PTO Executive Committee

Hastings PTO Executive Committee, 2022 – 2023

Co-President – Sarah Thomas:  Born in the UK, Sarah moved to the US in 2002 and moved to Lexington in 2016.  Before stepping away from the workforce, Sarah was a Sales Director for New Scientist – a leading science and technology news weekly.  Sarah has one daughter entering 4th grade and another entering 1st grade.  Since moving to Lexington, Sarah has been involved in the Lexington community via board positions with LexFUN! and Community Nursery School.  Once a part of the Hastings community Sarah took on room parent roles, became a library and Big Back Yard volunteer and regularly helped with the Go Green recycling team.  This past year Sarah has enjoyed  investing her time in supporting the Hastings community as PTO Co-President, continuing and building upon the wonderful work that has gone before her.  Sarah is excited to enter her 2nd year as PTO Co-President. president@hastings-pto.org

Co-President – Emma Harding:  Emma Harding, Mum of a rising 4th and 2nd grader. Marketing Consultant and dedicated community volunteer. So fortunate to be part of such a diverse and supportive parent community. Currently Secretary for Hastings PTO and a project manager for the weekly Pooled Testing Program. Former Chair of the Lexington Autism Parents Support group, Co-President of LexFUN! and the Co-Chair of LexSEPAC / LexSEPTA, 2018-2020. president@hastings-pto.org

Co-Treasurer – Tharshini Mathew:  Tharshini moved to Lexington in 2008. She has one son at Hastings who will be a rising Fifth grader this year. She has been a room parent for her son, volunteered for Big Back Yard and Co-chaired Science Fair for two years. She has served 2 years as Co-Treasurer, and will stay on as advisor this year.  Tharshini is an accountant by profession and in her free time she volunteers at Lexington Community Farm (Lexfarm) & RESPOND and serves on the board. treasurer@hastings-pto.org

Co-Treasurer – Gloria Son:  Gloria and her family moved to the Lexington area in 2007 from NYC as her husband Sung was joining MIT Lincoln Laboratory in Lexington. In the Fall, her older son Tae will be in 6th grade at Diamond and her younger son Min will be in the 3rd grade at Hastings. She is a registered Professional Engineer in MA and is currently working with MassDOT District 4 as a traffic engineer. In addition to her role as a Co-Treasurer, she is also the Hastings Safe Routes To School (SRTS) parent representative and is planning to host the Walk, Bike & Roll To School Day on the first Wednesday of each month in the upcoming year. In the year 2021-2022, Hastings received the Silver Partner status from the state’s SRTS program. treasurer@hastings-pto.org

Co-Treasurer – Maria Pak: Maria and her family moved to Lexington from NYC in 2021. Her daughter Violet began at Hastings in 3rd grade with Ms. McLaughlin. Maria first joined the PTO as VP of Fundraising and will be moving over to the Treasurer team next year. She was previously a PTO Treasurer in NYC and is excited about taking on the role again. treasurer@hastings-pto.org

Secretary – Meg Taves: Meghan Taves is honored to join the PTO as newly appointed Secretary, having previously been the School Committee Liaison  for the past two years. Meghan has two boys, Benjamin (rising  2nd Grader) and Andrew (Incoming Kindergartener). Meghan works full time as a Global Supply Chain Director at an aerospace company. Outside of work, you can most likely find her with her kids at an array of sporting events and coaching. The Taves family is grateful for the Hastings community and the value the PTO provides. secretary@hastings-pto.org

VP Communications – Ali Lynch:  This is Ali’s fourth year as VP Communications. She compiles the Bulletin each week, updates the MTK Calendar, manages the Hastings PTO Facebook page and Hastings Families Google Group. Ali has students in third and fifth grades. She has also been a room parent, library volunteer, helped with Big Backyard, Arts Night and the Virtual Talent Shows. vp-communications@hastings-pto.org

VP Community Enrichment – Christine Minihane: Christine is a former PTA Co-President and VP of Fundraising at Harrington where her family spent 8 years before re-districting brought them to Hastings.  She is a full-time school nurse working in a nearby district where she sees the value of building relationships in the school community.  She is excited to take on the VP of Community Engagement role to enhance the Hastings experience.  Christine loves reading, drawing and playing baseball with her fourth grade student, Harrison. vp-community@hastings-pto.org

VP Fundraising – OPEN Join the Executive Committee!  We are seeking a VP Fundraising.  In this role you will oversee all fundraising activities for the school year. Work closely with chairs of fundraising activities to ensure fundraising goals are met. In addition to overseeing these committees, the VPs of Fundraising continue researching new options for fundraising. Any fundraising activities should take into account the PTO’s current goals and objectives and get the board’s approval.

The VP of Fundraising duties include:

  • Review any contracts that have been signed and commitments made by PTO with any fundraising organization.
  • Work with the relevant PTO Chair to understand what our commitments are to any organization.
  • Review Hastings PTO handbook – understand the correct procedures for handling PTO monies, insurance issues etc.
  • Research and evaluate new fundraising opportunities.
  • Finalize the plan for year’s fundraisers with feedback from the PTO Presidents.
  • Attend the PTO meetings and update the board on the fundraising activities.
  • Work closely with each PTO Fundraising Chair to help ensure that their event/activity is successful.
  • Ensure that everyone who handles money for the PTO is aware of the procedures that need to be followed.
  • Adapt the Fundraising Plan as necessary throughout the year.
  • In May, review the past year’s fundraising activities and evaluate which ones were successful. Get input from all the PTO Fundraising Chairs. Make contacts with vendors for the upcoming year.
  • Submit a fundraising overview to the PTO Presidents.

