New Wheeler Board President Is First Alumna Since 1982
July 19, 2019
The Wheeler School has selected Alisia St. Florian `86 as its new President of the Board of Trustees. St. Florian, an alumna from the Wheeler Class of 1986, assumes the role from alumni parent James Lousararian. She is the first alumna to serve as President since Margaret Goddard Leeson ‘56 served from 1980-1982.
“I think of Wheeler as the place I grew up,” said St. Florian. “I am so proud to be serving as President of the Board of Trustees. This school and community has meant and continues to mean so much to me.”
St. Florian is a Partner at Massachusetts legal firm Murphy, Hesse, Toomey & Lehane, LLP, and is a member of the firm’s Special Education Law Group, representing school districts in all aspects of special education litigation, from administrative hearings at the Massachusetts Bureau of Special Education Appeals (BSEA) through to all levels of judicial appeal. In addition, St. Florian frequently presents workshops on issues regarding special education, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, state and federal student record regulations, bullying, and civil rights laws both to client groups and at state conferences including at the Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education (MCLE).
St. Florian was a speaker at the LRP School Law Conference in West Palm Beach, FL in January 2018 and in Savannah, GA on January 2017, and is a frequent contributor to special education articles published by LRP. She has been appointed as a Hearing Officer for the Board of Bar Overseers for the 2019-2021 Term. In addition, St. Florian co-founded and has co-chaired the Massachusetts Bar Association Education Law Group. She is a past Co-Chair of the Massachusetts Bar Association Juvenile and Child Welfare Section Counsel.
St. Florian received her Bachelor’s degree from Bates College, her Master’s degree in Education in Counseling Psychology from Boston University and her Juris Doctor, with honors, from Suffolk University Law School. She has been a member of the Wheeler Board for four years, chairing the Hamilton School Committee and serving as a vice president.
The Board of Trustees helps further The Wheeler School’s Mission “To Learn Our Powers and Be Answerable For Their Use” and support the vision and strategic plan of the school. St. Florian began her role as President on July 1, 2019.
