Meet Your School Committee Members
Dr. Bob Weintraub
Dr. Bob Weintraub, Chair, is a long-time public school teacher and leader. He holds a B.A. in English, a Masters in Teaching, a CAGS in Pupil Personnel Services Administration/School Psychology, and an EdD in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies. He was a community organizer in Birmingham, Alabama; an English teacher in New Jersey and New York City, a teacher and program director in an alternative high school in Arlington, Mass., the founding principal of the City Magnet School in Lowell, Mass., the principal of the John Runkle School and Head of Brookline High School. Dr. Weintraub then spent 14 years as a Professor of Educational Leadership at Teachers College, Columbia University and Boston University. He is the Chair of the National Calculus Project and has been a Town Meeting Member in Brookline for six years.
Dr. Weintraub's current term expires in 2028.
Danna Perry
Danna Perry, Vice Chair, has been a dedicated Public Schools of Brookline (PSB) parent for more than 13 years. She currently serves on the board of the Brookline Parents Organization and has long been an advocate for issues including post-COVID reopening, evidence-based literacy instruction, special education, anti-bullying efforts, and antisemitism awareness.
Before her election to the Brookline School Committee on May 6, 2025, Danna was a regular presence at Thursday night meetings, where she advocated for accountability, fiscal responsibility, transparency, and equitable access to high-quality education and enrichment for all students.
Before her election to the Brookline School Committee on May 6, 2025, Danna was a regular presence at Thursday night meetings, where she advocated for accountability, fiscal responsibility, transparency, and equitable access to high-quality education and enrichment for all students.
Danna grew up in Coolidge Corner and, after spending time in New York City, Cape Cod, and the Bahamas, returned to Brookline to enroll her two children in kindergarten. They are now in 11th and 12th grade.
Professionally, Danna has focused on building effective systems, improving processes, identifying efficiencies, and fostering strong two-way communication and follow-through - skills she brings to her work on the School Committee. Ms. Perry's present term expires in 2028.
Dr. Laura Baines-Walsh
Dr. Laura Baines-Walsh was first elected to the School Committee on May 5, 2026. She holds a B.A. in History from Emory University and a Ph.D. in American History from Boston College. After completing a postdoctoral fellowship, she realized that her true passion was the classroom and has been teaching history and government at the secondary level ever since.
Laura and her husband, Greg, who is also a history teacher, have two children in the Public Schools of Brookline. Her daughter is an eighth-grader at Baker School, and her son is a fifth-grader in the LAHB program at Driscoll School. She has also served as a Brookline Town Meeting member since 2019. Dr. Baines-Walsh's School Committee term expires in 2029.
Suzanne Federspiel
Suzanne Federspiel (she/her/hers), was first elected to the School Committee in 2017. She has been an educator for more than thirty years in Connecticut and Massachusetts. Most recently she served as a special education teacher, a literacy coach, and then as an elementary school principal for the Boston Public Schools. She is currently a teacher mentor in Boston.
In addition to her degrees in education from U-Conn, Storrs, and U-Mass, Amherst, Suzanne has an MBA from Boston University. She and her husband have lived in Brookline since 1985. Their two children attended Pierce School and Brookline High School. Ms. Federspiel’s current term expires in 2026.
Valerie Frias
Valerie Frias (she/her/hers) was appointed to the School Committee in July 2021 and then was first elected to a three-year term in 2022. She is an attorney and nonprofit leader with over 20 years’ experience leading organizations serving marginalized populations. She has advised school districts on policy and legal matters related to special education, LGBTQ issues, and other issues related to civil rights and youth advocacy. She served as a PTO Co-Chair for Driscoll School, was a member of Brookline SEPAC (Special Education Parent Advisory Council), and served on the Driscoll School Principal Search Committee. Ms. Frias serves as Co-Chair of the Driscoll School Building Advisory Committee. She is mother to two PSB students and coaches therapeutic sports.
She earned her Juris Doctor degree from the Northeastern University School of Law and her B.A. in History and German from Tufts University. Her present term expires in 2028.
Dr. Jesse Hefter
Dr. Jesse Hefter was elected to the School Committee in 2024. He holds a BS in Chemistry from the University of Bridgeport and a PhD in Chemistry from Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland. He retired from Verizon Communications in 2019 as an Associate IT Fellow after a 35-year-long career spanning material science, operations statistics, logistics, quality management, teaching and training, software development, and data warehousing and analysis. He is the holder of 6 U.S. Patents.
He and his wife, Brenda, a special educator, have lived in Brookline since 1984 and raised their three children here. They have two grandchildren currently in the Roland Hayes School. Jesse has volunteered as the President of the Greater Boston Eruv Corporation since 1984 and was a past President of the Synagogue Council of Massachusetts and a Board Member of the Bureau of Jewish Education. He has taught a community adult education Talmud class for over 20 years. Jesse serves Brookline as a Town Meeting Member in Precinct 14, a member of the Pedestrian Advisory Committee, and a member of the Moderator's Committee on PFAS. Dr. Hefter's current term expires in 2027.
Faiza Khan
Dr. Faiza Khan was elected to the School Committee in 2026. She is a public-school educator and district-level administrator with more than 15 years of experience in teaching, curriculum, budgeting, and school governance. She is the Director of Mathematics for a public school system. She holds a BS in Computer Science with a Minor in Mathematics, an MBA, an MEd in Secondary Mathematics Education, and a Doctorate in Leadership in Schooling. Faiza has previously served on the Parent Advisory Committee for Enrichment & Challenge Support and the Brookline Middle School Mathematics Program Review Committee. She is a member of the Brookline Rotary Club and has been a Town Meeting Member in Brookline.
Faiza has been a Brookline resident since 2000, and her four children attended Michael Driscoll School and graduated from BHS. Ms. Khan's present term expires in 2029.
Email: sarah_moghtader@psbma.org
Sarah Moghtader
Sarah Moghtader was appointed to the School Committee in November of 2023, and then elected to a three-year term in 2024. Prior to that, she was a teacher in the Public Schools of Brookline for more than 15 years. She was a middle school French teacher at Ridley, Runkle, Hayes and Lawrence.
Sarah earned a MEd from University of Massachusetts, Boston. She has presented to teachers in local and national conferences, she helped write standards for DESE, and has served on committees here in Brookline as a community member. She and her husband have three kids, one in college and two at Brookline High School.
Carolyn Thall
Carolyn Thall was elected to the School Committee in 2024. She has a BA in Psychology from Trinity College (Hartford) and an M.Ed. from Boston University’s Literacy, Language and Cultural Studies program. She had a multi-faceted career in educational organizations and non-profits including Fair Test, the Asian American Civic Association, and Jewish Vocational Service. She also attended Suffolk University’s School of Art and Design, worked in the building/interiors field, and co-founded and served on the Board of Roslindale Open Studios.
In Brookline, she has been a Town Meeting Member since 2016, served on the Advisory Committee, and has had children in the public schools since 2011, from Kindergarten through 12th grade. Ms. Thall's present term expires in 2027.