meet the 2024-2025 SMS PTA executive committee 

Emily Hira, President:

My husband Mohan and I live in Quaker Ridge with our three boys: Jackson (12yrs old - 7th grade Popham), Ryan (10yrs old - 5th grade QRS), and Christopher (7yrs old - 2nd grade QRS).  This will be my 2nd year on the SMS PTA EC board. I previously served as the PTA President at Quaker Ridge Elementary School and also as VP of Programs there. At QRS, I have co-chaired the Community Service committee, the School Photo Day committee and the Learning to Look committee. I also sit on the Board of the Scarsdale Schools Education Foundation. In my free time, I enjoy traveling and spending time with my family and friends.

Gina Chon, President-Elect:

My husband and I have 3 kids: Ethan (7th grade in Butler), Owen (3rd grade at Edgewood) and Evelyn (2nd grade at Edgewood).  We have lived in Scarsdale for 8 years.  Although I work full-time (I manage investments for a family office and foundation), I also enjoy being involved in my kids' schools.  At Edgewood, I have served as the Chair of the After School Clubs, member of the Executive Committee, Nominating Committee and as class parent for many years.  This will be my first year on the SMS Executive Committee and I am looking forward to it!

Zhendi Shi, Treasurer:

I have been a Scarsdale resident since 2014. I have a rising junior in SHS and a rising 7th grader in SMS. I’m a certified project manager and enjoy planning family trips. 

Casey Klurfeld, Secretary:

My husband and I have two kids -- Zoe (a 7th grader in Butler) and Bennett (a recent SMS grad and current 10th grader). We are going on our 11th year living in Scarsdale, and I love being active and involved at school and in the community. I currently serve on the Advisory Council on Communications for the Village of Scarsdale and previously served on the Board of Scarsdale Little League, as the VP of Communications for the Quaker Ridge PTA, and have held various volunteer roles at Quaker Ridge over our many years at the school. I'm excited to get more involved at SMS over the next few years!

Amanda Zaitchik, VP of Hospitality:

I live in Fox Meadow with my husband, Rami, my daughter Arielle (11th grade SHS), my younger daughter Maya (8th grade Popham SMS) and our 7 year old "puppy," Sadie. I used to be a middle school and high school Social Studies teacher in NYC and left teaching and became a sleepaway camp consultant at Summer365. I work from home, and when I'm not on the phone or zooms with clients and camp directors, I spend time with family and friends, walk Sadie multiple times during the day, and participate in community service. When my girls were at Fox Meadow, I served on the Executive Board for six consecutive years and then was the 5th grade Activities Advisor. I am excited to spend time at SMS and plan social events for students and teacher appreciation events to show the community's gratitude towards the teachers and administration. Feel free to reach out with any suggestions!

Yuriy Grechukhin, VP of Membership and Student Directory:

Erica Papir, VP of Programming:

My husband and I moved to Heathcote in June 2018 when our son, Nolan, was going to start Kindergarten and our daughter, Charlotte, was entering 4th grade. Now, Nolan is in Cooper 6 and Charlotte is a sophomore at Scarsdale High School. I loved being an active member of the Heathcote PTA and really enjoyed my various roles - among other things, I was Co-Chair of the Health and Wellness Committee and Co-Chair of the 5th Grade Community Service Committee. I was also a Class Parent multiple times. Over the years, I volunteered for a number of other PTA events: the book fair, teacher appreciation week, pizza days, etc. I am very excited to have the opportunity to be a part of the PTA at SMS again - my first go round with Charlotte was during the height of COVID, but I was still lucky enough to volunteer and chair a class social. I work part-time for an educational consulting company called Smart City Kids and I am also very active with a local non-profit called Friends of Karen. In my free time, I love to exercise and take our two-year-old cavapoo, Piper, for walks.