Meet Suba Shah, Board President

One might assume Peck was extraordinarily visionary in appointing a physician to lead its Board of Trustees six months before a global pandemic hit. But in reality, it turned out to be an auspicious coincidence.

Dr. Suba Shah is in her second year as President of Peck’s Board of Trustees, a role she says may be one of the greatest opportunities of her life.

“I’ve been practicing medicine for 15 years, so this experience has made me realize I like learning about things outside of medicine,” Shah said. “I like working through problems, I like collaborating with others, and I like thinking about organizational strategy.”

Filling the shoes of long-time Board President and past parent Jamie Foley ’85 was no small task, but Shah says she knew she brought a unique perspective and a different set of skills to the table.

“Both in medicine and on the Board, my leadership style is to look at my team and understand their strengths and weaknesses and hopefully encourage and inspire them to contribute in the best way they can,” she said.

Her job as Board President involves setting agendas, fostering dialogue, building consensus, and providing support.

“My job is to hear all the different perspectives, give everyone an opportunity to contribute, and hopefully get us to a place where we are serving [Head of School] Andy Delinsky, the faculty, the administration, and our community,” she said.

Serving as president during a global pandemic is a singular experience, and one for which even Shah’s extensive preparation and research for the job could not prepare her, given the new challenges Covid-19 presents.

Her medical background makes her a crucial sounding board for the administration as new safety protocols are evaluated in a rapidly changing situation.

Shah says she has drawn on the inspiration of her role models for great leadership: Mahatma Gandhi, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg, and most importantly, her mother. Shah’s father passed away when she was 13 years old. Her then stay-at-home mom was forced to pivot and enter the workforce to support Shah and her younger brother.

“She did it because she had to, and at a point of great despair in her life. She taught me strength, courage, and resilience,” Shah said.

Those skills are serving her well now as Peck is set to embark on its next Strategic Planning process in the 2021-22 school year.

“I don’t think we’ll have this type of opportunity again,” Shah says. “We can reflect on the changes to delivery of education during a global pandemic. We have successfully implemented so much change in a short amount of time.”

Shah says the strategic priorities for the upcoming year, as well as for the strategic plan, will focus on the essence of Peck: supporting academic excellence while focusing on character development and consideration of others.

“And maybe most importantly, how to continue to connect and grow our community,” Shah said.