BOARD OF TRUSTEES
A Network of Guidance & Support
The Board of Trustees at Classical Charter Schools is committed to our mission of preparing scholars in the South Bronx to excel in college preparatory high schools. With the guidance of this supportive group of board members, we are able to fulfill the goals of our charter.
Jake Elghanayan, Chair
Mr. Elghanayan began his career practing law as an associate at Sullivan & Cromwell LLP. He received his B.A. from Brown University in 2006 and a joint M.A.-J.D. from Johns Hopkins University School for Advanced International Study and NYU School of Law in 2012. Mr. Elghanayan currently Jake Elghanayan is a principal of TF Cornerstone, a New York City-based real estate development firm.
James R. Maher, Jr., Vice Chair
Mr. Maher is a Principal at Harbor Road Holdings, a real estate investment firm. Prior to Harbor Road, James served as a Director in the Real Estate Equity team in New York City. Mr. Maher earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Brown University and an MS in Real Estate Finance from NYU. He also serves on the board of Family Dynamics, which provides community-based services including family counseling, after-school programs, and workforce preparedness courses in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brownsville, and East New York, Brooklyn. He is also a member of the Advisory Council for Prep for Prep.
Veena Malpani, Secretary
Ms. Malpani brings over 15 years of legal practice, and is currently the Regulatory Compliance Counsel & Compliance Officer in the New York office of Marshall Wace, an international asset management firm. Ms. Malpani graduated from American University, Washington College of Law and from Emory University.
Mariel Jenkins, Treasurer
Ms. Jenkins brings over 10 years of financial experience to Classical. She is currently the Executive Director of Securitized Products Lending at Morgan Stanley. Prior to that, she held positions at Blackrock and UBS. Ms. Jenkins is a graduate of Harvard University.
Kathryn Moore Heleniak, Trustee
Dr. Heleniak is an author and a professor of Art History at Fordham University. She was a residential fellow at the Ligurian Center for Arts and Humanities, a recipient of a Mellon Fellowship at the Yale Center for British Art, and was named an Outstanding Teacher in the Humanities at Fordham College.
Larry Hirsch, Trustee
Mr. Hirsch is a senior CPD representative with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Previously, he served as director of government and community relations for the Neighborhood Housing Services of New York City as well as in various other housing and development roles.
William F. Higgins, Trustee
Captain Higgins is founder and CEO of Higgins Group LLC, a real estate investment company. A U.S. Naval Academy graduate, Higgins served active duty and was Commander of Southern Command, a division of NY National Guard. He is also a former F.B.I. special agent.
C. Stephen Baldwin, Esq., Trustee
Mr. Baldwin, currently a writer, has served as a population and development educator with the United Nations, Population Council, and Ford Foundation, as well as counsel with the United Nations, Executive Director of the Learning Disabilities Association of NYC, third grade teacher in the South Bronx, and independent arbitrator/mediator.
Kevin Murphy, Trustee
Mr. Murphy retired from P.S. 96 in East Harlem where he taught Math across the elementary grades as a cluster teacher for a dozen years. Previously, he was an agent with Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company and a vice president at Morgan Guaranty Trust Company of New York.
Hon. Robert E Torres, Trustee
Judge Torres is a Justice on the New York Supreme Court and a former Administrative Judge of Bronx County. He previously served as a judge in Family Court, Bronx County and a judge of both Civil and Criminal Court in the City of New York. Mr. Torres graduated from the John Jay College of Criminal Justice and is a long-time Bronx resident.
Adrian H. Tonge, Trustee
Mr. Tonge is Executive Vice President and Head of Data and Analytics, North America at Chubb, with responsibilities for overseeing the development and delivery of new applications for analytics. Prior to joining Chubb, he served as Senior Analytics Executive & Managing Director, Applied Intelligence at Accenture. Before joining Accenture, Adrian was Global Head of Enterprise Data and Analytics at Mylan Pharmaceuticals. He holds an MBA in Strategy, Marketing and Organization & Management from Emory University.
Board Resources
For questions, contact our board chair Jake Elghanayan at BoardChair@southbronxclassical.org
