Board of Trustees
The Shaker Schools Foundation Board consists of 20 trustees, including a member of the Board of Education and the Superintendent. Board members may serve as many as three three-year terms, and they are elected on a rotating basis. Collectively, they represent the legal, medical, business, education, and non-profit sectors. Several are Shaker graduates.

Stuart Abrams, a Shaker alum from the class of 1979, is a financial consultant for Linsco Private Ledger. Stuart graduated from American University in 1983 and earned his MBA from Case Western Reserve University in 1989. He and his wife, Heidi, a psychotherapist, are the parents of two daughters, Lucy, a 2010 graduate, and Lilly, a ninth grader. Stuart is also a board member of Roots of American Music. His serious hobby is playing guitar in the band “Porch.” Stuart has served on the board since June 2009.

Joan Ball is a second grade teacher in Kent City Schools and the mother of an eight-year-old son. She and her husband John live in the Lomond neighborhood. Joan is a graduate of the University of Dayton and earned her master’s degree at Kent State University. She is a member of the Lomond Association, Cleveland Links, and Delta Kappa Gamma. She has served on the board since May 2007.
William L. Clawson began serving on the Shaker Heights Board of Education in January 2012. He is a Business Leader for Progressive Insurance and has more than 20 years of professional experience in sourcing management, strategy consulting, and customer service. He earned his MBA from the Harvard Business School and a B.S. in economics from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business. Bill and his wife Jennifer are the parents of two Shaker students, and Bill has served as treasurer and VP of financial management for Shaker’s PTO Council.

Debbie Cowan is the Associate Executive Director of Bellefaire JCB. She is also Vice President for Leadership Development at Wingspan Care Group, the parent company for Bellefaire JCB and Applewood Centers, Inc. Debbie has served as Director of Development and Special Events at the Weatherhead School of Management at Case. Her current volunteer activities include the Donors Circle Committee and the Women’s Council of the Cleveland Museum of Art and her work as secretary and trustee of the Riverview School in East Sandwich, Massachusetts. Debbie is the parent of two Shaker graduates, Rachel (1986) and Benjamin (1988) and the grandmother of two Mercer students. She has served on the board since June 2007.

Sarajane Dolinsky has been involved with the Shaker Heights city and school community for over 20 years. A native New Yorker, she earned degrees in educational psychology from the City College of New York and Temple University. After teaching first grade in the New York City school system, Sarajane and her family relocated to Ohio. She became an active volunteer with various Shaker organizations and has served as President of the Shaker Heights League of Women Voters and several Shaker School PTOs. She has retired as the Librarian of the Park Synagogue.Sarajane and Sam are the parents of three Shaker graduates, Marisa (1990), Todd (1998), and Beth (2000).Sarajane is a proud grandmother of three, and soon to be four. She has served on the board since May 2007.

Mark Freeman has served as Superintendent of the Shaker Heights City School District since 1988. He joined the faculty in 1967 and has held senior administrative positions of increasing responsibility over the past 30 years. He holds a Ph.D. in education with emphasis in curriculum and instruction from Kent State University. Mark is a founding governing board member of the national Minority Student Achievement Network. He also is one of the charter members of the Shaker Schools Foundation and thus is a life member of the Foundation. Mark is the father of three Shaker graduates.
Ann Garson is a co-president of PTO Council and former PTO president of Boulevard School. She has worked on school levies and theNight for the Red & White. Ann received a BA from Hampshire College and her JD degree from Cleveland Marshall College of Law. She is currently the Grants Coordinator and Foundation Manager at the Jewish Federation of Cleveland. She and Scott, Shaker Class of 1981, are the parents of two Shaker Heights High School students. She has served on the board since May 2006 and was elected vice president in June 2011.

