Board of Trustees
Roles of the Board of Trustees at Rio Grande School
Like most independent schools, a Board of Trustees governs Rio Grande School. Per Best Practices of Independent School governance, the board serves the following roles:
Serves as the guardian of the school’s mission and it formulates and supports policies that perpetuate the mission;
Sets policy, focusing on broad policy issues rather than operational details;
Leads fundraising efforts through personal giving, solicitation of others and oversight of the development plan;
Oversees the finances of the school by setting appropriate tuition, approving the budget and monitoring spending;
Hires and guides the Head of School;
Plans strategically for the future through a formal planning process, with yearly goal-setting;
Evaluates the school's performance, the Head of School by defining measurable performance indicators and annually reviewing success in achieving mutually defined goals.
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Teddy Huyck - Chair
Teddy Huyck is an architect who works on cultural and educational projects in New Mexico and has worked on projects from the Bay Area to Boston. He has one child in the 3rd grade and another child who graduated last year from Rio Grande. Volunteering on the board has offered an opportunity to share his expertise with the community and help strategize for the future of the campus. He loves being outdoors gardening, hiking, and mountain biking. He studied anthropology and art at Stanford (AB ‘00) and did his architecture masters at the Harvard Graduate School of Design (March ‘09). Teddy has been a board member since 2023 and now serves as Vice Chair and Chair of the Buildings and Grounds committee.
Melanie Maxon - Vice Chair
Melanie Maxon and her husband, Ryan Bailey, are the proud parents of Kora Bailey (2nd Grade). Melanie grew up in Santa Fe and is excited to give back to the wonderful community that gave her so much in her formative years. After graduating from Santa Fe High School, she moved to The Hague, Netherlands. Melanie then returned to the United States and attended the University of Arizona Tucson, American Intercontinental University London, and the University of Colorado Denver where she received a BS in Business Management. Her passion for business brought her to Northern California, where she worked for Goldman Sachs and Indus Capital Partners. Melanie and Ryan returned to the Land of Enchantment to start a family in late 2015. She currently serves on the Santa Fe Children’s Museum's board of directors while continuing to invest in start-ups and private companies. Melanie enjoys many outdoor activities with her family and two dogs including hiking, mountain biking, skinning, and skiing.
Jake Walko - Treasurer
Jake Walko, and his wife Nicole, are the parents of Hudson (1st) and Halle (Pequenos). As East Coast emigres to Sante Fe they’ve been grateful for the quality of the education, administration, and community around Rio Grande School. Jake is a Managing Director at Thornburg Investment Management where he focuses on understanding environmental, social, and governance dimensions of investing. He has spent the last twenty years in finance having previously worked at Neuberger Berman, and BlackRock, both in New York. Jake was born in Poland, grew up in New York, and holds a BA in Economics from City University of New York Hunter College and a MA in International Relations from City University of New York City College. He is an active member of Atalaya Search and Rescue, and enjoys skiing, hiking, and camping with the family.
Laura Widmar - Compliance Officer
Laura Widmar and her husband Sergio Tapia are parents to Paloma Tapia (2nd Grade). Laura is from El Paso, Texas and moved to Santa Fe in 2000. Director of The Owings Gallery for over twenty years, Laura has enjoyed making Santa Fe home and has also served on the board of the Museum of New Mexico Foundation for several years. When not at school or at work -– Laura, Sergio and Paloma love to spend time traveling. Laura received a BS from Wellesley College in 2000.
Mary Carmack-Altwies
Mary Carmack-Altwies and her wife, Jolene, have been parents at Rio Grande School since 2014. Mary is currently the District Attorney for the First Judicial District which includes Santa Fe, Rio Arriba and Los Alamos Counties. Mary has been in New Mexico for over twenty years, having moved from Washington, D.C. to New Mexico for law school. Originally from Oklahoma, Mary bounced around the East Coast before moving to New Mexico. Mary has been working within the criminal justice system in New Mexico for 20 years. Mary and her family moved from Albuquerque to Santa Fe 11 years ago and quickly became loyal to the RGS mission as their children began their time at the school. As a community leader, Mary supports other community based program- around Santa Fe and the state. Mary received her BA from Mount Holyoke College in 2000 and her JD from the University of New Mexico in 2005.
