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Nancy Riley, Director of Development, Will Retire in May

Nancy Riley, Director of Development, Will Retire in May

To know her is to love her…and Highlands School has been lucky to know Nancy Riley for the past 26 years. Throughout that time, she has worn many hats: parent, Board Member, PA Chair, Interim Head of School, and most recently Director of Development, from which she will be retiring at the end of this school year.

Nancy’s Highlands School journey first began in 1998 when her oldest child, Will, enrolled in 4K here. The next year, her daughter, Sarah, joined – and the rest, as they say, is history. Nancy, never one for the sidelines, quickly became involved in the Parent Auxiliary, volunteering as the Head of the Auction, then later holding office as the PA Chair. Her love of the school eventually led her to serve on the Highlands School Board of Trustees for nine years.

After taking time to raise her children, Nancy came back home to Highlands School to serve as the Director of Development in 2014. During her 11-year tenure, Nancy has raised over $8.5 million for our school, including leading the charge for our Capital Campaign, which raised $5 million for the construction of the Student Life Center in 2019.

Maye Head Frei, Former President of the Highlands School Board of Trustees, remarks, “I had the pleasure and privilege of working with Nancy on the Advancement Committee and the 2018 Capital Campaign. Both showed that no task is too small and no challenge is too great for Nancy to achieve with diligence and grace. Her ability to get the job done made fundraising easy and for that, I am indebted to her. Congratulations, Nancy, on leaving Highlands with such a wonderful legacy.”

Nancy’s contributions to our school are far more than monetary. She loves this school, the children, and their families. She’s famous in the Family Center too; all the children run to see their “NeNe” on her daily visits. She embodies our Highlands Way through and through with a natural ability to make everyone feel special, known, and loved.

Head of School Kavita Vasil adds, “Nancy was my first hire as the new Head of School at Highlands in 2014. Her love of everything Highlands is palpable and when I think of our Highlands Way core values, Nancy is the embodiment of those values through her servant leadership, making sure everyone is taken care of, being the first one to sign up to help wherever needed. Her ability to cultivate and nurture relationships with parents, grandparents, alumni, and community organizations has led to the amazing success of all of our development efforts over the past 11 years directly benefitting our students and faculty/staff. She will be greatly missed but I also know she is a phone call away.”

In retirement, Nancy will be trading in her Director title for that of grandmother. She plans to spend more time caring for her two granddaughters, with two more on the way in January. We will miss her dearly, but we know that Nancy will always be a cherished member of our Highlands School family.

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