About

Board of Trustees

Like other independent schools, The New School is governed by an independent, self-perpetuating Board of Trustees. The President of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) states in the NAIS Trustee Handbook that what distinguishes independent schools from other schools is that independent schools govern themselves via a self-perpetuating board of trustees and finance themselves by setting tuition and raising money.

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  • Board Governance at The New School

    The following is an overview of governance at The New School, including the composition of the Board of Trustees, how trustees are selected, and the manner in which the Board exercises its decision-making authority.

    The two principal governing documents are the Articles of Incorporation of The New School, Inc. and its Bylaws. The Articles provide that The New School is governed by a Board of Trustees and the Bylaws provide the details on the structure of the Board, the election of trustees and the exercise of the Board’s power, as summarized below:

    The Board of Trustees consists a minimum of 10 and a maximum of 20 voting trustees who are elected, and the President and Head of School, ex-officio.

    All trustees and elected officers have full voting rights, with the exception of the President and Head of School who is a non-voting member of the Board.

    There is an Executive Committee of the Board that consists of the Chair, Vice Chair, Treasurer and Secretary. Each of the officers of the Board will serve three (3) year terms in their elected positions. An officer may be reelected to the same office for one additional term. An officer who has completed his or her term(s) may be elected to a different office.

    New trustees and the officers of the Executive Committee are nominated by the Committee on Trustees and elected by the Board of Trustees by a majority vote of a quorum of the Trustees.

    Trustees are elected by written ballot for three-year terms and may not serve more than three consecutive three-year terms. The terms expire at the conclusion of The New School’s fiscal year (which runs from July 1 to June 30).

    At all meetings of the Board, a majority (one-half) of the total membership of the Board of Trustees shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.

    The Board of Trustees employs the President and Head of School, who is the Board’s sole employee and serves on the Board as an ex-officio, voting member.

    Much of the Board’s work is accomplished by committee, and from time to time, task forces are formed to discuss specific issues. Committee membership and leadership is determined by the Board Chair in consultation with the President and Head of School.
  • Board Committees 2023-24

    Executive Committee:
    John Wright, Chair
    Michael Chaney
    Bryan Hunt
    Edward Prewitt
    Shelley Simmons
     
    Advancement:
    Amy Jacobson, Chair
    Ayoola Carleton
    Fran Free
    Shelley Simmons
    Stacey Sturner
    John Wright
     
    Finance:
    Edward Prewitt, Chair
    Michael Chaney
    Peter Daut
    Bryan Hunt
    Raja Kali
    Shelley Simmons
    Robert Williams 
    John Wright
     
    Strategic Planning:
    Michael Chaney, Chair 
    Fran Free
    Amy Jacobson
    Raja Kali
    Stacey Sturner
    Calvin White Jr.
    John Wright
     
    Committee on Trustees:
    Edward Prewitt, Chair
    Peter Daut
    Calvin White Jr. 
    Robert Williams
    John Wright

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  • 2023-2024 Board Members

    Peter Daut P'24
    Ayoola Carleton P’35
    Michael Chaney P'33, Vice-Chair
    Fran Free 
    Bernice Guillen 
    Bryan Hunt GP'36,38,
    Secretary
    Amy Jacobson 
    Raja Kali P’29,32
    Edward Prewitt P'26, Treasurer
    Shelley Simmons P'21,24
    Stacey Sturner P’20,23
    Amy Vinson P'26,32
    Calvin White Jr. 
    Robert Williams P’31
    John Wright P'22, Chair
    Ex-Officio: Nancy Lang , Head of School
  • 2023-2024 Executive Committee

    John Wright P'22, Chair
    Michael Chaney P'33, Vice-Chair
    Bryan Hunt GP'36,38, Secretary
    Edward Prewitt P'26, Treasurer
    Shelley Simmons P'21,24
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