Phi Theta Kappa. Melinda has served on several boards, including Solid Rock’s Board of Directors and the West Coast Child Care Food Program.
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Matt Welch has a Masters Degree in counseling from USF and is a licensed marriage and family therapist. He has over twenty years experience working with parents and children throughout the bay area as a counselor, principal, and coach.

Matt has conducted hundreds of workshops across the state of Florida to benefit parents, teachers, and other mental health professionals.

He was named Counselor of the Year in Pasco County in 2004.

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Ashley Lay is a graduate of the University of South Florida where she obtained a bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Science and Public Health. She worked in the medical field for ten years. During the last five of those years she founded and operated her own medical scribe company. Working in hospitals and doctors’ offices, she observed firsthand the results of patients’ unhealthy lifestyles. Since selling her company in 2015, Ashley has dedicated herself to living a healthy, compassionate lifestyle, and educating others about the benefits of eating a whole-food, plant-based diet. Ashley works with several non-profit organizations, educating our youth about healthy food choices and being good stewards of the environment.
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Alexa Shuman is a certified integrative nutrition health coach, holistic wellness educator, and plant-based cooking instructor. She is the founder of Uprooted Wellness, with the mission to shift our community’s perspective on what it means to be in a state of good health. Alexa fully believes in the power of a whole-food, plant-based lifestyle. She has a passion for connecting all the aspects that contribute to a nourishing life, using mindfulness to reduce stress and foster emotional development, and coaching others to live in a way that strengthens them for optimal health. Alexa specializes in children’s health, feeding children and families, getting back to the basics, and helping families integrate new, sustainable diet and lifestyle changes. She loves supporting mothers by working together to create a balanced foundation for their family. The well-being of our children comes down to a million little moments. Alexa’s goal is to help you make informed decisions that will support the physical, mental, and emotional components that help our children to grow and thrive- and show you how to incorporate them into modern life with simplicity and efficiency. Alexa is passionate about changing the mindset around health, and empowering the members of our community to be at its best through mindful eating, conscious living, and natural healing. She believes healthy living is not a destination, but a journey of deliberate effort. It must be taken one moment, one choice, one meal, and one day at a time.
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Jeffrey A. Hirschfield, MD CPI, is president of SCORE Physician Alliance, a clinical research trials investigative site, comprised of medical offices serving the Tampa-Bay area. He serves as an internationally Board-Certified Physician Investigator involved in more than 250 clinical research protocols since 1996. As Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Hirschfield oversees institutional regulatory requirements for SCORE’s ongoing portfolio of clinical studies. As a board-certified pediatrician, he is a passionate nutrition educator. He uses the power of the family to leverage health benefits from whole-food plant-based eating. He is active in the national plant-based movement, using evidence-based medicine to motivate patients to reach their personal goals. As a safety consultant to the nutraceutical industry, Dr. Hirschfield directs research activities that highlight the importance of patient safety. Dr. Hirschfield holds a faculty appointment at the University of Tampa as Adjunct Associate Professor and enjoys graduate level student teaching. He currently volunteers his time as a Board Member for the United Healthcare Child Foundation, fostering improved healthcare access for those with unmet needs. Follow him on Facebook at @toppediatrician and on the web at www.pediatricgrowth.com.
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Julie A. Hirschfield, BA CRC, is Vice President of Corporate Development at SCORE Physician Alliance. She serves as a clinical research coordinator and lead for SCORE’S nutraceutical studies. Julie has been a consummate wellness coach for our research facility. She received her B.A. degree in Elementary Education from The University of South Florida. She is passionate about this field and is currently involved in higher learning. Currently, Julie is enrolled in nutrition science courses through Cornell University and is achieving additional lifestyle certifications, including whole-food plant-based nutrition. She will lead Mindfit2020 wellness initiatives for SCORE.
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