This New York school district is led by five Binghamton alumni

When Jim Quigley ’10 first arrived at Blind Brook High School in Rye Brook, New York, he was interviewing for a social studies teacher job. Having grown up not too far from the area, Quigley was drawn to the role because of Blind Brook-Rye Union Free School District’s “incredible reputation.” 

The district, located in Westchester County, serves more than 1,000 students ranging from kindergarten to 12th grade and boasts a mission of preparing them to be “active, lifelong learners.”

School was out for the summer, but part of the application process required Quigley to do a demo lesson, which is a way for administrators to evaluate a teacher’s approach to pedagogy. While Quigley was teaching in a room full of adults, something caught his eye: a Binghamton University mug. The mug happened to belong to the high school’s principal, fellow alumnus Mark Greenwald ’84.

“I tried to make a connection there and then,” Quigley says, “‘Go Bearcats!’ — that kind of thing.”

But little did he know that he had already made an impression.

“When I look at résumés for positions, if I see Binghamton on it, it’s a leg up — at least in terms of catching my attention,” Greenwald says. “It’s a quality education.”

It might be common for a school district to coincidentally employ several alumni from the same college, but how many also have some calling the shots?

In Blind Brook’s case, it’s five. 

That group includes Quigley, who now serves as an assistant principal at Blind Brook High School; Greenwald, who retired in summer 2026 as principal; Brian Alm ’95, superintendent of schools; Seth Horowitz ’96, assistant superintendent of curriculum, instruction, and assessment; and Tracy Taylor ’94, principal of Bruno M. Ponterio Ridge Street School, the district’s elementary school.

Pathways to teaching

Despite never meeting until working together, a common thread exists in how the Blind Brook administrators ended up in education: their undergraduate experience.

Some administrators, such as Taylor and Horowitz, sought out to be teachers and pursued that through courses and internships at Binghamton; others, like Quigley, Alm, and Greenwald, first had no intention to pursue education or had different ambitions altogether.

For Alm, it was the time and freedom to explore that made a difference. He originally got into Binghamton University’s School of Management, but quickly transferred out, opting for more liberal arts classes that were “perfect” for him to “really find [his] way.”

“Somewhere around my junior year, I realized that this is probably the only thing I could do that would bring me joy,” he says. “So [teaching] went from the last thing [I would do] to the only thing.”

Greenwald had already started applying to law schools during his senior year at Binghamton when he found out a friend was going to take a student-teaching course at Vestal High School. He decided to take it, on what he described as half-joke and on a whim.

“I did it to be with my friend and have a good time,” he says. “And that changed the course of my life.”

Quigley also had law school on his mind as an undergraduate, but still opted to take an education class with lecturer David Archer and an internship at Union-Endicott High School.

“I look at those experiences at Binghamton, and I think they were more impactful than I thought in the moment,” he says.

Navigating work relationships, building community

Even a shared alma mater doesn’t shield the Blind Brook administrators from the day-to-day obstacles that arise in a school district with varying age groups and the decisions that need to be made — but it makes a difference.

For Greenwald, trusting one another is key. He gives an example: If he’s having a disagreement with someone like Horowitz, their shared educational experience does come into play.

“In the back of my mind, there’s always, ‘Wait, he went to Binghamton. He can’t be all that wrong,’” he says jokingly. “But in all seriousness — we’re of a similar background, so we’ve got to be able to communicate.”

Alm recalls that when he first started at Blind Brook, he was immediately impressed by the fact that he didn’t have to “do anything to unify or create common language or common understandings or collaboration” among the district’s three principals.

“Even though we’re small in size, it’s easy to become siloed and disconnected,” he says.

When Taylor thinks about creating community, it’s about a sense of “understanding that everybody supports one another in the great times, but [also] the times that are hard, that are challenging.” The elementary school is connected to the district office, so access to her colleagues and establishing a rapport with them “feels like [they’re] one big hug.”

“I think that’s very important, and I hope it trickles down and from top to bottom — that there’s this big community feel,” she says.

Horowitz credits his time at Binghamton for being able to navigate hurdles. College was the first time he met people from a plethora of backgrounds and having that diversity in his life gave him the tools to “look at things through different lenses and through the lens of empathy.”

“With the changes in technology, and with the changes in our country politically, it’s more important than ever that we have to work closely with each other, because sometimes it feels like all we do is put out fires,” he says. “When we come together, we can reset and remember that we’re here for a greater good.”

A new chapter ahead

Along with the natural fresh start that comes with any new school year, big changes are underway at Blind Brook-Rye Union Free School District this fall.

Horowitz will build on his previous role working within the district’s middle school, expanding to the whole K-12 system. There’s also a new crop of teachers entering the district, and Taylor says she believes “the next era is coming.” She’s excited for the future.

In some aspects of his job, Quigley will be a “veteran administrator” at the high school, and much like he did in his teaching career, he believes this year is another chance to grow.

Alm shares a similar sentiment.

“There’s always room to be better,” he says. “I think this is the right team to do it.”

As for the retired Greenwald, he looks forward to returning to visit the district to lend outside support. He advises his colleagues to “continue to take your days one at a time and not get too far ahead of yourself.”

For Greenwald, it’s the people who have always mattered.

“I have a unique relationship with all of these people, even though I don’t know them all intimately. But we’re all Binghamtonians,” he says. “For me, the relationships are what will endure going forward.