Lakeside School

Dear Lakeside community members,

I am pleased to share an update regarding the search for Lakeside’s next head of school and the process we will follow over the coming months to ensure the most successful search possible.

The search will be led by members of the head of school search committee. This group, led by me, is drawn from across our community and encompasses current and former trustees, current faculty and administrators, alums, parents of students and alums, and education experts.

• Melinda Lewison ’90 P’22 ’24, committee chair
• Reem Abu Rahmeh
• Noah Bopp ’92
• Ai-Li Chiong-Martinson ’06
• Avery Downing
• Mark Klebanoff ’80 P’16, ’13, ’10
• Michael Nachbar
• Latosha Smith P’27
• Brandon Vaughan ’06

More information on each of the committee members is below.

While the Board of Trustees hires the head of school, the search committee’s goal is to partner with the search firm in a thoughtful, thorough process to screen and evaluate candidates. We feel well prepared and confident that our search will lead to an inspiring and visionary new head of school for Lakeside.

Lakeside has retained Carney, Sandoe & Associates (CS&A), an executive search firm focused on education, to partner with us in the search. CS&A brings deep knowledge of independent schools from decades of experience guiding schools through their searches for exceptional heads of school, senior administrators, and faculty.

The search committee is eager to hear from community members. On Tuesday, March 17 (tomorrow), Lakeside community members will receive a link to a survey inviting their ideas and feedback on Lakeside and our next head of school.

We encourage you to share your perspective on the head of school search and Lakeside’s future through this survey. The survey will be open through Monday, March 23. Survey responses will help the search committee understand our community’s priorities and opportunities, as well as the hopes for the next head of school. Responses will be instrumental in helping the search committee and CS&A create the head of school position description.

In addition to the survey, search consultants Devereaux McClatchey, Karen Whitaker, and Darryl Ford will be visiting campus on March 25 and 26. During their visit, the consultants will meet with small groups of representatives from the faculty, staff, and administrators; students; parents and guardians; and trustees.

Our aim is for the search process to be as inclusive as possible, affording our community opportunities to provide input and to share aspirations for the school with our search team. To assist in this, we have created a head of school search webpage and a dedicated email address at info@lakesideschool.site for you to share thoughts, questions, and ideas with the search committee.

While we will endeavor to remain as transparent as we can, we recognize that we will also need to honor requests to work confidentially with some candidates for this important position. This will enable us to recruit and interview the most talented leaders, both domestically and internationally.

I am honored to lead the committee and grateful for your support. If you have any questions, please reach out to the committee at the email address shared above.

Sincerely,

Melinda Lewison ’90 P’22 ’24
Head of School Search Committee Chair

Search committee members

Melinda (Morbeck) Lewison ’90, P’22, P’24, trustee and search committee chair

Melinda Lewison leads investments for a large family office, where she has worked for 19 years. She previously built her career in the wireless and technology sectors, holding product management and finance roles at Microsoft, Nextel International, and Lehman Brothers. Lewison is currently in her first term on Lakeside School’s Board of Trustees. She holds an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and a bachelor’s degree in history from Princeton University. Lewison is a Lakeside alum and is the parent of two Lakeside graduates.

Reem Abu Rahmeh, assistant head of school/Middle School director

Reem Abu Rahmeh has served as Lakeside’s Middle School director for six years and as assistant head of school for the past two. In her leadership roles, she oversees the academic and student life programs of the Middle School while contributing to the broader strategic vision and operations of the school. Prior to joining Lakeside, Abu Rameh was a leading voice at King’s Academy, from that school’s founding. A member of the school’s leadership team for 11 of her 13 years there, she played a central role in shaping the student experience. In the final four years of her tenure, she founded and led King’s Academy’s Middle School division, building and overseeing a program serving students in grades 7 and 8. Before her work at King’s Academy, Abu Rameh served as head of the preparatory division and faculty member at The National Music Conservatory in Amman, Jordan, and taught at the Ahliyyah School for Girls, her alma mater. She holds bachelor’s degrees in mechanical engineering from the University of Jordan and in music from The National Music Conservatory/Yarmouk University, as well as a master’s degree in private school leadership from the Klingenstein Center for Independent School Leadership at Teachers College, Columbia University.

Noah Bopp ’92, head of school for The School for Ethics and Global Leadership

Noah Bopp is the founder and head of school of The School for Ethics and Global Leadership (SEGL), a selective, residential program for motivated high school juniors from across the United States. Lakeside students regularly attend this program. Bopp is a graduate of Lakeside School, Oberlin College, Duke University, and the Klingenstein Center for Independent School Leadership at Teachers College, Columbia University. Lakeside School awarded him its 2021 Distinguished Alum Award. Bopp is a trustee of the Mithil Prasad Foundation, Capitol Hill Day School, the Onero Institute, and the Elon University Center for Humanity in Business, and he is on the Advisory Council at the Andi Leadership Institute. Bopp has nearly 30 years of school leadership and teaching experience. Prior to SEGL, he worked at the Mountain School of Milton Academy, the Duke University TIP program, and St. George's School.

