Swampscott Education Foundation Elects New Board Members

This article was submitted by the Swampscott Education Foundation.

The Swampscott Education Foundation (SEF) recently held its annual elections as well as welcomed several new board members. Former Vice President Joe Tribendis is now president and David Ritchie was elected secretary. Both have been with SEF for over 4 years.

SEF is excited to welcome five new members to the board: Ann Ayala-Macey, Kristin Davidson, Susan Sinrich, Ilene Vogel, and Melanie Winklosky.

Ann Ayala-Macey; Ann is a graduate of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy and the University of Rochester. She iscurrently the STEM Coordinator at Girls Inc. Prior to serving in this role, she served as a Corps member in Teach for America and worked as a VP in financial services. She is also a board member at EBECC and a Connector with Boston World Partnerships, along with being a mom of 2 rising Stanley school 1st graders.

Kristin Davidson; Kristin has a second grader at . She is relatively new to Swampscott and has been looking for the right opportunity to come along to become more involved with the community. When she received an email from her daughter’s school, regarding becoming a member of the SEF, she knew that she had found it. At her daughter’s previous school she was chair of the Fundraising Committee and I served as a liaison to the Board of Trustee’s Business Development Committee.

Susan Sinrich; Susan is a married mother of three, all of whom have gone through the Swampscott School system, with one still in High School. Her youngest is currently a freshman at Swampscott High and older two children are at Northeastern University. She has been a Realtor a Jack Conway Realtors in the area for the past three years. Previously she has owned her own business for 12 years and worked in Management in the Medical Field prior to that. She has a Bachelors degree from University of Massachusetts at Amherst and earned my MBA in 2009.  Susan believes that education is the backbone to a successful future which begins and ends at home with school being an integral factor in the equation.

Ilene Podgur Vogel; Ilene has been a swampscott resident since 2001 and along with her husband loves raising her children here. She will have two daughters in the high school this fall.  Ilene has an MBA from NYU and has been working the past 8 years in non profit real estate and finance.  She is currently the director of real estate at KIPP Academy Lynn, a public charter school in Lynn, and is finishing up three years as the Swampscott Middle School PTO treasurer.

Melanie Winklosky;  Melanie joins the Swampscott Education Foundation with more than 20 years of experience in public education.  She is currently the Vice President of Development & Operations at Mass Insight Education & Research Institute, a Boston-based non-profit that works to close achievement gaps in public schools.  Melanie joined Mass Insight in 2007 and is responsible for foundation and public development for the Mass Math + Science Initiative, raising more than $1 million each year to support Mass Insight’s programs.   Formerly the Chief of Staff for the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, Melanie spent thirteen years at DESE working on state policies and programs to support and improve public education.  Melanie and her husband, Brian, moved to Swampscott in 2006, and have two children at Clarke School—a kindergartener and a third grader.  Melanie currently serves as a Board member/Co-Director of Enrichment for the Clarke PTA and a member of the Swampscott Student Life and Grants Committee.  Melanie earned a M.A in Human Development from Boston College, and a B.A in psychology from St. Vincent College, PA.

There are several ways to participate directly in the SEF. The most significant opportunity is to become a full Board Member. These seats are filled through the SEF Nominating Committee and are approved by a vote of the Board. Board members are expected to significantly participate in SEF activities, including attending Board meetings, chairing or sitting on SEF committees, and assisting in other operational aspects of running the foundation. If the time commitment of Board membership doesn’t fit your busy schedule you can also participate by being a Friend of the SEF and volunteering your time and expertise in areas such as fund raising, public relations, community outreach, school liaisons, advertising, technology, and grant writing. Finally, everyone can help the SEF by participating in fund raising events and being a community advocate for the foundation.

If you are interested in any of these opportunities please contact the SEF at sef@swampscott.k12.ma.us