Meet the Board
Joe Robbins, Chair
Neela Pal, Vice Chair
Raised in New York and Tokyo, Neela is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard Business School. She has spent most of her career in strategy and marketing leadership – helping to build brands and drive growth at companies like P&G, McKinsey, Arnold Worldwide, Tripadvisor - and is now at Roblox as Head of Brand. Neela has enjoyed volunteering at Park, as both a class-rep and co-chair of the Faculty and Staff Appreciation Lunch Raffle. A member of the Board since 2016, she helped with Park’s re-branding, served as the co-chair of Head of School Transition Committee, and is the Chair of the Committee of Trustees. Neela is the parent of Nina '17, Nikhil '19 and Devan (Grade 8).
Peter Barkan '86, Secretary
Peter leads The Barkan Companies, a regional competitor in multifamily real estate development, property management and affordable housing. Before joining Park's Board in 2016, Peter was an active volunteer, serving on the Alumni Committee and on the Buildings and Grounds Committee. Peter chairs the Buildings & Grounds Committee, led the Master Planning Committee and serves on the Executive Committee. He has a BA in urban studies and the history of architecture from Brown University and an MBA from Duke University. Peter has two children, Lila (Grade 7) and Seth '21.
Sara Leventhal Fleiss '95, Treasurer
After graduating from Park, Sara attended Milton Academy and Harvard College, where she studied applied mathematics. She then went on to receive an MBA from Harvard Business School, where she is now a Senior Lecturer of Business Administration. Sara was the co-founder and co portfolio manager of Emeth Partners, an emerging markets arbitrage hedge fund. Sara joined the Board in 2016 and currently serves as Treasurer and is on the Executive Committee and Investment Committee. Previously, she co-chaired the Head of School Search Committee and the Transition Committee. Sara has three children: Solomon (Grade 6), Morris, and Annabel (K).
Idris Abdur Rahim
The father of a current Park student and a successful Park alum now at Roxbury Latin, Sean is deeply familiar with schools through his work as Facilities Manager at the Benjamin Banneker Charter School in Cambridge. He appreciates the opportunity to give back to Park however his Board service will allow, and hopes to support Park with his experience in management of educational facilities as Park considers the ways in which its campus may evolve in the coming years. A native of Brooklyn, Sean’s family relocated to Cambridge, where he attended the Cambridge Rindge and Latin School and UMass Amherst. Sean and his wife, Nadia Fenton-Rahim, have been members of the Park community since 2012, serving together as Class Reps for their daughter’s Kindergarten class, in addition to Nadia’s many other volunteer roles. Sean believes Park students benefit from learning with an exceptional peer group, noting "My children are being shaped by the Park community, gaining the tools they need to grow as young men and women.”
Neeraj Agrawal
Neeraj is a graduate of Stuyvesant High School in New York, Cornell University, and Harvard Business School. He is a general partner at Battery Ventures, a venture capital, and private equity firm, where he invests in technology companies. On Park’s Board since 2017, Neeraj serves as the Chair of the Investment Committee and as a member of the Finance Committee. Neeraj is the parent of two Park alumni: Devan '21 and Dillan ’24, who attend Milton Academy.
Rahul Ballal
Rahul was born in a small town in the UK and immigrated to the US when he was four. Growing up in Michigan and later Ohio, he attended a small independent day school similar to Park. He traveled east to attend Brown University to study biology and then moved to San Francisco to run a knowledge management startup, which eventually brought him to Washington DC. In DC, he met his wife Sonia and they together completed graduate work and moved to Boston for jobs and additional training. Rahul is currently the CEO of a venture backed biotech startup developing novel drugs for patients suffering from sickle cell disease. He has three children, Meenu '23, Shyla (Grade 4), and Saavin (PreK) and is always working on improving his jump shot in basketball.
Kathrene Tiffany Bell '96, Alumni Committee Representative
Kathrene Tiffany Bell ’96 joined the Park community in Kindergarten and loved her Park journey. She treasures memories of Lower Division teachers who instilled a lasting love of learning and creativity, as well as the Upper Division opportunities to grow as a leader. A graduate of Buckingham Browne & Nichols and Bates College, she worked in marketing in the biotech, advertising, and real estate investment fields before deciding to step away from these roles to devote herself to raising her two children. A dedicated volunteer, she has been involved with the Max Warburg Courage Curriculum, which provides training and resources to classroom teachers to help empower children to explore their capacity for courageous action. In addition, Kathrene has been a member of the Park Alumni Committee since 2008, has served as co-chair of the Committee and of the Alumni Annual Fund, and as a Reunion Chair, and was honored by Park in 2019 with the Alumni Award for Distinguished Service.
