Leadership

Board Member Since 2019

Committee: HR Committee

Kavitha Bindra is the Assistant Dean for Alumni Relations at Yale School of Management (SOM). A summa cum laude graduate of Wellesley College with a M.B.A. from Yale SOM, Kavitha worked at Deloitte Consulting and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City before returning to the New Haven area. In 2012, she joined the Yale SOM Admissions office, serving as the Director of Admissions Operations prior to her current role. She serves on the boards of Calvin Hill Daycare and the Consortium for Graduate Study in Management, which is dedicated to enhancing inclusion of underrepresented minorities in management schools and careers. Kavitha spent her early childhood in New Zealand and the United Kingdom before moving to Burlington, Vermont, where she completed secondary school. She lives in the Westville section of New Haven with her two daughters Sasha and Sukhi.

President

Joined Board: 2018

Committee: executive

Elon Boms is the Managing Director of the Pritzker Vlock Family Office. A seasoned investment professional, Elon has led over 250 investments across a range of industries and geographies. Along with Karen Pritzker and Michael Vlock, Elon cofounded LaunchCapital, a premiere seed-stage investment fund with offices in Boston, New Haven and New York. He has helped raised over $2.5 billion of capital for leading and emerging companies and has been involved in over $1 billion of M&A transactions. He has also taught courses at the Yale School of Management on private equity and venture capital and on entrepreneurial finance. Elon earned his B.A. in economics from George Washington University and his M.B.A. with distinction in venture capital and concentration in finance and strategy from Yale School of Management. Elon lives in New Haven with his wife, Stephanie, two incredible daughters and a very shaggy dog.

Secretary

Joined Board: 2020

Committees: Executive; Horizons (chair)

Emily is majority owner and advisory board chair of The Latimer Corporation, a communication skills coaching and training firm, which she co-founded with her husband Dean. Previously, Emily enjoyed a nearly 20-year teaching career with stops at Choate Rosemary Hall, Kingswood Oxford, and Deerfield Academy. She spent 15 of those years at Choate where she taught, advised, lived in the dorm, and served as director of Choate’s Prefect Program and as chair of its Faculty Governance Committee. Emily earned her M.A. in History from Yale, her B.A. in American Studies and Art History from Wellesley, and spent her middle and high school years at Kingswood Oxford. Emily and Dean are active in the Wallingford community, including their local YMCA, the Spanish Community of Wallingford, and the Wallingford Public Library. Emily and Dean have two children, Zachary ’25, and Kate ’30.

Co-Vice President

Joined Board: 2023

Committee: Executive, Human Resources (Chair)

Mike has worked in the energy industry for over 20 years and develops, manages, and invests in energy infrastructure and related businesses. His work experience is in identifying solutions that balance policy objectives with commercial and physical realities while trying to address the interests of stakeholders. Mike has a B.S. from Cornell University, an M.S. in Finance from London Business School, and is a Chartered Financial Analyst. He is also an advisor to EarthSpark International. Mike lives in North Haven with his wife, Lauren, and has two children at Foote: Will ’27 and Ben ’30.

Board Member since 2025

Committee: Human Resources

Maria Casasnovas has been a proud Foote School parent for nearly a decade. She is the mother of Sofia Caliendo ’26 and Mateo Caliendo ’28, and a dedicated volunteer in various roles, including Chair of the Vision and Hearing Screening, Grade Representative, and active member of Mosaic. Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and raised in Montevideo, Uruguay, Maria has lived in six countries across three continents and traveled to more than 20. She holds both a Bachelor's and a master’s degree in economics from the University of Auckland in New Zealand, where she was awarded a prestigious full scholarship by the New Zealand government. Maria specializes in antitrust and anti-competitive practices, with a diverse background spanning the public sector, academia, and private industry. She has served as a Senior Economist for Uruguay’s Anti-dumping Authority within the Secretary of Industry, worked as a Research Economist at the University of Chicago on the team of Nobel Laureate Professor James Heckman, and held economist positions at Tuatara Management in Auckland and Compass-Lexecon in both Chicago and New York. Maria enjoys spending quality time with her family, cooking, running, and reading.

