Friends of the Eliot School
Formerly operating under the name of the Eliot Family Council, Friends of the Eliot School, Inc. was incorporated as a separate entity in November, 2017 in order to focus on the growing importance of securing the needed resources to sustain excellence within our growing school community. The Friends of the Eliot School works in partnership with the Eliot Governing Board and the Eliot Family Council to support the school’s vision.
The Friends of the Eliot School, Inc., a tax-exempt 501c3 organization, was incorporated in November, 2017 in order to focus on the growing importance of securing the needed resources to sustain excellence within our growing school community. The Friends of the Eliot School works in partnership with the Eliot Governing Board and the Eliot Family Council to support the school’s vision.
The Friends of the Eliot School is a tax exempt 501(c)(3) organization and our employer identification number (EIN) is: 82-442 4844.
Preliminary unaudited financials
ENRICHMENT & INSTRUCTIONAL SUPPORT funds a variety of enrichment offerings at the Eliot as well as the purchase of supplementary academic curriculum to address both accelerated and intervention needs. This includes purchasing programming, instruments, and supplies to resource art and music instruction as well as providing students with opportunities to participate in extracurricular activities including debate, math competitions and select upper school athletics programs. In addition, donations purchase online programs and subscriptions that support literacy, writing and math. The Friends also funds the Playworks program which supports the school’s commitment to fostering a safe and respectful playground environment while also building students’ leadership skills.
SCHOOL TOOLS & RESOURCES incorporates the funds allocated to purchase the robotics kits needed for our growing and more experienced student body as well as the spend to equip classrooms with everything from chrome books and monitors to white boards, book shelves, and reading areas. Your donations also purchase supplies for learning projects such as science fairs, publishing parties, and math games, etc.. Finally, this category captures the spend on some of the more basic requirements to run the school, such as purchasing toner and paper, which then allows the school to allocate district funds into areas that can more directly impact education.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT supports our most important asset-our teachers! Friends of the Eliot School funds continuing education and training opportunities that are unparalleled in other schools, creating a path of continuous learning to promote high quality instruction in every classroom. Teachers engage in many different types of classes including STEM education, reading and writing courses, workshops on creating more inclusive and equitable schools, and Think:Kids, which teaches collaborative problem solving. High-quality professional development helps the Eliot attract and retain the best teachers.
COMMUNITY BUILDING funds promote engagement within the school and within our greater community. Your donations help sponsor events including the Family Council Speaker Series, Family Ice Skating event, field days, block parties, theater events, and our bi-annual whole school celebrations.
Board Members
Kinnon Foley, President
Kinnon Foley is a Strategic Advisor to the Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education in Massachusetts. Prior to this role, she worked as a teacher, coach, and administrator in public schools for over a decade. Kinnon received her Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology from Colgate University and a Master’s Degree in Education with a bilingual extension from the City University of New York.
Kinnon also serves on the board of Charlestown Nursery School and is an honorary board member of the Massachusetts Down Syndrome Congress. Kinnon lives in Charlestown with her husband and three children. Kinnon’s oldest daughter has been a proud member of the Eliot’s inclusion program since she first enrolled in 2020.
Kelsey Morgan, Treasurer
Kelsey Morgan is the Chief Investment Officer for Dartmouth College. In his role, Kelsey is responsible for overseeing a team of 18 to manage the university’s $8B endowment as well as other operating assets. Kelsey graduated from Dartmouth College with an AB degree and earned an MBA from The Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. Kelsey joined the Friends of the Eliot board in 2020 and is the organization’s Treasurer. Kelsey lives in Charlestown with his wife Zara. They have three children enrolled at the Eliot.
Johanna H. Fink, Director
Jody is an experienced senior leader in professional services and family offices with expertise in financial services, human resource management, talent development and change management. She currently serves as Trustee to a $1B+ private family, is on the Board of Directors at Lahey Hospital and Medical Center and is a member of the Investment Advisory Committee at the $100B+ New York State Teachers’ Retirement System.
She most recently was the Chief Operating Officer of the Leducq Corporation, the US-based arm of the Leducq Family Trust, a family office whose primary operating businesses include the global cardiovascular research foundation Fondation Leducq (fondationleducq.org), life sciences venture capital firm Broadview Ventures (broadviewventures.org) and Ehlers Estate winery (ehlersestate.com). Prior to this, Jody spent almost 20 years with Cambridge Associates in various investment and management roles, ultimately serving as the Head of Investment Practices, Deputy Head of Global Investment Services and member of the Executive Committee (cambridgeassociates.com). Previously, she was Manager, Team Operations at the National Basketball Association (nba.com) and an Associate at McKinsey & Company in New York and Boston (mckinsey.com). She is a graduate of Harvard Business School (MBA) and Harvard College (AB, magna cum laude).
James Egan, Director
James Egan is a partner in Ernst & Young’s Assurance practice. He has over 20 years of experience in the financial services industry serving asset management and banking clients. James has experience with SEC filings and reporting for various financial institutions, including custody banks, retail banks, US Registered Mutual Funds and broker dealers.
He also has experience in the development of the Recovery and Resolution Plan and other parts of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act for clients and extensive experience in the coordination of audits and internal control reporting (Service Organization Controls e.g. ISAE 3402 or SSAE 18 reports) for global financial service institutions.
James completed a three year secondment in the EY London Office where he served as the Internal Control over Financial Reporting (“ICFR”) lead partner focusing on the SEC filing requirements and the application of US PCAOB auditing standards for a foreign private issuer retail bank based in the UK.
James is a Certified Public Accountant (MA). He has a B.S. in Finance from Fairfield University and a Master of Science in Accountancy from the University of Notre Dame and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). James and his family live in the North End neighborhood of Boston and have 2 children enrolled at the Eliot School.
Anthony Pangaro, Director
Anthony Pangaro has been a principal in private real estate development since 1980, completing over $3 billion of work in Boston, most notably the Millennium Tower (the Filene’s Department Store site), the Ritz-Carlton Hotel and Towers, the 10 St. James Avenue Office Tower, and the Four Seasons Hotel and Condominium. Prior to that, he managed the development of Boston’s Southwest Corridor transit project, which includes a five-mile long public park. He also held public service positions at the New York State Urban Development Corporation and the Boston Redevelopment Authority.
A registered architect, Pangaro earned degrees from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in architecture and in building science, and a master’s degree from Harvard University in architecture. He was subsequently awarded the Loeb Fellowship in Advanced Environmental Studies at Harvard.
Pangaro has served as a director on numerous Boston community and nonprofit boards, including the American Repertory Theater, the Boston Center for Adult Education, Opera Boston, the Lower Roxbury Community Corporation, and the board of overseers of the Museum of Fine Arts. He is now on the executive committee of the Esplanade Association, is the President of the Friends of the Italian Cultural Cener-Boston, and is a member of the MIT Visiting Committee for the Department of Urban Studies and Planning. Pangaro served on The Boston Conservatory board for 25 years and is now a trustee of Berklee which merged with the Conservatory in 2016.