Meet Park’s New Board Chair, Amanda Teo

This summer Amanda Teo began a three-year term as the Chair of the Park School Board of Trustees.

Amanda has served on the Park board for four years and was most recently Vice Chair. Amanda and her husband, Stephen Gordon, have been Park parents since 2018 and have three children: Ethan '27, Jonathan '29, and Mari '31. Both Amanda and Stephen have volunteered at Park over the years; prior to joining the board, Amanda was a co-chair of the PA’s DEI Committee and a co-facilitator of the family SEED program. When not at Park, Amanda teaches at a law school and is the executive director of a center that strengthens leadership in law and public policy.

Q: Amanda, being board Chair is a demanding job. What motivates you to take on this challenge?

A: When I was considering this role, my kids – on whom I can always rely for a hot take – incredulously asked: “Wait – you’re going to spend even more time at Park and it’s not even for a real, paid job?”

Sure, being a trustee is a significant commitment, and serving as board chair even more so. But I’m honored to get to do this work. Park has given us more than we ever could have imagined: a school where our children are known, challenged, and cared for, and a community that has not just welcomed our family but expanded our understanding of what it means to be a part of one. That kind of school and community doesn’t happen by accident. It takes people willing to invest their time, care, and energy in sustaining it. We have long prioritized volunteerism and philanthropy to Park because our family has benefitted so much from the efforts of those who did the work on our behalf. Serving as board chair is one way I can help ensure that Park can have as vital and transformative an impact on those who come next.

I should also mention that we are lucky to have a team of trustees and administrators who are kind, generous, smart, and a lot of fun to hang out with. The work is serious, but we manage to enjoy ourselves while doing it.

Q: How would you describe Park?

A: Park is a pretty magical place to spend the formative years of childhood: 34+ acres of natural, wild spaces and thoughtfully built ones. But I also think of it as a kind of lab for future leaders. In my day job, I spend a lot of time thinking about how we support students not only to become good at their jobs but also to do good. The work of making our communities more just requires people who know how to work in partnership, share power, listen across difference, solve problems with care and creativity, and lead with humility, integrity, and moral imagination. Those are the same capacities I see reflected in the Park Portrait. By becoming joyful learners, mindful leaders, skillful communicators, compassionate collaborators, creative problem-solvers, and practiced advocates at Park, our kids are developing the habits they will need to contribute meaningfully to their communities as future leaders.

Q: What are the most important objectives for the board over the next several years?

A: Our board has the privilege of looking ahead from a position of real institutional strength. Park’s academic program is excellent, as reflected in student assessments and secondary school placements; our students report a deep sense of belonging; and demand for a Park education remains robust. That gives us both opportunity and responsibility: to preserve what is working while making thoughtful investments in what comes next.

Each year, we have some evergreen charges, such as approving the budget, as well as some discrete projects, such as assessing our investment strategy in the context of evaluating the sustainability of our financial model. This coming year, the board will be focused on successfully completing the final phase of the SPARK campaign and helping secure the financial and community resources needed to transform our “backyard”; supporting the School as it completes the AISNE accreditation process and begins strategic planning; and continuing to steward our endowment carefully and in alignment with Park’s mission and long-term needs.

The board’s role is distinct from the day-to-day management of the School. Scott and his dedicated team lead and operate Park; our job as trustees is to keep our focus on Park’s mission, vision, and core values. We do that by supporting and holding the Head of School accountable, stewarding the School’s financial health and reputation, and building a board whose members bring the diverse perspectives, experiences, and skills needed both to reflect our community and to govern effectively. To carry out our fiduciary responsibilities, the full board meets monthly, as do the various board committees, which are charged with attending to specific areas of our governance work.

At its core, governance means taking the long view and “protecting tomorrow from today.” It means asking the right questions, making thoughtful choices about resources and priorities, and helping ensure that the Park we pass on is as strong, joyful, and purposeful as the one our children experience today.

I spend a lot of time thinking about how we support students not only to become good at their jobs but also to do good. The work of making our communities more just requires people who know how to work in partnership, share power, listen across difference, solve problems with care and creativity, and lead with humility, integrity, and moral imagination. 

Q: You mentioned the importance of building a high-functioning board. How do trustees get selected?

A: I love this question, because one of my goals as board chair is to demystify this process and to encourage those who may not have thought about volunteering for the school in this way to consider doing so. The board’s Committee on Trustees leads a thoughtful nomination process each year, beginning not with a list of names but with a question: What does the board need in order to govern Park well? We seek to build a board that reflects the breadth of the Park Community – across divisions, lived experiences, and vantage points – and has the judgment, expertise, and capacity to support our work.

When we look at individual candidates, we tend to look for four things: First, a history of engagement and volunteerism, demonstrating that the person is willing to contribute time and energy to the community. Second, past philanthropic support at Park at a level that is meaningful to their family as an illustration of their commitment to our collective efforts to support Park. Third, the ability to adopt and sustain a governance mindset. Most trustees are not educators, and our role is not to manage the School or substitute our judgment for the expertise of people who do. Trustees who are also parents have to be able to take off the “parent hat,” look beyond their own child or immediate experience, respect the line between governance and day-to-day operations, and focus on the mission, long-term health, and needs of the School as a whole. 

Finally, we look at what the board needs to meet the moment. Each year, the Committee on Trustees assesses the work ahead and the competencies we need to do it well. For example, this past year, the Committee identified design, facilities, and construction expertise as particularly valuable as Park moved forward with SPARK Phase III. Because our needs, like our work, is ever-evolving, we are always scanning the horizon for potential trustees; my hope is that people across the Park community will see board service as one possible way, among many, to deepen their contribution to the School.

Q: What specifically does a board chair do?

A: Different board chairs bring different leadership styles to the role. I spent many years as a chief of staff, so that is probably the closest analogy for how I think about it. Most of the work is less about directing than connecting: making sure the right people are talking to one another, that our efforts reinforce rather than duplicate each other, that we prioritize and resource effectively, and that the considerable talent around the board table is focused where it can be most useful to Park.

In practice, I help facilitate board meetings, work with Scott and Vice Chair May Hara to shape agendas and priorities, and support committee chairs and trustees in moving their work forward. I also try to be a useful thought partner to Scott and his leadership team while respecting the important line between governance and the day-to-day operation of the School.

Just as important is staying connected to the broader Park community: listening to families, faculty, and staff; helping the board and the administrative leadership team understand different experiences and perspectives; and communicating our work in ways that invite shared ownership. The board may have a particular governance role, but every member of our community has a role in caring for Park and shaping its future.

Amanda, thank you for your time and service to Park, and good luck in your work as our new Board Chair.

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