Our Board of Directors

The Hyde Park Day School and its sister school, Sonia Shankman Orthogenic School, are owned and operated by the Leslie Shankman School Corporation (LSSC). Both schools are also served by two boards, the board of directors of the LSSC and the board overseeing the Foundation for the Educational Development of Children (FEDC). Members of these boards bring their expertise and experience in order to provide mission-based strategic, operational and fiscal oversight as well as advancement and outreach to the two schools under their leadership.

Janet Goelz Hoffman

Chair of the Board of Directors of the LSSC

She is senior counsel and pro bono counsel at Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP, a national law firm.  Throughout her career, she concentrated her practice on financings for nonprofit organizations including independent schools, hospital systems, cultural and educational institutions, and continuing care retirement communities. Currently, she continues advising nonprofit organizations on board governance and conflict of interest issues as well as coordinating transactional pro bono work for Katten.  She is a graduate of Lake Forest College and Northwestern Pritzker School of Law.  She is a member of the board of directors of Covenant Living Communities and Services and Foundation for the Educational Development of Children. 

Lenny Asaro

Member of the FEDC Board of Directors

He is a partner at Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP.   He concentrates his practice on real estate development and litigation with an emphasis on land use and zoning, eminent domain, tax increment financing (TIF), acquisitions and dispositions and public-private partnerships. Lenny advises both private and public entities. He is a member of the National Bar Association, which is the nation’s oldest and largest national network of predominantly African-American attorneys and judges, as well as the Chicago Bar Association and Chicago Inn of Court. He served two full terms as a Member of the Evanston Plan Commission. Lenny is a graduate of Pepperdine University and The John Marshall Law School.  

Mike Bertrand

Member of the LSSC Board of Directors

He is the President and CEO of Lutheran Child and Family Services of Illinois, a statewide Social Service organization. Mike has over 30 years’ experience in human services and not for profit administration, including establishing a private clinical practice and holding senior administrative positions in a state agency as well as a number of social service not for profits. Mike earned a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Illinois Champaign/Urbana and a Masters of Social Work degree from University of Illinois Chicago. In addition, Mike is an Illinois Licensed Clinical Social Worker.

Vic Conant

Emeritus Member of the FEDC Board of Directors

He is President and CEO of Nightingale-Conant Corporation, the premier publisher of audio personal development programs in the world. Mr. Conant is a graduate of the University of Michigan and a Viet Nam veteran. He is the author of numerous books and audio personal-development programs in the area of human growth and potential.

Theodore E. Cornell, III

Member of the LSSC Board of Directors

He is an attorney and partner at Seyfarth Shaw LLP, a national law firm, where he specializes in mergers, acquisitions, financings and general corporate counseling. He is also Associate General Counsel of the firm. Ted is a founding board member of the Daniel Murphy Scholarship Foundation, which provides scholarships to private high schools and educational support for economically disadvantaged Chicago 8th grade students who demonstrate outstanding academic potential, leadership skills and strong character. Ted is also a member of the Lyons Leadership Team at Notre Dame, which sponsors an annual Forum on Systemic Inclusion  with the Initiative on Race and Resilience at the university. He is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame and Northwestern University School of Law.

Pat Donohue

Member of the LSSC Board of Directors

He is Chief Commercial Officer at Artico Cold Storage, a veteran- and minority-owned cold storage warehouse in the Stockyards neighborhood of Chicago. Over his career, Pat has held roles as a design engineer, process-improvement consultant, business development leader at multiple startups, and in user-centered design and product innovation.  Pat holds a B.S.M.E., University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, and an M.B.A. with concentrations in Economics and Strategy from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Jeff Hoffmann

Member of the FEDC Board of Directors

Jeff Hoffmann served as Executive Vice President of SWC Technology Partners, an information technology services firm, before its sale to BDO Global in 2018. Jeff was responsible for SWC’s Software Development, Business Intelligence, Collaboration, and CRM practices, and he served as a member of the board. Prior to purchasing SWC, Jeff was co-founder of Advanced Information Solutions, a software development consultancy that he and his partner sold to Metamor Worldwide in 1998. Jeff graduated with a BA in finance from Bradley University, and in 2019, Jeff received his MFA in fiction from Columbia College Chicago. His debut novel, Other People’s Children, was published by Simon & Schuster in 2021. His second novel, Like It Never Happened, was published by Crooked Lane Books in March of 2024.

Sonya Malunda

Member of the LSSC Board of Directors

She served as President of the Associated Colleges of the Midwest (ACM), a consortium of 14 private, liberal arts colleges in five states (Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Colorado). She is responsible for leading the development and implementation of collaborative programs for faculty, staff, and students at ACM colleges that no one college can do on its on campus.  Prior to the ACM, Sonya was the Senior Associate Vice President of Civic Engagement in the Office of Civic Engagement at the University of Chicago where she led the day-to-day operations of OCE and helped spearhead University community, civic, and government relations.  Sonya has a degree in Economics from Spelman College, as well as a Masters in Business Administration in Finance from Northwestern University’s Kellogg Graduate School of Management. She is a Leadership Greater Chicago Fellow and sits on several nonprofit boards, including High Jump and the Chicago Community Loan Fund.  

Scott McDonald

Chair of the FEDC Board of Directors and Member of the LSSC Board of Directors

He is CEO of Body-Solid Inc., a manufacturer and distributor of fitness equipment, as well as Fitness Factory Outlet, a Chicago based retailer of fitness equipment. Prior to that, he served as CFO of the Strive Group, a manufacturer and fulfiller of packaging and point of purchase displays. He holds a BA from Dartmouth College and an MBA from the University of Chicago.

Adam Steinback

Member of the FEDC Board of Directors

Adam Steinback is is President at Albank in Chicago He has served on Albank’s Board of Directors since 2005 and previously was senior vice president where he managed business, community, and corporate development.  Previous experience has been in commercial real estate, as well as managing business development at Schneider Electric (SU.PA) and at two technology companies.  He has a B.A. from The American University in Washington, DC, in Economics & Communications. 

Joanne Steinback

Member of the LSSC Board of Directors

She is a certified special education teacher. Mrs. Steinback has taught for twenty-five years in the field of special and regular education. Her family has been involved with the SSOS and HPDS since their inception. Mrs. Steinback worked full time at HPDS as a trained LD Specialist during its first year of operation for a salary of $1.00.