Insight: The Trustee Parent Identity

By Amy Pannoni, EPS Board Vice-President, 2024-25

“What is it like to be both a parent and an EPS Board Trustee?” With a Board primarily comprised of parents, alumni parents and alumni, this is a question that the EPS trustees hear on a regular basis, and it is an important one for us to answer.  As I approach the joyous milestone of 12th grade graduation for my oldest son, finish out my eighth year as an EPS parent and fifth year as a Trustee, it is a question upon which I have been reflecting more deeply.  One of the commitments we made as a Board this year was to communicate more frequently with the EPS community.  So with that, I will share three reflections that give more insight to the work we do for the school and how we balance that with our equally important role as parents.

Run Your Own Race

The longer the race, the more important it is to pace yourself. This requires self-knowledge gained from previous experiences. Even if the last race you ran was half the distance, you have to know how your body feels under exertion. Then you have to ration that exertion using self-discipline so you don’t expend all your energy in the first few miles. And as the miles stretch on you have to keep monitoring how you feel, making adjustments to pace, hydration, and food consumption.

First, we are a Board that focuses on strategic governance of the school, which includes fiduciary oversight, financial management, risk management, and Head of School support.  Our work is grounded in the mission, and we are responsible for ensuring the long-term health and viability of the school.  While we serve as both a governing body and a sounding board for the Head of School and his leadership team, we are not responsible for or involved in day-to-day operations.  We are not the best source for ideas on a math curriculum, new menu items in the LPC or EBC trip destination (as exciting as those ideas may be to us as parents!). (Board Chair Mehrane Mokdad provided a thorough overview of Board governance earlier this year if you missed it:  Insight: The Role of the EPS Board – Sailing Toward the Future | Eastside Preparatory School)

Second, as we engage in our strategic Board work, we do our best to role model the themes on which EPS leadership, faculty, staff and students are focusing with a OneEPS mindset.  For the 2024-25 school year, I hope you have noticed the thread of “Leading Compassionately,” with a particular emphasis on empathetic dialogue.  As we managed through conversations on the complex strategic challenges of campus development, permanent supportive housing and a tumultuous year of global elections, we kept constant the north star of engaging with the same productive discourse that we are asking of our students.  (If you missed Board Trustee Jason Barnwell’s deep dive into empathetic dialogue, I encourage you to read his thoughtful reflections:  Insight: Empathetic Dialogue in Governance | Eastside Preparatory School)

Third, I have two hats that I always carry with me, but I only wear one at a time—my Parent Hat and my Board Hat.  Whenever I walk through the entrance of TALI and look forward to the warm greeting from Mr. Hockert, I pause and remind myself about which hat I am wearing that day.  While being a parent has been one of my favorite roles in life, when I walk into the EPS Board room, I am only wearing my Board hat.  That means I am asking questions and making decisions for the entirety of the school, not just my family.  You have a Board of Trustees that takes that responsibility very seriously and role clarity is top of mind in every meeting.

As I walk into graduation this year, it is one time that I am grateful to experience both roles and hats.  I’ll process with the trustees wearing the traditional gown and sit with my family and celebrate my graduate as a mom.  Accepting the invitation to serve on the Board was one of the best decisions I have made, just behind accepting the offers of enrollment for Miles and Jack.  And I look forward to continuing to serve.  Thanks for listening and please keep the Board feedback coming!