Standing in the Back Row from left to right:  Lara Stangel (Board President), Scott Levy, Lori Kanner, Melissa Jacobs , Petrie Verma. Seated in the front row from left to right:  Jason Berland and Mia DiPietro (Board Vice President).

 

Lara Stangel, President
Lara Stangel is proudly serving her fourth term on the Byram Hills Board of Education. Ms. Stangel had previously served as this Board’s Vice President and President. She currently sits on the Audit Committee, Guidance Advisory Committee and the Policy Committee.  Lara is also serving as the Legislative Advocate to the New York State School Boards Association (NYSSBA).
 
Prior to joining the Board of Education, Ms. Stangel had served on the Byram Hills Preschool Association House Tour Committee. She also served on the PTSA as the Vice President of Education from 2010 to 2013, the PTSA President from 2013 to 2015 and the PTSA Liaison to the Byram Hills Education Foundation (BHEF).  She was a trustee of the BHEF from 2011 to 2013, and again from 2015 to 2016, where she served on the Grant, Insta-Grant and Gala Committees.
 
As PTSA President, she established its Advocacy Committee, the purpose of which is to inform and help mobilize the community about educational reform and to instruct how to navigate changes that directly impact the Byram Hills School District.
 
Her professional career is as a psychiatric social worker, having worked in the field of mental health and education for 28+ years. She received a Bachelor of Arts from Brooklyn College in 1992 and a Masters Degree in Social Work from Columbia University in 1994. She also received an advanced degree in clinical social work from New York University in 1999. Ms. Stangel currently works for Westchester County as its Director of Employee Assistance Programs.
 
Ms. Stangel has been living in Armonk for 17 years with her husband, Justin, and their two daughters, Emily who attends Northeastern University, and Ashley who is in eleventh grade.

Mia DiPietro, Vice President 
Mia DiPietro is the Vice President, serving her fourth term (10th year) on the Byram Hills Board of Education. Mia has previously served as both the Board’s President and Vice President. She currently sits on the Audit, Health and Wellness Committee, and Athletic Advisory Council, and is one of the liaisons to the Town Board, the PTSA and the Byram Hills Preschool Association. 

Prior to joining the Board of Education, Mia served on the BHPA Board for five years, acting as liaison to the Board of Education. In addition, she managed the BHPA Facebook page and served on the Working Moms Committee. Mia works full-time as Lead HRIS Specialist for Learning at Marsh McLennan, where she has worked since 1998. She is active in the Byram Hills PTSA working closely with the Developmental Support Group, and served as class parent for many years. She was also actively involved as a volunteer with the Varley Players theater program. Mia received a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Elementary Education from Clark University. She went on to study System Analysis and Design at Columbia University. Mia and her husband, Ron, have lived in Armonk, where Ron grew up, since 2007. They have three children attending the Byram Hills schools: Rebecca, a 2024 Byram Hills graduate who now attends Bucknell University; Adam, an 11th grader; and Sam, a 7th grader.

Jason Berland
Jason Berland is serving the first year of his third term on the Byram Hills Board of Education. Jason has previously served as Board President and has twice held the position of Vice President. Jason sits on the Audit Committee, Policy Committee, Athletic Advisory Council, and is serving as a representative of the NYSSBA Legislative Advocacy Committee. Jason previously served for six years as a Board Member of the Byram Hills Education Foundation, where he spent his final four years as Chairman.

Jason is the General Counsel at 1/0 Capital, a venture capital firm in Manhattan that invests in growth-stage companies. Before transitioning in-house, Jason spent over a decade in private practice where he focused primarily on government and regulatory actions, internal investigations, white-collar criminal defense, international asset recovery and general commercial litigation. In the public sector, Jason served for eight years as an Assistant District Attorney in the New York County District Attorney’s Office.

Jason also sits on the Board of Tzahal Shalom of Northern Westchester and spent many years on the Management Team of the Armonk United Soccer Club. He is a graduate of Union College and the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law. Jason has lived in North Castle since 2012, and he and his wife have one child currently attending the Byram Hills schools, and two who graduated from Byram Hills High School in 2022 and 2025.

Melissa Jacob
Melissa Jacobs is currently serving the first year of her second term as Trustee. She serves on the Guidance Advisory Committee and is once again serving as a liaison between the Board and the Byram Hills Education Foundation (BHEF), as well as the liaison with the BH PTSA.

Melissa served as Vice President of the Board for the 2024-25 school year, and has also served on the Policy Committee, the Finance Advisory Committee, and served as liaison to the North Castle town Board. Melissa was also a member of the Literacy Committee to help examine in-depth the District’s literacy program and to evaluate ways to better help all students succeed in this area.

Melissa previously served for six years on the Board of the Byram Hills Education Foundation as a member of the Executive Board, Secretary, a member of the Grant Review Committee, and as co-chair for the Auction Fundraising Committee. She successfully planned and implemented an annual auction raising up to $70,000 each year to help fund grants in all four schools.

Melissa has also been active in the Byram Hills Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA) in various roles. She co-chaired the Teacher Appreciation Luncheon at Wampus and co-chaired the PTSA’s Cultural and Curricular Education Committee at Wampus. In addition, Melissa served as co-chair of the Cultural and Curricular Education Committee at HCC Middle School from 2012 to 2022, facilitating presentations and speakers at the school to enhance and enrich the curriculum for all students. Melissa also served on the Challenge Success Steering Committee at HCC and contributed to the District’s Site-Based Team as a parent member for several years.

