COMMUNITY
Administration
Community
The Ross School Senior Leadership Team and Administration oversee the day-to-day workings of the school and strive to ensure a phenomenal educational experience for our students every day.
The majority of Ross faculty hold advanced degrees in their specialty areas. They hail from a variety of academic and professional backgrounds, thereby adding to the rich tapestry of a Ross education. Teachers develop close relationships with students, providing a caring and supportive environment where academic excellence, social skills, self-esteem, and respect for others are fostered through cooperative learning and personal development. Small class sizes ensure that each student benefits from mentor relationships with their teachers.
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
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Emily Tisch Sussman is a podcast host, women’s empowerment and family policy advocate, leading democratic political strategist, co-owner of Gotham FC, the championship-winning women's soccer team for New York/New Jersey, a contributor to Marie Claire and Parents Magazine, as well as a mother of three. As a member of the Fieldston School Board for nine years and former Senior Advisor for Paid Leave US, Emily brings years of experience solving complex issues affecting women and families. Emily and her husband Kevin have three children enrolled at Ross Lower School.
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Nicole Ross Eloff graduated from Ross School in 2001 and was one of the School’s original two students. Nicole attended Duke University before transferring to Columbia University, gaining a BA in Psychology in 2005.
After beginning a Master's degree in Psychology at NYU, she became interested in international relief work when she accompanied Duke University's Neurosurgical and Orthopedic teams on a medical mission to Kampala, Uganda; she participated in numerous surgeries and apprenticed with doctors, nurses, and surgeons during her tenure with the team. This led her to volunteer in an Internally Displaced Peoples camp of 40,000 people in Port-au-Prince, Haiti after the earthquake of January 2010. She worked with medical professionals ranging from EMTs to MDs in a medical tent and around the greater areas of Port-au-Prince.
After continuously returning to Haiti over the course of five months, Nicole became Medical Operations Coordinator for an NGO called Global Disaster Immediate Response Team (headquartered in Port-au-Prince) and traveled to a refugee camp in the north of Sindh Province, Pakistan where she worked in the medical tent that was jointly run by International Medical Assistance Teams and Canadian Medical Assistance Teams. Members of Nicole's team also arranged for the import and assemblage of a high-volume water filtration system for the camp. Global D.I.R.T. teams were sent to Fukushima and Christchurch after the earthquakes in 2011.
Mrs. Ross Eloff received her B.S. in nursing in 2014 from NYU and is currently pursuing a career in the field of medical-surgical nursing. She plans on furthering her studies as a nurse practitioner and continuing her international relief work. -
Lee Feldman is the Managing Partner of Twin Lakes Capital, a private equity firm focused on control investments in branded consumer products and media which he co-founded in 2007. He is Chairman of the Board of Sergio Tacchini and a co-founder and member of the board of directors of Guide Beauty. From 2008 to 2020, he was the Chairman of the Board of Entain PLC, an FTSE 100 company that grew from 60 to 30,000 employees during his tenure. From 2008 through 2015, he was CEO of Aurora Brands—the owner of both MacKenzie-Childs and Jay Strongwater, the iconic American luxury home furnishings and personal accessories companies.
Prior to co-founding Twin Lakes, Lee was a partner at Softbank Capital Partners, where he focused on consumer and media investing. Lee is also a member of the Board of Trustees of the Jewish Center of the Hamptons. He attended Columbia University and received a B.A. from Columbia College and a JD from Columbia Law School. He currently has three children at Ross Lower School. -
Maryanne Paul is the General Counsel of Contingency Capital, a global asset management firm focused on credit-oriented legal assets. Prior to this, she was in-house counsel at a publicly listed investment company, where she advised on governance, asset management, and transactional matters, and an attorney at Sullivan & Cromwell, where she practiced mergers and acquisitions and alternative investment management.
Maryanne holds an LLM from Columbia Law School, where she was a James Kent Scholar and received the Walter Gellhorn Prize as valedictorian of her LL.M class. She also holds a BA/LLB, with First Class Honors, from Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia. Maryanne is admitted to the New York bar.
