Board of Trustees
The Valley School Board of Trustees
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Upholding the school's mission and purpose, and establishing strategic plans to ensure the school's effectiveness in achieving its mission
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Ensuring that the necessary financial, staffing, governance and community resources are available to the school
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Providing oversight to protect the assets of the school, maintain financial stability, mitigate risks and ensure ethical integrity
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Hiring, supporting and evaluating the Head of School
Scot Partlow, President
Now in his second term as a Trustee, Scot is beyond excited to be leading the Board of Trustees through this amazing time and all the possibilities that a new Strategic Plan, as well as the transition to a new Head of School, bring to our community. He is passionate about The Valley School, serving on the FUNdraising (auction) and Philanthropy committees, as an Admission Ambassador, and has been an active Trustee supporting the accreditation process and membership/governance activities. He is a co-owner and operator of a small baking company in Seattle and is grateful that this small business survived the global pandemic (despite not having a contingency for that in his business plan). He and his family (husband and rising 8th grader/Valley School alum son) enjoy gardening, gaming, eating, traveling, and spending time in the mountains.
Megan is the proud mom of two boys. Wyatt, who is currently in Fifth Grade, and Mason who is a Valley alum. She is a practicing attorney with her own firm, with a focus on estate planning. On the side, she helps her husband John with the Taco Bell restaurants they own and operate in Eastern Washington. They are proud that their company was recently awarded a good neighbor award at the state level for the community outreach program that they developed to support the local communities where their restaurants are located. From 2017-2020, Megan served on the leadership committee the Community Alliance of Parents (now called Families at Valley). She also serves on the Board of Directors of Junior Achievement and is a lecturer for the annual PEPS parent lecture series. Megan grew up locally, went to St. Mary’s School of California for undergrad, where she studied the classics and ran Division I cross-country, and then came back home for law school at Seattle University and has stayed ever since.
Megan is the Managing Director of Programs and Strategy at the Bezos Family Foundation where she oversees early childhood grant making and programs. As the Foundation's first hire in 2008, Megan has worked closely with its leadership to build a team and increase impact through funding and Foundation-led initiatives. Prior to her role at Bezos, she spent seven years at the Robin Hood Foundation, a poverty-fighting organization in New York City. She is also the mom of two curious and energetic Valley School boys.
MEMBERS
John and his spouse Rennie are proud parents of Drew, a current Valley student, and a fun loving, strong willed two-year-old, Jack. John is currently the CFO for Kaiser Permanente, Washington. Prior to this he was CFO at UnitedHealthcare overseeing the Pacific Northwest and California markets. John grew up in Marin County, attended undergrad at University of California, San Diego, where he met his soon to be wife Rennie. Both John and Rennie moved to Boston after college to pursue graduate degrees at Boston University. A career change for John after business school brought John and Rennie to Seattle where they began their family and now reside in the Madrona neighborhood. Despite the push from Drew to be a Seahawks fan, John remains a staunch 49ers fan, and enjoys spending free time walking the city and visiting all the new coffee shops around town and shopping at Pike Market.
Giselle has been a student, teacher, advisor, coach, administrator, and consultant in independent schools for over twenty years and currently serves as the Associate Head of School at Seattle Academy of Arts and Sciences (SAAS) in Seattle, Washington. With experience in both day and boarding schools at the middle and high school levels, she has held a variety of roles, but none treasured more than the time she spent as a teacher of Latin and Ancient Greek and as a basketball coach. Growing up as a first-generation American has shaped Giselle’s intellectual habits as a creative systems thinker and builder of partnerships. She has the experience of an educator who has participated in and led groups at the curricular and strategic levels of organizational change and is committed to modeling daily the inquiry practices of bias resistance, skills of cultural competence, and ethos of service. Giselle is most passionate about embedding the values of vigorous collaboration, expansive listening, and ongoing reflection as a means for growth in organizations big and small. She lives with her fellow educator husband, rollicking pre-schooler, and rescue pup Hector.
Feliza is a parent of two Valley students in first and fifth grades. She is a licensed clinical psychologist with years of experience in university counseling and recently opened her own private practice. She also works as a consultant on using technology to promote environmental stewardship in schools. As the former president of the Board of Directors for Central Branch Preschool, Feliza worked passionately to support families of color and families of all economic backgrounds. She loves learning and this fall will enter a global competition to name one of Earth's quasi-moons.
Todd is the father of one current Valley student and one Valley graduate. For the past 12 years, Todd worked at the Seneca Group as a real estate consultant and advisor for clients including Amazon and Mary’s Place. Todd is currently pivoting his career into mission-driven and non-profit work. Todd is the Treasurer of the Seattle Center Foundation Board and is passionate about supporting public spaces that foster community, arts and culture. Todd received his BA in International Relations and played soccer at Stanford University and received an MBA from the University of Arizona. Todd loves soccer and coaching and has enjoyed introducing soccer to his kids and many Valley students over the years.
Shannon O'Malley, born and raised in Seattle, is the parent of Cove, a current student at The Valley School. They hold a BA in Anthropology from the University of Washington and began their teaching career at University Child Development School in 2010. For the past ten years, Shannon has been a dedicated math and science teacher at Seattle Girls' School, a local independent school committed to anti-bias and social justice education, where they also lead LGBTQIA+ affinity groups, support snow programming, and support teacher education through their participation on 'Curriculum Council'. In addition to their work in education, Shannon has been deeply involved in the Seattle ultimate frisbee community for the past 20 years, working with DiscNW to run summer camps, leagues, clinics, and coach training programs. They are also the co-owner of Seven Hills Ultimate, a competitive youth club Ultimate Frisbee organization that competes nationally.
Kathi is lucky to parent two girls, and the youngest, Kestrel, is a Valley alumna. She is honored to care for many other children through her work as a pediatrician. After putting herself through college, Kathi started her career as an engineer working on medical devices. Over time, the desire to care directly for patients drove her to become a pediatrician. These days, when not caring for children, both her own and others, Kathi tries to keep active through (very slowly) running and rock climbing. Her favorite times are adventuring in the mountains with her family. Kathi is excited to support The Valley School’s incredible mission.
Melinda is mom to Stella, class of 2019, and Derek, class of 2021. Melinda has co-chaired the Valley FUNdraising (auction) committee for four years and currently sits on the Philanthropy Committee. Melinda is a principal and Director of Client Development at branding and marketing firm Doubleknot Creative. When she's not running events or new business meetings, Melinda spends her time reading, labeling bins and such in her house, and planning the next adventure with her husband Mike and the kiddos.