List of 33 items.

• Anh-Van Nguyen, Chair

  Anh-Van currently serves as Chair of the LREI Board of Trustees and has been an active member of the community since 2013, previously serving as Parents Association Co-President, co-chair of the LREI School Store, and PA representative for many years. She currently sits on the board of her neighborhood association and also serves as its treasurer. Anh-Van spent 14 years of her career at HBO in supply chain operations and production. Prior to her time in media and entertainment, she worked in strategic consulting, advertising, and investment banking. Anh-Van received her M.B.A. with honors, specializing in Marketing and Operations, from the Leonard N. Stern School of Business at New York University. She received her B.A. in Economics from the University of Virginia. Originally from Virginia, Anh-Van lives in Soho with her husband, Tien-tsin, and children Tyler (‘27) and Hannah (‘29). When she’s not spending time with her family, Anh-Van enjoys playing tennis, gardening, and biking.
  

• Susie Scher, Vice-Chair

  Susie is in her 19th year as an LREI parent – two of her kids are current students (‘27 and ‘30) and two are alumni (‘19 and ‘20). She has served as an LREI trustee since 2008.
  
  

  In her professional life, Susie is the chair of the Global Financing Group within Global Banking & Markets at Goldman Sachs. She serves on the Partnership Committee, Investment Banking Executive Committee and the Global Inclusion and Diversity Committee. Susie is global sponsor of the LGBTQ+ Network and a senior advisor to the Investment Banking Council for Advancement of Racial Equity. Susie first joined Goldman Sachs in 1990 as a summer associate and rejoined the firm as a vice president in 1997. She was named managing director in 2001 and partner in 2006.
  
  

  Susie earned a B.A. in Political Science from Middlebury College and an M.B.A. in Finance from Columbia University School of Business.
  
  

  In addition to the LREI Board, Susie also serves on the Board of Directors of the Posse Foundation and the Board of Trustees at Middlebury College. Susie is an avid runner and enjoys any activity with her four children (and/or her friends) - especially concerts, sporting events, skiing and boating.  Susie has recently taken up guitar and knows 3 chords– stay tuned for her progress. 

• Louis Sharpe, Treasurer

  Louie and his wife Michele joined the LREI community when their daughter Peyton (‘30) entered the Fours/Pre-K program. Louie’s professional career has principally been at AEA Investors, which he joined in 1998 and where he is currently a Partner. AEA Investors was founded in 1968 as a private investment vehicle for a select group of industrial family offices. Today, the firm manages funds that have approximately $20 billion of invested and committed capital and those funds focus on investments of private equity, mezzanine and senior debt in small and middle market sized companies.

  
  

  As part of his role at AEA, Louie has been a board member for many of its portfolio companies, and he also serves on the board of the Numotion Foundation, a not-for-profit whose mission is to support people and causes that work towards enhancing the lives of people with disabilities.

  
  

  Louie grew up in Florida and Tennessee, and graduated from Yale University with a degree in Economics and Mathematics. He now resides with his family in Tribeca.

• Shoy McKen ‘04, Secretary

  Shoy McKen has remained involved in the LREI community for nearly a decade since graduating from the high school in 2004, where he learned the importance of community, diversity, and leadership. Attributes he obtained then allow him to be a strong promoter and advocate for the LREI community as a whole. 

  
  

  Shoy is the Managing Partner of D22 Capital Advisory. He is responsible for the firm’s advisory services, including acquisition structuring, structured finance, and joint ventures partnerships. Prior to forming D22 Capital Advisory, Shoy led the Capital Markets team at Lev Capital, a tech-driven debt and equity advisory. He was previously a Market Analyst at OCO Global, a UK-based foreign direct investment consultancy, focusing on international real estate investments. 

  
  

  In addition to his professional endeavors, Shoy generously donates his time to several philanthropic entities that focus on marginalized communities by working within cultural arts and community-based organizations such as the Brooklyn Navy Yard and Ifetayo Cultural Arts Academy. Through supporting the efforts of Project Helping, Shoy believes building a strong and sustainable community starts with positive and meaningful interactions. 

  
  

  Shoy graduated from Columbia University in 2008 with a B.A. in Political Science and Economics.

