Board of Trustees

List of 16 members.

• 

  Mary Breymaier 

  Retired

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  Mary recently retired as the Adult Outreach Coordinator at Ida Rupp Public Library.
  
  

  After eight years in various public school districts, Mary took a break from teaching and spent three years as assistant to the Grants Manager at The Toledo Museum of Art. When the Middle School was established at West Side, Mary found her teaching home. She taught at the Middle School from its inception, retiring in 2010 after 18 years. Currently, she works part-time as the Adult Outreach Coordinator at the Ida Rupp Public Library in Port Clinton. 
  
  

  Mary holds Bachelor of Education and Master of Liberal Studies degrees from the University of Toledo, as well as a validation for Gifted Education from Bowling Green State University. She was a Certified Praxis III Assessor for Entry Year Teachers for the State of Ohio and awarded Honorable Mention from the BGSU Center for Archival Collections Local History Publication Awards in 2004 for her biography, GEORGE W. PEARSON, A MODEST HERO.
  
  

  Volunteering for Toledo Area Metroparks included leading walks, creating living history character interpretations, participating in rare species monitoring, and coordinating programming for The Friends of Pearson Metropark. For many years Mary also helped with the Migratory Bird Banding Project at the Black Swamp Bird Observatory.
• 

  Omar Chaudhary 

  Alliant Energy

  Acting Corporate Secretary & Compliance Officer

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  Omar’s legal career has included positions as in-house counsel at publicly-traded companies, as an attorney at the law firms Latham & Watkins and Butzel Long, and as a judicial clerk in the United States District Court.   
  
  Omar has a BA from Middlebury College in Economics and History, an MA from the University of Michigan International Institute and a JD from the University of Michigan Law School.
  
  

  This is Omar’s fifth year on the Board and he is the parent of four children. Omar and his family recently relocated to the Madison, Wisconsin area.
• 

  Tahani Dari 

  The University of Toledo

  Assistant Professor
• 

  Mari Davies 

  Toledo Symphony

  Director of Institutional Giving

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  Mari is the Director of Institutional Giving at Toledo Symphony.
  
  

  Mari has been described as having never met a stranger. She loves any type of work that allows her to meet new people and develop relationships. Prior to working with the Toledo Symphony, Mari was the Executive Director for the Toledo Ballet. 
  
  

  Mari has a BA in Literature and a B.Ed., Secondary, both from the University of Toledo. This is Mari’s third year as a West Side trustee. She enjoys Pilates, reading, dogs, riding, travel, and spending time with family and friends.
• 

  Sally Gladwell 

  The Mannik & Smith Group

  Senior V.P. / Principal

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  Sally is the Senior Vice President/Principal at The Mannik & Smith Group, Inc.
  
  

  The Mannik & Smith Group, Inc. is an engineering and environmental consulting firm with offices throughout Ohio, Michigan, and West Virginia. Sally serves on the firm’s Board of Directors and leads the Ohio Geoenvironmental Business Sector with a focus on brownfields revitalization, environmental due diligence, sustainability, and ecological restoration. Through her keen problem-solving skills and creativity, she has worked with diverse teams to develop projects that transform underutilized land. She is a successful grant writer, combining strong writing and organizational skills with a solid understanding of regulatory issues and requirements. Committed to community-wide revitalization, Sally has organized and hosted workshops to explore strategic opportunities for brownfield revitalization and ecological restoration in northwest Ohio. 
  
  

  Sally holds a B.S. in Biology and Peace Studies from Xavier University and an M.S. in Environmental Science and Management from Duquesne University. She and her late husband, Jason Thomas, have three children: Hank (18 and a graduate of WSM), Sam (15 and a graduate of WSM); and Eleanor (12 and in seventh level at WSM). All three of their children have attended WSM since each was 17 months old; and all three consider West Side Montessori to be an extension of their home. 
• 

  James Hartley 

  Toledo Ballet

  Business Manager

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  James is the Business Manager at Toledo Ballet.
• 

  Julie James 

  St. Francis de Sales School

  Director of Finance/Treasurer

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  Julie is the Director of Finance/Treasurer at St. Francis de Sales School.
• 

  Allyson Jansen 

  Freelance

  Content Creator & Strategist

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  Allyson is currently a freelance content strategist and creator. Prior to her freelance work, she was director of content marketing at Concentrek, a Toledo marketing agency, where she led her team in content strategy and execution for clients in a variety of industries. Allyson has a bachelor’s degree in professional writing from York College of Pennsylvania. 
  
  

  She and her husband Kevin are soon-to-be parents to twin girls. They enjoy spending time exploring all that Toledo has to offer and continually spoiling their two dogs. 
  
  

  This is Allyson’s first year with the Board. She attended WSM through the sixth grade and is excited for the opportunity to give back to the educational community that helped shape her success. 
• 

  Brittanie Kuhr 

  The University of Toledo Foundation

  Assistant Director of Development, College of Law

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  Brittanie currently works at the UToledo Foundation, where she fundraises for the College of Law. After completing her bachelor’s degree at Adrian College, Brittanie earned her M.Ed. in Higher Education at the University of Toledo. Ms. Kuhr is taking her final lap in school to earn a Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration from UToledo. Ms. Kuhr also earned her Executive Certificate in Nonprofit Management through Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government in 2020. 
  
  

  Brittanie is married to Allison (Steele) Kuhr, who owns Through Counseling Services, LLC, a mental health practice in Northwest Ohio. Allison and Brittanie are proud WSM parents of Elizabeth, Emmett, and Caroline. The family enjoys spending time in northern Michigan, exploring our metroparks and libraries, and participating in and supporting musical theatre productions at the Croswell in Adrian, Michigan. 
  