Lise Charlier
Nicole Danforth
Nicole graduated from Amherst College and soon after, competed around the world on golf tours in Asia, Europe, and the U.S. After several years of competing at an elite level, Nicole parlayed her curiosity and interest in young people and healthy development to attend medical school at Dartmouth. Following a fellowship in child psychiatry at the McLean/MGH program, Nicole worked as the Medical Director of the MGH Sports Psychology Program while serving as the psychiatric consultant to an outpatient addictions program. This has evolved into her dream job, where she wears three hats: as the Director of Outpatient Programs in the Division of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry at Newton-Wellesley Hospital; is a psychiatric consultant for local college and professional sports teams; and has a private psychiatric practice in Newton. Nicole and her wife Judy juggle two careers, three children – Elias (Grade 5), Jordan (Grade 5) and Sam '05 and their oversized well-loved dog, Moxie.
Mark Dolins
Mark attended Weston High School and holds a BA from Denison University and a JD from Duke University. He co-founded the Boston office of Lazard in the fall of 2007, a financial advisory and asset management firm. Prior to joining the Board in 2017, Mark was an active Park volunteer and served as a member of the Major Gifts Committee. On the Board, Mark serves on the Development and Finance Committees. Mark has two children – Grayson (Grade 8) and Avery '19.
Ken Frieze
Ken and his wife Tamar have three daughters, Sloane (attending Park in Grade 6) and identical twins Avery and Marin (Grade 3 at another school). Ken is the past co-chair of the Major Gifts Committee of Park's Annual Fund. When Ken can’t spend time with his family, he goes to work as the CEO of Gordon Brothers, a more than century-old global special situations investment company headquartered in Boston. He is a current member of the American College of Bankruptcy and a co-founder of the Boston Corporate Finance Community’s Gathers to Give Benefiting More Than Words. He holds a BA from Lehigh University and an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Abigail Ross Goodman '91
Abigail is a graduate of Phillips Academy, Andover and Brown University. She has over 15 years of experience in contemporary art as a gallerist, independent curator, and advisor. Prior to founding her current firm, Goodman Taft, she was the director and owner of the Judi Rotenberg Gallery in Boston. At Park, Abigail has served as a Class Representative, co-chair of the Alumni Annual Fund, a member of the Alumni Committee, and as a PreK Class Representative. A member of the Board since 2017, Abigail serves on the Buildings & Grounds Committee. Abigail is the parent of three Park alumni: Rebecca '19, Esme '24 and Hannah '21.
May Hara
May attended international schools overseas before graduating from the National Cathedral School, Cornell University, and the University of Wisconsin, where she completed a PhD in Educational Policy. A former middle school English teacher in the New York City public school system, she is currently Associate Professor of Teacher Education at Framingham State University, where she teaches courses in pre-service teaching methods and in educational policy. May, her husband Michael, and their children Margot (Grade 6) and Hugh (Grade 2) live in Jamaica Plain.
Eliza Hoover, Parents' Association President
Eliza Hoover will serve the Park community for the 2020-21 and 2021-22 academic years as president of The Park School Parents’ Association and as a member of The Park School Board of Trustees. A graduate of Colby College, where she majored in art and history, Eliza teaches at Spruce Street Nursery School in Boston. She has been an active volunteer since joining the Park community when her daughter, Sophie, now a rising sixth grader entered Kindergarten. Most recently, she helped set up a task force to create activities to support and engage families during our time away from campus during distance learning. A big proponent of community building, she says, “We looked for ways to bring families together, even though we couldn’t be together physically.”
Julia Lloyd Johannsen '93
Julia is not only a parent to Oscar (Grade 6), Marshall (Grade 3), and Linda Rose (Grade 1), but she is also a proud Park School alumna from the Class of 1993. She is no stranger to the Park Board, having served as the Alumni Representative from 2012-14. Additionally, she spent a year as a Teaching Apprentice in the Modern Language Department during the 2002-03 school year. As a volunteer, she happily served on the Alumni Committee for many, many years in addition to serving on the Major Gifts, Development, and DEI committees last year. Julia feels very fortunate to have been able to participate in the Park community at so many different levels. After graduating from Park, Julia attended high school at Phillips Academy, Andover, followed by undergrad years at Washington University in St Louis, a Master's degree from Middlebury College's French program, and a Master's degree in Clinical Mental Health from Lesley University. Julia chairs the Board of Directors at United South End Settlements, sits on the Advisory Boards for King Boston and Phillips Academy's Institute for Recruitment of Teachers, and recently founded The Impact Collective, which she launched in 2020 to address the racial wealth gap.
Lesley Ryan Miller
Lesley brings to The Park School Board over 20 years of education experience both in the classroom as a teacher and as a school and district administrator. She is currently the Deputy Superintendent of Teaching and Learning in the Public Schools of Brookline. Prior, she served as the Principal of the Pierce School in Brookline. Before taking on the principal position at Pierce, Ms. Miller was Brookline’s Senior Director of Teaching and Learning, where she oversaw the K-8 curriculum in literacy, math, social studies, science and world languages. Lesley has also served as Director of Teacher Development and Advancement for the Boston Public Schools and spent 11 years as a Kindergarten and Grade I teacher. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education at Boston University and her MEd from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Lesley is the parent of Laila (Grade 4).