• Jonathan Rosen, At Large

  Jonathan and his wife Debbie joined the LREI community in 2022 when their son Jack began the 6th grade. He is a principal and co-founder at the strategic communications firm BerlinRosen and the CEO of their agency holding company comprised of BerlinRosen, the Glen Echo Group, a Washington, D.C.-based public policy communications agency, Derris, a New York and London-based brand strategy agency serving consumer brands, and Onward, a DEI and organizational culture consultancy,

  
  

  Jonathan, Debbie, Noah (‘27), and Jack (‘29), live in Park Slope. Jonathan is a graduate of NYU School of Law and Rutgers University and serves on the boards of the Brooklyn Museum and the Federal Defenders of New York.

• Ceci Loebl Van Blerkom, At Large

  Ceci has been a part of LREI's parent community since 2008. She engaged with various committees and held positions as a class parent throughout her time at the school.  Before joining the Board, she served as the Parent Association Co-President and PA Representative to the Board of Trustees from 2014 to 2016. Now in her second term as Trustee, Ceci chairs the Development Committee and sits on the Executive, Strategic Planning, and Facilities Committees.

  
  

  Originally from Lima, Peru, Ceci relocated to the United States with her family at the age of 13. She is a proud alumna of Tulane University School of Architecture, graduating with honors in 1996. With a background in architecture spanning over 20 years, Ceci recently transitioned her career into full-time ceramicist and can be found at the studio every chance she gets. Ceci has two alumni children and lives in Chelsea with her husband and dog Fez.

• Maren Berthelsen

  Maren Berthelsen is the Deputy Director of Development at Symphony Space. She previously served as Symphony Space’s Producer of Performing Arts, programming and producing music, dance and family performances. She is the co-founder of Ember: Arts and Action, an applied theater company devoted to fostering community and social change. At LREI, she has served as co-president of the Parents Association, co-chair of the Literary Committee and as a parent rep. In 2018, she co-founded an affinity group for LREI parents dedicated to anti-racism and examining whiteness. Outside of LREI, Maren sits on the board of the NYC Metro Modern Quilters Guild and is an avid theater-goer, choral singer, and hiker.

  
  

  Maren’s most personal ties to LREI are her daughters Zoe (’22), Verity (’24) and her husband, Jesse Karp (’87, and current Early Childhood & Interdivisional Librarian).

• Jason Bruno

  Jason Bruno has been an active member of the LREI community since 2018. He is unofficially known to many as the “Mayor of LREI” and can be found greeting students, teachers and fellow parents at Little Red Square during early morning drop offs. Jason has also served as co-chair of FBS- Families of Black Students during the ‘21-’22 school year. Jason has been in the field of social services and child welfare for over a decade serving as a Preventive Case Planner & Parent/Child Liaison for the Child Center of NY. He is currently enrolled at Fordham University Graduate School of Social Work where he is scheduled to receive his masters degree in 2025. Additionally, Jason is currently interning at fellow independent school-Columbia Grammar & Prep School where he serves as an interning Social Worker and Counselor, partnering with fellow teachers, administrators and parents to coordinate and facilitate social skills groups, counseling and best practices for supporting the social and emotional well-being of students in Lower, Middle and Upper School. Jason is married to his lovely wife, Sherleen Bruno, who serves as the Pre/Lower School Learning Specialist at The Packer Collegiate Institute. Additionally, he currently has two kids enrolled at LREI- 3rd grader, Skylar Bruno (2033) and 5th grader, Ethan Bruno(2031).

• Charlene Cruz-Cerdas

  Charlene Cruz-Cerdas is a native New Yorker. During her six years as a high school history teacher at LREI, she has taught numerous courses including Sociology of Education, Sociology of Gender, History of US Immigration, History of the Latin American Diaspora, History of the Asian American Diaspora, among others. Charlene has served as the Equity & Community Facilitator for the high school since 2020. She works closely with the DEI team to devise professional development, cull teaching resources, and equip students with the tools they need to work toward our goal of an equitable LREI. She is also a new LREI parent of a bright, inquisitive, and funny kindergartener.

  
  

  Charlene has been trained as a sociologist of education. She obtained her Ph.D. and M.A. in Sociology from the University of Pennsylvania as well as bachelors degrees in Political Science and Journalism from Rutgers University. She completed a pre-doctoral fellowship at Dartmouth, where she worked closely with first generation and Latinx college students. She has worked for Oliver Scholars, a program empowering Black, Latinx, and other underrepresented New York students to enter and thrive at prestigious independent schools, including LREI.

  
  

  Charlene is deeply committed to working toward educational opportunity and equity at LREI and beyond.

