About

Board of Trustees

New Canaan Country School is incorporated as a parent and guardian owned corporation with all current school parents and guardians as voting members. A Board of Trustees and officers of the corporation are voted into various length terms by electronic vote each spring. The Board formulates the mission of the school and develops the strategic plan, policies, and resources to ensure that the school’s mission is fulfilled. 
 
The Board’s responsibilities include: 
  • Appoint and evaluate the Head of School
  • Evaluate the effectiveness of the school in fulfilling its mission 
  • Report to the school’s constituencies on major policy issues affecting the direction of the school 
  • Ensure that the financial condition of the school is sound 
  • Advocate for the school
 
The bylaws provide for a Board consisting of 15 to 27 trustees, nominated by the Board’s Committee for Trustees. In addition to current parents or guardians who serve as trustees, the Board also includes the Head of School, two Faculty Members, the President of the Alumni Council, and the President of the Parents' Association. The Board may also include past parents or guardians, or individuals from outside the Country School community.
 
The full Board meets regularly throughout the school year however, much of the work of the Board is done by its standing committees and ad hoc task forces formed by the Board President and Head of School to focus on particular areas of interest. Board committees and task forces also include administrators, faculty, staff, and in some cases, non-trustee parents or guardians. Brief descriptions of the Board’s standing committees follow:

Board Committees

List of 7 items.

  • + The Advancement Committee

    The Advancement Committee oversees the strategies for the school's fund-raising activities, with a particular focus on capital gifts. The Advancement Committee also approves the strategic direction for communications and the development of cultivation and stewardship policies to encourage all constituents to develop a lifelong affinity for, and connection to, NCCS.

    1. + The Audit and Risk Management Committee

      The Audit and Risk Management Committee is charged with recommending the school’s independent auditor for Board selection and overseeing the annual audit process and results, including the management letter and any necessary follow-up. The committee also ensures that other Board committees address risks relevant to those committees, such as environmental, safety, security, etc. The committee is also responsible for overseeing any potential conflicts of interest, insurance coverage, and any other issues as directed by the Board of Trustees.
       

    2. + The Committee for Trustees

      The Committee for Trustees is responsible for the governance of the Board, including nominating new trustees, reviewing and making any changes to the bylaws and committee structures, and evaluating the Board’s performance. The committee plans the corporation's Annual Meeting, the proxy vote and election of trustees, and organizes the annual Board Retreat which focuses on long-term strategic planning.

    3. + The Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee

      Working closely with the Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, the Leadership Team and Parents’ Association Leaders, the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee examines current NCCS policies, programs and practices to ensure that NCCS is following best practices, and the school's mission, in its aim to be an ever more diverse, equitable and inclusive community.

       

    4. + The Executive Committee

      The Executive Committee includes Board officers, trustees, and the Head of School. The Executive Committee’s duties include performing the Head's annual evaluation and recommending the Head’s annual compensation and benefits package to the Board.


    5. + The Finance Committee

      The Finance Committee is charged with overseeing the overall financial health of NCCS. The committee is responsible for recommending and monitoring the school’s operating budget as well as determining the appropriate financing of various capital needs, including funding improvements to and maintenance of the physical plant, real estate purchases, providing adequate faculty housing and growing the endowment.

    6. + The Horizons Student Enrichment Program Committee

      The Horizons Committee's primary responsibility is to keep the NCCS Board fully informed about the activities of Horizons at New Canaan Country School through periodic reports to the NCCS Board of Trustees, who hold fiduciary responsibility for Country School’s Horizons program. This Committee consists of three members (minimum) of the NCCS Board, including the Head of School.


    Board Members 2023-2024

    President: F. Tucker Golden ’90
    Vice President: Arman C. Gokgol-Kline
    Treasurer: Michael J. DiBiasio ‘90
    Secretary: Sharon Gibbons Teles ‘88
     
    Members-at-Large:
    Tara J. Coniglio
    Heidi Locke Simon
    John M. Ryan
     
    Aaron C. Cooper, Head of School
    Christopher M. Bogart
    Arlety Bowman
    Alex Figueroa
    Mauricia L. Gardiner
    Michael M. Godina
    Lauren W. Greig
    Sarah Young Kilcullen ‘98
    Jennifer L. Kline
    Matthew  LeBaron
    John V. Ricotta
    Douglas A. Ryder
    Elizabeth Schmitt
    Jawanda P. Staber
    Rebecca C. Thornton ‘92
    Darby E. Webber

    New Canaan Country School

    635 Frogtown Road, New Canaan, CT 06840
    Phone: (203) 972-0771
    New Canaan Country School admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin and are afforded all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, sex, sexual orientation, national origin or ancestry, or disability in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, financial aid policies or any other school-administered programs.