Maryanne lives in Water Mill with her husband, Louis, and currently has three children at Ross Lower School. -
A Northern Michigan native, Amalie graduated from Northwestern University and went on to become a Vice President at a top public relations firm in New York City, managing corporate communications for Fortune 500 companies. Her focus involved working with companies to manage their global philanthropic efforts. She is currently serving as the Board Secretary of CTREE, the Center for Therapeutic Riding of the East End, and served as the President of the Board of Directors for over 5 years. In addition, she has served on the board of Hamptons Community Outreach. She lives in Sag Harbor with her husband, two daughters who are in the Ross Upper School, her horse and their two dogs.
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John is a highly accomplished President with a proven ability to lead profitable growth within top consumer packaged goods companies. Most recently John has served as President, North America, for Revlon based in New York City. John is a goal-oriented problem solver with an exceptional record of simplifying processes, visualizing solutions, and developing strategies that deliver sustained results. He is a trusted decision-maker and advisor to public companies and private equity with expertise in successfully navigating mergers and acquisitions. Born in Canada and a graduate of the University of Western Ontario, John has lived in New York for 15 years and has two children at Ross Lower School.
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Christina is a graduate of St. Georges School in Newport, Rhode Island, and holds a Bachelor's Degree in both Art History and Communications from Wake Forest University. She is a Director of Di Donna Galleries on Madison Avenue, an art gallery specializing in Impressionist & Modern Art. She is the co-founder of Selavy by Di Donna, a salon headquartered in Southampton that celebrates the intersection of fine art and collectible design. Christina and her husband Emmanuel live in Southampton, New York, and have two children at Ross School.
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Rob is a Managing Partner of Lateral Capital, a New York-based Venture Capital fund that invests in education companies among other sectors in emerging markets. Rob started his career in capital markets at JP Morgan and Goldman Sachs. He holds a M.A. in finance from Cambridge University and a B.A. with dual majors in philosophy and economics from the University of Cape Town. Rob joined the Ross Board of Trustees in October 2015.
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Alexandra Fairweather is a 2008 graduate of Ross School. She received her B.A. from Columbia University, was the director of a leading art gallery, directed and produced films, and launched two startups. She is currently the director of the John Chamberlain Estate, overseeing exhibitions, special projects, and publications. She also leads strategy for an NYC private equity firm.
As a board member, Alexandra is committed to strengthening the Ross alumni community and working to achieve long-term financial security for the school. She has two children who both attend Ross Lower School. -
Christina attended UC Berkeley and USC. She and her husband Stephen Grant have been members of the Ross Community for nearly 20 years. Their daughters India and Sienna attended Ross for 15 years each, graduating in 2020 and 2024, each as valedictorians of their respective grades and the school’s first two bilingual graduates (Mandarin and English). India received the Steven J. Ross Humanitarian Award and Sienna received the Ross Board Award for Leadership. In 2024, India graduated summa cum laude from Tufts University, and Sienna was accepted by Yale University. Both daughters want their children to go to Ross one day! Christina’s passion for the education that Ross provided her children is a tremendous asset to the board.
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Shafqat is the President of Optimizely, a leading software company in the marketing technology industry, serving enterprise companies worldwide. At Optimizely, Shafqat oversees approximately 800 employees across Product, Engineering, and Marketing, and leads the company's AI business, Opal, which he runs as a standalone venture within the organization. Optimizely is backed by the leading private equity firm, Insight Partners.
Prior to his current role, Shafqat was an entrepreneur. He founded and was the CEO of Welcome, a content marketing platform that helped marketing teams plan, produce, and measure content at scale. Welcome was acquired by Optimizely in 2021, where Shafqat joined the executive leadership team and assumed the role of CMO and then President.
Before founding Welcome, Shafqat was a VP at Merrill Lynch in NYC and Geneva, Switzerland. Shafqat graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a dual degree in Computer Engineering and Economics. He was born in Thailand and grew up in India and Switzerland, where he went through the International Baccalaureate program. He has US, Swiss, and Bangladeshi passports, and now lives in Southampton with his wife, Pratikshya, and their two children, Zayn and Samara.
