Board of Trustees

Katherine joined the MEF Board of Trustees in 2017. She has been an active volunteer in the Morris School District, serving as PTO President at Thomas Jefferson School and Treasurer and Cultural Arts Chair at Woodland School. Katherine previously worked as a VP of Finance at NBC Universal and has experience in financial planning and analysis, project management, and strategy and development. She is an alumna of both Villanova University and Rutgers Business School and has a C.P.A in the State of NJ. Katherine and her husband, Joseph, have been residents of Morris Township since 2002 and are the parents of Madelyn and Jack, both students in the Morris School District.

Ann Rhines began teaching in the Morris Township school system in 1962. In addition to her teaching, mentoring, and creating the SURE program (a language program for grades 4 and 5), she was a member of the Curriculum Council and a consultant in whole language and assessment for many years. She retired from the Morris School District in 2001. In 2003, she was elected to the Board of Education and is now in her fifth term. She has been a member of the Board of Trustees of the MEF since 2001 and is chair of its Grant Committee.

Matt has resided in the Morristown area for over ten years and currently lives in Morris Township with his wife, Aimee, and their daughter. Matt is a Partner and Wealth Advisor at RegentAtlantic located in Morristown. He counsels and advises families and individuals on investments and financial planning with a focus on income tax planning and estate planning. Matt is a CFP® professional and holds the Certified Private Wealth Advisor® certification, taught in conjunction with the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. He has a bachelor's degree from Ramapo College of New Jersey.
Matt also serves on the Board of Trustees and is Treasurer of Family Promise of Morris County, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to ending homelessness in Morris County.

Kathleen joined the MEF Board of Trustees in 2020. She has been an active volunteer in the Morris School District serving at various times as HSA President and Secretary at Alfred Vail and Sussex Avenue Schools and also has served as Co-President of HSA President’s Council.

Kathleen also serves on the Board of Directors of the Skating Club of Morris.

Kathleen is currently a legal consultant at Citigroup and previously worked at Barclays Capital and Lehman Brothers. She attended Seton Hall Law School and Wellesley College. Kathleen and her husband Tom have lived in Morris Township since 1999 and are the parents of Elise, Cora and Tommy who are currently students in the Morris School District.

Hector and his wife, Judy Martinez, have been residents of Morristown for 32 years. Their children, Jessie (MHS '10) and Myles (MHS '13), went through the Morris School District. Hector joined the MEF Board of Trustees in 2018. He also currently serves on the board of Arts By The People, has co-chaired special projects for Preschool Advantage and was a board member of Cornerstone Family Programs for approximately 15 years, serving as board chair from 2016-2018. Prior to retiring in 2017, Hector was a partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers specializing in human resources matters in the context of corporate mergers and acquisitions. Hector earned his undergraduate degree in business administration from Rutgers University and retired as an Associate in the Society of Actuaries, the American Academy of Actuaries and as an Enrolled Actuary.

Joshua joined the MEF Board of Trustees in 2018. He is a Morristown High School graduate and has resided in Morris Township for most of his life. He is the managing partner of Beinhaker & Beinhaker, LLC, a general practice law firm located in Morristown. Joshua’s wife, Marylynn, is a kindergarten teacher at the Woodland School. He is an alumni of both the University of Maryland and Seton Hall Law School. He and his wife have two young boys, Grady and Ezekiel, in the Morris School District.

Hallie and her husband, Jeff, have lived in Morris Township since 2007. Their three children, Charlie (12), Simon (10), and Rosie (6), attend Frelinghuysen Middle School, Alexander Hamilton Elementary School and Hillcrest Elementary School, respectively. Hallie grew up in Short Hills and has a degree in Sociology from Tufts University. Prior to having children, Hallie worked at MTV Networks in Standards & Practices. For the last 8 years, she has been the office manager for a prominent NYC psychologist. Her husband, Jeff, is a partner at the Morristown-based law firm, Riker, Danzig, Scherer, Hyland & Perretti. Hallie has been highly involved in the MSD for a number of years, serving as HSA president for Hillcrest School from 2015-2017. Hallie and her family are members at Temple B'nai Or, where she teaches Sunday school.