Joined Board: 2021

Committee: Advancement

Ron is a dedicated member of the Educational Equity Council in New Haven, bringing a rich tapestry of experiences from across the educational sector. Starting as a middle school math teacher, Mr. Coleman spent six transformative years in New Haven Public School leading classroom instruction for over 300 students, instilling a love for the key role numbers and operations play in the development of young minds to be able to think critically and act decisively. This foundation paved the way for a two-year tenure as a Program Director at Teach For America (Connecticut), where Ron championed internal teacher development and external hiring initiatives to ensure all STEM classrooms in New Haven were filled by a quality educator. Ron continued this commitment to fostering the next generation of educators as the Educator Recruitment and Development specialist at the Texas Education Agency in Austin, Texas. Ron helped scale the Grow Your Own initiative from 32 to 400 districts reshaping the educational landscape for small and rural districts and setting new benchmarks for excellence. Currently, Ron serves as the co-founder and Executive Director of New Haven Counts, where he leads the strategy and fundraising efforts for inclusive, high-quality academic and athletic support for New Haven students. Ron remains a lifelong learner, always eager to absorb, innovate, and inspire. He has a bachelor’s degree from Tufts University, a master's in Education from Southern Connecticut State University and will receive a master's in Business Administration from Yale School of Management in the Spring of 2025.

Joined Board 2025

Committee: Human Resources

Ian Crichton is a practicing attorney whose work focuses primarily on complex litigation and advising clients in the management of litigation risk. Ian has practiced in a wide array of substantive areas, including cases centered on antitrust, contracts, business torts, securities, intellectual property, and constitutional law. He began his career in the Washington, D.C., office of Boies, Schiller and Flexner, before eventually leaving to pursue a PhD. In recent years, he has worked with other former BigLaw attorneys at a small firm based in Austin, Texas. 

Ian lives in New Haven with his wife, Katja, who is an Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine at Yale and their daughter Ronja '33. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2002 and 2003 (B.S. and Master of Public Policy), Stanford Law School in 2006 (J.D.), and Yale University in 2019 (Ph.D. in political science with a focus in American government, quantitative methods, and political economy). He has served as Associate Managing Editor of the Stanford Law Review, as a teaching fellow for courses in quantitative methods and game theory, and as a parent volunteer on the Human Resources Committee of the Foote Board of Trustees.

Board Member Since 2024

Committee: Advancement

Courtney has worked in the biotechnology industry for over 25 years and specializes in the  commercialization of novel treatments for rare, life-threatening diseases. Courtney currently serves as  Chief Commercial Officer at Priovant Therapeutics, a small, clinical-stage biotech company based in  Durham, N.C. She previously spent 15 years working with New Haven-based companies, Biohaven  Pharmaceuticals and Alexion Pharmaceuticals, and eight years on international assignments living in Chile and Mexico with Genzyme Corporation. Courtney received her Bachelor of Arts in  Sociology/Anthropology from Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania. She resides in North Haven with her husband, Rodrigo Frias, and children Sofia and Maximiliano.

Joined Board 2025

Committee: Advancement

Niall lives in Branford with his wife Liz and their three children, Charlie, Hank, and Ellen. Charlie ’19 and Hank ’21 both graduated from Foote and Ellen ’28 currently attends Foote.

Niall founded and runs Totoket Capital, a private global investment fund; he oversees all aspects of the investment management process. Prior to that, Niall worked for 19 years at Bridgewater Associates, a global hedge fund and investment firm based in Westport, CT. At Bridgewater, Niall was a Senior Investment Associate and an equity owner in the firm.

Niall graduated with a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania in 1996, majoring in Diplomatic History. He previously served on the Board of Trustees at the Hopkins 

School for nine years through 2024 and was Treasurer for the last eight years. Niall continues to serve on the Hopkins Endowment Investment Committee as a non-board member. Niall has also served on the board of the Pine Orchard Association for nine years, including five years as Treasurer. He has also previously served on the boards of the New Haven Historical Society and Branford Youth Lacrosse.

Board Member Since 2024

Committee: Human Resources 

Will Gilyard is in his 21st year of working in independent schools. In 2020, he returned to his alma mater  Choate Rosemary Hall and serves as the Dean of Students. Will also serves as a core faculty member for the Interschool Leadership Institute (founded in 2013), a leadership development institute for BIPOC  educators. Will co-leads the TABS (The Association of Boarding Schools) Residential and Student Life  Institute and serves on their Professional Learning Advisory Committee. Prior to joining Choate, Will was  the Dean of Students at the Kingswood Oxford school (KO) and the Head of the Upper School at the Cathedral School of St. John the Divine in New York City. He is passionate about the role of educators in  independent schools. Will has a B.A. in Psychology from Williams College and his M.A. Ed. in  Curriculum and Instruction from the University of St. Joseph. Will and his wife, Afton, ALP/Enrichment  Teacher in Stratford Public Schools reside in Wallingford with their two sons, William and Maxwell, both Foote students.

