Lynda Casarella

Former CFO, Poly Prep Country Day School (Brooklyn, NY)

Lynda Casarella has served in an independent school for 10 years in various capacities. Until recently she was Chief Financial Officer at Poly Prep Country Day School in Brooklyn, NY. She previously served as the Associate Director of Auxiliary Programs, and the Controller before becoming the Chief Financial Officer. In her role at Poly, she oversaw operational departments such as food services, auxiliary programs, athletics, the health office and security.

Lynda has a proven track record of successfully managing complex financial systems, budgets, and audits. In the Auxiliary Programs office, she played a pivotal role in supervising all accounting functions of a multi-million dollar summer camp operation, demonstrating strong financial management skills and the ability to build effective working relationships within an organization.

Since becoming a strategic leader for Poly Prep, Lynda continuously looked to improve the financial stability of the organization. She consistently looked for ways for the school to run more efficiently, whether by savings or changing processes that were outdated and using the school’s precious resources. During her tenure, she successfully applied for and received PPP and ERC funds, refinanced debt to allow the school to build and improve numerous areas, and worked to completely change the compensation model within the school.

A respected and trusted leader, Lynda is known for her grace and poise under pressure, her ability to communicate and deliver relevant information to stakeholders and her mentorship to both students and colleagues. Lynda has strong capabilities in creating dynamic Excel spreadsheets, effective PowerPoint presentations, running financial reports from the school’s database, and overseeing the budget. She brings a consistent, calm, stable presence and she has a collaborative management approach which makes a positive work environment.

Prior to her work at Poly Prep, Lynda owned and operated successful retail businesses, and served in various volunteer capacities, such as Girl Scouts of America, St. Barnabas Church, the Cluny School and Salve Regina University. She holds an Associate Degree in Laboratory Medicine from George Washington University, a BS in Accounting/Business Management from Salve Regina University and a MBA from Salve Regina. In addition, she is a graduate of NBOA’s Leadership Academy (2023). Lynda and her family recently relocated back to New England to be closer to family in the fall of 2023. In her spare time, she enjoys outdoor activities, cooking and sewing.