• Anne Marie Denson

  Anne Marie Denson is a proud graduate of University of Notre Dame and resides in Brooklyn, New York with her college sweetheart and husband, Lawrence, and their two children, Michelle (’32) and Luke (’35).  Annie loves LREI and has served as a class parent rep, was a founding co-chair of the affinity group Families of Black Students (FBS), and is currently the Parents Association Co-President and PA representative on the Board of Trustees.

   

  Annie is an accomplished production/event executive from Miami, Florida. With over 15 years of professional experience, Annie has managed budgets for ground-breaking programs including BET’s Black Girls Rock! and the Nickelodeon HALO Awards. 

   

  In addition to entertainment, Annie is actively engaged in mentorship. She is the Head of Mentorship for HUE You Know, a 501c3 non-profit organization dedicated to building community, providing mentorship and fostering employment opportunities for Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) professionals in media.  Through HYK, she created a mentorship program called CONNECTED, focused on the individualized pairing of BIPOC mid-level executives with senior-level mentors in various production and media departments.

   

  No matter the forum, Annie wants to create experiences that facilitate joy and model to the world how women can navigate the rhythms of family, leadership, and activism. 

• Dawn Eig

  Dawn Eig has been an active member of the LREI community since 2008.  She has been on the Board since 2014 and has served on many committees, including the Executive, Development, Finance and Investment Committees. She was the inaugural co-chair of the Endowment Committee and is currently the co-chair of the Committee on Trustees and the Audit and Risk Management Committee. 

  
  

  Dawn has a B.A. in Psychology from University of Colorado, Boulder and an M.B.A. from Pepperdine University. She spent a decade working in finance before leaving the workplace to return to school to get her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology. This degree was put on hold with the birth of her son. After her mother passed away from pancreatic cancer in 2009, Dawn took on a 3-year term as the Affiliate Coordinator for the NYC Affiliate of the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. Dawn is currently completing her psychoanalytic training at the National Institute for Psychotherapies.

  
  

  Dawn and her husband Andy have two children, Oliver (`22) and Lucy (`26). They live in Chelsea with their dog Frodo.

• Pinky Fung’02

  Pinky Fung’s relationship with the LREI community spans more than three decades. She is an alumna of the class of 2002, the younger sibling of two alumni and now herself a parent, guiding her two children Logan (‘32) and Conor (‘35) through their journeys. Pinky’s continuous involvement in the LREI community runs true and deep. She serves as a parent volunteer for admissions and as a co-chair of the Asian American Families affinity group, introducing for the first time live traditional Lion Dance performances for the students during the Lunar New Year. Pinky took the passion for books and arts that she cultivated at LREI and turned it into a lifelong career. She has been a Conservator and Print Production Specialist at the Frick Collection/Frick Art Reference Library for nearly two decades. Now, Pinky is honored to take on a new role as the President of the Alumni Council, where she can further contribute to the legacy of the LREI community. She received her B.A. in Book-Arts and Psychology from Wells College.

• Kai-Anasa George‘92

  Kai-Anasa George has deep connections to the LREI community. She first became a part of LREI in the mid-1980s as a middle-school student and graduated from the high school in 1992. Later, she returned to LREI as both a parent and an administrator. While at LREI, Kai-Anasa worked in admissions and was the founding co-chair of the LREI Diversity Task Force. 

  
  

  Kai-Anasa has more than 20 years of experience as an independent school administrator. Currently, she is the Director of Enrollment Management and Financial Aid at the Edmund Burke School, located in Washington, DC. As a part of Burke’s administrative team, Kai-Anasa is a member of several board committees. She has also served as an advisory committee member for the Association of Independent Schools of Greater Washington. 

  
  

  Kai-Anasa attended Mount Holyoke College. She has two adult children, Tariye and Kalea. Tariye attended LREI from the 4s until the move to Washington DC; he is an artist in Virginia. Kalea is a college junior studying Art History and French in Paris.

• Amanda Goodwin

  Amanda has spent 23 years teaching in independent schools in Brooklyn and lower Manhattan. At LREI, Amanda teaches sixth grade Humanities and runs a sixth grade homeroom. She also co-facilitates a women’s affinity group and helps with middle school admissions. Amanda is married to Jake, and they have two children, Iris (‘27) and May (‘29). In her free time, Amanda sings in Susan Glass’s adult chorus, The Glass Menagerie, reads novels, grows vegetables, and finds any excuse to travel. As a child, Amanda attended Friends schools in Pennsylvania and credits them with her love of school communities and her commitment to working for social justice. She received a B.A. from Smith College in World Religions and an M.A. from Bank Street College of Education in Adolescent Education with a focus on Social Studies.