Ali Effati
Ali Effati and his wife, Najmeh Mousavi, are parents to Nora (4h grade). Ali is a Water Resources Manager with the State of New Mexico. He has worked for the State government since June 2013. Between 2006 and 2012, he worked as a Civil Engineer in the private sector and worked on planning, design, engineering, and construction oversight for several water resources projects. Ali is a Professional Engineer with a Bachelor's Degree in Civil Engineering and a Master's Degree in Civil/Water Engineering. Ali has been a member of the RGS Buildings and Grounds Committee since November 2022, and a member of the RGS Board of Trustees since September 2023.
Sydney Kinzie Horning
Sydney Kinzie Horning grew up in Dallas, TX, received her Bachelors of Business Administration in Marketing from the University of Georgia in Athens, GA and her MBA from Georgetown University in Washington, DC. Sydney worked at BNY Mellon in the investment sales industry in New York City, where she met her husband Tommy. Sydney and Tommy are the wonderstruck parents of three energetic boys – Beau (6), Ben (4) and Hank (3) and are recent transplants to Santa Fe. Sydney deeply values education and the doors it may open for a fulfilled life. She serves on the Finance Committee at Rio Grande School, and in her free time, Sydney loves spending individual time with each of her three sons, playing tennis, practicing hot yoga, experimenting in the kitchen, skiing, and international travel.
Dennis Jasso
Dennis Javier Jasso and his partner, Inga Hendrickson are the parents of Amalia (9th grade Santa Fe Prep) and Lu (4th grade RGS). They’ve been parents at RGS since the 2019-2020 school year. Dennis is an award winning producer, songwriter, arranger and drummer and has been a voting member of The Recording Academy (GRAMMY Awards) and The Latin Recording Academy (The Latin GRAMMY Awards). He was recognized with the "Norman Petty Producer of the Year" award from the NM Music Awards and has also won several other NM Music Awards for his songwriting and arranging. Other awards received have come from the John Lennon Songwriting Contest and the NM Musicians Fund who recognized him as drummer of the year. He studied music at New Mexico State University and currently performs as drummer for the Latin band, Nosotros. Dennis has earned certificates in music production from Berklee College of Music's highly acclaimed online program. He proudly endorses Natal drums. When Dennis is not performing he can be found working at Fw Studios, his recording studio in Santa Fe.
Mollie Parsons
Mollie Parsons has been a passionate educator and curriculum designer for 20 years. After earning an undergraduate degree from Brown University, she went on to receive Masters Degrees from Harvard Graduate School of Education and Boston College in education. She taught in public and private schools as well as museums and other nonprofits, including teaching science at RGS from 2008-2013. Before starting her own business, Cerise Consulting, she was the founding Director of Education and Interpretation at the Santa Fe Botanical Garden. She currently works with numerous local nonprofits and schools to write curricula, helping to connect teachers and students with the natural world. She is excited to be on the board at RGS to support the school's dedication to engaging children in experiential learning in a student-centered environment.
Martha Yazdani
Martha Yazdani was raised in Tchad, immersed in North African culture alongside traditions of her Persian immigrant parents. This plays a significant role in her interest in micro-finance and grass-roots community development, recognizing both as essential for improving community life. Working in small business account management for over 16 years, she has developed the ability to identify and implement improvements which can streamline processes and increase efficiency and productivity. Driven by a desire to bring people of diverse backgrounds together around a common purpose, Martha has spent the past 10 years building The Birthing Tree, a local nonprofit providing childbirth education, labor and postpartum doula services in the Santa Fe and surrounding area. Martha has a BA in International Studies and Economics, is the proud mother to Nadia (9th grade) and Mateen (5th grade), and an active member of the Baha’i community.
Alexandra Romero
Alex Romero and her husband, Aaron, are parents to Willa (4th grader at The May Center) and Stella (1st grader). She grew up in Santa Fe and after spending some time away in Denver, Alex decided to return in late 2016 to raise her children closer to family and open a small private practice. Alex is a child psychologist and received both her BA (2006) and PsyD (2012) from the University of Denver.
Prior to returning to Santa Fe, Alex was a clinical psychologist at a variety of organizations including community mental health centers, inpatient and residential mental health facilities, schools, and The Children’s Hospital Colorado. Alex also volunteers with the Adaptive Sports Program of New Mexico. In her free time, Alex enjoys skiing, mountain biking, reading, watching movies, listening to live music, and traveling.
