Governance

What is the Board of Trustees?

The Board of Trustees is comprised of current and former parents, grandparents, alumni, and community leaders who volunteer their unique talents and experiences to ensure the Triangle Day School’s continued success. The Board supports the School’s mission, oversees its fiduciary responsibilities, and assists the Head of School in carrying out the long-term strategic plan.

2024–2025 Board Members

Kim Sue-Ling

Kim Sue-Ling

Current Parent ’29
Julie Williams-Swiggett

Julie Williams-Swiggett

Current Parent ’26, ’29
Board Vice Chair
school board member

Patrick Scheper

Current Parent ’26, ’29
Board Treasurer
Finance Committee Chair
Rachel Casipit

Rachel Casipit

Current Parent ’28, ’30
Board Secretary
DEI Committee Chair
Rachel Byrne

Rachel Byrne

Current Parent ’28
Mark DiRienzo

Marc DiRienzo

Current Parent ’28
Facilities Committee Chair
Aaron Kyle

Aaron Kyle

Current Parent ’30
DEI Committee Chair
Patrick McWilliams

Patrick McWilliams

Current Parent ’26, ’26
Ali Paksima

Ali Paksima

Current Parent ’28 ’32
Alaina Pantoja

Alaina Pantoja

Current Parent ’27, ’30
Development Committee Chair
Ryan Park

Ryan Park

Current Parent ’27, ’32

Tasha Seyler

Current Parent ’25, ’29
Stuart Smith

Stuart Smith

Alumni Parent ’06, ’14, ’16

Board FAQs

A Board member is elected to a first term of three years and may be asked to serve a second term of three years. After one year off, the Board member may be elected to serve an additional term.

The Board is primarily responsible for the strategic aspects of the School such as selecting and evaluating the Head of School, ensuring adequate financial resources including fundraising of various kinds, providing proper financial oversight, building a competent Board, ensuring ethical integrity, and enhancing the School’s public standing.

The Head of School, rather than the Board, is primarily responsible for the operational aspects of the School such as selecting and evaluating the faculty, managing the day-to-day operation of the School, leading in the development of the School’s curriculum, acting as the School’s key liaison with parents, grandparents, alumni, Board members, and community leaders, and preparing the school’s annual budget including staffing needs and instructional resources and presenting it to the Board for its approval.

If parents have concerns about operational matters (e.g. faculty or staff members, the curriculum, the facility), then these should be discussed with the appropriate administrator. If, however, the concern is with the Head of the School, then this should be brought to the attention of a member of the Board’s Executive Committee.

The Board governs itself according to its own TDS Board Bylaws.

The full Board meets on a monthly basis in August through December. In the new year, the Board meets every other month in February, April, and June. The Board may meet on or off campus, to receive and discuss reports from the Head of School and other administrators, Board Committees, outside consultants and students, when appropriate.

The Board has six standing committees: Finance, Trusteeship, Development, Facilities, Executive, and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion.

The Finance Committee is comprised of trustees and non-trustees. It meets regularly with the Head of School and the Business Officer and is responsible for overseeing the annual budget and financial affairs of the school.

The Trusteeship Committee is responsible for identifying, cultivating, and recommending individuals for future trustee nominations. New board members are selected based upon their positive commitment to the school along with the immediate and long term needs of the school.

Comprised of trustees and non-trustees, the Development Committee is responsible for Board-initiated institutional advancement and fundraising, including the annual fund, capital campaign, auction, endowment funds, and gifts.

The Facilities Committee is comprised of trustees and non-trustees. This committee along with the Head of School is responsible for reporting to the board on the overall condition, adequacy, and management of the facilities.

The Executive Committee is made up of the Chair, Vice-Chair, Treasurer, and Secretary. Its primary role is to evaluate the Head of School on an annual basis. Members of the Executive Committee for 2022-2023 are Tasha Seyler, Shayla Higginbotham, Patrick Scheper, and Kim Sue-Ling.

The Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee was formed in 2016-17 in order to ascertain the climate of diversity and inclusion at the school and determine areas for improvement. The committee focuses on curriculum, recruitment/retention, community engagement, and assessment. Learn more about DEI at TDS here.

When the need arises the Board may create special committees such as the Strategic Planning Committee.

From time to time, the Board creates a Strategic Planning Committee in order to review its previous Strategic Plans and Mission Statement and update them to reflect a variety of factors such as changes in enrollment, the parent body, the financial health of the school, technological advances, the community, and the local economy. The current Strategic Plan was approved by the full Board in July, 2022.

To learn more about this process, or to recommend someone for the Board of Trustees, please contact a member of the Board’s Trusteeship Committee or the Board Chair. Board members are nominated by the Trusteeship Committee and elected by the full Board. New Board members are selected based upon the immediate and long term needs of the School, and for their commitment to the School.

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