• Francis Greenburger

  Francis Greenburger is a real estate developer, literary agent, author, philanthropist, activist and founder of Time Equities Inc., Art Omi, Inc., and the Greenburger Center for Social & Criminal Justice. 

  
  

  Francis is the Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Time Equities Inc. Founded in 1966, Time Equities Inc. (TEI) has been in the real estate investment, development and asset & property management business for more than 50 years. He is also the Chairman of Sanford J. Greenburger Associates (SJGA), a literary agency founded by his father in 1932. 

  
  

  Francis is the Founder and Chairman of Art Omi, a sculpture and architecture park and arts center founded in 1992, which also provides residencies for visual artists, writers, dancers, musicians, and architects from all over the world. In 2014, Francis founded the Greenburger Center for Social and Criminal Justice, which advocates for reforms to the criminal justice and mental health systems. 

  
  

  He also serves on the boards of several non-profit organizations and is an active donor to over 300 charitable organizations. 

  
  

  Francis graduated from Baruch College in 1974 with a degree in Public Administration. He is an avid tennis player and traveler. He resides in Manhattan with his wife Isabelle Autones and is the proud father of four children.

• Robert Gutmann

  Robert ("Robby") Gutmann and his family are new to and delighted to join the LREI Community this year. His two sons Oscar ("Ozzy") in 3rd Grade and Archimedes ("Archie") in 2nd Grade transferred from Blue School, where they both attended since the 2s program. 

  
  

  Professionally, Robby is a co-founder of Stone Ridge Holdings Group, where he has held various roles, including Head of Product Development & Execution and Portfolio Manager for Stone Ridge Asset Management; and co-founder, CEO, and Board Member of NYDIG, a Bitcoin-focused operating subsidiary. Robby currently serves on the Investment Committee at Stone Ridge and on the Board of Directors at NYDIG; he also mentors founders at Wolf, a startup accelerator. Robby began his career at Morgan Stanley on the equity swaps trading desk.

  
  

  Robby graduated from Columbia University where he majored in Mathematics and minored in Music. 

  
  

  He currently lives in South Williamsburg, Brooklyn with his wife, Jen, two sons Ozzy (LREI ‘33) and Archie (LREI ‘34), and two dogs Riker and Ripley. When not parenting or working, he plays electric bass in a 90s-themed cover band.

• Julia Heaton

  Julia Heaton is the Head of School at Miss Hall’s School, a girl-centered boarding and day school in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Prior to joining Miss Hall’s, Julia was a member of the LREI high school faculty for 10 years, teaching English and history and serving as advisor, class dean, and Academic Dean. Julia served on the school’s Leadership Team from 2010-2014 as the Director of Admissions, helping to lead the school through a period of significant expansion of the high school student body, curriculum, and facilities. 

   

  Julia has been on the LREI Board of Trustees since 2015. She is the Vice President of the Board of Directors for the International Coalition of Girls Schools and a Trustee of the Nightingale-Bamford School (NYC). Julia has previously held faculty positions at Manhattan Country School, The Chapin School, and Prep for Prep.

  Julia holds a B.A. in American Studies from Yale University, and an M.A. in Educational Leadership from Columbia University Teachers College. She is the mother of three daughters, two of whom attended the Lower School at LREI. 

• Jessie Kirk

  Jessie Kirk has been a third grade teacher at LREI for over a decade. She also recently became an LREI parent when her daughter joined the Fours class this year! Jessie studied Human Development at Connecticut College and received her M.S.Ed. in Childhood General Education from Bank Street. She grew up in the Bay Area and attended a progressive independent school herself. Jessie has always believed that children should learn through exploration, experience, and inquiry. She loves inspiring her students to challenge themselves and enjoy the process of learning. She especially loves teaching math! During her time at LREI, Jessie has helped develop the social studies curriculum using Imaginative Inquiry, a pedagogy she also shares with other educators around the country as a co-founder of the Institute for Imaginative Inquiry. Jessie has been an active member of the Divisional Advisory Committee (DAC), as well as participating in other institutional roles such as the editing team for the 10-year NYSAIS accreditation report. She is excited to join the Board of Trustees as the Lower School representative. When she isn’t teaching, Jessie is spending time with her family at their home in Park Slope.

