BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Allison Hertog has a daughter who graduated New Roads in 2022.  She's a former special education teacher and a lawyer representing K-12 public school students with disabilities.  

 

Why I Serve  
Having lived and been part of school communities all over the country,  I know that New Roads is a truly unique school.  New Roads' authentic commitment to academic excellence, inclusion and economic diversity is very rare, if not singular, nationwide.  My daughter's experience at the school was life-changing and when she graduated I wanted to continue to be a part of it.  It's an honor to serve with this very talented group of board members who are as genuine in their devotion to the school and its future as I am.  

Matthew Lippman is a proud alumni of New Roads School, Class of 2009. He joined the Board of Trustees in 2024.  After graduating from New Roads, Matthew went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Economics from Union College. He currently serves as Chief Operating Officer of JRK Property Holdings, where he is actively involved in the firm’s investment strategy and operations. Matthew lives in Pacific Palisades with his wife, their three sons, and their golden retriever named Quincy after his favorite Deer Valley chairlift.

 

As a graduate of New Roads, the school played a formative role in shaping who I am — not only academically and athletically, but in the way I think about leadership, community, and responsibility. The education I received instilled in me the importance of inclusion, integrity, and opportunity, values that continue to guide both my personal and professional life.  Now, as the dad of three boys, I am proud and honored to be a part of New Roads’ ongoing commitment to education.

 

 

Gus Lopez has a son who attended New Roads K-12 (Class '21) and a daughter currently enrolled in the 7th grade. Gus joined the board in 2021.

Why I Serve

 

Jason Parry has two children at New Roads, and joined the Board in 2020.  For 20 years, he served on commissions and task forces on urban planning and housing in the City of Santa Monica. 

I’m inspired by New Roads’ teachers, and how they respect young people for who they are.  I am moved by the school leaders who know that it’s not enough to help only New Roads’ students grow; we must also share our stories broadly and advocate for the wellbeing of all students.  And, I am drawn into service by New Roads’ young people, forces of empathy that the world desperately needs.  These people, and the bridges we seek to build together, are why I serve.

Andy Rose and his wife Diane have two children who began New Roads in kindergarten (class of 2020 / 2026). Andy Rose is a composer, producer and multi-instrumentalist and has written and produced music in a variety of genres and mediums over the years. He has served on the New Roads Board of Trustees for 12 years.

Why I Serve
I believe New Roads has a role to play in the betterment of the world. I feel blessed to have two very different children who have each experienced a uniquely personal education, rooted in authentic acceptance and a deep passion for learning. New Roads taught me that education can be a partnership between teacher and student, based on understanding and mutual respect. I believe that is rare and magical. Our society and world need a young generation that can communicate and collaborate with diverse minds on solving the persistent problems of our time in humanistic ways. After 16 years as a New Roads parent, and 12 years serving on the Board of Trustees, I have taken the core New Roads commitments to heart. I continue to dedicate myself to this profound school by trying to help secure its future while maintaining the essence, soul, and core beliefs that have made it extraordinary since the beginning.

Dr. Melissa Rowe and her husband, David Loughran, have a daughter, Fiona Loughran, who graduated from New Roads in 2024.  Melissa is the Distinguished Chair for Human Potential and Principal Behavioral Scientist at RAND Corporation and from 2012-2025 Vice President Global Research Talent overseeing a multidisciplinary staff of ~1600 researchers.  RAND is a non-profit public policy research organization headquartered in Santa Monica, dedicated to improving policy and decision making through research and analysis.  She joined the New Roads Board of Trustees in 2017.  Melissa also serves on several other non-profit boards including the Development Partnership Institute and the Advisory Braintrust for XPrize Foundation. 

 

When my daughter graduated from New Roads in 2017 after starting there in kindergarten, I knew she was ready to leave the nest and start her next journey. The education, the opportunities and the authentic life gifts she received from New Roads were invaluable. For me, it was more difficult to leave the family and community that had been such a vital, compassionate, relevant and inspired part of our lives. I am honored to return and give back to my New Roads family as a board member.

As a Santa Monica native and proud alumni of New Roads High School, it is an honor to be able to pay it forward to a school and family that largely impacted my professional and personal trajectory. It is not every day that schools successfully foster safe, empowering and rigorous learning environments for their youth. More specifically youth of color, queer youth and youth from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds. This is not a coincidence, but a revolutionary decision that takes tact, perspective, integrity and critical thought. This is the type of school that New Roads is. Because I was able to be a part of such a community, I had the foresight to imagine a similar community for the most at-promise youth in Los Angeles; Da Vinci RISE High School. These dreams do not brew themselves, they take a village of courageous leaders and revolutionary thinkers to lead the way. This is exactly what New Roads is, and that is why I am proud  to serve.