As a life time member of the Morristown community, Amanda has been a tireless professional and volunteer for local non-profits, including the United Way of Northern New Jersey, where she was the Women’s Leadership Council Manager, and campaign manager for approximately 150 annual corporate workplace initiatives. As a volunteer, she is an active member of the Junior League of Morristown, where she served as president, and The Presbyterian Church in Morristown. Amanda has also held various leadership roles in the Morris School District Home & School Associations. She and her husband, Bill, are the parents of Paige (MHS ’16) and Lucy (MHS ‘18). Amanda is a proud alumna of the Morristown High School.

Katie joined the MEF Board of Trustees in 2020. She and her husband, Yemi, have lived in Morristown since 2008 and have three daughters in the Morris School District. She has been an active volunteer in the Morris School District, serving as HSA President at Hillcrest School and Alexander Hamilton. Katie earned a BA in Education from Smith College has taught in New York, New Jersey, and Massachusetts. After a long career in education spanning teaching, delivering professional development, and designing curriculum in public and private schools, Katie is currently Head of School for Fusion Academy in Morristown. She is deeply committed to equitable education, and the opportunities the Morris School District offers. Katie loves watching Colonial Basketball and the myriad of musical talents the district has to offer!

Jody Marcus is the Executive Director of Harmonium Choral Society. She has worked at the Morris County Tourism Bureau as Assistant Director, Raritan Headwaters Association as the Director of Development and was Curator at the Morris Museum. Jody was a founding member and executive director of the Community Children’s Museum in Dover and is a board member of Children on the Green. She has a master’s in industrial design from Pratt Institute and a bachelor’s degree in cultural anthropology from the University of Massachusetts. Jody was a substitute teacher in the Morris School District for four years and has two children who graduated from Morristown High School.

Karen McAllister is the Director of Compensations and a Global Total Rewards Leader at Seattle Genetics. She previously worked for Merck, Novartis and several other pharmaceutical companies. Karen currently serves on the MEF's Governance and Scholarship Committees. She is involved in the Morris School District and Boston College as an Alumni Admissions Volunteer. Karen is also an active member in several professions organizations including World at Work, Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), and Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association (HBA). Karen is married to Kevin McAllister, and they have three children: Colin, a Junior at Loyola University of Maryland and a 2018 graduate of Morristown High School; Christopher, a Freshman at Boston and a 2020 graduate of Oratory Prep; and Courtney, a Sophomore at Morristown High School. They have lived in Morris Township for over 20 years.

Patrick McGuinn is Professor of Political Science and Education at Drew University and a Senior Researcher at the Consortium for Policy Research in Education (CPRE). He holds a Ph.D. in Government and a M.Ed. in Education Policy from the University of Virginia. Patrick’s research and teaching focus on American politics and public policy, and in particular, education policy. He directs Drew’s Model United Nations program, which brings over 300 students from FMS and other area middle schools to campus each year. Patrick served on the Board of the Inter-Faith Food Pantry for four years and coached youth rec soccer for Morris United for 15 years. He is a former high school social studies teacher and has three daughters in the Morris School District, as well as another who recently graduated from MHS.

Molly Servais began her tenure on the MEF Board of Trustees in 2009. She served as board chair for three years and has chaired the friends campaign, strategic planning and board governance committees. She is currently chair of the scholarship committee. Molly has two children, Ryan (’14) and Maggie (’16) who are alumni of the Morris School District and was an active HSA and school volunteer while her children were on their K-12 educational journey. She and her family have lived in Morristown since 1998. Molly is a nonprofit management and fundraising consultant. She has worked for national non-profit organizations including the Arthritis Foundation, Junior Achievement and the YMCA.

Melanie and her husband Alan moved to Morris Township in 2006 and spent 3 years, between 2014 and 2017 as expats in Shanghai, China. Since moving back full time to New Jersey, Melanie joined Impact 100 Garden State and serves on both the Non-Profit Outreach and PR/Communications committee. She is a member of the Morris County Chapter of Jack & Jill of America, Inc. where she is an elected officer of the board and serves as Program Director for the chapter. She has also volunteered at various events at Thomas Jefferson Elementary and Frelinghuysen Middle School where her daughter, Ava, currently attends. Her older daughter, Alina, attends Lehigh University where she plays Division I volleyball. Alan, a human resource executive, is a member of the MSD Board of Education and serves on its HR and Finance committees.