• Yukie Ohta

  Yukie Ohta, parent of Hanako (‘26), is an archivist and the founder of SoHo Memory Project, a nonprofit organization that celebrates and preserves the history of artists’ SoHo. She is also a mixed-media artist. 

  
  

  Yukie has served on the LREI Board of Trustees since 2018, where she chairs the Committee on Diversity and Community and sits on the Committee on Trustees and the Audit and Risk Management Committee. She is also the LREI archivist, and a trustee on the boards of Village Preservation and New York Preservation Archive Project.

  
  Yukie holds a B.A. in East Asian Studies from Barnard College, an M.A. in Japanese Literature from the University of Chicago, and an M.S. in Library and Information Science from The Palmer School. She is the editor and translator of A Rainbow in the Desert: An Anthology of Early Twentieth-Century Japanese Children’s Literature (Routledge, 2001), among other literary translations.

• Chakshu Patel

  Chakshu Patel has extensive experience in non-profit management, fundraising, program design and strategy. Her career has been defined by her commitment to social justice and to increasing access and opportunity. Chakshu presently serves as the Chief Advancement and External Affairs Officer at The Studio Museum in Harlem, the preeminent contemporary Black art museum in the United States, overseeing development, communications and marketing, visitor experience and retail. She also co-leads the Studio Museum’s $300M Capital Campaign to build a new purpose-built museum in the heart of Harlem, and to expand the groundbreaking and innovative exhibitions and programming for which the Studio Museum is known.

  
  

  Prior to joining the Studio Museum, Chakshu worked at Planned Parenthood Federation of America. She began her professional career as a practicing attorney, working at the ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project and in private practice. She holds a J.D. from New York University School of Law, where she graduated magna cum laude and Order of the Coif, and a B.A. in Women’s Studies from Drew University.

  
  

  Chakshu’s son, Rohan (‘29) joined LREI in the Fours and she has been an active member of the community ever since, serving as a parent representative, as well as assisting with the annual fund and admissions.

• Sean Paroff

  Sean Paroff  works for Algin Management, a family-owned real estate management and development company founded in 1957 by his grandfather, Albert Ginsberg. He received a J.D. from Hofstra University's School of Law  and has been on LREI's Board of Trustees since 2011 where he currently chairs the Facilities Committee. His son, Xander, graduated from LREI in 2023, and his daughter, Harlan, is a proud member of the class of 2025.

• Kasey Picayo

  Kasey is the parent of three LREI alumni, Javier ('06), Violeta ('09) and Emilio ('16). Kasey and her family have  been involved at LREI in many capacities since joining the community 30 years ago. She originally served on the Board in her role as PA co-president and has served on almost every committee. She is currently co-chair of the Committee on Trustees and a member of the Committee on Diversity and Community.

  
  

  Kasey is a small business owner and has worked as a visual artist's agent/manager in NYC for many years.

• Hope Reeves

  Hope is a freelance writer and essayist. She sits on the boards of The Brooklyn Heights Montessori School, Transportation Alternatives and several philanthropic foundations focussed on social justice in New York City and throughout the country. Hope lives in Brooklyn with her husband, Martin, and their three sons, Zane (‘22), Otto (‘26) and Kip (‘28). Hope grew up in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the child of two Weathermen (anarchists, not meteorologists), and graduated cum laude from Bates College with a B.A. in Psychology and Spanish.

• Jennifer Rogoff

  Jennifer currently serves as a Co-President of the LREI Parent Association and volunteers for the Admissions department.  She has previously served as an LREI class Parent Representative and Co-Chair of various LREI Parent Association committees.  Jennifer spent more than a decade in the fashion industry working for a variety of fashion companies.  Most recently, she was the Vice President of Merchandising, E-Commerce, and Retail for Ippolita, a fine-jewelry company.  Jennifer has a BA from Villanova University, where she majored in Communication.  She is involved in various not-for-profit organizations.

  
  

  Jennifer and her husband, Eric, are active members of the LREI community.  They live in Manhattan with their two children–Benjamin ‘33 and Alexander ‘34–and their cavapoo, Teddy.  In her free time, she enjoys running, cooking, and traveling.

• Robert Rosenthal’80

  Robert came to the Little Red Schoolhouse as a four-year-old in 1966. He joined the LREI Board of Trustees 30 years later and has since served on a number of committees. Robert is a Criminal Court judge in New York City. He holds a J.D. from Cardozo School of Law and a B.S. in Public and Environmental Affairs from Indiana University.