Joined Board 2025

Committee: Community Building 

Christine Kim is a community organizer and food justice activist, with a prior career in data-driven international environmental policy. She received her bachelor’s degree with a double-major in Political Science and Ethnicity, Race, and Migration, and a master’s degree in international relations, both from Yale. She is the co-Founder of aapiNHV, an intergenerational pan-Asian collective organization amplifying Asian American Pacific Islander voices and power in New Haven, Connecticut, and beyond. Christine currently is the Board Chair of CitySeed, a New Haven-based nonprofit aimed at an equitable local food system, and a member of the Connecticut Department of Agriculture’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Working Group. She currently serves on the boards of the Community Fund for Women & Girls at the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, the New Haven Urban Resources Institute, the Connecticut Collective for Women and Girls, the Future Museum, the Visionary Leadership Award Committee for the International Festival of Arts & Ideas, and previously served with Calvin Hill Day Care, University Commons, and the DMZ Forum. Christine was appointed to the City of New Haven’s Redevelopment Agency in 2023 and re-elected Democratic Town Committee co-chair of Ward 7 which represents the Downtown and East Rock neighborhoods in 2024. She is also a Fellow of Yale’s Saybrook College. At the Foote School, Christine has served as a volunteer and Treasurer for the PTC, co-moderator of the Parents for Children of Color Affinity Group, member of the Families for DEIJ, and Admissions ambassador. Christine lives in the East Rock neighborhood with her husband Doug Kysar and their children, Zora ’28 and Wells ’31.

Treasurer

Board Member Since 2024

Committee: Executive, Asset Management

Alex Kleiner is a New Haven native and resides downtown with his wife Alexandra Daum, son Teddy  Kleinerdaum ’32, and daughter Samantha Kleinerdaum. He has spent most of his professional career as a  technology investor and currently serves as a Partner at private equity firm Rubicon Technology Partners. At Rubicon, Alex manages investments in software companies and provides strategic and financial  oversight as a member of the Board of Directors of numerous Rubicon-owned businesses. Previously, Alex worked in a similar capacity at Vector Capital in San Francisco, OpenView Venture Partners in  Boston, and Merrill Lynch in New York. He sits on the boards of several other local nonprofits, including New Haven Reads, Leila Day Nurseries, and the Eli Whitney Museum. Alex holds a Bachelor of Arts in  History (cum laude, from Yale University) and a Master of Business Administration with Distinction from the Harvard Business School.

Board Member Since 2024

Committees: Executive; Community Building (Chair)

Elizabeth Lasater is a Foote parent with four children in the school. She is a devoted volunteer for the PTC and supporter of Foote’s sports teams. Elizabeth served on the Board of the United Way of Greater New Haven and was Founding Chair of the organization's Women's Initiative. A long-time community-builder in New Haven, she has helped plan and host countless civic events, including public art installations, city-wide scavenger hunts, and networking fundraisers. She worked as a physical therapist with specialties in orthopedics and vestibular rehabilitation before stepping away to raise a family. She holds a bachelor’s from UMass Amherst and a Doctorate in Physical Therapy from New York Medical College.

Board Member Since 2024

Committee: Asset Management 

Dan Levy is a Partner at Rubicon Technology Partners, where he has led investments in enterprise  software companies since joining the firm in 2015. He sits on the boards of companies that provide mission-critical software solutions ranging from non-profit and association member management to manufacturing configuration to supply chain distribution. A seasoned investment professional in the private equity world, Dan has partnered with more than 30 founders and executive teams to build technology, healthcare, and consumer-retail companies across a range of geographies across North America, New  Zealand, Australia, and Europe. Dan has longstanding ties to the New Haven community, having received  his B.A. from Yale University and helping move Rubicon’s east coast office to New Haven in 2020. Dan lives in New Haven with his wife, Liz Tan Levy, and their three daughters. They have one child at Foote – Annabelle – and soon to be two with Rachel enrolling next year. Liz and Dan consider it a privilege to be of service to their children's schools and daycares.

