Board Members

Amy J. Thomas | President of the Board | Executive Director - Monroe County School Boards Association

Amy Thomas served on the Pittsford Central School District (PCSD) Board of Education for 9 years (2013-2022), 5 years as president and 1 year as vice-president.  Additionally, she served as president and vice president of the Monroe County School Boards Association (MCSBA) and as co-chair of the Calkins Road Middle School Parent Teacher Student Association.

While serving on the Board of Education, Amy also served as an NYSSBA Area 2 Resolutions Ambassador, a member of the PCSD Negotiating Team, a member of the Pittsford Town, Village, School District Leadership Team, a member of the PCSD Advocacy Steering Committee, and a member of the MCSBA Executive and Steering Committees.

Currently, Amy is the Executive Director of the Monroe County School Boards Association.  She works with all the public school districts of Monroe County and Holley, Kendall, and Victor Central Schools. She provides professional development programming and workshops for public school district board of education members and district leaders. In addition, she is actively involved in public education advocacy with local, state, and federal legislators. In her role as MCSBA Executive Director, Amy is affiliated with TogetherNow, Golisano Children’s Hospital, the Council of Local School Boards Associations (COLSBA), New York State School Boards Association (NYSSBA), the Monroe County School Attorneys Group, and ACT for Education.  She also provides leadership and board governance presentations at the University of Rochester.

Amy is also the recipient of the 2023 Parent Teacher Student Association Honorary Life Membership Award.

She holds a B.S. in Education from SUNY Geneseo; is married and has four children who attended Allen Creek Elementary School, Calkins Road Middle School, and Sutherland High School.

Michael Pero | VP of the Board | Former Superintendent of Schools, Pittsford Central School District

Mr. Michael Pero is the former superintendent of the Pittsford Central School District. He joined the District in 1994 as a health educator at Pittsford Middle School and then became assistant principal of the school in 2002.

From 2005-2011, Mr. Pero served as principal of Barker Road Middle School. During his tenure at Barker Road Middle School, the school was recognized as a National School to Watch from 2005-2009 and as a New York State High Performing/Gap Closing School from 2005-2010. He was recognized as the Middle School Administrator of the Year by the School Administrators Association of New York State for the 2010-2011 academic year. In his final year as principal, he learned BRMS earned the status of a Blue Ribbon School.

Following his administrator position at Barker Road Middle School, Mr. Pero served as assistant superintendent for human resources. In 2013, he became superintendent of schools.

He is a June 2011 graduate of Leadership Rochester. From July 2009-June 2011, he participated in the Future Superintendents Academy, a comprehensive, rigorous and competitive program that prepares high-level administrators to become successful superintendents.

He received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Education from SUNY Cortland and his Master of Science in Business Management from Roberts Wesleyan College. Mr. Pero earned his School District Administration Certification in Educational Administration from SUNY Brockport.  

Andrew Kelly | Treasurer | Audit Principal at The Bonadio Group

Andy is an audit principal on the healthcare/tax-exempt team at The Bonadio Group.  He serves a client base consisting of health and human service providers, institutions of higher education, low-income housing tax credit projects, and a variety of other non-profit organizations.

He joined Bonadio in 2013, after completing a five-year master’s degree program at Binghamton University. 

Andy is a NYS Certified Public Accountant and member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

He is an alumnus of the Pittsford Central School District, graduating from Pittsford Mendon HS in 2008.

Patricia Chodak | Secretary | Participation in Government/ Criminal Law/ Global II Teacher - PSHS

Working in education since 2007, Patricia Chodak, is a teacher at Pittsford Sutherland High School in the Social Studies Department. Patricia holds a BA in Education and History, a MS in Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment and CAS in Educational Administration. In addition to classroom teaching Patricia also has expertise in restorative practices, student motivation and diversity and inclusion. Patricia’s resume also includes teaching in the School of Education at Roberts Wesleyan College. In addition to education, she has served on the JCC board of Directors and Levine Center to End Hate Steering Committee.

A lifelong Rochesterian, Patricia and her family reside in Pittsford where her two young children attend Mendon Center Elementary School. Patricia is passionate about educational excellence and high academic standards.

Ray Brown | Partner with Acres of Diamonds

Ray is a partner with Acres of Diamonds, a business coaching organization focused on high performance mental fitness training.

He is a lifelong Pittsford resident, graduating from Pittsford Mendon High School in 1982. Ray served for 14 years on the Pittsford Central School District Board of Education including 3 years as President and 2 years as Vice President of the Board. He is the recipient of the 2019 PTSA Life Membership Award.

Ray’s commitment to supporting his community includes past service on the Boards of CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates), Rochester Advertising Federation and Rochester City Ballet as well as serving on the Seneca Park Zoo Marketing Committee and Chair of the Zoo’s Strategic Planning Committee.

Ray holds a BS in Biology from Denison University, is married, and has 2 grown children.

Rachel Kirschen Berk | Director of Customer Success, Acquia

Rachel has been working in the tech industry for over 15 years, focusing on customer success and account management. She is a passionate people leader and has built her career at the intersection of customer strategy, product insight, data, and business growth.

She is a Sutherland '02 alumni and holds a BS in Psychology from the University of Delaware. 

After living in New York City and San Francisco, Rachel returned to her roots in 2020 and now resides in Pittsford with her husband Dave and their two children who are students at JRE. 