• Jennifer Sagum

  Growing up in Hawaii & Seattle as a style- and music-obsessed teen, Jennifer (Jen) knew early on that a career in fashion was her calling. She currently serves as the Head of Global Advertising at Marc Jacobs, where she leads the creative and media strategy across omnichannel experiences for all brand pillars. She also sits on the board of Enwoven (a technology start-up) and mentors a number of small businesses in the fashion and lifestyle spaces. Jen graduated from the University of Washington, where she played lacrosse and majored in Art and Art History.

  
  

  Jen has three daughters at LREI – Klara ('29), Margo ('31) and Jane ('33) - and has been a board member since 2022, as well as an active member of the PA since 2017.

• Eve Stuart

  A lifelong New Yorker, the central themes and passions of Eve Stuart’s life, outside of her family, have been a commitment to education, and artistic and philanthropic endeavors. She studied art and photography for many years. She has shown in solo and group shows in the New York City area and beyond, and her work is in a number of private collections. Eve taught nursery school and kindergarten at the École Française (later called the Fleming School) and Dalton, and was a founding member and Trustee of the Learning Community, an elementary school in New York City in the early 1970’s.

  
  

  Eve’s commitment to education and service is exemplified by extensive trustee affiliations, including the East Harlem School, Corlears School, the Nightingale-Bamford School, George Jackson Academy, the Child Development Center, the Independent School Chairmen’s Association (ISCA), and Odyssey House. Community affiliations have included the Hudson Guild Capital Campaign Steering Committee. 

  
  

  Eve joined the Board at LREI in 1980 and served as Board Chair for seven years. She played a pivotal role in safeguarding the school’s existence and was ultimately successful in leading the fight against the closing of the high school. She ran two national searches for a new director of the school and was Director of Publications for four years.

  
  

  As Board Chair, Eve was a member of the Steering Committee for the school’s first capital campaign, planning for and soliciting major gifts. She was instrumental in the school’s Industrial Authority Bond financing and spearheaded the planning for the school’s new building on Sixth Avenue. 

  
  

  Eve says that without question her involvement at LREI has been one of the most meaningful of her life. It has been an incredible honor and privilege to help the school grow and fulfill its mission, and for this she will always be deeply grateful.

   

  A proud parent of four alumni, Eve and her partner Peter live in Greenwich Village.

• Harriette Thomas

  Although Harriette has only been at LREI for a short time, she has quickly become an integral part of the community, willing to help and participate in making LREI better and stronger. 

  
  

  Harriette received her B.S. in Psychology at Georgia State University. She moved to New York in 2008 to pursue a career in fashion merchandising and design. After 10-plus years in the fashion industry, Harriette ended her career as the Director of Sales for multiple fashion brands. Currently, she works in the Architect and Design field as the Architect and Design Sales Manager for Cosentino.

  
  

  Originally born in West Africa Liberia, Harriette remains entrenched in her African culture. She currently resides in Brooklyn with her significant other, David Bess. They have two wonderful girls, Piper (‘33) and Jhett, who is 3 years old. In her spare time, which amounts to 14 minutes a year, she enjoys crafting, event planning, and hot yoga.

• Helena Tubis

  Helena, born in Mexico and raised in NYC, began her career in the nonprofit sector, with a focus on community organizing and fundraising. She dedicated her time to advocating for housing justice, immigrant and worker's rights, and educational reform. In 2014, Helena earned her Masters in Food Studies from NYU, marking a transition into the food industry. Over the past decade, she has embraced her entrepreneurial spirit at Kelvin Slush Co, a premium cocktail mix company serving establishments nationwide and internationally. 

  
  

  Helena pursued her undergraduate studies at Colby College, majoring in Philosophy and Spanish Literature. She is a proud mother of two daughters: Edie, currently in 2nd grade at LREI, where she has been since the 4s, and Maize who is 3. Alongside her husband Andrew, Helena lives in East Village. Actively engaged in her community, she serves as the Board Secretary of their Co-op and is an active LREI community member. She is a class parent, is on the planning committee for the Camping Trip, and member of Azucar! and JAG.