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Brett, a graduate of The Lawrenceville School and Hobart William Smith College, is the Chairman and CEO of Greater China Capital Limited. A frequent guest on CNBC and Bloomberg, Brett brings years of international investment and financial expertise to his new seat on the Ross School Board. Brett and his wife Nadine have two children at Ross.
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John Papp is a Managing Director at the investment management firm PDT Partners. He holds a BS in Mathematics and Quantitative Economics from Tufts University and a PhD in Economics from Princeton University, with a concentration in Financial Economics and International Development. As part of his doctoral work, John spent a year in India designing and running a survey studying the impacts of a large public works program. For the past 12 years, he has served on the board of R.I.C.E., a non-profit research organization focused on health and well-being in India.
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As President of Pace Gallery, Samanthe Rubell is responsible for steering the gallery’s mission and envisioning how to consistently enhance its support for artists. Since her appointment to the role of President in early 2023, Rubell has taken the lead on business strategy at an international level, with oversight of Pace’s seven gallery spaces across the US, Europe, and Asia. Beyond Pace’s permanent locations, she has fostered a collaborative model with a number of partner galleries across the globe. Rubell also works directly with high profile artists across the gallery’s program—with a particular focus on women artists—including Michal Rovner, Sonia Gomes, Jo Baer, Arlene Shechet, and Marina Perez Simão. She also leads the gallery’s relationships with Adam Pendleton, Matthew Day Jackson, William Monk, Julian Schnabel, and Robert Nava. Rubell has been with the gallery for over 15 years. Hired as a gallery assistant in 2008, she has worked her way through the ranks of the organization, cultivating her relationships with artists and collectors while honing her expertise in the art market. In 2024, Rubell is spearheading the gallery’s expansion to Tokyo and Berlin. Samanthe is a 2003 graduate of Ross School and she currently lives between New York City and Sag Harbor.
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Jay Schneiderman is a distinguished leader celebrated for his extensive public service, environmental conservation efforts, fiscal responsibility, and community advocacy. He holds an M.A. in Science Education from SUNY Cortland and a BA in Chemistry from Ithaca College.
He began his career managing his family’s resort in Montauk during summers and teaching science at local private schools, including Ross School, Hampton Day School, and the Waterfront School, before transitioning to public service.
Jay served four terms as Southampton Town Supervisor (2016–2023), six terms as Suffolk County Legislator for the 2nd District (2004–2015), and two terms as East Hampton Town Supervisor (2000–2003). He also chaired the East End Supervisors and Mayors Association and the East Hampton Town Zoning Board of Appeals. Over his twenty-four years in elected office, Jay is credited with lowering property taxes, improving employee morale, and receiving the highest municipal bond ratings for both East Hampton and Southampton Towns.
He is currently President of Deep Blue Property Management, President of the Breakers Motel Inc., and Co-Founder of local non-profit organizations Third House Nature Center, Hamptons Observatory, and Mecox Bay Conservancy. -
Ann Fristoe Stewart holds an MFA from Parsons School of Design in New York. In 1995 she founded an art fabrication business with her husband Bill, and continues serving top museums, galleries, and artists today. She has been Director and Curator of The Leiber Collection Museum and Sculpture Garden in East Hampton for over a decade.
Ann and her family have been members of the Ross Community for 18 years. Her two daughters, Caly and Fairleigh, each started Ross School in Pre-Nursery and are now a recent graduate of Cornell University and a senior at Ross Upper School, respectively.
Ann is dedicated to Ross School, its mission, and its community, and has been a part of the Ross School Parents Association for 18 years, with roles in PA leadership and on its Executive Board. She has been a member of the Ross Board of Trustees since 2020. -
Peter is a Senior Managing Director at Lubert Adler Funds, a real estate investment firm with offices in Philadelphia, Atlanta, and New York City. Before joining Lubert Adler in 2024, Peter was the Co-Founder and Managing Member of New York-based real estate investment firms Urban West Capital and ZT Realty.
Prior to founding ZT Realty, Peter was an analyst in Goldman Sachs’ Real Estate Investment Banking Group. He also sat on the Board of Directors of Idaho First Bank/Peak Bancorp, where he served on the Credit Policy, Audit, and Asset-Liability Committees. The bank was sold in 2023 to BAWAG P.S.K. in an off-market transaction, and Peter was an integral part of Idaho First’s special committee, assigned to act as an intermediary and work through pricing and execution negotiations with the buyer.
