Profiles of the Members of the Board of Education

The Board of Education is the authorized state agency responsible for setting educational policy in the district. It consists of seven members. They serve three-year terms and receive no salary or other financial compensation.
The Board of Education will hold regular meetings on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month. The meeting will begin at 6:15 p.m. at the Riverhead High School Music Room 123, 700 Harrison Avenue, Riverhead, NY. After the meeting is opened to the public, the Board will immediately recess to executive session to discuss personnel matters until 7:00 p.m. at which time they will reconvene into public session in the Riverhead High School Auditorium (unless otherwise stated), 700 Harrison Avenue, Riverhead, NY. (See Meeting Dates.)

Ann Cotten-DeGrasse  is the President of the Board of Education. Ms. Cotten-Degrasse lives in Jamesport. She spent 32 years as a business teacher in the Riverhead School District and was president of the Riverhead Central Faculty Association for five years. Ms. Cotten-DeGrasse is one of the founding members of the North Fork Breast Health Coalition and has been its president for the past five years. She began her tenure with the Board in 2007.

Gregory Meyer  is the Vice President of the Board of Education. Mr. Meyer was elected to the Board in 2008. Mr. Meyer is a firefighter and emergency medical technician at the Brookhaven National Laboratory and also a volunteer firefighter for the Wading River Fire Department. He's also involved in coaching youth activities (PAL sports) and is a volunteer football coach at RHS. Mr. Meyer has two children currently attending Riverhead schools.

Thomas Carson  is the owner of a the Country Farm Kitchen on West Main Street. Mr. Carson is a Setauket native and has lived in the Riverhead School District for 22 years. He and his wife have twin 10-year-old daughters in the school district.

Jeffrey Falisi is a retired New York City police officer who has lived in Baiting Hollow for the past 10 years. He and his wife, Lori, have four children in the district, and he's been active in a number of youth activities, including coaching Riverhead Little League boys' baseball and girls' softball, Riverhead PAL boys' lacrosse, Riverhead Middle School football and CYO basketball for St. John's. He's also a member of the Police Athletic League board. He has one child in each level -- high school, middle school, Pulaski Street and elementary school -- who are active in sports, music, the Latin and Greek clubs and the Honor Society. Mr. Falisi has been on the Board of Education since July 2010.

Susan Koukounas is a math professor at Suffolk County Community College. She was a PTO president for three years and vice president for one; she was also on the CPR team for the Bond Referendum, and was a founding member of Riverhead WAVE Foundation, a nonprofit group that seeks to raise money to support school programs. Ms. Koukounas lives in Aquebogue and has two children in Riverhead schools.

Amelia Lantz of Riverhead is a lifelong Riverhead resident and a U.S. Air Force veteran, who was deployed overseas. A 1983 Riverhead High School graduate, Ms. Lantz and her husband, Dave, have two daughters in the district. She has been an active member of the Roanoke Parent-Teacher Organization and was the chairperson of the Roanoke's Holiday Giving Chain. Ms. Lantz has been on the Board of Education since July 2010.

Kimberly Ligon   is a long-time Riverhead resident and a 1985 graduate of Riverhead High School. She is a college graduate with a degree in Recreation Management. Mrs. Ligon is the wife of Fred Ligon, and they have two daughters presently attending Riverhead elementary schools. Mrs. Ligon has been employed by Peconic Bay Medical Center for the past 21 years. Mrs. Ligon joined the Board of Education in July, 2011.