Falk School Board

The Falk School Board 

The composition of the Falk School Board is set by the charter agreement between the Falk family and  the University of Pittsburgh. The composition also reflects the expertise and perspectives (past, present,  future) needed to achieve the mission and strategic objectives of the school. The Board is chaired by a  representative selected by the Chancellor of the University of Pittsburgh (usually the Dean of the School  of Education). Membership on the Board consists of the Dean of the School of Education, the Director of Falk Lab School, a member of the University’s Board of Trustees, a representative from the teaching  faculty of the School of Education, a representative of the Falk teaching faculty, and two representatives from the Falk family. Note: officers in the Falk Parent Organization also attend Board meetings, in ex-officio, non-voting status.  

Role of the School Board

The 1930 Charter Agreement established the Fanny Edel Falk School Board with “the power of approval of the general purposes and activities with the school, subject to the final decision of the Board of Trustees of the University of Pittsburgh” and that “…the  administration of details of the operation of the school shall be through the regular administrative channels of the University, and that all staff teachers in the school shall be accorded faculty recognition  by the School of Education in such rank as the School of Education designates.” This arrangement means that our Falk School Board is charged with upholding agreements within the Charter though much of their work is primarily advisory in nature.

To that end, the Falk School Board supports the mission and philosophy of the school through oversight and evaluation of its leadership and planning efforts. To ensure a comprehensive community of learning and operational compliance with both charter and University regulations, the School Board’s primary areas of responsibilities are to: 

• Adopt a clear statement of the school’s mission, vision and strategic goals;

• Review and maintain appropriate bylaws that conform to the legal charter;

• Review and approve the annual budget; 

• Keep full and accurate records of its meetings and policies and communicate its decisions widely, while keeping deliberations confidential; 

• Engage proactively with the head of the school in cultivating and maintain good relations with school constituents, as well as the broader university; 

• Exhibit best practices relevant to equity and justice.

School Board Members, 2024-2025 School Year

Name: Gregory Wittig

Occupation: Middle School U.S. History Teacher

Role on the Board: Teacher Representative 

Years served: 2021–Present

Areas(s) of expertise you contribute to the board: Teaching, curriculum, pedagogy

Contact: [email protected]

Connection to Falk Laboratory School: Teacher for 33 years. Working with young people for 33 years.

Name: Dr. Jill Sarada

Occupation: Director, Falk Laboratory School

Role on the Board: Director 

Years served: 2021–Present

Areas(s) of expertise you contribute to the board: Educational leadership; early childhood education

Contact: [email protected]

Connection to Falk Laboratory School: Dr. Sarada served as Interim Director 2021-2022, Assistant Director 2019 - 2021, Director of Admissions 2014-2019, and Kindergarten teacher 1999 - 2016. A past President of the International Association of Laboratory Schools (IALS), Jill actively works to support learning and collaboration among the educators of Lab schools with the broader educational community.

Name: Dr. Eboni M. Zamani-Gallaher

Occupation: Professor and Renée and Richard Goldman Interim Dean, University of Pittsburgh School of Education; Executive Director, Council for the Study of Community Colleges; Fellow, American Educational Research Association; and President-Elect and Chair-Elect, Association for the Study of Higher Education

Role on the Board: Chair

Years served: 2023–Present

Areas(s) of expertise you contribute to the board: Leadership and strategic vision; collaboration and institutional support; and equitable practices in education. 

Contact: Contact executive assistant Megan Brennan at [email protected]

Connection to Falk Laboratory School: Interim Dean of the School of Education

Signature accomplishments: Accomplished scholar whose work focuses on equitable participation in higher education; transfer, access, and retention policies; minoritized student populations in marginalized institutional contexts; and racial equity and campus climate in postsecondary education pathways.  As a researcher, has amassed more than $9 million in external funding on projects aimed at improving the field of higher education, with support from such organizations as he Lumina Foundation, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and National Science Foundation. Leads a variety of professional organizations, including as executive director of the Council for the Study of Community Colleges; member of the Community College Review Editorial Board; member for the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, and a member of the Black Learner Excellence Expert Advisory Committee; and President-Elect and Chair-Elect, Association for the Study of Higher Education

Name: Heather J. Bachman

Occupation: Associate Dean of Research and Professor in the School of Education, and a Research Scientist at the Learning Research and Development Center at Pitt

Role on the Board: Parent representative 

Years served: 2022–Present

Areas(s) of expertise you contribute to the board: Home, classroom, policy influences on early academic and social development.

Contact: [email protected]

Connection to Falk Laboratory School: My son is in 3rd grade at Falk, and I teach an undergraduate child development class to future K-4 student teachers at Falk.

Signature accomplishments: I have received federal and foundation funding to support early learning projects with community organizations, pre-k and center-based programs, and families throughout Allegheny County. 

Name: Dorothy Falk 

Occupation: Municipal Secretary/Treasurer

Role on the Board: Falk Family representative

Years served: 25+ years

Areas(s) of expertise you contribute to the board: I am a former teacher with a Master's in Curriculum and Instruction.  I have 15+ years of experience in budgeting and finance.  My three children all attended the Falk School.  I see my role as providing historic context to the board and administration, keeping the Falk School true to its purpose, and supporting the school in its work.  

Contact: [email protected]

Connection to Falk Laboratory School: Former parent

Name: Kent Harries

Occupation: Professor of Civil Engineering (with an additional courtesy appointment in architecture)

Role on the Board: Parent representative

Years served: 2023–Present

Area(s) of expertise you contribute to the board: Expertise on infrastructure and experience with facilities operation to the Falk board. Goals as a board member include developing stronger links with the campus community with two goals in mind: 1) enhancing Wonderlab and Social Studies opportunities for Falk students, engaging other campus initiatives and programmes (academic and otherwise); and 2) having Falk School better represented in the Campus Master Plan. 

Name: Matthew Falcone

Occupation: President of Preservation Pittsburgh, a community-based nonprofit dedicated to helping communities preserve and celebrate their heritage

Role on the Board: Parent representative

Years served: 2021–Present

Area(s) of expertise you contribute to the board: In addition to his work with Falk School, Matthew Falcone has served on the City of Pittsburgh’s Historic Review Commission since May of 2015 as well as the Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Board. He holds degrees in Integrative Arts and History of Art from the Pennsylvania State University and the University of York (U.K.), respectively. Matthew also serves as the President of Preservation Pittsburgh, a community-based non-profit dedicated to help communities preserve and celebrate their heritage.  Formerly, Matthew worked as the Associate Dean of Faculty for the Art Institute of Pittsburgh for roughly 12 years and has extensive experience in educational management, administration, teaching, institutional assessment, and curriculum development. As an art historian and experienced stained glass conservator, Matthew has a strong affinity for Pittsburgh’s rich history of publicly accessible art. Matthew lives with his husband and two daughters in Pittsburgh’s historic Deutschtown neighborhood.

Name: Michael G. Gunzenhauser

Occupation: Professor of Education and Senior Associate Dean, Pitt School of Education

Role on the Board: Faculty Representative

Years served: 2022–Present

Areas(s) of expertise you contribute to the board: Philosophy of education, research methodology, education leadership

Contact: [email protected]

Connection to Falk Laboratory School: Former Falk parent, 2010–2022. 

Signature accomplishments: I have been an educator just over 35 years, including three years as a counselor in a residential high school and 32+ years as an administrator and faculty member in higher education. My scholarship applies philosophical ideas from ethics and epistemology to issues of social justice in education and research methods. In 2012, I published The Active/Ethical Professional: A Framework for Responsible Educators with Continuum Press and am working on a new book focused on race-conscious leadership ethics.