Before leaving the corporate workforce, Melanie worked for several companies and industries as a marketing professional and holds a BS degree from Georgetown University and an MS from Johns Hopkins University. Melanie enjoys exercising and holds a certification from AFAA for group fitness instruction.

With nearly 30 years experience in fundraising, communications and nonprofit management, Debbie is President of Match Nonprofit Consulting where she provides consulting services in the areas of financial development, major gift fundraising, board development, alumni relations, annual fundraising and public relations. Prior to this she served in many leadership roles in higher education fundraising as well as Executive Director and Board Chair of the MEF. In addition to her work in education, Debbie has served in leadership roles in the YMCA. Debbie earned her Bachelors Degree and a Masters in Education from Rutgers University. She is a proud alum of Morristown High School and lives in Morris Township with her husband, Dan, and children Justin (Class of 2016) and Sarah (Class of 2018).

Paul Staudt has lived in the Morristown area for 25 years and currently resides in Morris Township with his wife Michelle and daughter Emily, a student at Frelinghuysen Middle School. After earning a BA in Journalism at Moravian University, Paul spent his career working in the areas of marketing, advertising, and public relations before leaving the corporate world. He has since spent his time raising his daughter and volunteering at a variety of non-profit and civic organizations, including acting as co-chair of the Cultural Arts Committee at Normandy Park School, vice-chair of the Friends of Fosterfields Farm and Cooper Gristmill, chair of the Morris Township Economic Development Advisory Committee, and member of the Morris Township Board of Adjustment.

Tracey and her husband David have lived in Morristown since 2005. They have two children: Marina (MHS ’17) & Matteo (MHS ‘21). Tracey spent her career as a television journalist and now works as a college consultant, specializing in essay writing. She spent many years as a Morris School District volunteer—serving as PTO President at Thomas Jefferson, activities chair at FMS, and most recently, as the Chair of the MHS Project Graduation Committee for eight consecutive years. She received her Bachelor’s degree from West Chester University and her Masters in Broadcast Journalists from Boston University.

Chris has been a Morristown resident for 18 years. He and his wife Christine have been active in Morristown through the Presbyterian Church on the Green and community organizations Grow it Green Morristown and Morris Habitat for Humanity. Their two daughters were educated in the district from Woodland School up through MHS. Chris has a PhD in Statistics from the University of Washington, and has worked as a data scientist for AT&T for 23 years.

Chrissie Wetherbee's nonprofit career began in museums over twenty years ago. She has worked with various nonprofits, including the Morris Educational Foundation and the Main Library Alliance. Today she is a nonprofit consultant. She is also a volunteer board member with the New Jersey Education Foundation Partnership and the Morristown Festival of Books. Chrissie holds a bachelor's degree in art history from the University of Maryland College Park and a master's in museum studies from Seton Hall University. She also earned a certificate in Educational Leadership through the National Association of Education Foundations. Chrissie (MHS 1994) is a Morris School District alum and parent. She lives in Morris Township with her husband, Chris, and their children, Anna (MHS 2022) and lan (MHS 2026).

Emily joined the MEF board in 2021. She has been a resident of Morristown since 2006, when she moved here from NYC. She has two wonderful daughters who attend Normandy Park School. Emily is a college admissions consultant and has had her own private practice, E. Wolper, Inc., since 1999. Before establishing her practice, she was an admissions officer at Columbia University. She has an undergraduate degree in Religion from Vassar College and an MA in Educational Theatre from NYU. She is an active Vassar alumna, having served as the President of the Vassar Club of NYC for four years in the early 2000s. Emily is currently the co-chair of the Cultural Arts Committee of NPS, a soprano with Harmonium Choral Society, the founder and director of Harmonium’s cabaret theatre troupe and an active member of Temple B’nai Or, where she served on the most recent rabbinical search committee and is the Teen and Family Education Liaison.

Jian joined the MEF Board of Trustees in 2021. She graduated from Morristown High School in 2016 and earned her BS in Management from Boston College in 2020. She hopes to promote equity and inclusion through her work and volunteerism. She is an active volunteer for the Literacy Volunteers of Morris County and is a Higher Education Consulting Analyst at Huron Consulting Group.