Kevin Sloan
My name is Kevin Sloan and I live on Berkshire Road. My wife Susan and I have a daughter enjoying her second year in CASP (Emily, 7) and a younger daughter who will join the CASP community in 2021 (Hannah, 1). Between the two we expect to be involved in CASP for the next decade! I’ve been very impressed with CASP’s focus on academic and cultural enrichment and my daughter’s sheer enthusiasm for the program and staff. CASP does a remarkable job to support the needs of working families while making learning fun – a true gem that we would be lost without. I first became active in the Cabot community through the school rebuilding project – helping to fight opposition to the plan. From there I went on to serve on the 2016-17 Cabot PTO Executive Committee in search of additional ways to give back. I’m a scientist by training, and work in the biotech sector managing strategic alliances and early development programs. I have a broad background managing project teams and external partners to solve problems and get things done with thoughtfulness and efficiency. Beyond science and technology, my family has a deep involvement in the local arts and education community which has helped shape my core values. I also volunteer locally with Newton Girls Soccer. Key focus areas for me are: (1) student enrichment with an eye towards STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art/design and Math), and (2) support for working parents where time is tight. I would be honored to support CASP as a member of the Board of Directors and help ensure its continued success!
Caroline Mourits
It’s been two years since we first set our feet in Newtonville, moving in from Europe. My name is Caroline Mourits, together with my husband, we have two kids, Milo (3rd grade) and Tasha (Kindergarten). Since upcoming year they both will go to CASP, it’s a great time to being actively involved through joining the CASP board.
I work as a corporate trainer/ coach. Training professional skills and coach people when they get stuck in their personal development or dealing with change. Besides this you see me in the role as professor teaching Organizational Psychology for two universities in Boston.
I like to serve in the CASP board, especially in a year of many changes going into Carr-school. Not being in the neighborhood, it’s important to keep this great community alive and support the staff and parents where needed. In the board I see myself in the HR committee, since this is an area where I can add value using my work experience. I also value transparent communication between all members of CASP.
I am looking forward to a great year with lots of activities and celebration.
Gloria Lara
Gloria Lara is the parent of third and fifth grade boys who have been enrolled in CASP since Kindergarten. At CASP she has continuously volunteered as a host for the Mystery dinner, a chaperone for the ski program, and most recently at this year’s Cabot in Bloom event. She has served on the CASP board for 1 year and she hopes to continue helping the Board and bringing an intercultural perspective to CASP. Born in Colombia, Gloria has been living in Boston, since she came in 1987 to do her undergraduate studies in Communications at Boston College. She worked for Prudential Financial as a Financial Planner and Insurance Salesperson and later went on to complete an MBA and MA in International Relations at Boston University. Gloria currently manages her husband’s Immigration and Criminal Defense Law Firm in Boston, FitzGerald Law Company, where she is in charge of strategic planning, marketing, operations, HR and finance. Formerly, Gloria worked as Marketing Director at NewDeal Inc. and Espanol.com, and as an Internet and management consultant at AGENCY.COM, DIGITAS, Arthur D. Little, and Monitor Company. She is a founding member of NEACOL (The New England Association for Colombian Children) and is currently Co-chair of the Board, she is also an active member of the Association of Legal Administrators (ALA) and ALPFA (Association of Latin American Professionals For America).
Graham Sinclair
Graham Sinclair (MBA 2004) is a candidate for the CASP Board for 2017-2018. Graham is the Dad of Kellan, last of the K class in the old Cabot, and of Georgia Kay, first of the K class in the future building. My career spans over 2 decades experience in the global investment management industry, since 2006 running a sustainable investment advisory boutique, but being a Dad is a tougher gig. We all benefit from a strong CASP program supporting Lee and the CASP team. Cabot is a great community built over many years with a diversity of personal histories and a panoply of cultures. I’d like to play my part in helping make CASP run well, building on all the good work of staff, parents, and Board members who have stewarded CASP over many years. Kerry and I are big fans of CASP. We know the value of CASP and it’s friendly, patient and creative staff. I admire the unique teaching staff who can gently shepherd so many youngsters while still remaining sane and without losing their hearing. CASP staff who are brave enough to take them outdoors in winter, answer all manner of left field questions, and head off on buses on some grand adventure. These are special people. So I would like to add my effort and skills to work with fellow CASP Board members to help staff and parents ensure the program thrives, finding ways to grow the experience for kids and let hard working parents know their kids are well-cared for and flourishing after school.
