RYE FUND FOR EDUCATION - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Member of the Officers Team
- Vice President of Communications
Born and raised in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Barbara moved to New York City at age 19 to study Musical Theatre. In New York she fell in love with fashion and started her career at Ralph Lauren. Barbara continued to work in the fashion industry for the next 20 years as an executive at Victoria's Secret and J.Crew with a focus on Merchandising and Marketing. Barbara has two sons, Caio, 13 and Parker, 10. While raising her sons in the city she worked full time and also served on the Avenues School PO board from 2013 to 2016. In 2017, Barbara moved to Rye with her family. Since pausing her career to focus on her family, Barbara has worked as a consultant and also acted as Spirit Wear chair for Osborn Elementary and now at Rye Middle School.
Claudine Hanley has two children, one of whom attends Osborn Elementary School. Since moving to Rye in 2013, she has been an active volunteer for numerous school and community organizations, including Osborn School, the Rye Historical Society, Children's Philanthropy, and the Rye Nature Center. At Osborn School, Claudine was the PTO Co-President for two years, the Scare Fair Co-Chair for three years, and served as the school's RAISE (Rye's All-Inclusive Special Education parent group) Representative for four years. Currently, Claudine is in her second year as Co-President of RAISE and is a member of the Rye City School District's Curriculum Council and of RyeACT (Rye Action for Children and Teens).
Claudine has a Bachelor of Science in Marketing from Fairfield University. She began her career in the fashion industry at Polo Ralph Lauren, later becoming Executive Director and then COO of a private label fashion manufacturing company.
Job Titles:
- Trustee
- Rye City School District As Superintendent of Schools
- Superintendent of the Rye City School District
Dr. Byrne joined the Rye City School District as Superintendent of Schools in July, 2017. He came to Rye from the Chappaqua Central School District where he served as Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction for six years. Previously, he served as Principal of the Roaring Brook School in Chappaqua, of the Pound Ridge Elementary School in the Bedford Central School District, and of Public School (PS) 183 on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. He began his career as a high school science teacher at Grover Cleveland High School in Queens and later became an elementary school teacher at PS 183. He has been an Adjunct Professor at Fordham University's Graduate School of Education for more than 11 years.
Dr. Byrne has a Bachelor of Arts in Natural Science from Fordham University, a Master of Science in Teaching and a Ed.D. in Educational Leadership, Administration and Policy, both from Fordham University's Graduate School of Education.
Job Titles:
- Trustee
- Vice President of Rye City School District Board of Education, School Board Liaison
Jennifer Boyle has served on the Board of Education since 2016. She served as Vice President for the 2018-2019 school year before being elected to the position of President in September 2019. She currently acts as Chair of the Communications Committee and co-chairs the Wellness Committee. A long-time supporter of the School District, she served for four years as Co-Chair of The Friends of Rye City School District, an educational advocacy group. She has also served as a member of the Auxiliary Board of the Rye Presbyterian Nursery School and is a volunteer teacher for the PREP program at Resurrection Church. She has three children in the schools. Jennifer previously worked in Public Relations for Edelman in New York City.
Jennifer is an active member and supporter of the Rye City School District. She is currently a member of the Rye City School District's Curriculum Council, Co-Chair of the Midland PTO Field Trip Committee and Co-Chair of the Midland Teacher Appreciation Committee. Previously, Jennifer was a representative on the Literacy Committee for RCSD, a member of the S.A.F.E. committee which helped to fundraise for COVID-related expenses for the school district and a volunteer at Rye Presbyterian Nursery School. Prior to moving to Rye, Jennifer was an elementary public school teacher for 9 years in Manhattan's District 2 and served as her schools United Federation of Teachers delegate for several years. Currently, Jennifer works as a Real Estate Salesperson at Compass as part of the Liz Ross Team.
Jennifer attended the University of Vermont where she earned a B.S. in Elementary Education, with a concentration in Psychology and Human Development. She also received an M.S. in Education with a focus in Literacy: Birth to Grade 6 from Fordham University. She has 4 children, 3 of which currently attend the RCSD and another child that attends RPNS.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Officers Team
- Secretary
Kelly Grant has lived in Rye since 2019, having relocated with her family from the Washington, DC area. She has three children at Midland Elementary School. Kelly is an active member of the PTO, assisting with the annual Midland Social fundraiser and has served as a room parent. In addition, Kelly volunteered with the 5 Steps to Five Fall Luncheon fundraiser. Prior to moving to Rye, Kelly was an involved participant in her local community and PTA.
