The Jay Heritage Center is delighted to welcome two new Trustees, Kelly Bakshi and Kathryn Schnaars. Together they will co-chair JHC’s new Children’s Education Committee and oversee programs and activities specifically geared towards young students and school groups. They bring a wealth of professional and classroom experience to their positions.
Kelly began her career as a Social Studies teacher in New York City after graduating from Rutgers with a Political Science/History degree. She was accepted into the Rise Up cohort, which awarded graduates, committed to high needs school districts, with federal grants toward Masters degrees in education. After completing her MS in Secondary Education at Mercy College, Kelly taught Social Studies at the White Plains Middle School for eight years. After starting a family, with her husband Vishal, Kelly embarked on a free-lance writing career, authoring several children’s library books in the Social Studies genre. She has written inspirational stories, articles and children’s devotionals in various publications including Chicken Soup for the Soul and Focus on the Family. She is currently the Parent/Teacher Editor for GuardianAngelKids.com. Kelly co-chaired the 2017 Jay Soirée and has helped plan author visits for Jay Day. She served as the Children’s Committee Co-Chair on the Rye Free Reading Room Auxiliary Board and has been a class parent for the last six years both at Resurrection Grammar School and Osborn Elementary School. Kelly lives in Rye with her husband and two sons.
Kathryn graduated from the College of the Holy Cross in 2000 with a major in Sociology, a Minor in Deaf Studies, and a Concentration in Gerontological Studies. She then received her Masters in Education from Lesley University in 2001. She was an elementary school educator for more than 10 years, teaching children of various grade levels in the Boston area and Greenwich, CT. She also served as the Program Director at a center for children with special needs, where she spearheaded the art, yoga and preschool programs. Kathryn has done volunteer work both domestically and internationally, including a trip to Paraguay for Habitat for Humanity. She served on the Auxiliary Board of the Rye Free Reading Room, where she co-chaired the Children’s Committee. In addition, she co-chaired the 2017 Jay Soirée and currently serves as an officer on the Board of the Greenhaven Rye Association. She lives in Rye with her husband Matt and three children.