Shana Cutaia | Superintendent of Pittsford Central School District

Shana Cutaia began her career with the Pittsford Schools in 2003 as a social studies teacher at Barker Road Middle School. She later became assistant principal at Brighton’s Twelve Corners Middle School before returning to Pittsford in 2014 as principal of Barker Road Middle School, a position she held until 2021. Under her leadership, the school was named a National School to Watch and the top middle school in Monroe County by the “Rochester Business Journal.”

In 2021, Cutaia was appointed Director of Student Services, overseeing areas including health and safety, counseling, nursing services, and social-emotional support programs. On December 1, 2025, she became Superintendent of Pittsford Schools.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts in History and Secondary Education from Nazareth University and a Master’s in Educational Leadership from St. John Fisher University. She also earned certifications in School District Administration from SUNY Brockport and Human Resources Management from Cornell University. Most recently, she participated in the Future Superintendent’s Academy (2023–2024) and Harvard University's “Civic Leadership in the Superintendency” program (2024).

Cutaia and her husband are Pittsford residents with two children who attend Pittsford Schools.

Andrew Gleasman | President of the Board | Director of Business Development at CETech, MHS ‘00

Andrew has a bachelor’s degree from the Rochester Institute of Technology. Has worked in the high-tech start up, manufacturing & construction industries since 2004. He currently is Vice President of Business Development at Hungate Construction based in Rochester, NY.

He spends his winters (springs & summers) coaching wrestling at Webster Schroeder HS. He is an alumnus of the Pittsford Central School District, graduating from Pittsford Mendon HS in 2000

He holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Rochester Institute of Technology.

Kim McCluski | Retired PCSD BOE member, Monroe #1 BOCES Board member

Kim McCluski served on the Pittsford Central School District (PCSD) Board of Education for 24 years (1996 – 2020); serving 6 years as Board president and 9 years as Board vice-president. She also served as president of the Monroe County School Boards Association (MCSBA) and president of the PCSD Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA).

Over those years, other volunteer positions included: member of the New York State Regents Advisory Committee; NYSSBA Area 2 Ambassador; former chair of the PCSD Audit Oversight Committee; member of several PCSD Negotiating Teams, a member of the Pittsford Town/Village/School District Leadership Team & the PCSD Advocacy Steering Committee.

Currently, Kim is a member & currently serving as President of the BOCES 1 Board of Education, the MCSBA Executive Committee, Steering Committee and co-chair of the MCSBA Communications Outreach Advisory Council. She is also a leadership coaching consultant working with Superintendents & Boards of Education.

In the greater community, Kim served 15 years on the Nazareth College Board of Trustees and is currently a Trustee Emerita.

She is an 18 year member and current Chairwomen of the Golisano Children’s Hospital Board also serving on their Executive Committee.

She served as co-chair of the Golisano Children’s Hospital Gala and the Wilmot Cancer Center Ball, as well as the Daystar Derby, which raises money for medically fragile children.

Kim is involved in coordinating the annual Rainbow Classic basketball game between SHS and MHS which is played in memory of Katelyn Pasley and Ryan McCluski. The Rainbow Classic has raised over $600,000 for the Golisano Children's Hospital.

She is the recipient of the 1996 PTSA Life Membership Award, 2010 Pittsford Rotary Edward Francis Community Service Award, 2016 Monroe County Legislature Willie W. Lightfoot Youth Advocate Award and 2017 SAANYS (School Administrators Association of New York State) NYS Friends of Education Award.

She holds a B.S. in Accounting from Ithaca College; is married and has two sons who both graduated from Sutherland High School.

Patricia “PK” Morley | Licensed Associate Real Estate Broker | Keller Williams GR

Patricia holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and a Master’s Degree in Inclusive Education, B-6; both from Nazareth College of Rochester.

PK taught for several years as a special education teacher for a non-for-profit agency, focusing on children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. During her teaching career, PK advanced her knowledge base and therapy technique by becoming an Expert DIR®/Floortime Provider & ICDL Training Leader through the nationally accredited Interdisciplinary Council on Development and Learning Disorders program.

Making a career change in 2015, PK is an Associate Real Estate Broker with Keller Williams, focusing on residential real estate. She has helped over 300 families buy and sell homes in Monroe and Ontario Counties. Her success is drawn from her approach based on education and advocacy she honed as a teacher.

PK and her husband Ben reside in Pittsford and have two children in the Pittsford Central School District.

PK’s innate passion to help others and serve her community is what brought her to PEF.

A lifelong Rochesterian, Patricia and her family reside in Pittsford where her two young children attend Mendon Center Elementary School. Patricia is passionate about educational excellence and high academic standards.

Deborah Trimble | Consultant

Deborah Trimble is a nonprofit development professional with more than a decade of experience in fundraising strategy, donor engagement, and organizational advancement.

She has worked with national and regional organizations to strengthen development operations, build philanthropic partnerships, and support mission-driven growth. Notable organizations she's worked with include: Child Mind Institute, Birthright Israel Foundation, American Academy of Nursing, New Era Cap Foundation, Jewish Federation of Greater Rochester, and Rescue Mission Alliance.

Deborah holds a BA from American University and an MS in Fundraising Management from Columbia University.

In addition to working with the Pittsford Education Foundation, she volunteers with Camp Seneca Lake. Deborah lives in Pittsford, NY with her family.