Leading the Way

We are grateful to the men and women who serve or have served on the Northwood School Board of Trustees. We thank them for dedicating their time to this special place called Northwood and for sharing their expertise and wisdom for the betterment of our school.

KATHY NGUYENLE P’21,’23

Educated at Stanford, Harvard, and UChicago, My-Khanh “Kathy” Nguyenle, is a physician with a background in entrepreneurship. Her work over the last two decades has focused on projects and business initiatives in the areas of education and health. She lives in Redmond, Washington, with her husband Anh and their children Andrea “Q” ’21 and Kirk ’23.

Why did you choose to serve on the Northwood School Board of Trustees?

When I accepted the position in 2019, Northwood was embarking on a new path. I spoke with Mike Maher and the Chair of the Board and they had just started building the Innovation Hub. I thought with my background, I could be impactful in assisting the School develop its vision going forward and help take it into the 21st century while still preserving the essence of Northwood.

What are you most excited about at Northwood currently?

We have new leadership under Brad Olch and under his leadership the board has been invigorated. As a result, we’re marching forward with a cohesive vision for the School. I think the pandemic has in fact had a real silver lining for Northwood. First, it pushed the board and the School leadership to really look at ourselves and think about not just how to get through the pandemic but how to succeed on the other side — to home in on what we’re really good at. It also helped Northwood get in touch with many alumni. So often we talk about connecting forward, but in order to make connections forward we have to connect with our history and our alums a such a critical part of that.

I appreciate the championship mentality — the elite sports mentality — at Northwood which has seeped its way into academics. This year Northwood’s robotics team made the World Championships. That’s a huge deal! Just 10% of teams in the world make that competition. To have that culture of competition, that mind set apply to academics as well as athletics is the path forward for Northwood.

Trustee Kathy Nguyenle at Northwood’s Alumni Reunion last June And in the future?

What I’m most looking forward to seeing at Northwood is the development of the programs at the Innovation Hub. The experiential learning that we’re embarking on at the Innovation Hub, which I’m hopeful will also tie into the L.E.A.P. program in some ways — that’s the most exciting for me.

Why is philanthropy/giving back important to you and your family?

I believe one teacher can make a difference in a student’s life, but they can’t really do that without the support of the School. Giving back is important to me so that Northwood teachers can continue to impact each student and continue to see the worth of every student.

In high school, one of my teachers really went the extra mile for me. My schedule was very tight and he made a Period 0 for me so that I could come in and do research before school actually started. He saw my potential and he told me I belonged at Stanford. Prior to that I had never even considered it. I didn’t realize I was Stanford material.

What is something people would be surprised to learn about you?

I am certified in Ikebana, the Japanese art of flower arranging.