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 regular monthly business meetings of the Riverhead Central School District Board of Education will be held on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month at 7:00 p.m. in the Riverhead High School Auditorium, 700 Harrison Avenue, riverhead NY (unless otherwise specified.)
Prior to the start of each regular meeting, the Board will convene in executive session at 6:15 p.m. in the Riverhead High School Music Room 123, 700 Harrison Avenue, Riverhead to discuss personnel and other executive item matters
Brian Connelly, President
Brian Connelly is a Riverhead resident with two children in the Riverhead School District. He is employed as a NYC firefighter and holds a bachelor’s degree from SUNY Albany. His wife is a special education teacher in the Mattituck-Cutchogue School District.
Laurie Downs, Vice President
Laurie Downs lives in Polish Town and works as an administrative assistant for MLicata Entertainment. Ms. Downs served as PTO executive council president and event planner, RHS PTSO president, and middle school PTO secretary. Ms. Downs also served on the district’s capital improvement bond committee. She acted as a volunteer videographer of the Board of Education meetings for 15 years. Her children were both graduates of Riverhead High School.
Christopher Dorr, Trustee
Christopher Dorr lives in Baiting Hollow and has three children. He has coached PAL football and lacrosse. Mr. Dorr has an MBA in marketing and is employed as a Nassau BOCES data coordinator, who analyzes student tests, staff evaluations and handles state reporting for schools in Nassau. He hopes to bring his talents to the table in the light of the “ever-increasing tasks of state reporting”.
Virginia Healy, Trustee
Virginia Healy lives in Wading River and has eight children, the youngest two currently in Riverhead Schools. She has been an active member of Riverhead Special Education PTA serving as Treasurer and Past President. She was a former financial planner and educational consultant with a bachelor’s degree from Stony Brook University and CFP and graduate courses in business from Adelphi University. Her husband is a retired FDNY firefighter.
Colin Palmer, Trustee
A lifelong resident of the district and RHS graduate, Colin Palmer resides in Northville. He is a theatre and performing artist across Long Island and is active in numerous arts organizations on the East End. Colin attended Stony Brook University in Stony Brook, NY and the Central School of Speech and Drama in London, UK. (For more info visit www.colinpalmer.org)
Matthew Wallace, Trustee
Matthew Wallace is a resident of Calverton and the father of four children. Two children have graduated from the District and one is in Middle School and one in High School. Matt’s wife is a Vision and Special Education Teacher for Eastern Suffolk BOCES. Mr. Wallace has been a coach for the PAL organization for football and lacrosse.
In addition to his day job as a Nurse at Northwell Family Medicine in Riverhead, Matt is also a volunteer firefighter/EMT for the Wading River Fire Department. During his 32 years of service in the department, he has served as a Captain and a Fire Commissioner.
Therese Zuhoski, Trustee
Therese Zuhoski is a Riverhead resident with four sons in the Riverhead School District. As a stay at home mom, she has been involved in various PTO organizations, including serving as president of the Pulaski, middle school and high school PTOs. She holds a master’s degree in psychology and prior to starting a family, worked in the human relations field.