• Jerelyn Rodriguez Williams '07

  

  Bronx-native, Jerelyn Rodriguez Williams has over fifteen years of experience working in city politics, education, and the technology field. In 2016 she was named on the Forbes’ 30 Under 30 Education list and is currently on the leadership council for South Bronx Rising Together, and a board member at New York City Employment & Training Coalition.

  
  

  Jerelyn co-founded The Knowledge House (TKH) in 2014 to close the gaps in the education-to-employment pipeline by leading digital skills training in coding and design for underserved young people in the Bronx. Previously, Jerelyn coordinated STEM after-school programs at Braven and was the Bronx Field Director for Reshma Saujani's 2013 campaign for New York City Public Advocate. In 2011, she joined Students for Education Reform (SFER) as the National Program Director, organizing and coaching college students in 35 states to advocate for education reform. Prior to SFER, Jerelyn worked in the public school system, teaching and designing programs.

  
  

  Jerelyn has a degree in film studies from Columbia University and is an alumna of Elisabeth Irwin High School class of 2007. Jerelyn and her husband proudly reside in the Bronx, NY.

• Rodney White

  Rodney was born and raised in Augusta, Georgia and now lives and works in Brooklyn. He is an award-winning artist and creative director who has worked at some of the largest global ad agencies, on some of the most well-known brands in the world. 

  
  

  As a student of visual communications, he began to see the power that commercial advertising messages could wield. He decided to use the medium as a way to encourage each of us to look for something higher to which we can aspire. His art is a visual journal that chronicles his own path and journey first, and then provides inspiration for viewers to take into their own lives. His paintings have been exhibited in national museums and galleries and have made many appearances on popular television shows and blockbuster movies. 

  
  

  Rodney is also the creator of Black On Black™, a clothing and accessories line that is one part clothing line AND one part protest sign. With the tagline “Deconstruct the Construct,” BXB was born out of the social climate we live in and was created as a way to process the vicarious trauma of the many televised killings of unarmed Black people in 2015. By helping himself heal, he realized he could inspire others as well. Black On Black™ starts many discussions by addressing many issues. 

  
  

  Rodney and his wife Sofia joined the LREI community in 2017 and have two daughters at the school.

• Paul Williams '63

  Paul is a consultant providing strategic advice to investment managers and fund sponsors focused on the individual investor market nationwide. 

  Previously Paul was a Managing Director of Nuveen Investments, where over his 40-plus years with Nuveen he served in a number of different roles.  The major portion of his career concentrated on financing public infrastructure projects. In later years, he directed the firm’s new fund development and listed IPOs. 

  Paul has been a University of Pennsylvania trustee since 2000 and Board of Advisor of Penn’s School of Arts and Science since 1995. Currently, he serves as emeritus in both those roles. Paul was also President of Global Penn Alumni.

  In 2007, Paul received the Robert L. Payton Award for Voluntary Service from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE).

  For over 20 years, Paul served as a member of the Board of Directors of Planned Parenthood affiliates, serving on committees for strategic planning, budget and finance, and development, and as Treasurer of PP Los Angeles.

  Born and raised in New York, Paul attended Elisabeth Irwin High School for three years, graduating in 1963.  

  Following EI, Paul attended the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, receiving a B.S. in Economics, and, mid-career, he completed the Advanced Management Program at the Harvard Business School. 

  He grew up in New York, lived and worked most of his business career in Chicago, and moved to Los Angeles, with his partner, Leslie, in 2011.

• Amy Zimmerman

  Amy has been an LREI parent for the past 20 years and is the proud mother of four LREI students and alumni.  She has served as an LREI trustee since 2006 and chaired the Board from 2011 until 2018.  She also served as President and Trustee of the West Village Nursery School, President and Trustee of the Abbot Academy Association of Andover, Vice President and Trustee of the Empire State Pride Agenda, and as a Trustee of GLAAD (the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation).

  
  

  Professionally, Amy is a commercial litigator at Debevoise & Plimpton LLP, where she chairs the firm’s LGBTQ+ Committee. Prior to that, she worked extensively with LGBT groups on securing same-sex marriage in New York and across the country, including serving as a named plaintiff in the lawsuit challenging New Yorkers’ rights to legally marry in Massachusetts. 

  
  

  Amy graduated from Yale University with a B.A. in Literature and received her J.D. from NYU Law School. She lives in Soho with her wife, two dogs, and (at any given moment) some combination of her four kids and two step-kids.  She is a voracious reader and theater-goer. Amy considers the day she first entered LREI to take a tour for her four-year-old as among the best and most important days of her life!