Kelly has a Bachelor of Science in Commerce with concentrations in Finance and Management from The University of Virginia, and holds an MBA from The George Washington University. Kelly worked in PricewaterhouseCoopers' US and UK Advisory practices focused on governance, risk and compliance and process improvement projects. She also held a management position at the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System responsible for the collection and validation of capital assessment and stress test data.
Job Titles:
- Board Trustee
- Partner
- Trustee
- Member of the Board of Directors of New Alternatives for Children
Matthew Gilroy is a partner in Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP's Mergers & Acquisitions practice. Matthew regularly counsels clients in complex domestic and cross-border M&A transactions, as well as on a broad range of corporate, securities, and business-related matters, including fiduciary duties, corporate governance, disclosure issues, compliance matters, defensive measures, takeover tactics, proxy fights, and other contests for corporate control. Matthew is also part of Weil's Pro Bono Committee and has been active within the profession overall, having represented the Firm on the Corporations Law Committee of the New York City Bar.
Matthew has served as a member of the Board of Directors of New Alternatives for Children, a charitable organization that provides innovative high-quality services in support of birth, foster, and adoptive families caring primarily for medically fragile children. Matthew currently is a member of the Board of Visitors of the Georgetown University Law Center.
Matthew received his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center and his B.S. from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He and his wife, Ronda, and three sons have lived in Rye since 2015.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Officers Team
- Treasurer
Megan Schatz has been actively involved in the local community since moving to Rye with her husband and three children in 2014. Currently, she has two children at Rye High School and her youngest at Milton School. She was previously Treasurer for the Milton School PTO among other volunteer roles at the school. She is currently a Board Member and Treasurer of Friends of Rye Nature Center and has been a coach for many years for Rye Youth Soccer teams. Prior to moving to Rye, Megan was an Executive Director in equity research at Morgan Stanley.
Megan has a Bachelor of Science in Engineering from Princeton University and is a CFA Charterholder.
Before moving to Rye with her family and joining the Rye Fund for Education, Michelle spent nearly a decade in elementary education, teaching both Kindergarten and First grade in one of the largest public school districts in the state of Georgia.
Michelle was a member of the committee of the S.A.F.E. campaign, which was created to help raise Covid related funds for the Rye City School District's reopening. She is also an active volunteer at Midland Elementary, where she is Co-Chair of the Field Trip Committee and previously spent time on the school's PTO board.
A graduate of SUNY Oswego (BA, Childhood Education with a minor in Spanish), Michelle also holds a Masters Degree in Early Childhood Education from Georgia State University. Michelle lives in Rye with her husband and 2 children.
Niketh Velamoor has lived in Rye since 2019. He and his wife have two sons, one in seventh grade at Rye Middle School and one in fifth grade at Osborn Elementary School. He is a volunteer and supporter of City Harvest, the New York City-based food rescue organization, where he serves on the Generation Harvest committee. Niketh is an attorney at Neuberger Berman, the asset management firm. Prior to that, he was a federal prosecutor for nine years at the Manhattan U.S. Attorney's Office. Niketh has a J.D. from Harvard Law School and a B.A. from Columbia University.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Officers Team
- President
Ronda Gilroy and her husband Matt, a Trustee for the Rye Fund for Education, have lived in Rye since 2015. They have three sons who all attended Osborn Elementary School where Ronda served on the PTO Board in the roles of Co-President, Treasurer, and Philanthropy Chair. Two of their sons are currently students at Rye Middle School and Rye High School and Ronda serves as the Rye Middle School liaison for RyeACT (Rye Action for Children and Teens). Over the years, she has served in volunteer roles with various nonprofits in New England, New York City, and in Westchester County.
Professionally, Ronda worked for many years in finance at BankBoston (a subsidiary of Bank of America) and later in development at Milton Academy in Milton, MA. She holds an MBA from Providence College with concentrations in finance and marketing.
I am excited to be part of an organization that strives to enhance the educational experience for all students.