All members of the Massachusetts PTA Board of Directors are volunteers who are here to serve you and to work for children throughout Massachusetts and our country. Meet your Massachusetts PTA Board of Directors.
National Council of States Representative
Kathresha Cureton currently serves on the Massachusetts PTA Board of Directors, and as a member of the Health, Safety and Wellness Committee. Kathresha draws from experience with more than 15 years in Health and With over 8 years of leadership experience she has also been involved in working as a liaison with support for parents and students including school programs, education and advocating for children. She continues to advance her training by attending conferences, seminars and workshops on both health and educational topics; including her passion for the arts.Human Services, and earlier in her career, management, public affairs and outreach. She studied Psychology from the School of Social Behavioral Sciences at Mercy College and Art and Design from the School of Design at Pratt Institute. Active in the community, she served at the local level as a member on both Elementary and Middle School Councils; as the Middle/High School Vice President, PTA and Reflections Chair. She is a PTA Art Coordinator for the Hopkinton Elementary Schools, has volunteered in several other committees and civic leadership positions at every level. Her children attend Hopkinton School District. We are very pleased to have her join our Leadership Team at Massachusetts PTA. “Life is never so busy that there is no time to help others.”
presidentelect@masspta.org
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I earned my Bachelor’s degree in Accounting with a double concentration in casino and fraud accounting from Johnson & Wales University in Rhode Island, and since graduating in 2008, I’ve built my career with the Social Security Administration. Over the past , I’ve developed a strong background in financial oversight, organizational operations, and collaborative leadership. Along the way, I transitioned into IT, where I now serve as a Systems Coordinator—proving that an accounting degree is surprisingly versatile when it comes to fixing computers, and that my math skills still come in handy more often than you’d expect. On a personal level, I’ve been with my husband since high school, and we’ll be celebrating 16 years of marriage this September. We have a 14-year-old son with ASD, and much of my perspective is shaped by navigating his educational journey and advocating for his needs. My involvement with PTA started when my son was in second grade, mostly helping out with events. After COVID, I became more involved behind the scenes and was nominated as PTA President in 2023. Since then, I’ve focused on strengthening our organization—improving financial processes, rebuilding relationships with school administration, and helping to rebuild our local PTA. I truly believe in the impact PTA can have within a community. I’m passionate about supporting children and families, developing strong leaders, and helping build sustainable, connected school communities that can grow and thrive together.
Nicole is a proud parent and teacher member of Wareham PTA. She has worked in Wareham Public Schools her entire educational career and is passionate about advocating for the needs of her students and colleagues. In addition to PTA, she is involved with MTA as well as her church. In her spare time, she enjoys doing puzzles, going on adventures with the kids and her husband or spending time at the beach.
- National PTA Field Service Committee - States Bylaws Subcommittee
- MA PTA Communications Team
- Past President 2014-2016
Stephanie Gray has served on the MA Parent Teacher Association (PTA) Board of Directors since 2010 beginning her time as the MA PTA Communications Chairman and moving into the role of President Elect, President, Immediate Past President and Cranberry Unit President, currently serving as MA PTA Communications Chair. She currently serves on the National PTA Field Services Committee and has also served on the National PTA Bylaws Committee. She assumed the role of President in July of 2014. As part of her role with MA PTA she serves as the Liaison to MassPartners for Public Schools, the 2018-2019 Chair, a coalition of the statewide teacher, parent, school committee, principal, and superintendent organizations in Massachusetts. Stephanie is a mother of 2 who began her PTA experience developing the Drama Club at her children’s elementary school where for 5 years she worked to ensure 120 children each year had the opportunity to participate and learn about the theater. After her mother-in-law passed in May of 2016 she realized that most families have no idea how to prepare for and handle loss, Stephanie put together her passion for helping people with her background in sales and marketing to become an agent through New York Life Insurance Company and may be licensed with various other independent unaffiliated insurance companies in the state of Massachusetts. Previously she worked for SMH Electronics as the Business Development Manager in West Wareham, MA. Before that she owned her own company working with small businesses to develop their online presence. Throughout her career in Marketing and as a Parent Advocate, Stephanie has done workshops and presentations on subjects ranging from Designing Routines for new parents to “Transitioning to EMR for the AHCA” for medical practices. She has also been part of a number of task-forces and panels with other educational organizations including the MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Stephanie is passionate about the mission and goals of PTA and believes that it is our role as PTA leaders to not only ensure that every child has the opportunity to reach their potential but to work with the whole family to educate and empower parents/guardians/care givers so they can be the best advocate for their child.
Jodie Nierintz, LMFT, serves as the Massachusetts PTA Health, Safety & Wellness Chair. She is a behavioral health leader, licensed marriage and family therapist, educator, and parent with more than 20 years of experience supporting children, adolescents, and families across Massachusetts.