Joined Board: 2020

Committee: advancement, Executive (at-large member)

Jennifer R. Lucarelli graduated from Yale University in 1995 and thereafter received a Juris Doctorate from the University of Notre Dame School of Law in 1999. After a clerkship, she entered private practice in 2000. Jennifer was named a Partner at Early, Lucarelli, Sweeney, et al, in 2010 as a result of her compassionate and dedicated representation of victims suffering from mesothelioma cancer. Over the course of her career, Jennifer has represented thousands of victims of mesothelioma and has personally recovered millions of dollars in settlements on behalf of deserving clients and families.  

Jennifer’s service to The Foote School community commenced in 2019; she was named co-president of the Parent Teacher Committee. She has since served in this capacity, conducting oversight and acting as committee event chair, and as a Foote Board Trustee. In 2023, Jennifer was nominated to be Community Building Committee Chair.  

Jennifer resides in Orange with her son, Levi Chase ’26. Jennifer volunteers as a coach for Little League Baseball and Derby Basketball.  

Joined Board 2025

Committee: Asset Management 

Lavinia is an educator, entrepreneur, and parent with a strong commitment to community and cross-cultural connection. Originally from Jinan, China, she pioneered the city’s first Forest Kindergarten—an innovative, nature-based preschool that challenged conventional early education by centering hands-on exploration and child-led learning.

Since moving to New Haven four years ago, Lavinia has continued her work in education and community engagement. She currently teaches 6th-grade Mandarin, weaving together language and cultural instruction to help students build global awareness and empathy. She is also the founder and owner of Niu Sushi & Ramen—a neighborhood restaurant that serves as both a culinary destination and a cultural gathering space.

As a parent at Foote School, Lavinia is an active and engaged member of the community. She brings a collaborative spirit, deep care for youth development, and a belief in inclusive, creative learning environments. Lavinia hopes to join the Foote School Board to further support the school’s mission and help all children thrive.

Joined Board 2025

Committee: Asset Management

John Oster is a Foote alum who lives in New Haven with his wife Andrea and their children Maya ’34, Marcus, and Simone.  Foote holds a special place in John’s heart and was one of the main reasons that he and Andrea moved from Brooklyn to New Haven in 2021. 

John has worked as an attorney at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York since 2016 where he handles enforcement and litigation matters.  John previously worked as a litigator at the law firms Sullivan & Cromwell LLP and Friedman Kaplan LLP, and as a clerk for a federal District Court judge. John graduated from Stanford University in 2007 with a Bachelor of Arts in History and received a J.D. from NYU Law School in 2011.

Board Member Since 2024

Committees: Horizons (Vice-Chair)

Karin Ouchida is a geriatrician at New York Presbyterian Hospital providing holistic, patient-centered care to older adults across multiple clinical settings. She has been actively involved in medical education and curriculum development for more than 15 years and serves as the Program Director of the Geriatrics Fellowship and the Medical Director of the Geriatrics House Call Program at Weill Cornell Medical College. Karin also serves as an advisor to Wisebird, an innovative digital brand aimed at bringing evidence-based, user-friendly information to older adults and the people who care for them. Karin received her bachelor of arts in Human Biology and Psychology from Stanford University and her doctor of medicine from the University of California at San Diego. Karin resides in Branford with her husband Jack and their three children: Cordelia ’24, George ’24, and Lucy ’28.

Joined Board: 2019

Committees: Executive (at-large member), Asset Management (vice-chair)

Geert Rouwenhorst is a professor of Finance at the Yale School of Management and deputy director of the International Center of Finance. Born in The Netherlands, Geert graduated from Erasmus University in Rotterdam with degrees in Economics and Law. He joined Yale in 1990 and held intermittent visiting positions at MIT and Singapore Management University. At Yale, Geert has taught in the general areas of investments and corporate finance and served as a Deputy Dean of the School of Management. His coedited book, The Origins of Value: the Financial Innovations that Created Modern Capital Markets, was named a book of the year by Barron’s and The Economist. Geert is a founding partner of SummerHaven, an investment management company that serves endowments, foundations and pension funds. He is a past Treasurer of both the New Haven Preservation Trust and Children’s Preschool, and currently serves on the investment committee at Foote. He lives in East Rock with his wife, Bernadette Huang, and their daughter Alexandra.

