About Us

About Friends of Bennett Day School

Mission and Operations

Friends of Bennett Day School (FoBDS) is a 501c3 dedicated to the growth of socio-economic diversity and inclusion at Bennett Day School (BDS) via fundraising and allocating need-based grants. The FoBDS Board allocates funds it raises to the school’s financial aid applicants based on criteria it establishes to fulfill FoBDS’s mission. Board members do not have any direct affiliation with BDS.

Current Board Members

  • President - Joey Hsu, Director of Strategic Initiatives at Right At School

  • Vice President - Valerie Mukherjee, Managing Principal at Zen Capital Partners

  • Treasurer - Jonathan Raizon, Engagement Manager at McKinsey & Co.

  • Corporate and Philanthropic Fundraising - Matt Geesman, Senior Vice President of Wealth Management at UBS

  • Grant Fundraising - Dr. Pavitra Kotini Shah, Physician at University of Illinois at Chicago

  • Marketing - Linda Calles, Marketing Integrations Manager at Infosec

Bennett Day is a progressive, independent, PreK-12 school in Chicago. A member of Conscious Capitalism, BDS is a tax-paying social enterprise backed by the Code Family Foundation, Wintrust, Chicago ArchAngels, Chicago Capital Partners, and numerous others with a passion to raise the bar for educational expectations.