Jodie is the Senior Director of Clinical Operations at Telemynd, where she leads national clinical operations and works to improve access, quality, and innovation in behavioral health care. She is also an Adjunct Professor and Counseling Psychology Advisor at Framingham State University, where she teaches graduate-level clinical seminars and mentors future mental health counselors.
Earlier in her career, Jodie held multiple leadership and clinical roles in the nonprofit behavioral health sector. Her work has included direct clinical care, crisis intervention, program leadership, care coordination, workforce development, and collaboration with schools, families, health care providers, and community agencies.
As Health, Safety & Wellness Chair, Jodie is committed to helping Massachusetts PTA strengthen family education, mental health awareness, school safety, healthy child development, and access to practical wellness resources. She believes that when families, schools, and communities work together, they can create healthier, safer, and more supportive environments where every child can thrive.
My name is Deb McCarthy, and I am an educator. My mother was an educator, my sister was an educator, my daughter is an educator, and my daughter-in-law is an educator. The fierce women in the photo for Deb and Dean represent more than 125 years of experience and dedication to public education. As public school educators, the women in my family provide first-hand testimonials around the truths behind our campaigns for the working conditions all educators deserve. My mom, widowed at the age of 44, raised five children on the salary of an educator and reflects the fight for a dignified retirement for all educators. My sister, denied RetirementPlus because she was out on a maternity leave, was also one of the educators whose bold fightback against the punitive evaluation system in 2007, known as the Hull Case, reaffirms the legal framework governing the contractual evaluation protections for non-tenured teachers. My daughter and daughter-in-law experience the fiscal realities of student loans, child care, health care and affordable housing, when teaching in public schools that fail to meet the mandates of fully funded safe spaces for the academic, physical and emotional needs of all our students and staff. As highly educated professionals we have been devalued, disrespected and denied agency and autonomy in a gendered workforce by systems of patriarchy that offer up our best practices and pedagogies to the altar of profit for the education privateer. As a leader, in a family of educators, I intimately understand your truths as educators and have a proven track record as a warrior who has championed your rights for years.
Additionally, I am driven by the moral imperative that, as a leader my actions must speak louder than my words: actions that must center the betterment of the common good. At the local level, I brought democratized bargaining to my local union more than a decade ago. I formed the South Shore Justice Alliance, organizing educators, parents and community members in a public campaign for safe and healthy schools, in a campaign against austerity budgets, and in a community campaign to support the Student Opportunity Act. I organized an Opt-Out movement that would become a foundational pillar in the overwhelming passage of Question 2, and I refused to administer the MCAS after the COVID pandemic, because of the collective harm happening to students.
I was on the Board of Directors, an NEA Director, the chair of the Government Relations Committee, on the Board Negotiating Team, am an Executive Council member of the AFL-CIO, and have served two terms as the vice president of the MTA. I am widely respected for my coalition work with Citizens for Public Schools, MEJA, Women2Women and Raising Multicultural Kids. I was front and center as a leader on the Fair Share campaign and my leadership, tenacity and organizing capacity for the overwhelming passage of Question 2 are unmatched.
National Council of States Representative, Karen is the proud adoptive mother of 2 boys and started her work in her local unit, Rehoboth PTSA, more than 15 years ago. She proudly served on many committees and held the offices of Rehoboth PTSA’s President, Secretary, Vice President (Palmer River and Beckwith) and Membership Chair. Passionate about her work at PTA, she has raised awareness for children with disabilities, adoptive children, children with special education needs, and those who “fall between the cracks”. With over 30 years of nursing experience, she currently works as a Nurse Case Manager and spends her weekends as a proud hockey mom. She is very excited to continue her work with Massachusetts PTA in this role, and continues to serve on many committees at the Massachusetts PTA and in her local community. Karen is passionate about advocating for all children, and believes strongly in PTA’s motto….”Every Child, One Voice.” Together let’s make a difference!!
Past President 2010-2012
Mary Ann Stewart was appointed Parent Representative to the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education by (then) Governor Patrick in August 2014 and has been reappointed in 2019. From 2010-2012, she served as President of the Massachusetts PTA and continues to serve on the state PTA Board as a Member-at-Large. She also serves as a member of the National Advisory Council for Media Literacy Now.
Mary Ann is a parent of three and resides in Lexington. She has been active in the schools and in town government, serving as an elected representative to Town Meeting since 2006 and on the School Committee from 2009-2014 where she lead as Chair from 2011-2012.
Mary Ann has served in numerous leadership roles at the local, state, and national levels. She is a champion of children, youth, and families, and her experience in organizational development and passion for advocacy and creativity has leveraged engagement in professional and volunteer settings alike. Mary Ann received her Bachelor of Science from the University of Massachusetts for Music Education.