Co-Vice President

Joined Board: 2023

Committee: Executive, Advancement (chair)

Jessie served for a decade as the Dean of one of  Yale’s undergraduate colleges and a former Associate Director of Admissions at Yale. She has advised and nurtured hundreds of students, with special emphasis on DEI and Athletics. She is currently the Academic Director at an education technology startup and an independent college consultant. Jessie holds a B.A. in European History from Barnard College and a M.S. from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism. She is a lecturer in the Yale English Department and presents nationally on writing college essays. Jessie is the mother of daughters Lily ’20 and Ada ’23 and lives in Guilford.

Joined Board 2025

Committee: Advancement

Amy Terry Sheehan is an attorney with a legal consulting practice. She also co-founded and manages a company that develops golf destinations along with her husband Colin Sheehan. A graduate of Yale University (B.A. in History) and Columbia Law School, Amy has practiced law for the past 20 years. She was a general litigator at Manatt, Phelps & Phillips and clerked for the Hon. Barrington Parker Jr. of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. She practiced in-house at Deluxe and Acuris focusing on data privacy cybersecurity law. She has also handled pro bono asylum cases. 

Prior to her legal career, Amy worked in sports journalism and earned Sports Emmy awards for her work on the Sydney Olympics for NBC. She has served on the Rutgers University Cybersecurity Law Board and the Yale Lacrosse Association Board and is an Associate Fellow and First Year Advisor for Yale’s Jonathan Edwards College. Amy lives in Hamden with her husband Colin, and their three daughters, Lucia ’23, Annabel ’26 and Caroline ’31. Amy has volunteered as a Foote parent for more than 10 years in many ways including starting and chairing Foote on Ice, helping with PTC and Admissions events, and serving on the Community Building Committee and MOSAIC committee.

Board Member Since 2024

Committee: Asset Management 

Che Tiernan is the owner of BILT LLC, a boutique construction company that designs, builds, and remodels high-end homes, historical houses, and commercial properties in the New Haven area. Founded in 2011, BILT also completes an array of projects that enhance life in the New Haven area, such as building tree houses and coffee shops, renovating theaters, remolding student dormitories, and  developing innovative container housing. Che previously served on the Board of Directors at Leila Day  Nurseries as the head of the Building and Grounds Committee. Along with his daughter, Che has helped to develop the Foote School’s chicken program, which encourages participation in outdoor education, animal appreciation, and food origin stories. Che (’89), Jesenia Knipping and their children, Cadel ’27  and Sophia ’30 live in Orange with the dog Tennessee Tango, a dozen or so chickens, and usually 50,000 bees. Che earned his B.S. from Wagner College.

Board Member Since 2021

Committee: Advancement

Brett Weiss is a Senior Partner with The Chartis Group — a leading healthcare advisory and analytics firm focused on helping healthcare organizations navigate complex challenges related to strategy, performance, technology, and transformation. A frequent industry speaker, Brett offers a dynamic understanding of healthcare IT, trends, and technologies available to address the challenges of a volatile market. He has extensive experience analyzing current-state business processes and aligning clients' goals with technology solutions to support operational modernization. Brett earned his B.A. in international business from the University of Arizona and lives in Madison, CT with his wife, Melissa, and their two daughters, Avery ’28 and Elle ’30.

Board Member Since 2024

Committees: Community Building (vice Chair); ex Officio Trustee

Alexis is the mom of Egypt Robinson and a long-time part of the Foote family. As a native of New Haven, Alexis has always been deeply committed to her community. She graduated from Cooperative Arts and Humanities High School and went on to earn a B.S. in Political Science and Government at the University of New Haven and an MSL in Corporate Compliance from Fordham University School of Law. Her dedication to community service began in her childhood, when she started mentoring young women through the L.E.A.P. organization. This commitment has only grown over the years as she continues to serve her community through her involvement at Varick Memorial AME Zion Church and the Yale African American Affinity Group. Until 2018, Alexis served as the Co-Chair of the Barnabas and Hospitality/Guest Services Ministries at Varick Memorial AME Zion Church, where she demonstrated her leadership skills by overseeing the new member and guest welcome program, coordinating communication for all upcoming events, and managing the database for all attendees for church communications. She has also served as Data Coordinator for Varick Memorial’s Food Pantry and Soup Kitchen for nine years and still volunteers at the pantry every first Saturday. Alexis also sits on the boards of Kulturally Lit and Neighborhood Housing. Throughout her working life, Alexis has been a beacon of inspiration, encouraging everyone who works with her to take pride in their work and never settle; there is always potential for growth. Alexis is always looking for ways to pursue her dreams to assist and empower her community successfully.