Meet the Nominees

The Scarsdale School Nominating Committee has selected residents Sunil Subbakrishna and Jonathan Lewis to run for the Scarsdale Board of Education.These men have backgrounds in technology and finance, both important issues facing the schools now and in the future.

We had a chance to catch up with both of them.

Born in Bangalore, India, Sunil Subbakrishna came to the States at age two when his father’s studies brought him to Chicago. He returned to India with his family at age six, only to come back to the U.S. when he was twelve when he settled settled in Evanston, Illinois with his family.

Sunil received a BA in Music from the Washington University in St. Louis as well as one in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Illinois. He then went on to receive an MBA from the University of Chicago in Finance.

Moving to Scarsdale in 1994, just before his oldest started kindergarten, Sunil has a son who went through the Scarsdale schools and is about to graduate Columbia University. He also has a daughter in the eighth grade. Education has always been a big part of his family’s life and that is why he wants to be on the board.

“Like a lot of people, the schools are why we moved here. It’s evident that this community values education. It’s more than just a tax check. It’s important that people are involved and care about the quality of the education and ensure the schools stay excellent.”

Sunil has his own management consulting firm. Before that he worked for several large financial companies including JP Morgan and UBS who placed him in Zurich. In these roles he combined his knowledge of technology and finance, something he plans to focus on as a member of the Board of Education.

As he explains,"I feel like we are at a point now where there is a lot of change in technology. It's a lot of what I consult on and how we can use it (technology) to best stay competitive. That change we are seeing is happening in our schools. It's not just technology involving teaching, but also using technology to include parents in the overall education system. In Scarsdale schools, as a parent, I think they have done a good job adapting and using new technology and are probably stronger than most schools. This is like- think of this - like an Ecosystem. We should make it so evèryone in the ecosystem that is our school can interact with one another."

And while he believes it’s not appropriate to comment on specific issues facing the district at the moment, he can speak broadly to the issues facing Scarsdale schools including class size, tax caps and the looming budget crisis. “These are all issues that will require trade offs. Smaller class sizes will require hiring more teachers and we will have to look at what that means in financial terms. The board will have to be one that is willing to listen and make tough decisions in terms of those trade offs and I think that will be indicative of what we will see on the board in the next few years. Going forward the board will have to find a balance between taxing people and providing quality services.”

For the past few years Subbakrishna has been on the Advisory Council on Technology for Scarsdale Village. On the Council, he helped to guide the Village Treasurer in obtaining a new accounting system program. His advice was key in the town's decision.

Jonathan Lewis was born in Greenwich Village in the late 1960s, but was raised in Great Neck, New York. His roots in school issues go way back. In his senior year of high school, he was a student delegate to the Great Neck Board of Education. Lewis earned a BA at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he focused on History and International Studies. He was recruited to play trumpet at Chapel Hill as well.

Upon graduation, Jonathan went on to earn an MBA in finance and management of organizations at Columbia University and an MA in history at New York University.

While getting his Masters in Foreign Policy, Jonathan was introduced to Richard Bissel a key figure in the conception and implementation of the Marshall Plan, as well as CIA Deputy Director for Presidents Eisenhower and Kennedy. The two developed a friendship and Jonathan co-authored his memoir, Spy Capitalism which was published by Yale University Press. Working closely with Bissel he says that he grew to understand what makes for good and bad policy decisions. Lewis says that his academic work in this area and knowledge of policy will help him on the board.

He and his wife moved to Scarsdale in large part due to the reputation of the schools, and he has been impressed with the quality of the education. He says that as a potential board member, maintaining this level of excellence will be a challenge in light of the economy.

“My daughter, Hannah, is in the fifth grade at Edgewood Elementary School and my son Steven, is in the ninth grade at the high school. Edgewood has been a great place for both of my children. The school has a warm, community spirit and there are many avenues for children to get involved in sports, explore new ideas and express themselves through the arts. I’ve been very impressed with the careful way the school district prepares families and students for the transitions from elementary school to middle school and then on to high school. Steven had a great experience in the middle school and was well prepared for the start of high school this year.

The quality of the teaching is excellent, and the district remains a thought leader in considering new ways to approach education. The ever-present challenge, which all districts face, will be maintaining this level of excellence in an era of diminished prosperity. Our challenge will be to preserve the qualities and programs that are at the heart of a Scarsdale education while being mindful of the economic challenges we all face as taxpayers.”

Lewis co-founded Samson Capital Advisors seven years ago, where he currently is a member of the executive committee and the chair of the investment committee. He compares building a business to some of the challenges faced by the board.

“When we began business in 2004, we had no clients, and no employees. Today, we manage about $7 billion in conservative investment strategies for private clients, foundations, and not-for-profits and we have over 30 employees and working partners. Building a successful business, creating jobs, and serving clients well has been exciting. As a partner in a privately held company, I am particularly sensitive to the importance of managing our cost structure prudently so that we can build a healthy organization and deliver on the value proposition our clients expect. I would bring this knowledge of business and management to the school board to help insure our district maintains its reputation for prudent financial management during these difficult economic times.

Jonathan explains that education has always been an important part of his life as is community service.

“Through all of my volunteer activities, wherever I have lived, I have tried to do my part for my community. I believe my background as an entrepreneur and academic will help me make a positive contribution to our school district and community. I have a life-long commitment to education and education policy from being a student delegate to the Board of Education in Great Neck when I was growing up, to my work for Yale University Press, teaching at the Scarsdale Young Writers' Conference for many years, and my work with the Phi Beta Kappa foundation.”

Earlier this year, on behalf of Phi Beta Kappa he helped stage an event in Scarsdale that brought educators from Princeton, Columbia, and Yale to a meeting that also included Superintendent McGill and Jill Spieler. The discussion was about the value of the liberal arts and how school districts, universities and Phi Beta Kappa can work together to find a new ways to promote and protect the liberal arts at the high school and college level.

And since, running a business, writing books, and doing community service isn’t enough, Jonathan Lewis has found some time to exercise. When asked to tell us something people would be surprised to learn about him he said:

“For the past five years I have done one to two sprint triathlons a year. Sprint triathlons are short distance events: a half a mile swim in the Long Island Sound, cycling six to tweleve miles, running a few miles. For anyone who has seen me jog in the neighborhood, they can be pretty sure “sprint” is a misnomer in my case. I have a fun time participating, love the swim in the open water, and just like to finish. Knowing that I have an event or two over the summer motivates me to exercise, particularly so I can have a decent finish with my family waiting at the end of the race!"

Jen is a freelance journalist who has covered the economy and markets for over a decade at a major financial news outlet. She lives in Scarsdale with her husband and 2 children. Jen has yet to bake a successful batch of cookies.