Valerie Russo joined PAS as Executive Director after a decades-long career in the nonprofit sector and in government.
Prior to joining PAS, Valerie served as chief operating officer of The New York Foundling, a 150-year-old, $180-million nonprofit providing services to support children, families, and adults. In her time there, she led many of the administrative departments, including human resources; communications; facilities; finance; information technology; and quality, performance, and compliance. Before that, she was vice president of strategy and excellence at Children's Aid Society, overseeing a team of 40 professionals in the talent management, performance management, public policy, public funding, and compliance fields. Previously, she served as chief of staff and then as a deputy commissioner for New York City's Administration for Children's Services during the Giuliani and Bloomberg administrations.
Valerie has served as a trustee of The Town School since 2015. She was chair of board from 2018 to 2023, having previously served as chair of the Audit Committee and co-chair of the Search Committee for the Head of School. She has a bachelor's degree in English and French from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a master of public policy degree from Harvard university's John F. Kennedy School of Government.
Valerie, her husband, Marc Freud, and their two children live on the Upper East Side.