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WESTERLY BOARD OF TRUSTEES

 

Westerly School of Long Beach is a private 501(c)(3) non profit Independent school, and is governed by a Board of Trustees who are charged with the duty of ensuring that Westerly’s mission is relevant and being achieved to its fullest capacity both now and in the future. The Board is comprised of parents, alumni, and local community members working together, each with their unique skill sets and their hearts, devoting their time, talent and treasure, to help ensure Westerly is the extraordinary place we know it to be.

The Board executes on its fiduciary duties to make certain the School remains in a strong financial position, engages in long range and strategic planning for Westerly’s future, and delegates all of the School’s operations and the execution of Westerly’s mission to our singular employee, the Head of School. The purview of the Board, as is the case with other independent schools, is to hire, manage, and support the Head of School. The Head of School is responsible for all other employees and the School’s operation. As a result, Trustees do not get involved in day-to-day school affairs, disciplinary or personal issues, or admissions decisions. The Westerly Board follows the Principles of Good Practice published by the National Association of Independent Schools.

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. All committees with the exception of Finance and Trustee may also have non-Trustee members, and contributing at the committee level can serve as a pathway to becoming a trustee. Each member of a Board committee has knowledge in and/or has demonstrated a commitment to the committee’s area of focus as described in each committee’s charter.

Westerly School seeks Trustees who will actively support and promote the school’s mission, vision, strategic goals, and policy in the spirit of transparency, excellence, and inclusivity.  The Trustee Committee is also responsible for creating a board composition that reflects the strategic expertise, resources and perspectives needed to meet the mission and strategic objectives.

TRUSTEE NOMINATION

 

To nominate someone for a position on the Board of Trustees, please download the nomination form.

 

Email Alex Jackson, Chair of the Board of Trustees, with any questions.

 

EXECUTIVE AND STANDING COMMITTEES

 

Below is a list of Westerly's current Board officers and standing committees.

BOARD CHAIR

Alex Jackson

VICE CHAIR

Bryonna Fisco

TREASURER

Karen Rosolowski

SECRETARY

Jackie Caplan Wiggins

STANDING COMMITTEES

 

Advancement

  • Chair: Jackie Caplan Wiggins
  • Vice Chair: David Wright

Building & Grounds

  • Chair: Roosevelt Washington
  • Vice Chair: Open

DEIJB (Diversity, Equity, Inclusivity, Justice, Belonging)

  • Chair: Christine Scott
  • Vice Chair: Open

Finance

  • Chair: Karen Roslowski
  • Vice Chair: Roseline (Ros) Agboke

Trustee

  • Chair: Bryonna Fisco
  • Vice Chair: Open

Risk (ad-hoc)

  • Chair: Joseph Porter IV
  • Vice Chair: Christina Yee-Won

2024-2025 Board of Trustees

Alicia Mckie

Alicia Mckie has over 24 years of experience in the financial services industry and her life’s passion has always been to serve people.  A graduate of Long Beach Poly and born on United Nations Day, she has always seen the value of diversity and education. She attended Barnard College in New York City and majored in Pan African Studies.  Working with mostly immigrants during her years in NYC, she developed a unique worldview that has helped her to connect with people from all walks of life.  Alicia is a single mom with a 19-year-old son named Eli who attends San Francisco State University.  When her son realized that public school wasn’t supporting him emotionally, she took a huge financial risk and put him in a private school that had similar ideologies to Westerly. This school changed his life for the better and now she would like to help other children have a positive educational experience from an academic, social and emotional standpoint.  Alicia loves to travel the world and interact with great humans. She is honored to serve on the board with all of its dynamic members.

Years Served: 2023 to present

Committee Participation:

  • Trustee
Alex Jackson

Board Chair

Alex is a Westerly alumni of the class of 2003. After attending Woodrow Wilson High School in Long Beach and graduating from Sage Hill School in Newport Beach in 2007, she attended George Mason University in Fairfax, VA where she graduated in 2011 with a B.A. in Communications and minor in Business. Upon graduation, Alex moved back to Southern California and joined her family's business, Frieda's Branded Produce in Los Alamitos, making Frieda's a three-generation family-business success story. Alex started in Frieda's marketing department before moving into the sales department in 2014. In 2014 at the age of 24, Alex was the youngest produce professional to be accepted into the International Fresh Produce Association Leadership Program and that same year earned a certificate of Produce Executive Development from Cornell University's Food Industry Management Program. In 2017, Alex was named one of the "40 Under 40" by Produce Business Magazine for her success and leadership in the produce industry. Now, Alex serves as the Director of Sales of Frieda's.

