As a private, nonprofit institution, Escola Americana do Rio de Janeiro is governed by a Board of Directors consisting of 11 to 13 members. The Board of Directors is legally responsible for the school and as such, delegates the day-to-day administration of the school to the Head of School, in accordance with established policies and programs.

The objective of the EARJ Board of Directors is to advance the school’s mission by selecting, evaluating and supporting the Head of School, planning strategically for the school’s long-term well-being and its sustainability as an institution and holds the fiduciary responsibility for the healthy continuity of EARJ.

The breakdown composition of the Board is: two members are appointed by the US Consulate, three members are Parent-Elected, six members are appointed by the EARJ shareholders and two members may be appointed by the Board of Directors. All members, with the exception of the Board Appointed and US Consulate positions, must be parents of students currently enrolled at EARJ.

The Board of Directors develops its work through committees that set short and long-term goals and the Board assesses the status of those goals annually. The Board of Directors also determines annual tuition and fees, approves the school’s budget and capital and operating expenditures to ensure adequate school facilities.

Our Board adheres to standards of good practice in governance established by the school’s accreditors and other international organizations such as AMISA (American International Schools in the Americas), NAIS (National Association of Independent Schools), and ECIS (Educational Collaborative of International Schools).

EARJ Board Members

Patricia Yates Portella
Board President
Class of 2002
Children in Classes of 2029 & 2033

Raul Baptista Pereira Trejos
Board Vice President
Class of 1982
Children in Classes of 2017 & 2020

José Carlos Elias Junior
Board Treasurer
Child in Class of 2032

Leonidas Lopes Borio Filho
Board Secretary
Class of 1990
Children in Classes of 2028 & 2031

Alberto Koranyi Ribeiro
Class of 1997
Children in Classes of 2032, 2033 & 2034

Arnaldo Hilário Viegas de Lima
Children in Classes of 2012 & 2014

Alessandro Lombardi
Children in Classes of 2032 & 2036

Frederico Jacobsen Junqueira
Children in Classes of 2032 & 2035

Heather Aivaliotis
Child in Class of 2025

Maria Carolina Meirelles Dias Wolff
Class of 1996
Children in Classes of 2026 & 2028

Steven Bailly Royster
Child in Class of 2025