New York, NY — PLACE NYC (Parent Leaders for Accelerated Curriculum and Education) announces the election of new and continuing Executive Board members (see new members below) and a newly appointed position of Legislative Liaison.
Since its formation in 2019, PLACE NYC has changed the education landscape in NYC. PLACE played a crucial role in preserving the SHSAT and Gifted and Talented programs in New York during the last Administration. PLACE has also been instrumental in reinstating and improving upon the middle and high school screened admissions processes under the new DOE leadership. “Our work on expanding access and demanding transparency helped thousands of families improve the planning of their children’s education,” said Alysa O’Shea, Co-President. “2023 will be a pivotal year for NYC public schools and PLACE NYC will play an important role in making sure that parents who want high quality education with advanced curricula and options for all students across the learning spectrum have a seat at the table,” added Maud Maron, new PLACE Co-President.
PLACE NYC remains the leading parent-led, all-volunteer team of dedicated public school parents and community leaders who work to preserve and expand access to high-quality public schools and curricula.
Executive Board Members:
- Alysa O’Shea (continuing Co-President) is the Queens Borough Representative for Citywide Council on High Schools, where she chairs the Bylaws and Communications & Technology Committees. She is also the Chair of the Alumni Relations Committee for Townsend Harris High School’s PTA. O’Shea was previously Co-Secretary for PLACE NYC as well as Queens BP Appointee to CEC District 27, where she was elected as Treasurer and Parliamentarian.
- Maud Maron (Co-President) is a mother of four New York City public school students. She is a co-founder of PLACE NYC and past vice-president. She served as the president of CEC, District 2, on the SLTs of Salk School of Science and PS41 and is a current member of the Stuyvesant PA.
- Yiatin Chu (Co-Vice President) is a co-founder of PLACE NYC and past member of CEC1. She is a graduate of Bronx Science and a mother of two NYC public school students, one graduate and one middle schooler. Chu is also the founder and President of Asian Wave Alliance, a non-partisan political club for Asian-Americans.
- Jean Hahn (Co-Vice President) is the former PA President and former SLT member at PS 174. Hahn is also a co-founder of Queens Parents United, a coalition of parents, families, and other community stakeholders committed to pursuing excellence in our public school system for all by improving local schools.
- Craig Slutzkin (Treasurer) is the Co-President and Treasurer of the Townsend Harris High School Alumni Association, for which he manages the Alumni Association’s endowment and has been proudly serving since 1995. He is also currently the Co-Secretary of the PS 340 PTA and the Secretary of Manhattan Community Board 5, vice-chairing both the Parks & Public Spaces and Public Safety & Quality of Life Committees.
- Vito LaBella (Legislative Liaison) is a twice-elected Parent Member of CEC District 20, where he currently serves as Recording Secretary. He is also former President of IS 187 PTO and former President of the District 20 Presidents’ Council. He is also an Executive Board and SLT member of the Brooklyn Technical High School Parents Association. Most recently, LaBella was a candidate for Senate in South Brooklyn. Prior to his current advocacy, LaBella served as a lieutenant in the NYC Police Department, where he retired after a 31-year career.
- Deborah Alexander (Co-Secretary) is the proud mother of two children in NYC public schools. She has been a member of the CEC District 30 for ten years and served as Co-President for four. She received a New York City Proclamation for Work as a Community Leader.
- T. Hunter Dare (Co-Secretary) is a parent of a 7th grader at Baccalaureate School for Global Education and was former PTA Exec Board and SLT MS104 and PS77. He is also Co-Chair of PLACE NYC’s Gifted & Talented Advocacy Team. He has served on the Board of Directors for multiple non-profits where he helped build a Hospital in Somalia, supported non-profit education efforts in the developing world and the US, and served on investment committees managing endowments.
- Outgoing Co-President and co-founder Lucas Liu will continue to serve on the leadership of PLACE NYC.
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