Alex lives in Westchester, Los Angeles with her one-and-a-half-year-old son, Eli and dog Kiwi. She has served on the Board of Trustees for nine years and takes pride in giving back to the school, engaging alumni back into the Westerly community and is excited to continue making an impact.

Years served: 2012 to 2018; 2019 to present

Committee Participation:

  • All Board Committees: Executive, Finance, Trustee, Buildings & Grounds, Advancement, DEIJB, Risk (ad-hoc)
  • Financial Assistance Committee
  • Head of School Search Committee 2018
  • Vice Chair 2017-2018; 2022-2023
  • Trustee Committee Chair 2017-2018
Bryonna Fisco

Years Served: 2016 to 2022; 2023 to present

Committee Participation:

  • Trustee (Chair)
Christina Yee-Won

Years served: 2023 to present

Committees:

  • Advancement
  • DEIJB
  • Risk (ad-hoc) - Vice Chair
Christine Scott

Years served: 2023 to present

Committees:

  • DEIJB (Chair)
  • Buildings & Grounds
David Wright

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 (Vice Chair)
  • Buildings & Grounds
Jackie Caplan Wiggins

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 (Secretary)
  • Advancement Committee (Chair)
  • Finance
  • Trustee
Joseph Porter IV

Westerly Alum Student

Years Served: 2021 to present

Committee Participation:

  • Finance
  • Risk (ad-hoc) - Chair
Karen Rosolowski

Years Served: 2021 to present

Committee Participation:

  • Executive (Treasurer)
  • Finance (Chair)
  • Risk (ad-hoc)
Michael Hagen

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 Staines 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:

  • Trustee
  • Buildings & Grounds
     
Nola-rae Cronan

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:

  • Finance
  • DEIJB
  • Risk (ad-hoc)
Roosevelt Washington

Roosevelt is a Westerly Parent who grew up in the local area attending the local public schools.  A veteran in the Financial Services industry, currently performing Strategy and Product Management at a Fortune 50 company.  He grew up in the Long Beach area attending local public schools, and joined the Westerly family when his son began Kindergarten. When not working, much time is spent volunteering and coaching youth sports teams in the area.  Enjoys traveling, but also enjoying what Southern California (and Long Beach) has to offer.  
Roosevelt lives in Long Beach with his wife and son (class of 2025).

Years Served: 2018 to present

Committee Participation:

  • Buildings & Grounds (Chair)
  • Finance
  • Risk (ad-hoc)
Roseline Agboke

Years served: 2020-21, 2023 to present

Committee Participation:

  • Finance (Vice Chair)
  • Trustee
Shanelle Watson, Psy.D

Shanelle is an Educational Psychologist working as a District Educationally-Related Mental Health Specialist (ERMHS) at Paramount Unified School District in the City of Paramount. Shanelle is currently one of two ERMHS Specialists providing  intensive assessments and interventions for students with mental health needs in addition to assisting IEP teams in determining appropriate services, supports, and placement to address the mental health needs of eligible students and their families. She spent over ten years working at Children's Institute Inc. in the City of Watts as an Incredible Years Program Coordinator, then Youth Development Director, and ending her time as a Mental Health Specialist for the Head Start Program.

Shanelle was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. She has a Bachelor of Science in Liberal Studies with a special option in Child Development from California State University, Dominguez Hills in Carson, earned her Masters Degree in School Psychology and Doctorate in Educational Psychology from Alliant International University in Alhambra.

She and her daughter, Kourtney (Class of 2027) live in Bellflower and have been members of the Westerly community since 2021.

Years Served: 2022 to present

Committee Participation:

  • Advancement
  • DEIJB
     
Tonya Porter

Years served: 2024 to present

Committee Participation:

  • Advancement
  • Buildings & Grounds