Peter grew up in New York City and graduated from Riverdale Country School. He attended Hamilton College where he graduated with a B.A. in Public Policy. Peter currently lives in East Hampton with his wife Monica, and their three children, all of whom attend Ross. -
Lauren is a graduate of Lehigh University, College of Business and Economics, and holds a BS in Finance with a Double Minor in Marketing and Women's Studies. She is currently the Principal of Thayers Outdoor Living, a full-service outdoor furniture, accessories, and design company based in Bridgehampton. Thayers is a fourth-generation family-owned business. Lauren resides in Sagaponack with her two daughters and husband, Dr. Elliot Weiss.
Over the years, she has volunteered a great deal of time with local organizations that are near and dear to her Sagaponack roots, including:
> Sagaponack School Board: President and Board Member (2016–2024)
> Sagaponack Village Zoning Board: Member (2015–2019)
> The Bridgehampton Club: Vice President, Juniors Program Director, and Social Chair (2016–2024)
Prior to moving out East, Lauren worked in Manhattan serving as the Vice President of Lisa Lori Communications, a full-service, award-winning marketing communications agency specializing in publicity, special events, branding, and integrated marketing programs. At LLC Lauren specialized in working with clients and brands in the arts, non-profit, fashion and lifestyle sectors including: Alzheimer's Association, G'day USA: Australia Week, LongHouse Reserve, NYC Opera, Princess Grace Foundation and Rodeo Drive Walk of Style, Watermill Center, Saks Fifth Avenue and School of the American Ballet. Lauren’s first job was in the Development and Special Events department at the American Museum of Natural History. -
Born and raised in Sag Harbor, Jeremy graduated from Ross School in 2008 and earned his BA from the University of San Diego in 2012, with a double major in Political Science and History.
Jeremy has worked in investment banking for the past eight years, currently serving as a credit officer in the Structured Products Group with Wells Fargo Securities in Charlotte, North Carolina. Jeremy has extensive experience in China, having worked with the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai in 2013, studied at Peking University and Fudan University during his college years, and volunteered as an English teacher in the summer of 2011.
Jeremy and his wife Katie have two young sons, Charlie and Everet. An avid surfer, Jeremy was a founding member of Ross School’s Surfing team and frequently reconnects with fellow Ross alums in the ocean.
In Memoriam
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Founder; Honorary Trustee
Courtney Sale Ross, education innovator and visionary, founder of Ross School, and award-winning filmmaker, died on June 1, 2026, in Malibu, California. She left this life in the early morning hours, peacefully with her daughter, Nicole, by her side. She leaves behind a legacy of pioneering spirit, generosity, and great accomplishment.
Courtney’s family arrived in Texas in the nineteenth century. Some arrived before statehood, most by wagon trains and overland stagecoach. Her father, Elbert B. (Chic) Sale, was from an early West Texas ranching family, still remembered today for award- winning Hereford cattle, which eventually replaced the wilder Texas longhorns and improved the bloodlines of earlier strains of cattle. The ranch remains under family ownership today. Courtney’s mother, Gloria Stephan Sale, was the third generation in a family of Coca-Cola bottlers. (Her grandfather Louis Stephan contracted with The Coca- Cola Company in Atlanta, Georgia in 1907.) Both of her lineages produced individuals of fortitude, imagination, and tenacity; qualities that expressed themselves in Courtney. Through her forebears, she inherited resilience, perseverance, and a love and reverence for beauty.
She spent a happy childhood in Bryan, Texas, where she was born on March 12, 1948, growing up with laughter shared among friends, horseback riding, Friday football games, and church on Sundays at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church. She graduated from The Holton Arms School in Bethesda, Maryland, and Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York.
Upon her return to Texas after graduating from Skidmore, Courtney entered the art scene in Dallas, opening an art gallery in the 1970s. Within a few years, her talents, art expertise, and interest in filmmaking took her to New York. Still involved in gallery exhibition, she established herself as a pioneering art curator. At the request of then-New York Governor Hugh Carey, a major proponent of public art and historic preservation, Courtney curated a celebrated exhibition of public works, breaking with the tradition of presenting art in chronological order.
