Board of Trustees

The Meadowbrook Waldorf School Board of Trustees is accountable for upholding the mission of the school and also accountable to the taxpayers for all legal matters.  Trustees are volunteers and include parents, faculty, community members, and a specialist in anthroposophy. The Board is not involved in day-to-day operations but is an independent advisory board, and focuses its energies on development and long range planning.

Kristina Boving —Trustee, Class Teacher

BA Anthropology, University of Chicago

MA, PhD Archaeology, University of California-Los Angeles

Waldorf Teacher Training Certificate, Sunbridge College

Teaching grades at MWS since 2004, previously had been Waldorf German Teacher and Kindergarten Assistant;

Interests include travel, foreign languages, camping and hiking, skiing, and cooking- not necessarily in that order!

Kristina shares, “I love working at MWS because it is such a multifaceted job with a profound sense of community and caring. I get to do great things all day long with great kids and great colleagues. From art and music and poetry, to science, math and writing- the curriculum nurtures the children who come here, as well as the teachers (and hopefully parents as well).  It took me awhile to find it- but teaching at MWS is truly my vocation.” Kristina has graduated four MWS 8th grades classes, 2014, 2019, 2021 and 2022, and is the current Grade 4 class teacher.

Jennifer Farrelly – Ex Officio Trustee, Administrator

As Administrator of MWS, Jennifer’s seat on the Board is as an ex-officio, non-voting member.   A native Rhode Islander, Jennifer received a BA in Accounting from Bethany College in West Virginia, and she brings her experience as both a public accountant and a business manager for a privately held corporation to her roles. Jennifer lives with her husband, Steve, in Jamestown and they are the parents of five Meadowbrook alumni.

Himanshu Gosar — Treasurer

Born and raised in Mumbai, India, Himanshu graduated from University of Mumbai with a Bachelor's of Commerce. He is also a Chartered Accountant (CPA equivalent) in India. Upon completion of his MBA at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, USA, Himanshu joined Textron, Inc. where he has taken on multiple roles in various locations throughout the world before returning back to the USA. Himanshu is currently Director, Strategy and Mergers & Acquisitions at Textron in Providence, RI. He lives in South Kingstown with his wife Nehal and two sons. Their older son is a current student at Meadowbrook. Himanshu also serves as a member of the Finance Committee.

jennifer mccann – Trustee

Jen was raised in Tiverton and attended the University of New Hampshire and University of Rhode Island, graduating with a Masters of Arts in Marine Affairs. She is currently the Director of US Coastal Programs at the Graduate School of Oceanography at URI.

As a parent of two alum, Jen’s family has been part of the Meadowbrook community for more than 15 years, which she describes as “a place where my children have thrived and become kind, creative and intentional young adults and leaders. She also shares that “serving on the Board allows me to remain part of this nurturing community and help sustain this amazing educational and positive resource for Rhode Islanders.”

Doug Pearce – board president

Originally from Rochester, New York, Doug Pearce earned a BS in Package Engineering from the Rochester Institute of Technology and more recently earned an MBA from the University of Rhode Island.  Doug is currently a Director of Drug Product Design at Pfizer in Groton, CT and resides in Westerly.  They are the parents of a Meadowbrook alumna and a current student.

Lorna Persson – vice president

Lorna was born and raised on the Richmond, Rhode Island property that was to become the permanent home of Meadowbrook Waldorf School.   She received her BS in Zoology from the University of Rhode Island and was a research assistant at Pfizer.  Lorna now manages The Nordic, owned by their family, and she and her husband Steve are the parents of three Meadowbrook alumni.

Mikhail Sagal — Board Secretary

Trustee Mikhail Sagal is a graduate of Hawthorne Valley Waldorf School. After earning a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Boston University, Mikhail founded Thermal Solution Resources, an LED lighting design and manufacturing company.  Mikhail resides in Wakefield, RI with his wife, Lisa and two Meadowbrook alumni.

Gabrielle Torphy – Trustee

Born in New York City and raised in New Jersey, Gabrielle came to South County 40 years ago to attend URI and has been here ever since. After earning a BS in Plant Science, she shares her days are filled with plants, soil, and bugs as both a Research Technician in the Sustainable Agriculture program at URI and avid gardener/grower.

Gabrielle lives with her husband, Bob, in West Kingston and they are the parents of 3 boys, all MWS alumni. She shares, “Serving on the MWS Board of Trustees allows me to give back to the school that gave us so much-- a wonderful community and a solid educational foundation for our children.” Being a hands-on person herself, she especially appreciates how Waldorf Education meets the needs of many different learning styles.

ali wade – Ex Officio Trustee, Teacher, Faculty Chair

BA Education, Goddard College

Waldorf Teacher Education Eugene, Oregon

Class Teacher, Faculty Chair

Ali grew up on the East Coast in a different little state, Delaware.  After several years spent working with horses, primarily race horses, she found herself on a deeper path connected to Vajrayana Buddhism.  She spent ten years in the high desert of New Mexico helping to build a retreat center, hosting events, and engaging in her own practice.  This led her to another path, one of educating children.  She found Waldorf education at this time and fell in love with the 'whole-heartedness' of it's approach. 

Ali is an avid reader, hiker and backpacker, writer, aspiring cellist, and deeply curious about the stuff of life.

Nils Wiberg - Trustee