Board Committees

Advancement Committee

Lisa Case, Chair

The Advancement Committee assists and advises the School in all matters related to soliciting and securing the charitable funds necessary to ensure the financial well-being of the School. The Committee provides strategic direction in developing and promoting a culture of philanthropy at Shady Hill and advances broad affinity for the School by focusing on community building, effective communication and education, and fundraising.

Audit and Risk Management Committee

Kate Sutliff, Chair

The Audit Committee ensures the School uses generally accepted accounting practices in its financial reporting and follows sound governance procedures. Additionally, this committee reviews the audited financial reports and tax returns each year and assesses both current and future risks to provide recommendations to the Board regarding risk management.

Buildings and Grounds Committee

Pratt Wiley '91, Chair

The Buildings and Grounds Committee oversees the physical plant of the School. The Committee seeks to ensure that the buildings and grounds are well maintained, overseen in a financially sound manner, and supportive of the mission and needs of the school.

Executive Committee

Alyssa Haywoode, Chair

The Executive Committee consists of the Board Chair, the Treasurer, the Head of School, and the Clerk, as well as other trustees who are appointed by the Chair and approved by the Board. The Committee has two primary functions:

In its advisory capacity to the Board Chair and Head of School, the committee meets regularly to discuss issues, determine which issues to bring before the full Board, and set Board meeting agendas for discussion and action. In its regular course of business, the Executive Committee does not make policy decisions, which are instead the purview of the full Board.
In the event that an urgent matter arises when the full Board cannot be convened, the Executive Committee has the authority to act on behalf of the Board.

Finance Committee

Jeita Deng '94, Chair

The Finance Committee oversees the financial health of the School, which includes providing direction to the Board of Trustees about fiscal responsibility; regularly reviewing the schoolʼs revenues and expenditures, balance sheet, investments, and other matters related to the schoolʼs solvency; reviewing and recommending approval of an annual operating budget; and reviewing policy recommendations made by the Investment Committee, which is a subcommittee of the Finance Committee.

Investment Committee

Jean Park, Chair

The Investment Committee oversees the School’s endowment to ensure that it is managed in a manner that is consistent with the School’s objectives while maintaining the confidence of the School. The committee is responsible for making investment decisions, including hiring investment managers and consultants and evaluating and approving any investment recommendations made by such managers and consultants.

Governance Committee

Sarah Wasserman, Chair

The Governance Committee oversees the membership and processes of the Board of Trustees and maintains the bylaws to ensure that Board membership is balanced and that Board practices comply with the bylaws and support the School’s mission.

Nominating Committee

Melissa McGaughey, Chair

The Nominating Committee is responsible for nominating candidates for vacancies on the Board of Trustees to be filled by election at the annual meeting of the Corporation.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging Committee

Sherri Ettinger, PhD, Co-Chair
Angelica Piz, Co-Chair

The Diversity and Equity Committee review the School’s mission, policies, and practices through an equity lens. The committee plans ongoing diversity and equity training and professional development opportunities for Trustees. The committee works with the Nominating Committee to ensure the board composition is reflective of the School’s diversity goals, and the committee annually reviews data regarding admissions as well as student attrition and faculty hiring and attrition.

The Board Chair appoints additional task forces as needed to undertake projects on behalf of the School. The Board is committed to ensuring representation on committees of a broad range of constituents, including trustees, parents/guardians, administrators, faculty, and alumni who possess pertinent skills that advance the Board committee work.