Ted Noon
A native of Washington, DC, Ted Noon moved to the Boston area during his middle school years, and after graduating from Milton Academy, earned his BA in history and economics at Middlebury College. A graduate of Harvard Business School, he began his career in investment banking before joining Boston-based Acadian Asset Management, where he serves as Director of the Americas Group and a member of the firm’s Executive Committee. He and his wife, Michelle, whom he met at HBS, live in West Newton with their two children, Charlotte, Park Class of 2028, and Nick, Class of 2025. A devoted outdoor enthusiast, Ted enjoys endurance sports, including marathons and cycling, as well as skiing, and is especially passionate about the ways Park is able to take advantage of the many outdoor educational opportunities made possible by the School’s expansive campus.
Rebecca Nordhaus
Rebecca graduated from the Foote School in New Haven and Phillips Academy Andover. She received a BA from Yale and a JD from Harvard Law School. She is a partner at Finepoint Capital, a Boston-based private investment partnership. On the Park Board, Rebecca serves on the Risk Committee and the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee. Rebecca is married to Will Curry and they have one child at Park – Alex (Grade 6), and two alumni - Annabel '21 and Margot '24.
Femi Obi
Young Ju Rhee
Young Ju attended international schools in Kuwait, Cameroon, Tunisia and France amongst others and also attended public schools in her native South Korea. After further studying in England and the United States, she returned to South Korea to work at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Seoul Office as a Public Relations Officer. Young Ju received her doctorate degree in international development from the University of Oxford, and now teaches in the Global Studies Department at Bentley University. She also serves on the advisory board of the Reves International Studies center at the College of William and Mary. While at Park, Young Ju has volunteered as a Class Rep, served on the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee as well as the Steering and Strategy Committee of the Parents’ Association. She has four children - Graham '19, Grayson ‘21, Griffin (Grade 3) and Gemma (age 2).
Mary Skelton Roberts
Since joining the Park community in 2011, Mary has volunteered in different capacities, including: helping out with Springfest, serving as the PIN (Parents Independent schools Network) representative, being a Grade 5 class rep, and co-chairing the new parents’ dinners. In her day job, she is a co-director for Climate at the Barr Foundation. In that role she functions as a thought leader, strategist, and change maker, leveraging a multi-million-dollar portfolio to improve mobility and transform communities into more walkable, connected, and thriving places. She also focuses on preparing Boston for the impacts of climate change. Mary is Cuban, speaks fluent Spanish, and when she is not micro-managing Dahlia ’20 she is preventing her dog, Scooter, from catching the squirrels at the Arnold Arboretum, and practicing her salsa moves with her husband.
Steve Samuels
A positive leader in the Boston community whose ambitious work reimagined the Fenway neighborhood, demonstrating his desire to create an inviting community that celebrates not only commercial growth, but reflects the arts, education and culture, and a driving force in the creative industry as a leading producer of films, television, theater and audio. In addition to Emerson College and Children’s Hospital Boston Boards, Samuels and his family have long been actively dedicated to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Samuels holds a bachelor's degree in real estate & finance from Ohio State University. He lives with his wife, Ami and their three children - Carly (Grade 7), Dylan (Grade 7) and Sofia '19 in Brookline, Massachusetts.
Anna Sinaiko
Originally from Minneapolis, Anna attended Princeton University and earned a PhD in health policy from Harvard University. She is currently an Assistant Professor in Health Economics and Policy at the Harvard Chan School of Public Health. At Park Anna has served as a Class Representative and gives admissions tours. Anna is the parent of three children – Sasha '21, Talia (Grade 7), and Reid (Grade 4).
Shadé Solomon
Shadé is an associate professor of education at Framingham State University. Shadé joined the Park Board in 2016, where she has co-chaired the Educational Policy Committee, and served on the Committee on Trustees and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committees. Shade’s 26 years of experience in education include being an elementary classroom teacher, faculty professional developer, whole school change coach, and researcher. In addition to teaching at Framingham State, Shadé is a researcher and curriculum developer at TERC, a not-for-profit STEM education R&D organization in Cambridge where her research focuses on interdisciplinary education - most recently focusing on National Science Foundation funded research on Dance and Physics. She received a PhD in Administration, Planning & Social Policy from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She also holds an MS in Education from Wheelock College and a BA in Theater Arts from UMASS Boston. Shadé brings her passion for equity, education and her collective 15 years ( She has two children, Isaiah '19 and Yael) of experience as a parent at Park to her role on the Board.
Christina W. Vest
Raised in South America and Miami, Christina moved to the Boston area to attend Phillips Academy, Andover and Harvard College and, later, Harvard Business School. Christina is currently a managing director and partner of Hicks Equity Partners, a family office focused on private equity investments. Christina has been an engaged volunteer at Park, having co-chaired Springfest in 2014, co-chaired the Faculty & Staff Appreciation Raffle in 2015, and served on the PA Board in 2016. On the Board since 2016, Christina serves on the Development Committee and Committee on Trustees. She has two children - Ameri '19 and Charles '21 who both attend Phillips Academy, Andover.
Greg Woods