In 1982, through mutual friends, Courtney met her beloved husband, Steven Jay Ross, Chief Executive and Chairman of Warner Communications, which later became Time Warner. Drawn together in part by a shared love of art and collecting, together they walked into a world in which Courtney was already fluent. In 1982, they married in a ceremony at the Plaza Hotel in New York City, and in June 1983, they welcomed their daughter, Nicole.
Following a keen interest already well-developed, she turned her attention to film, ultimately becoming an award-winning documentary filmmaker. She produced Listen Up: The Lives of Quincy Jones (1990), a feature-length portrait of the composer and producer. Earlier work included the art documentary Strokes of Genius (1984), which had its nascence in meeting many of the twentieth century’s legendary abstract expressionists. The film series explored the creative process, philosophy, and studio habits of working artists, including Willem de Kooning and Elaine de Kooning, Jackson Pollock, and Franz Kline, which later led her to education.
With Steve’s encouragement, Courtney pursued her love of art and film, and in turn, she introduced Steve to the art world. Together, they curated a renowned modern art collection. They traveled the world, became increasingly devoted supporters of the arts, and realized a shared vision for exemplary education, which was manifested by the creation of Ross School. Across their ten years of marriage, some of their happiest times were spent at Cody House in East Hampton, New York, with Nicole.
In 1991, Courtney and Steve founded a small day school for Nicole and a handful of her friends, inspired in part by Nicole herself and by the learning academies of the past. After Steve died in 1992, the year after the school opened, Courtney carried their shared vision forward for the next three decades. Visionary, trailblazer, and muse, she fused her own deep immersion in the arts with Steve’s command of communications technology to invent a holistic educational model: a global study of the past to illuminate the present and engage the future. Through her ideas and her tireless efforts to recruit the best available teaching faculty, what we now know as Ross School grew into a co-educational day and boarding school serving students from early childhood through grade 12, drawn from more than 20 countries, and became an internationally influential model for 21st-century learning. At the heart of her work was a conviction that education must prepare children for a future that will demand more of them than the past.
As founder and chair of the Ross Institute and its laboratory school, Courtney developed the Ross Learning System and, in 1995, pioneered the K–12 Ross School Global Spiral Curriculum, an experiment she described as “educating the whole child for the whole world.” Students studied the eras of cultural history chronologically, from grades 3 through 11, and thematically within each grade, learning the art, literature, cultural history, science, mathematics, and technology of each civilization in the interdisciplinary context in which it emerged. “It makes sense to learn this way!” became a common refrain among her students. Courtney personally designed the Grade 12 curriculum as a recapitulation of the Spiral, with a focus on art history and culminating in Senior Projects built around each student’s passions, while a yearly Faculty Summer Academy on topical issues secured the curriculum’s continual renewal. The book Educating the Whole Child, about her approach to education, drew praise from figures including Quincy Jones, Oprah Winfrey, and the Nobel laureate physicist Leon Lederman.
As the school grew, Courtney worked closely with its builders to ensure that the design itself supported the curriculum. With a nod to the theory of multiple intelligences and to her own artistic genius, she installed curriculum-specific art and artifacts throughout the campus, making them an essential part of Spiral learning. She often called the school an “incubator,” and the programs she originated in the 1990s were widely imitated and adapted. Embodying the school’s motto, “Know Thyself in Order to Serve,” the Ross Wellness program brought together contemplative practices, community-service projects, and Core Values reinforced through faculty advising and mentorship, annual international travel, and service to others.
As public recognition and praise for the Ross School arrived with its first graduating class in 2001, Courtney’s influence reached well beyond East Hampton. Global and local in both vision and action, she adapted the model internationally, establishing public schools in Stockholm, Sweden, and ventured into New York City public education, founding one of the only charter schools with an open-admissions lottery. The institute’s methods further informed museum education in Shanghai and programs connected to the United Nations. She served as a board member or adviser to institutions including the Asia Society, New York University, the Harvard Graduate School of Education, the Brain and Creativity Institute at the University of Southern California, and the United Nations Association of the United States. She was named Honorary Chair of a Pontifical Academy of Sciences workshop on children and sustainable development, and in 2016, she received the inaugural UCLA Global Citizen Award.
