Welcome new Board Members for 2025/26
As the long days of summer wane, PLNY is pleased to welcome both new and returning members to our community. A terrific way to get involved beyond school advisory is to volunteer! Some parents help with our annual school fairs and other events, others choose to be appointed as their school representative to PLNY, and still others serve on our Board of Directors. To that end, we are pleased to share our new slate of directors for the 2025-26 school year. Board Directors offer the organization a range of expertise and interests, but all are interested in helping other families as they find their parenting way! Take a look at the new board member bios here:
Nicole Pappas Ferrin
Nicole is the Director of Barrow Street Nursery School in the West Village. Her interest in supporting the lives of women and children has led to a long-time involvement with Room to Grow, an organization that supports parents and babies for the first three years of their life and the New York Junior League, serving as Council Head and then Board Member, overseeing community programming. She serves as a Board Member and chair of the Marketing Committee for the Independent School Admissions Association of Greater New York. She has a Master of Science in Early Childhood Education and Museum Education from Bank Street College of Education and an undergraduate degree from Wake Forest University School of Business. Nicole is the mother of three daughters who attend independent schools in New York City.
Kelly Gruen
For the past ten years, Kelly has worked in various positions within New York independent schools, gaining a deep understanding of their unique needs and challenges. Her professional journey with independent schools began in 2015 as a Controller at Saint Luke’s School. After several years of serving as a Controller, she assumed the Director of Finance & Human Resources position at The Town School, overseeing all financial and HR operations. In 2023, she became the Director of Finance & Administration, overseeing the Business Office, HR, Facilities, and Security at Saint David’s School. Prior to her work in independent schools, she worked as a staff accountant, predominantly specializing in nonprofit and school audits for an accounting firm. Before completing her master’s, Kelly assisted various businesses with accounting services and financial reporting support. Kelly holds a B.A. from SUNY Stony Brook and a M.S. in Accounting from SUNY Old Westbury.
Lisa Khakee
For the past seven years, Lisa Khakee was the director of High School Placement and Exmissions at Bank Street School for Children. Prior to Bank Street, she wore several hats at Parents League, including School Advisory Coordinator, School Advisor, and as an editor for Let’s Play. She is a graduate of the University of Iowa and Bank Street Graduate School of Education. Her two daughters, 21 and 18, are graduates of New York City Independent Schools. She loves to cook, travel, and spend time with her husband, daughters, and two dogs.
Marissa Moskowitz
Marissa is passionate about expanding access through education. A lifelong New Yorker, Marissa attended independent schools from nursery through 12th grade and is now the parent of two daughters in independent schools, giving her firsthand perspective on navigating the landscape as both a graduate and a parent. Marissa holds a BS in Neuroscience from Duke University and an MBA from Harvard Business School. Marissa began her career in life sciences consulting before joining Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, where she led business development initiatives focused on strategic partnerships and long-term growth. In recent years, she has turned her focus to education, consulting with educational organizations including New York City independent schools on family engagement, enrollment strategy, and program development. She has also served on the Leadership Council of KIPP NYC for over 10 years.
Anatoli Olkhovets
Anatoli Olkhovets is a leader of a 150-member team responsible for managing Peer platforms and tools at Gartner, a global technology research and advisory firm. These platforms deliver insights and advice to technology buyers, leveraging user-generated reviews and peer discussions. Anatoli oversees the full spectrum of platform operations, including strategic planning, growth initiatives, user acquisition and engagement, budgeting, and day-to-day management. Prior to joining Gartner, Mr. Olkhovets held a range of product management and consulting positions at leading organizations, including IBM Watson and McKinsey & Company. Anatoli holds a Master’s and a Ph.D. in Physics from Cornell University. He lives in Rye, NY, and is a proud father of two boys.
Gabrielle Savoldelli (Ex officio Preschools)
Gabrielle Savoldelli is the Director of Temple Emanu-El Nursery School in New York. She has been a part of the school in various roles since 1990: as an assistant teacher, a head teacher, a parent, the assistant director, and finally, director. She is a graduate of Brown University and Teachers College Columbia, with a master’s in early childhood education. Her great loves in life are family, travel, the ballet, dance classes and a good book.
Mark Stone
Mark is a Senior Investment Officer on the business development team at Millennium Management. In this role, he connects with leading investment professionals to assess and allocate capital to their equity strategies. Prior to his work at Millenium, Mark worked at Barclays on the institutional equities desk where he was instrumental in managing the bank’s largest relationships. Mark graduated from the University of Michigan with a bachelor’s degree in economics and was a goalie on the lacrosse team. Mark lives in Manhattan with his wife and two preschool-aged children, and he’s passionate about how education creates opportunity for future generations.
Carla Teodoro Sylofski
Carla Teodoro Sylofski is a partner of Sidley Austin LLP, in the Investment Funds practice in the New York office. She frequently consults on Investment Company Act status questions for global holding companies, U.S. and non-U.S. banking entities, and other types of enterprises, particularly in connection with various types of securities offerings, bank financings, and regulatory restructurings. Carla’s practice includes representation of U.S. and foreign investment companies, and trustees; SEC registration, exemptions, and examinations for funds; board and governance matters; and corporate transactions involving asset management businesses. She also serves as independent counsel to independent trustees of U.S.-registered investment companies. Carla was born in Vancouver, Canada. She obtained her B.A. and J.D. from the University of British Columbia. Carla and her husband live in New York City (Chelsea) with their three children.