Zach Brandt
Zach Brandt was born and raised in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He and his wife, Amanda, are the proud parents of Ophelia Brandt (Grandes). Zach is the Managing Partner of Capitol Ford. He attended the University of New Mexico and St. Michael’s High School. Before joining the RGS Board, Zach served on several automotive boards, including as Secretary of the Ford Minority Dealers Association Board of Directors, Acting Treasurer of NAMAD (National Association of Minority Automobile Dealers), and Northwest Regional Director of NMADA (New Mexico Automotive Dealers Association). He is also the Immediate Past Chair of the Santa Fe Community College Automotive Advisory Committee and a current board member of the NADA (National Automobile Dealers Association) Regulatory Compliance Committee on behalf of NAMAD.
In his free time, Zach enjoys traveling with his family and playing golf. He is honored to have the opportunity to serve on the Rio Grande School Board of Trustees.
Jackie Patterson
Jackie Patterson, along with her husband Dan and their 4th grader Morgan, has called Santa Fe home for the past three years after relocating from Arizona and Texas. Jackie is deeply invested in the success of RGS and believes that schools thrive when students, teachers, and families are heard and supported.
She is a seasoned operations leader with more than two decades of experience in management, contracting, and strategic planning. Jackie currently serves as Director of Operations at a global consulting firm, where she oversees finance, compliance, and client engagement.
Beyond her professional career, Jackie is a dedicated volunteer at the Santa Fe Humane Society and enjoys being active. She holds an MBA from the University of Nevada, Reno, and a B.S. in Environmental Science from Willamette University.
Russell Brott
Russell Brott and his wife, Shawn Parell, are the lucky parents of a 3rd grader and a 5th grader at RGS. Raised amidst the broad skies of Northern New Mexico, Russell spent the first seventeen years of his life in Santa Fe before returning home in 2012. Russell is the owner of Brott Real Estate LLC, a real estate investment company. In an effort to give back to the community that has given him so much, Russell serves in a number of volunteer positions locally, including as a Commissioner on the City of Santa Fe’s Community Development Commission.
Before his real estate career, Russell designed and managed economic development projects for government clients in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Russell holds a master’s in Public Policy from Georgetown University and a BA in Economics and International Affairs from Lafayette College. Russell is also an alum of RGS’ kindergarten, deeply valuing the vibrant learning community that first sparked his own educational journey.
Story Leonard
Story Reed Leonard and her husband Jim spent sixteen years at RGS from 1999 to 2015 as proud parents to three RGS graduates: daughters Kelsey (2006), Molly (2007), and Campbell (2015-the first class of Pequenos at RGS to graduate). Story has worked in independent day and boarding schools across her entire career in multiple roles– US History Teacher, Dean, Dorm Head, Director of Admissions, Head Advisor, and Director of College Counseling. Her side hustle was bringing youth lacrosse to Santa Fe, founding SFLAX and re-booting the girls’ lacrosse team at Santa Fe Prep. In 2021, Story and Jim founded Coaching @ Altitude, a leadership coaching and consulting company that serves independent school leaders. Story and the C@A team work with close to 100 school leaders across 30 independent schools. Story received her BA from Williams College in 1984 and her M.A.L.S. from Dartmouth College in 1993. Jim and Story now split their time between Santa Fe and the coast of southern Maine (June-October), where they love to connect with family and experience the jolt of an ocean cold plunge.
Jamie Clements
Jamie Clements is CEO of the Land Light Foundation, the nonprofit that supports Star Axis, the monumental sculpture to observe the stars that artist Charles Ross has constructed in eastern New Mexico. In December 2025, he retired as CEO of the Museum of New Mexico Foundation, which funds programming for the four state museums in Santa Fe, eight historic sites statewide and the Office of Archaeological Studies. Clements joined the Foundation in July 2013 after a 26-year career as a fundraising professional at an award-winning agency he founded in 1987.
He consulted with more than 250 nonprofit organizations nationally, including 100 museums. Clements has been a lifelong visitor to New Mexico, was married in Santa Fe in 1983 and a resident from 2006 to 2009 and 2013 to the present. He and his wife Diana have five daughters, three sons-in-law and five grandchildren. He is a graduate of Princeton University.
Carter Howell