Courtney built a devoted community that trusted the school to fulfill its mission: “to change the way education meets the future, foster interdisciplinary thinking and innovative leadership, engage fully in the global community, and facilitate lifelong learning.” By exemplifying these precepts, its graduates continue to honor the gifts she so magnanimously bestowed.
In 2018, after 27 years leading the school, she stepped back from day-to-day involvement to become a trustee emeritus, marking the transition with a celebration she likened to her own “graduation.” She spent her final years surrounded by her three grandchildren, who followed her to Malibu, California, in 2020.
Courtney was preceded in death by her husband, Steve, and her parents, Chic and Gloria.
She is survived by her beloved daughter, Nicole, her three grandchildren, Kitt, Benji, and Sadie; her sisters Stephanie and Lynsey, and her nieces and nephews Alexis, Maine, Zachary, Cheney, and Siri.
She will be remembered as a woman of creativity and generosity, a pioneer and visionary. A celebration of Courtney’s life will be announced in the future. In lieu of flowers, her family requests that donations be made to Ross School, 18 Goodfriend Drive, East Hampton, NY 11937.
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Head of School Thomas Sturtevant joined Ross in August 2022, bringing nearly four decades of leadership experience at some of the finest independent schools in the nation. Combining strategic vision with a deep commitment to educational excellence and community-centered leadership, Tom is known for fostering forward-thinking learning environments and guiding schools through periods of growth, innovation, and global complexity.
At Ross, Tom brings this breadth of experience to advancing the School’s future-focused mission, strengthening academic rigor, supporting faculty excellence, and aligning strategic planning with Ross’s interdisciplinary Spiral Curriculum and global perspective. His leadership emphasizes thoughtful growth, institutional sustainability, and a student-centered culture that balances innovation with care, ensuring Ross continues to evolve while remaining grounded in its Core Values.
Tom’s educational leadership is rooted in his experience as an English teacher, coach, and dorm parent. Over the years, he also taught Environmental Philosophy and Math in addition to English. At St. Andrew’s School in Delaware, Tom served as Director of College Counseling as well as the Boys Varsity Lacrosse coach. In his 20+ years as a school head, Tom has served as Executive Director or Head of School of independent boarding schools, public charter schools, and international schools.
A cum laude graduate of Tufts University, where he captained the Varsity Lacrosse team, Tom earned his master’s degree at Stanford University. He and his wife, Dianna Raedle, founder and CEO of Deer Isle Group, share a love of reading, the arts, and the outdoors. They are proud parents of three adult children pursuing work in clean energy, healthcare, and law. -
Bryan began his career in education as a founding faculty member at the School at Columbia University in 2003. Bryan joined the Ross community in 2006 when he was a part of the curriculum writing team and founding faculty at Ross Global Academy Public Charter School (RGA) in New York City. Bryan served as the Lead Middle School Teacher and taught grades five through eight Cultural History and English.
In 2015, after six years of full-time doctoral studies and university research and teaching, Bryan returned to Ross School as the Assistant Head of Lower School and as an academic advisor for the Ross Learning System curriculum documentation project. In 2019, Bryan shifted his focus to the research and application of mental health awareness education for students and school communities, serving as the Senior Coordinator for Training and Education at the National Alliance on Mental Illness in Chicago.
Bryan earned his BA in liberal arts from St. John's College, his MA in Communication and Education from Teachers College, Columbia University, and his doctoral studies in the sociology of education at Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development at New York University. -
Ria Maxwell returned to Ross after an 11-year tenure at Miami Country Day School. In 2013, she moved to Miami to work as a Grade 4 teacher, where in 2014, she became the Dean of Faculty/Director of Human Resources followed by her appointment to Chief of Staff and Director of Strategic Initiatives in 2022.
