Board of Trustees

The Board meets on a monthly basis during the school year, and operates through a committee system. Each committee meets regularly to set annual goals, makes policy recommendations, and provides regular reports to the Board.

Board committees are groups of trustees and, in some cases, community members who focus on specific areas of Westerly’s mission and operations. These committees help guide decisions, provide expertise, and support the school’s growth. Additionally, all committees (except Finance and Trustee), may include non-trustee members.

Westerly’s Board has three types of committees :

• Executive Committee: Includes the Board Chair, Vice Chair, Treasurer, and Secretary.
• Standing Committees: Advancement, Buildings & Grounds, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Justice & Belonging (DEIJB), Finance, and Trustee Committees.
• Ad-Hoc Committees: Risk and Strategic Implementation Committees, created to meet temporary or specialized needs.

Each committee member is selected based on their expertise or commitment to the committee’s area of focus, as outlined in its charter. Contributing at the committee level is a great way to get involved and can serve as a pathway to future trustee service!

Years served: 2023 to present

Committees:

• Executive (Secretary)
• Finance
• Risk (Chair)

David Wright is currently a Software Account Manager for One Identity owned by Quest Software in Aliso Viejo.  One Identity is a market leader in Unified Identity Security specializing in Privileged Access Management, Active Directory Management, Multi-factor Authentication and Single Sign-On solutions.  David was previously Founder & CEO of an Entertainment Management company as well for about 12 years specializing in the career management of up-and-coming artists and established entertainment acts. He has had the opportunity to work with the likes of Teena Marie (singer), Doug E. Fresh (rapper), Mike Epps (comedian/actor), Robb Hunter (musician), Tommy Organ (guitarist for MJ’s This is it Tour/Janet Jackson), Crystal Starr Knighton (actress/singer—American Idol Top 20), Ms. Diddy (Brand Ambassador) & DJ Prophet (93.5FM) & Craig Thomas (actor/movie producer).

David was born in Dallas, TX and raised in the Dallas area until he relocated to Southern California in December 1999 with Insight, a Fortune 500 technology company. David is a huge sports fan but loves his Dallas Cowboys the most! David currently lives in Long Beach with his daughter, Madison (Class of 2026). David co-parents Madison along with her mother Ebony White and have all been members of the Westerly family since 2017 starting in Kindergarten.

Years Served: 2020 to present

Committee Participation:

• Advancement
• Buildings & Grounds (Vice Chair)
• Trustee (Chair)

Jackie Caplan Wiggins is an alumni parent of Westerly School of Long Beach (Franklin "Frankie" Wiggins, Class of 2005 and Rachel Wiggins, Class of 2008), a Long Beach resident; a former business-owner, Vice President, CAO, and COO, as well as a committed volunteer with board experience. As a breast cancer survivor and mentor for other women who have battled the disease, Jackie’s compassion for organizations that help others live their life to the fullest is ever present. When she looks at the opportunity to bring her professional and personal experiences to the Board of Trustees at Westerly, she can’t help but reflect on the community that she called home for 11 years and the whole-child philosophy that helped her children live their lives to the fullest. As an active volunteer parent during her time at Westerly, including as auction chair, as well as her late mother’s former Westerly Board of Trustee experience, Jackie knows what it means to give time, talent, and treasure to feed Westerly’s longevity. Having recently sold her business and wanting to give back at a high-level, Jackie knows she can contribute to further Westerly’s priorities around advancement, large-scale fundraising, building alumni donor relations and improving our buildings and grounds. 

Years Served: 2023 to present

Committee Participation:

• Executive (Vice Chair)
• Advancement
• Buildings & Grounds
• Finance
• Strategic Implementation (Chair)
• Trustee

Westerly Alum Student

Years Served: 2021 to present

Committee Participation:

• Finance
• Risk (Vice Chair)

Years Served: 2021 to present

Committee Participation:

• Executive (Treasurer)
• Buildings & Grounds
• Finance (Chair)
• Risk
• Strategic Implementation

Leigh Hunter is a board certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner specializing in Hematology at MemorialCare Miller Children’s and Women’s Hospital In Long Beach. She grew up in Long Beach, attending Minnie Gant Elementary, Hill Jr. High, and Wilson High School, followed by a Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing from USC and Master’s of Science in Nursing at UCLA.  

