Board of Trustees

Few come to the Salem Academy Board of Trustees as well versed in charter schools as Chris Graham. He has been a charter school teacher and a school administrator. With an undergraduate degree in Political Science and a Master’s in Education & Curriculum Development, Chris will become a “triple eagle” when receives his MBA from Boston College this spring. He currently serves as Director of Finance and Operations for BC’s Lynch Leadership Academy, which provides teachers with the enhanced management and strategic skills that can help them improve their schools and fuel student success.

At one time Chris thought he’d be a lawyer but found the profession adversarial as opposed to the collaboration inherent in teaching. He knows firsthand that charters are learning labs, eager to innovate and able to adapt to change. He understands school communities, strategic issues, and various stakeholder concerns. Currently on the administrative side of education, he is eager to get back in touch at ground level with students, teachers, and families.

If there is such a thing as an education gene, Chris Graham has it. His great grandfather was a teacher in Kentucky, and his grandmother taught in a one-room schoolhouse in Indiana. His mother instilled in him a belief in education as the great equalizer. Chris received the Boston College Distinguished Student Teacher Award. He and his wife were both teaching 5^th grade math (in different schools) when they met. It’s too soon to tell about their son—he has to learn to walk before entering the classroom.

In the meantime, Salem Academy welcomes Chris to the Board of Trustees, where he serves on the Finance Committee.

Domina DiBiase’s knowledge and experience are especially valued by the Board because Domina believes boards working with kids need to have a social work perspective. She is a
licensed clinical social worker with an MSW from Quinnipiac University and is the director of Plummer Youth Promise’s independent living program. Domina is passionate about supporting low-income, LGBTQ and immigrant youth. Prior to Plummer she supervised both teens and social workers for Love146, a Connecticut based non-profit working with young survivors of sex trafficking. She has also worked in community health centers with particular focus on emergency preparedness.

Domina’s focus and commitment are not surprising, given that she built her own major combining psychology, sociology and anthropology to explore the relationship between health and socio-economic status. But as serious as her work background is, Domina has a real sense of adventure. She loves to travel and has lived in four states and three countries. After eloping in Las Vegas on a motorcycle trip, Domina and her husband are settling here on the North Shore, where she is enjoying camping, hiking, and living near the ocean.

One could say Salem Academy is a tradition for the Aroko family. Eddie and all three of his siblings are graduates of the school. In fact, it was here, through service learning, that he first began working with non-profit and community service organizations. The fact that he continued to do so in college and in the years since speaks volumes about the impact Salem Academy can have on young people’s lives.

Edward brings this understanding of non-profits and appreciation of the importance of building relationships to our Board of Trustees. He serves on the Development Committee, where he focuses on developing an alumni advisory program. That’s not too far off the mark from what he does professionally: working in HR at Plummer Youth Promise.

Like many people, in his spare time Eddie heads for the out of doors. But unlike just about everyone else, he can say he has his own clothing line. Arokstar.com offers streetwear designed to bring people together by bringing out their inner rock star.

As a school for which facilities are a special concern—all charters must provide their own facilities—Salem Academy welcomes Jeff Whitmore’s building knowledge and expertise. Not only is he the owner of Whitmore Brothers Construction Company, which specializes in custom residential and commercial projects, Jeff brings serious experience serving on the Board of The House of the Seven Gables, where both immediate construction projects and long-term sustainability of the campus are major concerns.

But Jeff Whitmore is not a one-trick pony. He welcomes learning experiences and serving in capacities unrelated to his construction background, as his membership on our Governance Committee indicates. A graduate of Boston University, Jeff doesn’t make commitments lightly. When he does so, he gives it his all. We welcome him as an active participant in our school community; we are fortunate to have his perspective and energy at work on our behalf. And we promise to make sure he has time for one of his other passions: sailing.

Kara McLaughlin comes to the Salem Academy Board with the unique perspective of having been born and raised in Salem, served as the CEO of two organizations, taught and tutored K-8 math, and been a Salem Academy parent. All of these experiences, plus a BA from Wellesley College, an MBA from Northeastern University, and a Master’s in Education from Lesley University, make her a superb addition to the Salem Academy Board.

Kara is well known locally as the former Executive Director of the House of the Seven Gables, whose mission embraces community involvement and educational opportunities for immigrants. It is less well known that she served as the President of The Survey Group, a human resources consulting firm, and that she taught and tutored math in both Salem and Danvers.

Education is clearly important to Kara. She is also passionate about educating people on the little known but devastating aspects of Pediatric Acute-Onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome (PANS) and Lyme Disease and led a parents’ support group for for seven years. This multi-faceted trustee has recently added Spartan races (demanding obstacle course races) to her list
of accomplishments, including discovering she has a previously unsuspected talent for spear throwing.