Melissa is an experienced early childhood educator, who was previously tenured as a second grade teacher in Pleasantville, and is also certified in Teaching Students with Special Needs. She currently works one-on-one with preschool students with special needs who need support in the classroom. Melissa has also worked as a substitute teacher in local elementary and middle schools, including Byram Hills and a local preschool.

Melissa has a BA from Tufts University in English and Child Study, and an MA from NYU in Early Childhood Education. She is New York State certified in both Elementary Education and Teaching Students with Special Needs.

Melissa has lived in North Castle since 2003, and she and her husband Ari have three boys. Her sons, Alex and Ethan, graduated from Byram Hills in 2017 and 2019, and her son Owen graduated in 2025, and is currently attending the University of Texas at Austin.

Lori Kanner
Lori is currently serving the third year of her third elected term as a Trustee of the Byram Hills Board of Education. Over the past eight years, she has brought dedication, leadership, and a deep commitment to the district through her  extensive involvement in various Board committees and community organizations.

During her tenure, Lori has served on numerous committees, including the Policy Committee, Audit Committee, Finance Advisory Committee, Athletic Advisory Committee, and the Guidance Advisory Committee. She has also served as the Board's representative to the Westchester Putnam School Board Association’s Legislative Advocacy Committee, the Health and Athletic Advisory Committee, and the Byram Hills Education Foundation. In addition, she
has acted as the Town Liaison for the Board of Education. Lori served as Vice President of the Board during both her first and second terms.

Previously, Lori was a Board Member of the Byram Hills Education Foundation for six years, serving as President in her final year. She completed two full terms, each requiring re-nomination, and continues to support the Foundation through volunteer work and active participation in events that benefit the Byram Hills School District and its innovative grant programs.

"It is truly an honor to serve the Byram Hills community," Lori says of her continued service.

Before settling in Armonk, Lori served as an Assistant District Attorney in the Kings County District Attorney’s Office. She also worked in private practice, representing insurance companies and medical professionals. Currently, she serves as Director of Community Relations and Special Programs at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University, working closely with the Dean’s office.

Lori holds a Bachelor of Arts from Emory University and a Juris Doctorate from St. John’s University School of Law.

Lori and her husband Michael are proud parents of three Byram Hills High School graduates. Their eldest graduated from Columbia University’s School of Engineering and she will begin Harvard Law School in the fall. Their middle child graduated magna cum laude from Cornell University in Information Science and she is currently working at Morgan Stanley. Their youngest will attend Trinity College, where he will compete as a varsity athlete in cross country, winter, and spring track in the NESCAC conference.

Scott Levy
Scott Levy is serving his fourth term on the Byram Hills Board of Education. Currently, he sits on the Audit Committee, Finance Advisory Committee, and is a liaison to the BHEF and the Westchester Putnam School Boards Association. He has formerly served as a liaison to the PTSA. Scott served as the President of the Westchester Putnam School Boards Association and remains an ex-officio member of the board. He also served on the Lower Hudson Education Coalition steering committee. 

Scott was elected to the NYS Teachers’ Retirement System Board by the NYS Board of Regents on the recommendation of the NYS School Boards Association in July 2025. Scott is also a member of the NYS School Boards Association Investment Advisory Committee. In June 2020, Scott was appointed to the NYS Regional Task Force for Reopening Schools.

Scott is a Partner at Lynrock Lake LP and a board member of a digital healthcare company. Prior to that, he spent over 20 years working in financial services as an investment banker and investor.
Currently, Scott is an Adjunct Lecturer and formerly a Visiting Fellow at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. In 2014-15, he was a Senior Research Fellow at the Kennedy School of Government. Scott was formerly a Board Member of the Byram Hills Education Foundation, serving two years as Chairman. He also served as the Chairman of the Board of Blythedale Children's Hospital in Valhalla and is a former member of the Harvard University Alumni Association Board of Directors. He graduated with a degree in economics from Harvard College.

Scott has a daughter and son who graduated from Byram Hills and a son who currently attends the Byram Hills School District.

Petrie Verma
Petrie is serving his second term and his fifth year on the Byram Hills Board of Education.  This year he will be a member of the Policy Committee (fourth time), Guidance Advisory Committee (second time), and Liaison to PTSA and Pre-School Association.  He has also been a member of the Finance Committee, Athletic Advisory Committee, BHEF liaison, and will continue to work with Challenge Success at the high school.  He spent eight years as a member of the PTSA executive board.  There, he was Recording Secretary, Assistant Treasurer, VP for Coman Hill and Wampus, and President of the board.  During his time with the PTSA, he worked closely with administrators and teachers to provide children an optimal learning environment with various school supplies and cultural enrichment programming. Throughout the years, he has been active in the buildings as a class parent and part of many committees such as book fair, beautification, sustainability, spirit wear sales, and staff appreciation luncheons.  He helped pilot the annual Coman Cares week in 2016 and assisted in the planning of the awnings at the Wampus entrances.  He has been a volunteer parent coach for Armonk Soccer Club and Armonk Baseball League throughout his son’s years.  Petrie was also a member of the Covid stakeholder group, district safety response team, and spent many years on the District Site-Based teams.

Petrie is married and went to Manhattanville College for pre-med, but took a turn towards energy commodities trading.  He is a Lay Eucharist Minister and on the Vestry Board overseeing Buildings and Grounds for St. Stephen’s Church of Armonk.  He grew up in Somers and has been living in this community since 1991.  Petrie has one son who is a Senior.



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