About Us
We envision a world where every young person in every community can develop life skills, gain confidence, and build character through “hands-on” learning and exploring traditional, hand tool woodworking.
Executive Leadership,
Board of Directors & Board of Advisors
The Bench is committed to best practices in governance, accountability, and transparency. At the heart of our organization's initiatives and strategic decisions are the dedicated individuals who make up our Board of Directors and Board of Advisors. Together, they bring a wealth of experience, diverse perspectives, and shared passion for the woodworking, experiential education, and non-profit business world..
Treasurer
Bern Hoffmann
Executive Director,
The Bench Woodworking School
Bern Hoffmann is the Executive Director and Lead Instructor at The Bench Woodworking School - an idea that has been forming in his mind for years and a vision born from his experience as a child, spending hours alongside his father in their simple basement shop. Those experiences instilled not only skills, but also confidence, patience, and an appreciation for craftsmanship—benefits he is passionate about sharing with others through a school of his own.
Now with more than two decades of woodworking experience as a teacher, student, and practitioner, Bern has worked in cabinetry shops, outfitted boat interiors, completed hull repairs, and taught high school woodworking classes. Most recently, he built many of the cabinets in his home, milled the living room mantle from American Ash, and crafted the flooring from Red Oak harvested from family forestland that he manages with his brother and sister.
Bern has more than 20 years of experience as an educator in both public and private K–12 schools. In addition to having developed and taught a wide range of classroom and outdoor curricula to children and adults alike, Bern has focused on integrating hands-on learning experiences to foster student engagement and real-world problem solving. He holds a Master of Arts in Teaching and a Master of Natural Resources.
From time spent in the private sector, Bern brings a strong background in coordinating complex projects, aligning stakeholders, and strengthening mission-driven organizations, including small financial management services firms focused on forest management and healthy watersheds in Virginia, as well as global development institutions advancing private-sector sustainability initiatives.
Secretary
Chairman
Chairman
Paul Slye
Founder & CEO,
Pinnacle Capital Management Services
Paul E. Slye is the Founder and CEO of PCMS, a full-service developer, owner, and operator of commercial real estate investments throughout the West Coast. PCMS owns, operates, and manages over $400MM of AUM in medical office, life science, creative office, and multi-family developments. Paul is an active member of numerous civic and educational entities such as the Urban Land Institute, the Westside YMCA, the Echo Horizon School, and St. Augustine's Episcopal Church. He received his bachelor's degree from Wesleyan University, completed courses of study in architecture and real estate finance at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design. Paul was raised in New England and resides in California with his wife and two sons. He is a founding member of the The Bench Woodworking School board.
Secretary
Secretary
Bill Hoffmann
Intermediate School Teacher, The Potomac School
Bill Hoffmann is a life-long science educator at the middle school level (Grades 6 - 8). Upon graduating from Connecticut College in 1987 with a B.A. in Anthropology, he began his career teaching in the Washington, DC area. Subsequently, he completed a Master's Degree in Education from George Mason University and taught at American and International schools overseas in Brazil, Egypt, India, and Singapore. Bill also has spent a great deal of time working with wood and in the outdoors, helping to manage 280 acres of woodland in rural Virginia. Joining the team at The Bench allows him to bring his teaching experience and connection to the land together to share this with future generations.
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Board of Advisors
Board of Advisors
Gretchen Bauer
Upper School Biology Teacher, The Potomac School
Gretchen is a high school Biology teacher at The Potomac School in McLean, VA where she has taught 9th grade students for 14 years. She also holds an Executive Master of Natural Resources degree from Virginia Tech's Center for Leadership in Global Sustainability. When she's not teaching, she can be found volunteering as an Assistant Scoutmaster in her children's Scouting America troop, along with camping, hiking and paddleboarding. Her favorite hobby is designing and crafting with a variety of materials from fabric and yarn to wood and leather.
Board of Advisors
Board of Advisors
Cort Morgan
Art Department Chair,
The Potomac School
A lifelong teacher, artist and maker, Cort is in his 42nd year at The Potomac School in McLean, VA, currently teaching Upper School Art History, Architecture and 3D Design. Student projects there include crafting original furniture from the school’s campus hardwoods, an initiative that Bern Hoffmann guided from its inception. In an increasingly disembodied, screen-based world for children, art and woodworking cultivate imagination, physical presence and extended attention. Cort loves living trees more than lumber, but he looks for creative possibilities in every board and is happy to serve on this one.
Board of Advisors
Board of Advisors
Meegan Steiner
Kindergarten Teacher,
Meegan Steiner brings 22 years of experience in private and public elementary education to The Bench. She is dedicated to fostering academic growth, nurturing curiosity, and creating inclusive, student-centered classrooms where children feel valued and supported. Throughout her career, Meegan has directed summer camps, led adventure outings, tutored students, developed curriculum, mentored new teachers, and pursued ongoing professional development.
Her teaching philosophy emphasizes hands-on, inquiry-based learning, real-world problem solving, and collaboration. Inspired by her father’s work as a custom cabinet maker, Meegan is excited to plan programs at The Bench that provide students with hands-on opportunities to learn the history, creativity, tools, and enduring value of woodworking for future generations.
Board of Advisors
Board of Advisors
Adam Butrynski
Owner,
Mount Vernon Woodworks
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Board of Advisors
Board of Advisors
Matthew Parks
Shop Manager,
Mount Vernon Woodworks
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