We are gratified to have a true development professional on board in Laurie Kennedy. In addition to 25+ years providing strategic fundraising, program development, and community engagement expertise to nonprofit organizations, Laurie brings the added benefit of extensive charter school experience. To top it off, she is already familiar with Salem Academy, having volunteered on the Development Committee for several years.

After graduating from Empire State College with a degree in Human Services Administration, Laurie worked for mission-driven organizations, including Special Olympics New York and KIPP Massachusetts. She is currently the Director of Development for Youth Guidance, which provides school-based programs that enable children to overcome obstacles to their success.

Laurie more or less grew up on ice, figure skating and many hours playing hockey in the backyard with her siblings. When her children were young, she ran a skating school with a friend. Skating has morphed into a major volunteer commitment, coaching with the Special Olympics for 20 years and now—one of her most rewarding experiences—as Director of the USAH National Development Camp for USA Hockey’s paralympic team each summer.

Laurie’s parents taught their 13 children to be appreciative of what they had, to give back accordingly, and to bring passion to everything they did. She does. Her career, her extensive volunteer involvement, and her own family of seven boys and 10 grandchildren speak to just how well she learned those lessons. She is passionate about ensuring that students and their families have access to the resources and opportunities that will enable them to thrive, and we are glad to have her passion on our Board of Trustees.

As a former Spanish teacher, principal, and educational psychologist, Rich Cowdell was about as prepared as you can be when he signed on as Salem Academy’s interim Lower School Principal for the 2022-23 school year. That background, now enriched by familiarity with our school and its culture, makes him a superb addition to the Board of Trustees.

Rich joined Salem Academy at a time of transition, just as we were resuming in-person schooling, dealing with post Covid issues, and simultaneously introducing new academic positions. This gave him a unique exposure to the many strategic and behind-the-scenes operational issues most people never see. It also gave him firsthand understanding of our culture and commitment to our students, an understanding that carries over to his role as a trustee in charting Salem Academy’s future and preparing our students to be successful adults.

Outside of school, Rich enjoys walking in the woods behind his home. Now that he’s retired, he and his wife, Irene, hope to go farther afield. Recent trips to Barcelona and Italy, plus a Caribbean cruise have whetted their appetite for travel. Travel represents a big change for Rich as, beyond school, much of his life been all about kids and the out of doors. He and Irene (a former principal) have raised two daughters (both teachers). Rich has been a basketball referee and a Little League umpire, and, for the past 32 years, he has been the director of Camp Rotary in Boxford. To his campers’ amazement, he umpired at the Little League World Series. Yes, he tells them, the one on TV.

Robert Rogers has been passionate about sustainability since childhood. He is that smart and fortunate person who has managed to channel his passion into his professional life. For much of his career, he has deployed his analytical talents as a data integrator and database architect on behalf of companies addressing climate change issues. He is currently a data architect at
Generate Capital.

As a member of our Board of Trustees, Robert has once again brought his skill set to bear on something he cares about: the Salem community and, more specifically, Salem Academy,
where both his sons are students. He serves just as the school celebrates its 20th anniversary, a time when clearsighted analysis of our future options—our own sustainability, as it were—is
essential.

With his strong environmental and technical orientation, Robert took a 180º career turn from his theatre-professional parents. But genes run true. He recently sang his way across the stage as King George from the musical “Hamilton” in the YMCA’s fundraising cabaret. We’re not surprised to learn of this hidden talent…and we’re delighted he doesn’t have a jot of the king’s
madness.

First Term 1/1/22 – 12/31/24 

The Salem Academy Board always welcomes members with a financial services and strategic planning background, which bank executive Toyuwa Newton certainly has. It is his history of community service, especially working with and mentoring young people, however, that is truly notable.

Toyuwa serves on the boards of Pathways, Inc. (formerly Operation Bootstrap) and Centerboard, whose mission is to empower families, young people, and communities for success. He is also a past president of the Swampscott Rotary. If joining our board and serving on our Finance Committee were natural moves for this parent of a Salem Academy student, staying involved is a testament to what he has found here. “Salem Academy staff are the most amazing people I’ve encountered in a school environment.”

With degrees in Management from Northeastern University and Executive Management from Babson, Toyuwa has served in capacities ranging from portfolio manager to business development manager for several financial institutions and is currently a mortgage loan officer with Movement Mortgage. Not surprisingly, he finds time to pursue his commitment to mentoring minority youth and engaging in service projects at food pantries and soup kitchens. Somehow, he also finds time for other passions, including poetry and photography and Jeopardy.