Written by Steve Kraemer, Vice Chair, Committee for the Non-Partisan Nomination and Election of School Trustees

Mar. 25, 2015:  The Committee for the Non-Partisan Nomination and Election of School Trustees ("NPC") is pleased to announce that it has nominated three candidates for Bronxville School trustee and will host a "candidate meet-and-greet" reception on Tuesday, April 28, from 7:30 pm to 9:00 pm at the Bronxville Field Club. 

All Bronxville residents are welcome and are urged to attend this informal gathering at which the three candidates, Jon Atkeson, Tom Nichols, and Jeff Rohr, will be available to answer questions from the community. 

The three candidates were nominated by the NPC to be placed on the ballot to run for the three open trustee positions on the Bronxville Board of Education. The NPC is pleased about the candidates and the qualities they bring to the school board and hopes that community members will take advantage of this opportunity to meet them. 

The annual school budget vote and school board trustee election will be held on Tuesday, May 19, 2015.

Description of candidates (in alphabetical order):

Jon Atkeson

Jon Atkeson currently works at Fortress Investment Group, LLC.  Over the last fifteen years of his professional career, he has worked as a private equity investor and served on a number of boards or acted in a board-level capacity, overseeing daily management activities for both public and private companies.

Jon has been actively involved with a number of public charter schools both in Connecticut and New York for the last fifteen years. In 1999, he worked together with a small group of New Haven residents to open a new public charter school called Amistad Academy, where Jon served as a board member for a number of years. Jon currently serves as the treasurer of the board overseeing the Brooklyn network of Achievement First charter schools. Jon has been actively involved in his sons' sports teams. He has participated in a variety of roles in the Bronxville Youth Lacrosse Association, as manager and coach.

Before attending the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Jon attended St. Albans School in Washington, DC. Jon received his law degree from Yale Law School.

Jon and his wife, Amy, have been residents of Bronxville since 2006. They have four children in the Bronxville schools, all sons, in 6th, 4th, and 3rd grades and kindergarten.

Tom Nichols

Tom Nichols is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers. He is currently leading the New York expansion of Michels Foundations, a large privately held construction and engineering company. Tom specializes in the design and construction of deep foundations, civil work, and earth retention systems for medium- to large-scale public and private projects in New York and the I-95 corridor.  

Tom was the chair of the Deep Foundations Institute from 2009 to 2012, where he directed a committee of geotechnical engineers, structural engineers, contractors, and professors to produce research papers and coordinate seminars in the US and Canada.

As a member of the Christ Church vestry, Tom assists in parish finances and building and personnel matters. In his role at Christ Church, Tom is chair of the Christian formation committee, where he coordinates the church school curriculum and special activities for over 60 children ages three through twelve. Tom is also a member of the facilities committee at Christ Church and the Bronxville schools.

As a general engineering major, Tom attended the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.    

Tom and his wife, Carla, have been residents of Bronxville since 2007. They have two daughters in the Bronxville schools in 4th and 2nd grades.

Jeff Rohr

Jeff is currently serving his third year as trustee on the Bronxville Board of Education. As trustee, he currently chairs the finance and negotiating committees. Jeff has had career-long experience in serving audit clients in a multitude of industries, including colleges and universities. 

He has had extensive experience in governance processes while vice chairman and CFO of Deloitte LLP. During Jeff's 40 years at Deloitte, he was responsible for all aspects of financial affairs, including strategy, accounting, financial reporting, and risk management. Jeff serves as chairman of the audit committee for Allied Minds, plc, and the American Express Centurion Bank.   

Jeff has a long record of civic involvement. He is a member of the board and past president of The Community Fund. Jeff is a member of the board of Homeownership Preservation Foundation and has for nine years been a member of the board of trustees and chairman of the audit committee of the Florida State University Foundation. He is vice chairman of the board of trustees of Florida State University College of Business. 

Jeff majored in accounting at Florida State University, where he is a member of the Florida State University College of Business Hall of Fame. 

Jeff and his wife, Michele, have been residents of Bronxville since 2004. They have a daughter in 12th grade and two sons in 5th and 3rd grades.