Graham Sinclair
Linda Swain
To the CASP community;
I would like to continue to serve on the 2017-2018 CASP board because of the highly positive impact CASP has had on our children's lives and I would be honored to help influence its direction by participating on the board again. I have served on the board for six years and I’m eager to serve again next year. My youngest daughter Marina (entering grade 5) will be attending CASP next year and my eldest son Luca (entering grade 7) attended CASP all six years at Cabot so I feel deeply invested in the success of CASP. I am keenly aware that CASP has the unique opportunity to impact the social development and enjoyment of our children lives and as a board member I will work to ensure it continues to do so.
Several of the unique skills/qualifications/experiences I bring to the board include:
1. Six years of active participation on the CASP board including serving as president this past year. I have focused my efforts on teacher appreciation, fundraising and planning of the 40th anniversary celebration this fall. Having served on the board for six years enables me to provide a strong continuity from prior years reducing the amount of time the board needs to spend on annual tasks (such as planning the annual meeting) and would enable the group to focus more time on new initiatives.
2. Professionally, I am a Marketer and I would like the opportunity to continue to leverage my strong communication, social media and digital skills to the benefit of CASP.
3. I served on the board of directors of the day care/ pre-k program that both my children attended. This experience has been very valuable in serving on the CASP board. It involved influencing all aspects of the school including budgeting, fundraising, family satisfaction, scheduling, communication, tuition and marketing.
4. Finally, I am willing to invest the time necessary to be an active participant on the CASP board because I believe so deeply in its ability to positively impact our kids’ lives!
The CASP community has been an integral component of the Cabot experience for our family. When Cabot moves to Carr next year, the sense of community that CASP provides will become even more important – as the only time parents will be at the school is at CASP pickup. I look forward to continuing to help foster and strengthen this community by serving on the board again next year.
Thank you (in advance) for your continued support!
Linda Swain
Eugene Langner
My name is Eugene Langner, father of Josh (2-3), and I want to continue serving the CASP community, staff and, most importantly, students, by continuing to serve on the CASP Board. My fellow Board members and I have worked this past year on critical budgetary, staffing and programming matters, and complicated regulatory compliance requirements. I am eager to continue to address these issues in the dedicated and collaborative spirit that has characterized this year’s Board, and to preserve and advance CASP’s mission to nurture our children and enrich their Cabot School experience.
Jon Zalesky
My wife Kathy and I have lived in Newton in the Cabot district for over 10 years. Our daughter Aurora is now finishing 3rd grade at Cabot, and we have been avid full-time patrons of CASP since Aurora started Kindergarten, and CASP has always been a favorite part of her school day. I could tell from the start that CASP was a special place that not only provided afterschool care, but is also a community where the staff truly have a vested interest in the students. The staff continuously search for ways to provide opportunities for the students to be active and to explore their creative sides, in addition to what they get from the normal school day. I am proud to have served as Treasurer for my first year on the CASP Board (2016-17). I hope to be given the opportunity to continue serving on the CASP board to make an impact. I have over 13 years of Project and Program Management experience, including overseeing many projects involving teams across multiple countries to develop and deliver next-generation products into the market. I would continue to leverage my skills and experience to help CASP to keep doing more of what it does so well and looking for ways to make it even better.