Steven Goldfarb lives in the Boulevard neighborhood with his wife Gail, who has been an active volunteer in Shaker’s schools. Their three daughters are Shaker graduates, one in 2007 and the other two in 2010. Steve earned a bachelor’s degree from Indiana University and a JD from The Ohio State University School of Law. He is a partner, member of the Board of Directors, and co-chair of the Litigation Department at Hahn Loeser. He joined the board in June 2010 and was elected secretary of the board in June 2011.
Derek Green is an executive vice president at PNC, and the chief credit officer for Northeast Ohio. He and Lynne live in the Malvern neighborhood with their two nine-year-olds, who are Onaway students. Derek is a 1981 graduate of Shaker and was inducted into the Alumni Association’s Hall of Fame in 2007. He earned his undergraduate degree at Indiana University and master’s degree at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. He also serves on the boards of the Museum of Contemporary Art, Shaker’s Fund for the Future, and the Diversity Center. He has been a member of our board since May 2008.
Richard Hubbard earned a bachelor of arts and a bachelor of science degree from Bowdoin College, and is retired from his position as Vice President of Watson Wyatt. With his wife Annie, who has volunteered in many capacities for the Foundation and the schools, Rick established the Shaker Fields Development Fund. Their son and daughter are Shaker graduates, and Rick and Annie live in the Mercer neighborhood. Rick is also helping with the Shaker boys’ soccer program. He joined the board in June 2010.
Robin Johnson graduated from Shaker in 1979. She is the Finance Director for The Singing Angels, where she is currently serving as a board member. Robin is a 1983 graduate of Ohio University with a BFA in art history.  She was treasurer for the Judy Rawson for Mayor campaign and is the SHHS class of 1979 reunion co-chair. Robin also has served as a co-chair forThe Night for the Red & White. She and her husband, Mark, live in the Boulevard area and have two children, Courtney (SHHS 2008) and Grant, a Shaker high school senior. She has served on the board since June 2009.
Kathy Jones is president of the board of Shaker Schools Foundation. She is a past president of The League of Women Voters of Shaker Heights and served on the board of The League of Women Voters of Ohio. She also has served as a past president of the SHHS Crew Parents Association.  Kathy earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee.  She and her husband, J. Stephen, are the parents of two children, Kate Guess (SHHS 2006) and Jared Jones.  She has served on the board since May 2007 and became president in June 2011.
Amy Kerr Thome is an elementary school educator who recently joined the staff at Woodbury School as a reading specialist. She has taught in Lakewood and tutored at Onaway School. Amy completed her bachelor’s degree in English literature at George Mason University and her master’s degree in elementary education at Ursuline College. With her husband Stephen, she is the parent of three daughters who are enrolled in the Shaker Schools. Amy is a member of the St. Dominic choir and an a cappella group,Nightingale. She is an active volunteer for several community groups. She joined the board in June 2011.
Matt Lehman returned with his family to Shaker in 2005, having graduated from Shaker Heights High School in 1987. He and his wife Julie live in the Fernway area and have two children: Sam and Carly, who attend Fernway Elementary School. Matt is the Director of Web Experience at Progressive Corporation. He also serves as a citizen member of the Finance Committee for the City of Shaker Heights and as a trustee for the Cleveland Hillel Foundation. His BA degree is from Colby College, and he earned an MBA at Cornell University. He has served on the board since May 2008.
John Murphy, Shaker Class of 1982, is the immediate past president of the board of trustees of the Shaker Schools Foundation. He earned his BA from the College of Wooster in Economics/Urban Studies and an MBA from John Carroll University. He recently served as president of the Shaker Band Boosters and treasurer of the Committee for the Shaker Schools, and he is active at Fairmount Presbyterian Church. He and his wife Nora are the parents of two, one a Shaker 2010 grad and the other a senior at the high school. They also share in entrepreneurial ventures. John has served on the board since May 2004.
Paul Sauerland is a member of the Shaker Class of 1979. Along with his wife, Teri Cone (a Boulevard faculty member), Paul has five children, four of whom graduated from, and one of whom is a senior at, Shaker Heights High School. He earned bachelors’ degrees in economics and electrical engineering at Tufts University, an MSEE degree from Cleveland State University, and an MBA from Case’s Weatherhead School. Paul is director of marketing for Andeen-Hagerling, Inc. He joined the board in June 2011.
Dr. Philip Shands is an ophthalmologist with Kaiser Permanente. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Williams College, an MBA from Case Western Reserve University, and an MD degree from the Ohio State University School of Medicine. Phil and his family live in Mercer. His wife Shuara is a Shaker graduate, as is their son (SHHS 2007). Their daughter is a member of the Class of 2012. Phil has served as a member of the board since June 2010.
Craig Stout, Shaker class of 1966, is the CEO of the Akron Racers, the professional women’s softball team, and a Vice President and Director of the Evergreen National Indemnity Company, a specialty commercial insurance company. He received his BA from Williams College and his JD from Ohio State. Craig’s mother taught social studies at Shaker Heights High School from 1968-1987, and his three children are Shaker graduates: Asher in 2002, Isaac in 2004, and Abby in 2006. He is the founder of the Arminius Foundation, which supports the Shaker Schools Foundation, the Entrepreneurial Preparatory School, and One Community. Craig has served as a member of the board since May of 2005 and has been treasurer since June 2007.
Robin Weaver is an attorney in the litigation department at Squire, Sanders & Dempsey L.L.P.  His wife Valerie teaches English at Shaker Middle School, and they live in the Mercer area. They have three grown daughters, all Shaker graduates. Robin earned his bachelor’s degree at Ohio State University and his law degree at the University of Michigan. He is a fellow of both the American College of Trial Lawyers and the International Society of Barristers. He has served as a member of the board since May 2008.
Fred Widen is a partner of Ulmer & Berne LLP. His law practice focuses on representing real estate developers, professional corporations, and health care providers in the areas of taxation, real estate, and employee benefits. He received his BBA degree from Cleveland State University and his JD from Cleveland Marshall College of Law. Fred and his wife Ellen live on Paxton, and all five of his children graduated from the Shaker Schools. He joined the board in June 2011.
Tom Wise is an attorney serving as Senior Vice President and Senior Counsel for KeyBank National Association.  He earned his bachelor’s degree at Dartmouth College and graduated from Columbia Law School.  Tom and his wife, Monika Biro, have two sons who attend Mercer School.  During the 2010-2011 year, Tom served on the Shaker Schools Foundation’s Advisory Committee, and he became a member of the board in June 2011.
Former Trustees
Advisory Committee
The Advisory Committee furthers the work of the Foundation. Current members include Shaker graduates.

Deborah Ratner, Chair
Tom Adler
Jamie Babbit
Maxine Isaacs
Peter Lawson Jones
Nancy Karr
Barb Miller
K.J. Montgomery
Zach Paris
Terry Pollack
Ronald Ratner
Susie Ratner
Isaac Schulz
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