Ai‑Li Chiong‑Martinson '06, trustee and Lakeside/St. Nicholas Alum Board chair

Ai‑Li Chiong‑Martinson is an attorney at Arnold & Porter, where she practices in the firm’s Labor & Employment group. Before joining Arnold & Porter, she clerked for Justice Debra L. Stephens of the Washington State Supreme Court and Judge Thomas O. Rice of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington. Chiong‑Martinson is in her fourth year on the Lakeside/St. Nicholas Alum Board, on which she currently serves as the chair. She also serves on the board of the Mother Attorney Mentoring Association of Seattle. Chiong‑Martinson holds a J.D. from Seattle University School of Law, a M.Sc. in International Relations Theory from the London School of Economics and Political Science, and a B.A. in International Relations from the University of St. Andrews.

Avery Downing, faculty member

Avery Downing is a member of Lakeside’s Upper School English faculty, where he has taught core, elective, and interdisciplinary classes and served as a teaching team lead for English 10 and English 11. In addition to teaching, Downing has served as faculty advisor for the Jewish Student Union group for the last three years; he previously served as advisor for Lakeside’s Student Government. In his eight years at Lakeside, Downing has served on a range of committees and initiatives encompassing community and academic aspects of the school, including the admissions committee and hiring committees for Middle and Upper school faculty. He holds a master’s degree in secondary English education and a bachelor’s degree in Language, Writing, and Rhetoric from the University of Maryland, College Park.

Mark Klebanoff ’80 P’16, P’13, P’10, trustee and incoming board chair

Mark Klebanoff has had a 30-year career as chief financial officer and chief operations officer at a number of Seattle-area technology companies, including PayScale, Appature, and RealNetworks, shepherding them through all phases of growth. He currently serves on the boards of Lakeside School, Recovery Cafe, and Bellwether Housing. In addition to his board leadership, he is committed to meaningful direct service volunteer work. Mark is currently in his 14th year on Lakeside's board, on which he serves as treasurer and chair of the assets committee. He holds both an M.B.A. and B.A. from Yale University. Mark’s wife was a former history teacher at Lakeside for a dozen years.

Michael Nachbar, trustee

Michael Nachbar is the executive director of Global Online Academy (GOA), a network of independent schools across 30+ countries that expands academic offerings and professional learning through online education. He has led GOA's growth in membership, course catalog, and partnerships since taking the helm in 2011. Nachbar speaks at national and international conferences on the future of learning, technology in education, and how schools respond to change. He has served on the boards of the National Association of Independent Schools, where he chaired the Governance Committee; the Mastery Transcript Consortium; and Lakeside School, where he currently chairs the Schools Committee. Michael began his career as a Teach For America corps member in south Texas, then spent seven years at Village Community School in New York City as a teacher, curriculum coordinator, and director of technology, before joining Lakeside School as Middle School assistant director. He holds a B.A. in English and Psychology from Indiana University and an M.A. in Education Leadership from the Klingenstein Center at Columbia University's Teachers College.
 

Latosha Smith P’27, parent and former president of the Parents and Guardians Association

Latosha Smith has held senior business management roles across the technology sector, leading large-scale planning, forecasting, and rhythm-of-business operations, including workforce strategy, for organizations up to $1B in scope. Her experience includes portfolio management, financial governance, analytics, and executive communications. She has a strong track record of using data-driven insights and agile methodologies to improve business outcomes, operational efficiency, and employee experience. As Lakeside’s 2024-2025 Parents and Guardians Association President, Smith served on Lakeside’s Board of Trustees, and brought a focus on encouraging engagement by and connection of the broader Lakeside community through the PGA. Additionally, Smith has served as the PGA president-elect, communications vice president, affinity group coordinator, and in other roles. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Management Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, with a concentration in finance and a minor in anthropology.
 

Brandon Vaughn ’06, trustee

Brandon Vaughan is the global director of public relations at Slalom Consulting, where he manages the company’s storytelling strategy. He has extensive experience in communications, brand management, and marketing, having previously worked for tech and consumer companies, including Microsoft, T-Mobile, and OfferUp. Vaughan joined the Lakeside School Board of Trustees in 2018 and has chaired the development and communications committee for the past seven years. He previously served on the Lakeside/St. Nicholas Alum Board and also acted as board liaison for The Downtown School. In addition to Lakeside, he serves on the Board of Trustees for the Seattle Art Museum and Frye Art Museum and volunteers his time mentoring students, including recent Lakeside alums. He is also a Founding Member of the Black Trustee Alliance for Art Museums.