Best regards,
Jon
David Belfort
My name is David Belfort and I would like to be considered for election to the CASP board. My wife, Mandy Brown Belfort, and I have three children: our eldest, Zach, is a CASP graduate and in 6th grade at Day; our daughter Nadia, is a Cabot 4th grader and current CASP enrollee; and our youngest, Sam, is a preschooler who will be starting at Cabot and CASP in the fall. Mandy and I feel extremely fortunate that our children have had the benefit of CASP’s stimulating, innovative programming and excellent, dedicated staff. The diversity of experience and social warmth that CASP offers our kids cannot be overvalued.
Last year, I was able to help CASP draft its policy for the self-release of older children to Cabot Park sports activities. Serving on the Board would be a chance for me to contribute more to a program that gives so much to our family and the community.
I am a lawyer at my own firm, Bennett & Belfort P.C., that concentrates in business and employment law. I have advised and represented many non-profit clients throughout the years. My previous volunteer experience in non-profit organizations has included serving as president of the Massachusetts Employment Law Association, agroup dedicated to worker rights, and I co-chaired the Massachusetts Bar Association’s Labor and Employment Section Council. I am currently on the Joint Bar Committee on Judicial Appointments, that reviews and reports on judicial appointments to the courts. I also provide pro bono services to low income residents through Health Law Advocates to help them pay for health care. Within the Newton community, I have coached my older kids’ soccer teams (Newton Youth and Newton Girls) for the past seven years.
I believe I can offer helpful insights into the needs and challenges of families who attend this wonderful program. As an attorney, I am familiar with many of the intricacies of non-profit governance. I am well suited to assist CASP with tasks involving human resources, finance, liability and insurance, and other general management issues. If elected, it would be a privilege to serve on CASP’s Board, and I thank you for your consideration.
Henning Richter
My name is Henning Richter. Our family has been part of the CASP community since 2009, first with Henri who is now in 7th grade at Day Middle School and, currently, with Oliva in third grade. During all this time, we have been grateful to know that our children could spend their afternoons at a nurturing safe place keeping a good equilibrium between a large variety of activities.
Having arrived in the greater Boston area from Europe in 1995, initially in order to continue scientific training at MIT, I have been involved over the last 15 years in the building of a nanotechnology company. In my spare time, I enjoy volunteering in sports activity of our children.
Currently serving for a first year on the CASP board, I have had the chance to gain a better understanding of the needs, challenges but also opportunities of CASP being embedded in our school and community. I hope to continue to apply my experience in dynamic growing organizations to CASP in a time of change, including the move to a temporary location and the building of a new school.
Matt Yospin
I’m a dad to two kids at Cabot and CASP – second grade and kindergarten. The program has been great for our family, and I’d like to be on the CASP Board to help keep it that way for all members of the community. As a patent attorney with my own law firm, I will bring my experience in assessing and managing challenges to Board service. I work with a wide range of businesses, and I’d be able to use my background in understanding business situations in helping to steer CASP. I’ve also run a computer consulting business overseas, taught English, and worked as a research scientist, and I’d be happy to use that experience to help guide STEM programming at CASP. I speak conversant Spanish, and passable German and French. I’ve been involved in community life and volunteering for a while, such as coaching our kids’ kindergarten soccer teams, and I’ve also led organizations, managed funds, and arranged events for community-building, speakers, and fundraisers, most recently in Newton and in the legal community, and previously in law school and in college. I enjoy spending time with my family, gardening, cooking, bicycling, reading, and playing sports.
Priya Garg, MD
Dear CASP Community,
I am excited to be considered for a Board position. I have two daughters in CASP, Leela in 4thgrade and Samiya in 1st grade. They have loved CASP from day one, and have made so many wonderful friendships, as we have. Since our first days at CASP it has been clear that Cabot has such a unique, creative, diverse educational after school experience. I am so appreciative with the opportunities that CASP has provided the girls over the years and for the wonderful teachers who watch over them. With one daughter entering her last year at CASP, it felt like the perfect time for me to say thank you and contribute more than a mystery dinner. I am a Pediatrician and Assistant Dean in the Medical School at Boston University and hope my experience with administration of educational programs and children will help in thinking about CASP as it transitions to a new space at Carr and the future of CASP. I also enjoy planning parties, like 40th celebrations!