Our Board
MKCCC’s Board of Directors is made up of dedicated volunteer community leaders, educators and professionals, and is responsible for providing oversight on matters of admission and tuition, budget and finance, fundraising, publicity, long range planning, personnel and scholarship assistance for families.
PRESIDENT
Keira Treanor
Community Advocate & Volunteer
What is your favorite children’s book or book as a child?
The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
What about MKCCC’s work inspires you to dedicate your time as a board member?
“There are so many things about the work done at MKCCC that inspires me, but if I had to name just one, it would be the dedication of our truly amazing team of teachers and staff. Our center has fostered a real sense of family and community and that is so inspiring to me. I see our teachers go above and beyond to ensure all our children get the best each and every day. Our team works tirelessly to make our center a better place for every child and every family at our center. I was most impressed and proud of this during covid when our teachers and staff never hesitated to step up and step in to ensure our families had food and care and sometimes just a mental health break. Our people did this in spite of the personal dangers during the pandemic and I am so grateful for this wonderful place.”
VICE PRESIDENT
Amy Epstein
Co-founder and COO, People + Practice
What is your favorite children’s book or book as a child?
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
What about MKCCC’s work inspires you to dedicate your time as a board member?
“The tireless dedication of the teachers and administrative team are what inspire me to give back to the center as a board member.”
TREASURER
Peter Schwarz
Owner, Last Mile, NYC
What is your favorite children’s book or book as a child?
The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss
What about MKCCC’s work inspires you to dedicate your time as a board member?
“Knowing we are providing a safe place for children to learn and grow while giving working parents the piece of mind to provide for their family.”
SECRETARY
Robin Jacobs
Community Advocate and Volunteer
What is your favorite children’s book or book as a child?
Knuffle Bunny by Mo Williams
What about MKCCC’s work inspires you to dedicate your time as a board member?
“MKCCC is a truly amazing place where all kids are recognized for how special they are and treated as equal, whether there on full scholarship or paying in full; the kids are none the wiser, allowing for mutual respect and friendships that might not be encouraged and/or thrive in a different environment. It is a fabulous foundation and lesson for those children as they move on to kindergarten and beyond. In addition, the fact that my 15 year old son, Simon, has been volunteering with the preschoolers for more than a year, and loves doing so, is definitely a significant driving force behind my desire to contribute to the center as a member of the board.”
DIRECTOR
Alain Biem
Head of Data Science, S&P Global Market Intelligence
What is your favorite children’s book or book as a child?
Comic Books
What about MKCCC’s work inspires you to dedicate your time as a board member?
“Making a difference in the community.”
DIRECTOR
Emily Chabrier
Executive Vice President, CBRE Midtown Manhattan
What is your favorite children’s book or book as a child?
The Pout-Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen
What about MKCCC’s work inspires you to dedicate your time as a board member?
I’m inspired by MKCCC’s commitment to providing quality childcare that parents can count on and the dedication of the staff and teachers to helping each child grow and thrive.
DIRECTOR
Kelly D’Amato
AVP & Branch Manager, PCSB Bank Mt. Kisco
What is your favorite children’s book or book as a child?
Are You My Mother? by P. D. Eastman
What about MKCCC’s work inspires you to dedicate your time as a board member?
“I am inspired by the center’s unwavering commitment to providing quality early childhood education and care to our community’s children. Witnessing the positive impact that the center has on the lives of families, especially those facing challenges, motivates me to dedicate my time and effort to support its mission. I am passionate about ensuring that every child has access to a nurturing and enriching environment where they can learn, grow and thrive.”
DIRECTOR
Dennis Gochuico
Westchester County, Manager of IT Shared Services
What is your favorite children’s book or book as a child?
My favorite book as a child was anything by Richard Scarry. My favorite children’s books now are Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak and The Lorax by Dr. Suess.
What about MKCCC’s work inspires you to dedicate your time as a board member?
“MKCCC is a family. The entire institution. When my son attended the Center, my wife was getting chemotherapy for Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and I was in graduate school. I didn’t ask for it, but the Finance Manager at the time gave us a small discount on tuition during her treatment. There were other parents and even a teacher or two who babysat for us for free during this time. This is why I dedicate my time to the Center as a board member.”
DIRECTOR
Whitney Hanson Ayala
Private Equity Investor, Kohlberg & Company
What is your favorite children’s book or book as a child?
Pout-Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen
What about MKCCC’s work inspires you to dedicate your time as a board member?
“I am passionate about supporting the MKCCC team who give so much of themselves to the children in our community – who are our future! As a parent of an MKCCC child myself, I am extremely grateful for all that the teachers and staff do for the children who are fortunate to spend their days at the center. I am proud to be a board member supporting the mission of providing equitable access for all children.”
DIRECTOR
Barbara Klein
Retired, Early Childhood Educator
DIRECTOR
Christie Noelle Krase
Educator and Early Childhood Advocate
What is your favorite children’s book or book as a child?
The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
What about MKCCC’s work inspires you to dedicate your time as a board member?
“My academic research and personal interest are focused on providing and increasing access to high-quality early childhood experiences for all children, so serving on the MKCCC Board allows me the honor of being part of an incredible program that does exactly that!”
DIRECTOR
Elizabeth Marwell
Art Collections Manager
What is your favorite children’s book or book as a child?
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
What about MKCCC’s work inspires you to dedicate your time as a board member?
“MKCCC’s mission to provide equitable childcare to all, and the staff’s dedication to supporting the families who attend the center. Affordable childcare is essential for communities to thrive and I am proud to be a part of the MKCCC family and to help it continue to fulfill its mission.”
DIRECTOR
Anne Papaelias
Retired, Human Resource Executive
What is your favorite children’s book or book as a child?
I loved reading Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown and the Monster at the End of This Book by Jon Stone to my kids when they were young and then my grandkids.
What about MKCCC’s work inspires you to dedicate your time as a board member?
“I am so inspired by the dedication of the staff and the teachers and the work they do every day at the Center. What a caring, knowledgeable, dedicated group of people who create such a loving learning environment for young children day in and day out!”
DIRECTOR
Michael Sanders
Chief Investment Officer, 5C Capital Management
What is your favorite children’s book or book as a child?
The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
What about MKCCC’s work inspires you to dedicate your time as a board member?
“What inspires me about MKCCC is the significant impact on children’s lives, early on, to set them up for success. I believe education is an essential building block for success and the work MKCCC does to educate Children and foster a safe environment for growth is an important ingredient for that future success.”
Advisory Group
MKCCC Advisory Board
Tom Coleman
Mary Farley
Dr. Bruce and Judy Golden
Robert Greene
David Griff
Nancy Hack
Marian Hamilton
Linda Heath
Jeanne Hinrichs
Dottie Jordan
Wendy Lipp
Gretchen Menzies
Wendy Lipp
Fran Osborne
Sharon Pollack
Clark Robson
Janet Schloat
Maryann Simpson
Beverley Streeter
Steven Wysmuller
William Zeltner