Board of Trustees

List of 17 members.

• John Thomas 

  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.

• Mary Breymaier 

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  Mary is 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.

• Kelly Brooks 

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  Kelly is a retired healthcare professional who most recently worked as the Director of Client Care for a well‐established family business supporting vulnerable older adults desiring to maintain independent living.

  Kelly is a former Vice President of a local marketing / public relations firm specializing in not‐for‐profit hospice marketing nationwide and the former Executive Director of a local not‐for‐profit cancer wellness center, working directly with a Board of 25. Kelly has two children, Jake and Alex, who both attended WSM through eighth grade. Jake graduated from WSM in 2003 and currently works as a Stock trader/Analyst for a wealth management firm out of Dayton and lives with his wife and one-year-old daughter in the Cleveland area. Alex graduated from WSM in 2006 and is currently the Public Relations Manager for the Jacksonville Jaguars in Jacksonville, FL. 
  
  

  Kelly is a former President of the WSM PACC and she was an active volunteer for many years at WSM.

• Catherine Calder 

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  Catharine Calder is the founder and teaching principal (Head of School) at Meadow Montessori. Catharine has been active in the world of Montessori for many years, and she is very happy to serve on the Board of Trustees at West Side Montessori. Catharine joined the Board in 2014. 
  
  

  Catharine served on the Board of Directors of the Michigan Montessori Society (MMS) for more than twenty years. She has been a workshop presenter for AMS, MMS, and in her community. Additionally, she has been a teacher training at Seton Montessori Institute (Chicago), Houston Montessori Center (Texas), and the Michigan Montessori Teacher Education Center. Catharine holds a BA from Oakland University, MA University of Michigan, and an AMI 6 – 12 diploma from Bergamo, Italy. 
  
  

  Catharine continues to teach and administrate, knowing that teaching is the more important of the two tasks. She shares her love of all things Chinese with her students, along with her love of writing, gardening, knitting, art, music, and the outdoors. In turn, each and every day she looks forward to what her students will share and teach her.

• Omar Chaudhary 

  Director, SEC and Governance

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  Omar manages legal issues relating to Owens Corning’s Board of Directors and investors. His 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 third year on the Board and he is the parent of four children. Two currently attend West Side, Nadia and Sofia.

• Stephanie Cihon 

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  Stephanie is the Director of Community Relations at ProMedica. She has been with ProMedica since 2001 and has held numerous positions in communications and advocacy. In her current role, she has administrative responsibility for community relations, advocacy, and grants. She is specifically interested in furthering the public’s understanding of a mission‐based organization and its role in working with and on behalf of the communities served so that all residents have the opportunity to reach their full potential. 
  
  

  Stephanie has been married to her husband Mike for 25 years and their daughter Emily is attending BGSU. Emily is a proud West Side graduate and credits her success in high school and college to her early years at WSM.

• Mari Davies 

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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 

  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 

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  James is the Business Manager at Toledo Ballet.

• Julie James 

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

  Brittanie Kuhr 

  Executive Director of Institutional Advancement

  (419) 783-2411

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  Brittanie currently serves as the Executive Director of Institutional Advancement at Defiance College. She most recently served as the Vice President of Philanthropy at the Toledo Zoo and the President of the Toledo Zoo Foundation. After completing her bachelor’s degree at Adrian College, Brittanie earned a master’s at the University of Toledo. Ms. Kuhr is back in school one last time to earn a Ph.D from UT. 
  
  

  Brittanie is married to Allison (Steele) Kuhr, who moonlights as a mental health counselor at The Sophia Center on the campus of Lourdes University. Allison and Brittanie are proud WSM parents of Elizabeth and Emmett. The family enjoys spending time in northern Michigan, exploring our metroparks and libraries, and participating in 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.

• Deborah Lipson 

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  Debbie is the Family Preservation Director at Lucas County Juvenile Court. 
  
  

  Debbie is an attorney who has worked in the Lucas County Juvenile Court for the last 12 years in many different positions involving child welfare, custody, and delinquency issues. She is currently the Family Preservation Director and works to help stabilize families who have experienced Family Violence and Intimate Partner Violence. She grew up in Cleveland, graduated from the University of Wisconsin and Cleveland Marshall College of Law. 
  
  

  Her three daughters all attended West Side through 8th grade. Madeline graduated from WSM in 2009 and is currently living in NYC as a writer and asst. producer of a podcast, called Fiasco. Lilly graduated from WSM in 2011, is a legal assistant at a law firm, and applying to law/social work graduate programs. Sadie graduated from WSM in 2013 and will be a junior at American University this fall. 
  
  

  Debbie is excited to serve on the Board of Trustees because she is so grateful for the WSM education, community, and philosophy. She has seen the benefits of a West Side education not only academically, but also in the generation of kind, thoughtful, self-motivated, and gutsy alums.

• Seth Metzger 

  Senior V.P. of Electrification

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  Seth serves as vice president of engineering for Light Vehicle Driveline at Dana Incorporated. A native of Toledo, Seth is a graduate of St. Johns Jesuit High School, earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Toledo in 2003, and earned a master’s degree in business administration from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2019. He is currently

  on the board of directors at Imagination Station in Toledo, Ohio and TM4 Inc. in Boucherville, Canada. 
  
  

  Seth and his wife, Amanda, are parents of four WSM students: Samantha, Lauren, Abigail, and Elizabeth.

• Tony Perales 

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  Tony has over 24 years of professional experience in the construction industry. Tony has Associate degrees in Civil Engineering and Architectural Engineering from the University of Toledo. 
  
  

  This is Tony’s third year as a West Side trustee. Tony also has professional affiliations with the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and is a House Operations Board Member for Ronald McDonald House Charities of Northwest Ohio.

• Niraj Shah 

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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 

  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 

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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.