Board of Trustees Welcomes New Chair, Says Goodbye to Five Trustees

Crossroads parent and parent of alumni Sarah Harden has been elected to lead the Board of Trustees. She succeeds Juan Carrillo, who termed off after 11 years on the Board. 

Sarah joined the Board during the 2020-21 school year, having previously served as a non-trustee member of the Crossroads Fund committee. As a trustee, she has shared her wise counsel and business expertise on the Revenue, Head of School Compensation, Crossroads Fund and Executive committees, and chaired the Finance Committee. Sarah is the CEO of the media company Hello Sunshine and of Candle Studios, which also includes Faraway Road, Exile and Candle True Stories. She hails from Australia and holds a bachelor’s in international relations from the University of Melbourne and an MBA in finance from Harvard Business School. She is the parent of Louise Harden ’22, and ninth grader Fletcher Harden.

“Crossroads is fortunate to have an individual of Sarah’s caliber step into the role of Board Chair,” said Head of School Mariama Richards. “Her sharp business acumen, coupled with her warmth and deep commitment to the well-being of our School, made her the ideal choice for this position, and I look forward to partnering with her.”

“I have always felt proud as a parent to be a member of this wonderful Crossroads community, and to have served as a trustee of such a distinctive and special school,” Sarah said. “I am thrilled as chair to have the opportunity to work even more closely with Mariama and with our thoughtful and committed group of trustees in continuing the Board’s work to champion, protect, preserve and enhance all that is special about Crossroads.”

Read on to learn about recent additions to and departures from the Board. To see the complete 2024-25 Board of Trustees roster, click here.

In the 2023-24 school year, the Board welcomed two new trustees, Rajesh Puri and Jordan Pynes. In addition, Emiliana Guereca Zeidenfeld joined the Board at the start of the 2024-25 school year.

Rajesh Puri is an equity investment analyst at Capital Group with research responsibility for U.S. retail and ecommerce. Prior to joining Capital, Rajesh was a co-sector head at Criterion Capital Management and a private equity associate at Warburg Pincus. He has 20 years of investment experience and holds an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business and a bachelor's degree in business administration from University of California, Berkeley. Rajesh is the parent of 10th grader Keshav and seventh grader Kabir.

Jordan Pynes is the president of Thomas Safran & Associates, overseeing the development, management and operations for all affordable, luxury and retail properties in its portfolio. He is a chair of the Regional Council for Syracuse University and on the council for Dignity Moves, a nonprofit dedicated to ending homelessness in California. Jordan received an MBA in real estate finance from Fordham University and a B.S. from Syracuse University. He is the parent of Emmy Pynes, who is a senior.

Emiliana Guereca Zeidenfeld founded the Women's March Foundation Los Angeles, Women’s March Foundation and Women’s March Action to advance women’s rights locally and nationally. She sits on advisory boards including Women in Media, the Skirball and the East LA Women’s Center. Emiliana holds a B.S. in mass media communications from UCLA and is currently working toward a master’s in public policy from the Harvard Kennedy School. Emiliana is the parent of ninth grader David Zeidenfeld and seventh grader Jacob Zeidenfeld. 

Five long-term trustees termed off at the end of the 2023-24 school year. We are deeply grateful for their many years of dedicated service to the School.

Bruce Stern served on the Board for 35 years, joining the same year that his son, Jeffrey Stern ’00, entered kindergarten. Bruce was secretary of the Executive Committee for the last three years, keeping meeting minutes and serving as custodian of the corporate records. His decades of business leadership as the chair of Swat Fame, a sustainable clothing manufacturer, benefitted the committees on which he served, including Development, Capital Campaign, Compensation and Benefits, Finance, Facilities, Audit, Head of School Compensation and Head of School Search. Bruce and his wife, Judi Stern, leave a lasting legacy at Crossroads with a deeply generous gift that will make possible the Stern Family Theater. This 650-seat proscenium theater will be housed in the Bezdek Center for the Performing Arts, slated to open in 2026. Crossroads is immensely grateful for the Sterns’ generosity and their decades-long contributions to the School. Bruce will continue his involvement with the Board in his new role as a trustee emeriti.

Bob Davenport served on the Board for 16 years. Bob is head of global corporate credit and distressed debt at Cerberus Capital Management and has been the Board’s treasurer since 2011. His responsibilities included recommending fiscal policy to the Board, ensuring that the annual budget supports the School’s mission and priorities, and presenting the Board with information to assist with financial oversight. Bob served on committees for Audit, Real Estate, Investment, Facilities, Finance, Revenue, Development and Head of School Compensation. He is the parent of Joanne Davenport ’16, Luke Davenport ’18 and Lance Davenport ’20.

Juan Carrillo served on the Board for 11 years and was chair for the last three, using his background in strategic planning, new business development and accounting to provide high-level guidance and support to two heads of school. He served on the Head of School Search and Transition committees and was instrumental in ensuring a smooth transition of leadership. Juan chaired the Audit Committee and served on the committees for Finance, Capital Campaign, Governance, Policy Review Task Force, Head of School Evaluation and Head of School Compensation. He is the parent of Marco Carrillo ’21 and Yann Carrillo ’23.

Nicole Hoegl served on the Board for 11 years, making valuable contributions to the committees for Development, Finance, Head of School Evaluation, the Crossroads Fund and the Policy Review Task Force. Her career as a consultant, mediator, mentor, social activist and wellness specialist informed her work as a member of the schoolwide committees Supporting a Diverse Community and RISE (Radical Inclusion for Social Equity), as a Council facilitator, and as one of the leaders of the Black Family Alliance. She is the parent of Solia Hoegl ’16, Miles Hoegl ’20 and Cole Hoegl ’23.

Lanhee Yung served on the Board for seven years. She chaired the Audit Committee and was a member of the committees for Finance, Investment, Head of School Compensation, Policy Review Task Force, Head of School Search, Executive, Real Estate and Housing. She shared her expertise in finance, investments, real estate and fundraising as a founding partner of Sagehall, a diverse private investment firm focused on strategic real estate opportunities, where she co-heads the Investment Committee and leads operations and investor relations. Prior to joining the Board, Lanhee was a non-trustee member of the Cost and Accessibility Committee and the Investment Committee.