Board of Trustees
As an independent school, St. John’s Parish Day School is governed by a Board of Trustees whose members serve the school on a voluntary basis.
Governance
The Board of Trustees is responsible for the following:
- assuring the relevance and fulfillment of the school’s mission;
- hiring, supporting, and evaluating the Headmaster;
- securing the financial sustainability of the school.
Visionaries. Board members see the school's current reality with clarity, deeply understand its mission and potential, and think toward the future. They see the school as a whole (even as their vision is informed by their particular experience of the school) and understand it in a larger context. In a way, Board members are more focused on how the school could serve their grandchildren than on how it serves their own children today.
Active Planners. Board members create a strategic orientation or plan and use it as a living document to keep them focused on goals (and not personalities, passing crises, or minutiae).
Collaborators. Board members work extensively with one another, with committee members from across the school community, and especially with the Head of School, whom they hire, evaluate, and support. Authority is vested in the Board as a whole, and each Trustee must support the decisions of the Board and respect confidentiality.
Committees
Executive Committee – Consists of Board's officers, the church Rector, and the Head of School. Reviews all matters which it determines to be of strategic importance to the school that will come before the full Board. The Executive Committee also evaluates the Head of School.
Committee on Trustees – Determines and evaluates the composition of the Board and its leadership, takes responsibility for policy and by-laws, and leads the on-going effort to support the growth and development of the Board and its individual members.
Finance Committee– Develops and monitors the long-range financial plan and annual budget of the school and oversees the endowment, audit, and financial policies of the school.
Development Committee – Oversees all advancement activities of the school including fundraising, marketing, communications, and enrollment management.
Buildings & Grounds Committee – Oversees all aspects of the campus grounds and physical plant, including monitoring the cleaning service as a joint schoo/church committee.
The Board of Trustees pursues best practices and often refers to standards set by NAIS, the National Association of Independent Schools, which publishes these Principles of Good Practice for a school's Board of Trustees.
Meet the Board of Trustees
Ms. Lori Dembo became Head of School on July 1, 2019. Lori’s experience in numerous areas of independent education (Grade 2 and Kindergarten Teacher, Curriculum Coordinator Kindergarten-Grade Eight, International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme Coordinator Grades 6-8, Diversity Coordinator, Academic Dean Kindergarten-Grade 8, and Lower School Head PreK 4 through Grade 5), as well as former Commissioner for the Association of Independent Maryland Schools (AIMS), has prepared her well to serve as our Head of School.
Through diligent hard work, a collaborative approach, positive energy, and faithful enthusiasm, Lori enjoys exploring research-based initiatives, planning thoughtfully for their implementation to grow mission-related educational offerings. This intentional, community approach brings individuals together as a united team to benefit our children.
As an experienced early childhood and elementary educator, she is committed to educating the whole child with joy, grace, integrity, and respect for all. Witnessing children embracing their learning and becoming responsible members of society is both a precious gift and a call for Lori.
Lori holds a Masters of Education in Teaching and Curriculum from The Pennsylvania State University. “Intelligence plus character – that is the true goal of education.” Dr. Martin Luther King
Board of Trustees, Past Chair
"Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom"--Aristotle
Sally Goss has been a parishioner at St. John’s Episcopal Church for 25 years. She has served twice on the Vestry and this is her third term on the Parish Day School board. She was an educator for 36 years and was retired from the Howard County Public School system in 2015. Currently, she is an educational consultant in elementary mathematics for a local firm, a national company, and local independent schools.
She established the George M. Kingsley Scholarship in 2002 for the St John’s Parish Day School in honor of her late husband.
Sharon Runge
Board of Trustees, Secretary
Dr. Sharon Runge is Executive of Kenya Connect, a non-profit working to strengthen education in rural Kenya. Sharon holds a Ph.D. from NYU and an MA from Boston College in Higher Education Administration and a BS from the University of New Hampshire. Early in her career, Sharon worked in a variety of positions in Higher Education Administration at Johns Hopkins University, Spalding University, and Ithaca College. She served as the first Director of Development at St. John’s Parish Day School.
Sharon and her husband, Michael’s, children both attended and graduated from SJPDS. They credit their children’s academic success, curiosity and quest for knowledge to St. John’s. Both children are in University (Emma a senior at Cornell) and Roan (BA Oxford, MA Glasgow University and starting their Ph.D. at Cambridge, Gates Scholar, in January).
In addition to serving on St. John’s Board, Sharon is a member of the Episcopal Service Corp Maryland Board, a member of the Catonsville Women’s Giving Circle and a member of the Outreach commission at St. John’s. In her spare time, Sharon likes to travel, hike, run and read.