Prior to this, Ria taught classes in grades 4–9, and high school English electives. After teaching at Hampton Day/ Morriss Center School, she went to The Winsor School in Boston where she taught English for grades 6 and 7. She was also asked to lead the Middle School Health team, where she wrote advisory and health curriculum for grades 5–8. She was co-chair of The Teaching and Learning Committee charged with designing in-house professional development, a new employee evaluation system, and restructuring the discipline policy for middle school. In 2008, she was selected to be a teaching fellow at Harvard University for two years. In 2009, Ria relocated back to East Hampton, where she taught Grade 5 at Ross School. In 2010, she moved to Grade 8, and she became the Middle School Coordinator in 2012. Ria returned to Ross in 2024 to teach Grade 7 and 8 English and now serves as Interim Head of Upper School. -
Heather joins the Admissions Office after several years leading the Ross College Counseling Office as well as with a great depth and breadth of experience as an educator.
Since joining Ross in 1999, Heather has taught all levels of high school mathematics, was a curriculum editor for the Ross Institute, and also held the position of Dean of Mathematics, served as a senior project mentor, and worked closely with many students as they transitioned to college.
Prior to Ross, Heather worked at Chase Manhattan Bank in Global Education as an AVP where she led the implementation of the first self-paced learning programs and was a curriculum writer and trainer. Heather earned her B.S. at SUNY-Albany in Mathematics, an M.A. from NYU Steinhardt School in Educational Communications and Technologies, and an Advanced Certificate in College Counseling from UCLA Extension. -
Jeff Dionne has worked as an educator for 25 years in Boston, Tokyo, Charleston, Honolulu, and now in East Hampton, NY, as Ross School’s Director of Residential Life. Prior to Ross, Jeff held Director positions in Global Studies, Admissions, Residential Programs, and Travel Programs at ‘Iolani, Ashley Hall, and Showa Women’s University. In the early 2000s, he greenfield-designed a free, online social networking alternative for schools called PikiFriends, used by over 120 schools from 29 countries.
Jeff is from Maine and loves spending time with family, backpacking, basketball, guitar, and Japanese language and culture. -
Uria Espinoza Leopold is a San Diego native who has brought her talents to East Hampton as Ross School’s Financial Controller. With over 20 years of experience in accounting and finance, she has held leadership roles at Morgan Stanley, American Collegiate Sports LLC, and the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego (MCASD). Uria brings a strong background in financial leadership, GAAP expertise, and managing day-to-day financial operations.
When she’s not immersed in numbers, Uria can be found on the tennis court, in the pool, or out on the water. She also enjoys spending quality time with friends, family, and her dog. (Fun fact: Uria ran the San Diego Rock ’n’ Roll Marathon with no prior running experience, and loved it so much she ran it again (though she decided two was the perfect number!). -
hr@ross.org
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Born and raised in East Hampton, Courtney has over 25 years of experience in business, education, and the nonprofit sector. Her expertise spans fundraising, strategy implementation, event management, relationship building, and creative marketing. Prior to joining Ross School in 2010, where she began her career in philanthropy, she held positions in marketing and finance in New York City for Titan Capital Group, Deutsche Bank Securities, and the United Nations.
Courtney rejoined Ross in 2024 following an eight-year tenure as Director of Development at Sylvester Manor on Shelter Island. There, she managed a substantial portfolio of major donors, successfully raising significant contributions that greatly enhanced the organization’s fundraising initiatives and cultivated enduring relationships within the community. Additionally, she co-led a $13M Capital Campaign, repeatedly exceeded annual revenue goals, created all fundraising printed and digital marketing materials for the organization, and was responsible for the production of the Annual Report each year. She was also responsible for the management of all fundraising events and related engagement initiatives.Courtney holds a BA in Communication from the State University of NY at Geneseo, an MA in School Counseling from C.W. Post, and a Certification in Fundraising Management from the Lilly School of Philanthropy at Indiana University.
Courtney and her husband, Marcus, have two children, Chase and Sydney. She has always loved the beach and is grateful to be raising her family in this incredibly special place. Courtney has a passion for volleyball and music, loves traveling and fitness, and thanks her lucky stars that her husband enjoys cooking because she does not.
SENIOR LEADERSHIP