Leigh has worked in pediatrics throughout her career, spending much of that time with marginalized populations. She has always believed that children are best served by adults who treat them with respect and genuine interest in their well-being, which is what led to her family’s decision to choose Westerly for their daughters’ middle school education. Leigh is excited to lend her experience to the DEIJB and Risk committees.  She lives in Long Beach with her wife, Kasey, their two daughters (Ashleigh, ‘26; Skylar, ’28), and two dogs.

Years Served: 2025 to present

Committee Participation:

• DEIJB
• Risk

Michael is the founder and owner of Wyeth, a leading fashion hat label that he began in 2014. Wyeth is a local Long Beach business with offices and a warehouse in the Zaferia district.  He has supported many local organizations with hat donations including The Women's Shelter of Long Beach, Homeboy Industries and City of Hope. Michael was born and raised in Sierra Madre, California. He was a reserve firefighter for the City of Lynwood and Sierra Madre for 3 years in his early 20's until he developed a passion for travel which has never faded.  

He and his wife Hedda live in Bluff Park, Long Beach with their daughter Ida (Class of 2025) and have been members of the Westerly community since 2018.

Years Served: 2021 to present

Committee Participation:

• Buildings & Grounds
• Strategic Implementation
• Trustee

Years Served: 2025 to present

Committee Participation:

• Advancement (Vice Chair)
• Buildings & Grounds

Nola-rae Cronan has more than two decades of experience in independent schools, including her current role as head of school at an elementary school in Santa Monica. Nola-rae has served in a variety of capacities in education, including as a teacher, student advisor, dorm parent, coach, school counselor, dean, and division head. Her vast experience touches all aspects of school life, including curriculum development, technology integration, professional development for faculty and staff, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, student leadership, and student programming. The independent school world is part of her family life as well; her husband, Ara Brown, spent twenty years as an independent school educator and is now an educational search consultant, and her children, Kalah and Noah, both attended day and boarding schools. Her eldest, Kalah, is beginning her second year as a high school English teacher at an independent school in VA.

Years Served: 2024 to present

Committee Participation:

• DEIJB
• Finance

Years served: 2020-21, 2023 to present

Committee Participation:

• Finance (Vice Chair)

Tonya Porter is a Regulatory Affairs Consultant working in the medical device industry, where she helps companies navigate the FDA approval/clearance process for devices to be on the market in the US. Tonya served on the preschool board for Christ Lutheran Preschool in Long Beach as well as participated in a visionary team for a PCUSA church plant in Brambleton, Virginia.

Tonya has lived in various states (CA, VA, TX, and PA) and holds a BS in Engineering from Harvey Mudd College. She earned a MS in Biomedical Engineering from UCI.

Tonya lives in Long Beach with her husband Evan and two Westerly Wildcats, Amelia and Levi and has been part of the Westerly community since 2019. Tonya is excited about the future strategic plan and advancement activities.

Years served: 2024 to present

Committee Participation:

• Advancement (Chair)
• Buildings & Grounds
• Finance
• Strategic Implementation
• Trustee (Vice Chair)

Angana Pathak (Chair)
David Wright (Vice Chair)
Monique Agress
Jackie Caplan Wiggins
Michael Hagen
Karen Rosolowski
Adrian Mendoza (Admin)
Anthony Vo (Admin)

Nola-rae Cronan (Chair)
Anjam Bahl (non-trustee)
Leigh Hunter
Amber Dickens (Admin)
Shannon Matthews (Faculty)

Karen Rosolowski (Chair)
Roseline Agboke (Vice Chair)
Jackie Caplan Wiggins
Nola-rae Cronan
Joseph Porter IV
Tonya Porter
Christina Yee-Won
Anthony Vo (Admin)
Chris Wiebe (Admin)

Christina Won (Chair)
Joseph Porter (Vice Chair)
Mundi Attinasi (non-trustee)
Nola-rae Cronan
Leigh Hunter
Karen Rosolowski
Amber Dickens (Admin)
Jesse Mardian (Admin)
Molly O'Brien (Admin)
Chris Wiebe (Admin)

Jackie Caplan Wiggins (Chair)
Alex Jackson (Vice Chair
David Wright
Karen Rosolowski
Michael Hagen
Tonya Porter
Amber Dickens (Admin)
Rebecca Geary (Admin)
Nancy Cherin (Faculty)
Gina Ashworth (Faculty)

David Wright (Chair)
Tonya Porter (Vice Chair)
Jackie Caplan Wiggins
Michael Hagen
Alicia Mckie
Amber Dickens (Admin)
Tiffany Starr (Admin)