Whitby School Board Of Trustee Adds 3 New Members

Information via Whitby School

GREENWICH, CT — Whitby School, a co-educational independent school that provides an educational continuum for children 18 months through Grade 8, announced this week three new members to its Board of Trustees.

Joining the board are Jon Downs (Millbrook School, N.Y.), Stephanie Pax Flanigan (Brooklyn Heights Montessori School, N.Y.), and Khalil Rahman (East West University, Bangladesh – founder and trustee), according to a news release.

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"On behalf of the board, I'm thrilled to welcome these new trustees," Deepa Javeri, Chair of the Whitby Board of Trustees, said in a release. "Each brings a wide range of experiences and perspectives deeply rooted in education, especially in the independent school sector."

About the new board members:

Jon Downs

Jon is currently the Associate Headmaster and Headmaster-Elect of School at Millbrook School in New York (class of '98). He has an extensive 16-year career in independent school education, working at Northfield Mount Hermon Summer Session, Newark Academy, and Providence Day School.

As Associate Headmaster at Millbrook, Jon works directly with admissions, communications, and development. In addition to his professional career, Jon served on the Board of Trustees of Dutchess Day School for six years and now serves as a trustee of the Millbrook Early Childhood Education Center.

Jon holds a B.A. from Middlebury College, an M.A. from Bread Loaf School of English, and an M.A. in education from Harvard. Jon's wife, Erin, is an assistant director of college counseling at Millbrook, and they have three children: Atticus, Aurora and Finley.

Stephanie Pax Flanigan

Stephanie is currently the head of school at Brooklyn Heights Montessori School (BHMS), an American Montessori Society and New York State Association of Independent Schools accredited school serving students ages two through the eighth grade.

Before joining BHMS in 2019, she held an eighteen-year tenure as head of school at the Montessori School of Denver. While in Colorado, Stephanie served as the president of the Association of Colorado Independent Schools for six years and as the chair of the accreditation committee for the five years prior.

Stephanie has worked as an education and governance consultant, advising boards and mentoring new heads of school. Prior to her career in education, Stephanie was a trial lawyer, working in private practice and for the Federal Trade Commission. Stephanie holds a B.A. from Mount Holyoke College and a J.D. from Case Western Reserve University School of Law. She and her husband John have three grown children, all of whom attended Montessori and independent schools.

Khalil Rahman

Khalil is a founder of the East West University, a leading private university in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and currently serves on its Board of Trustees. He retired from the United Nations in 2016 after having served the organization for 25 years in various senior positions, including head of economic affairs at the executive office of UN Secretary-General and head of several initiatives within the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

Khalil Rahman began his career as an executive at the American Express International Bank in 1978. The following year, he joined the foreign service of Bangladesh and rose to become a Director-General in the foreign office. He earned his M.A in law and diplomacy and Ph.D. in economics from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University in 1983. He also received an M.A. in economics from Dhaka University in 1978. He has two grandchildren at Whitby.