Co-VP – Membership – Fumi Ishikawa: A Japanese native moved to US in 2000 and came to Lexington in 2009. A mother of two with a rising 4th grader at Hastings and a 4 year old in nursery school.  A wedding gown tailor/alteration specialist by trade.  Love all things crafty, enthusiastic about watercolor portraits painting. Enjoy getting to know about Hastings community through PTO. membership@hastings-pto.org

Co-VP – Membership – Elizabeth Lin: Liz moved to Lexington in 2008.  She has three children in LPS; two Hastings graduates and her youngest is in her final year at Hastings. Liz is a pediatric occupational therapist by profession but has worn many different hats as a Hastings PTO volunteer over the years. membership@hastings-pto.org

Co-VP – Directory – Eddlyne Chonot: Eddlyne Chonot moved to Lexington from Southborough with her husband in December 2014.  She is the mother of a 1st grader at Hastings.  She enjoys gardening, reading, and playing with her son in the backyard.  Eddlyne is an Information Technology professional.  She hopes to share ideas and contribute to activities that help families integrate into the Lexington and Hasting community. membership@hastings-pto.org

Co-VP – Directory – Mary Lee: Mary has a daughter at Hastings and a son starting high school in 2022. She has enjoyed helping the PTO in various ways, including supporting the Membership team, Big Backyard, Math Night, and being a room parent. Mary works full-time as Head of User Research at VMware. She is also a Girl Scouts Troop Treasurer, a reviewer for the Journal of User Experience, and on the Brandeis University Graduate Professional Studies Advisory Board for User-Centered Design. membership@hastings-pto.org

Co-VP – Directory – Jigyasa Roy: Jigyasa and her family moved to Lexington in 2019 from Woburn, MA and before that she lived in Jersey City for seven years. Her son Ryan is in the 2nd grade at Hastings. She works full-time as a Product Officer at an investment bank. She worked for a couple of years as a volunteer for a dog shelter home in NY. She looks forward to getting more involved in the Hastings community in the coming year. membership@hastings-pto.org

VP Volunteers – OPEN Join the Executive Committee!  We are seeking a VP Volunteers.  In this role you will manage the volunteer needs of the PTO Board and recruit a Nominating Committee who will work to recruit for the Executive Committee positions.  You will NOT be responsible for recruiting volunteers for all the PTO events and activities.  This responsibility lies with the Chair of each event.

The VP of Volunteers duties include:

  • Maintain an accurate list of EC and Board volunteers, their roles and committees
  • Work with VP Technology
    • to ensure all volunteers have the necessary email address covers and google doc access
    • to ensure the PTO website reflects accurate volunteer names and email addresses
  • Keep the list of open roles current and promoted on the PTO website and in the weekly Bulletin 
  • Make use of additional communications (email, social media, backpack flyers) as and when volunteer needs require it
  • Maintain a google form on the PTO website Volunteer page and response to all inquiries in a timely fashion 
  • Be the point person for incoming volunteer interest, assess interests, availability and skills of potential volunteers and help with placement on committees
  • Keep Presidents up to date on Volunteer recruitment progress
  • Attend the PTO meetings and update the board on the recruitment progress, encouraging board members to always be recruiting too!
  • Recruit a Nominating Committee who will work to recruit the Executive Board
    • Support the Nominating Committee to help ensure all EC positions are filled by end of May
  • Work with the Welcome Committee and PTO Presidents to execute the Welcome Coffee on the first day of school

VP Staff Relations – Tejpreet Kalra: Tejpreet has been involved in the Hastings community for the past 6 years. Her daughter Asees is a rising 5th grader and her son Rajvir is a rising 8th grader at Diamond. Tejpreet and her family moved to Lexington in 2016 from Shrewsbury, MA. Tejpreet has her Masters Degree in Physical Therapy and has dedicated her career to geriatric care. On the weekends, Tejpreet volunteers at her temple and teaches two classes in the Sunday School. She is also part of LICA and represents the Sikh Community of Lexington.  In the past she has volunteered in the school committee election campaigns.

Within the Hastings network, Tejpreet has served as a PTO Co-president, room parent, volunteered at the library, Big Backyard, Green Team and 5th grade activities. She is very excited and looking forward to being a VP of staff relations. vp-staff@hastings-pto.org

VP Staff Relations – Christine Manavian: Christine and her husband Ara Najarian have called Lexington home since 2004. Their son Wyatt is a rising 3rd grader at Hastings, and their son Andrew is a rising 7th grader at Diamond.  Christine loves being an active member of the Hastings community. Most recently Christine was VP of Planning and Board Development, and has served as Room Parent, Library and BBY volunteer, Co-Chair of Hastings 60th Anniversary Celebration, as well as many other roles. Christine served as Co-President of LexFUN! from 2017-2019, and is currently on the Cary Library Foundation Board.  As a family, they enjoy spending time in the kitchen, playing sports, and travelling. vp-staff@hastings-pto.org

VP Student Enrichment – Shannon Murtagh: Shannon and her family moved to Lexington from Seattle, WA. She has three children: Teagan and Theo who currently attend Hastings, and Maguire who will when he’s old enough. If you see a family commuting via cargo bikes to Hastings, that’s her family! When she isn’t with her kids, Shannon is a K-12 public education consultant and policy expert focused on increasing opportunities and equity for students who most need it. She is returning as VP of Student Enrichment and excited to continue contributing to the incredible Hastings community. vp-student@hastings-pto.org

VP Technology – Mike Finkenzeller: Mike and his wife Katy moved to Lexington from Denver, CO 12 years ago. He has one son who attends Hastings and is a rising fourth grader. Since moving to Lexington, Mike launched a startup software company called Innovo. He is returning for his third year as VP of Technology. vp-technology@hastings-pto.org

More information:
View the full PTO Board list