  

  Brittanie also serves on other various committees and boards, including Girls on the Run of Northwest Ohio, The Croswell Opera House, and Notre Dame Academy.
• 

  Shawanna La Voy 

  University of Toledo

  Assoc. Director TOLEDO EXCEL
• 

  Ben Launder 

  CNA Insurance

  Property Damage Consultant
• 

  Niraj Shah 

  Promedica Retina

  Vitreoretinal Surgeon

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  Dr. Shah is a Vitreoretinal Surgeon at Vision Associates. 
  
  

  A native of Sylvania, Niraj is a West Side Alum (1995) and one of the first students at the original Bancroft campus. He then went on to Maumee Valley Country Day School for high school. Niraj holds a BSE in Industrial and Operations Engineering from the University of Michigan and a MD from the University of Toledo College of Medicine. Niraj completed his ophthalmology residency at Eastern Virginia Medical School and fellowship in vitreoretinal surgery at Ohio State University. 
  
  

  This is his first year serving on the West Side Board and he is thrilled to see how West Side has grown. Niraj and his wife, Kavita, are parents of current West Side students Ariana and Keya. He loves collecting sneakers, cooking, traveling, and University of Michigan sports.
• 

  Nichole Simon 

  Hoover & Wells, Inc.

  Vice President Human Resources

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  Niki is the Vice President Human Resources of HooverWells, Inc. 
  
  

  Niki has been with HooverWells for over 20 years and is an accomplished HR executive with experience in developing and managing corporate human resource operations. She has a BS in Organizational Behavior from Miami University and a Human Resources MBA from The University of Toledo. 
  
  

  This is Niki’s third year on the Board. Over the years, she has been an active volunteer with West Side, St. Joe’s Sylvania, and youth hockey organizations. She and her husband, Chris, have two children. Their son Bob attended West Side when he was young and is now a sophomore at St. Francis. Their daughter, Katie, is a current eighth level West Side student. 
• 

  Dale Theis 

  The Andersons, Inc.

  Retired

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  Dale is a consultant to Industrial Milling & Manufacturing Companies.
  
  

  Dale retired from The Andersons after 38 years in various retail, industrial, and manufacturing management positions. He has a degree in Landscape Architect from Michigan State University with an MBA from the University of Toledo. 
  
  

  Dale has board experience with a variety of community organizations including the Better Business Bureau, Toledo Botanical Gardens, Toledo GROWS, and the Maumee Chamber of Commerce. He is also involved with St. John’s Jesuit, scouting, and youth service projects. 
  
  

  He and his wife, Maria, are parents of three sons and a daughter who have all attended West Side Montessori.
• 

  John Thomas 

  Physicians Realty Trust

  President & CEO

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  John (JT) is President & CEO of Physicians Realty Trust, a self-managed healthcare real estate company organized to acquire, selectively develop, own and manage healthcare properties that are leased to physicians, hospitals, and healthcare delivery systems. DOC invests in real estate that is integral to providing high-quality healthcare. 
  
  

  Prior to DOC, JT was an Executive Vice President-Medical Facilities Group for Healthcare REIT, Inc. (now known as Welltower Inc. (NYSE: WELL). He has also served as President, Chief Development Officer, and Business Counsel of Cirrus Health from August 2005 to December 2008, where he led efforts to acquire and manage four hospitals and an endoscopy center, as well as efforts to develop other outpatient care facilities. From October 2000 to July 2005, he served as Senior Vice President and General Counsel for Baylor Health Care System in Dallas, Texas. As General Counsel for Baylor Health Care System, he was responsible for legal and government affairs. From April 1997 to October 2000, he served as General Counsel and Secretary for Unity Health System, a five-hospital division of the Sisters of Mercy Health System in St. Louis, MO, where he oversaw legal affairs for the healthcare delivery system and its operating subsidiaries. Mr. Thomas began his career as a tax lawyer at Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCoy in New York, NY in 1990, and was elected a partner at Sonnenschein, Nath & Rosenthal (now Dentons) in April 1997. JT received his J.D. from Vanderbilt University Law School and his B.S. in Economics from Jacksonville State University, where he currently serves on the Board of Trustees for the Jacksonville State University Foundation. 
  
  

  JT and his wife, Kristie, are proud parents of Amelia, a WSM student for the past five years. JT has been a member of the WSM Advancement Committee for the past three years. During their free time, the family enjoys golf, travel, and cheering for the Auburn Tigers sports teams.
• 

  Jackie Vannuyen 

  ProMedica Flower Hospital

  OB/GYN

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  Jackie is a ProMedica OB/GYN practicing at ProMedica Flower Hospital since 2005.  She also serves as their OB/GYN Department Chairperson.

   

  Jackie earned her BS in biology and her medical degree at The University of Toledo.  She completed her OB/GYN residency at Maimonides Hospital in Brooklyn, New York and the George Washington University in Washington DC.

   

  Jackie is married to Jeff Stephens, who is also a ProMedica ophthalmologist.

  Their children, Aidan and Paige, are WSM alumnae since ages two and three.  They both attend the Savannah College of Art and Design, respectively studying animation and graphic design and illustration.  The mission and culture at WSM have been influential in their learning and personal development.   

   

  Jackie also has served on the Northwest Ohio Girls on the Run board since 2012 and served as past chairperson.  She coached WSM’s GOTR team for 9 seasons.  She is an advocate for women’s health and DEI, participating in educational services in these areas.

   

  Jackie also enjoys running, yoga, travel, taking time for herself & spending time with her family including their dogs Lucy & Piper.