6 Questions With Our New Chief Financial Officer Keiko Reid

This month, we sat down with ECFS’s new Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Keiko Reid. Before joining our community, Keiko served as the Senior Associate Dean of Finance and Human Resources for the Columbia University School of the Arts. 

Joe Algrant, Head of School, and Kyle Wilkie-Glass, Associate Head of School said, “Keiko’s deep financial experience, passion for education, and innovative personality drew her to ECFS and were highlighted during her interview process.” Keiko started in June, and we are excited to share her first impressions of ECFS. Fun fact: Reid’s daughter is a Kindergartener at Fieldston Lower, and she has a three-year-old son!

What do you think makes the ECFS community unique?

The intensity of care and passion I have witnessed from the ECFS community — including students, faculty, staff, and parents/guardians — is unlike anything I have been a part of. I have the utmost respect for this enthusiasm, which makes me care about this community in a way that I have not experienced before in my professional life. It is a place that has allowed me to work from my heart and care very deeply about what we do.

Tell us a little bit about your onboarding experience. What was your biggest takeaway from Courageous Conversations?

I started in mid-June, and the School is a large institution with a high learning curve — but with so many people that go out of their way to help others. I am beyond grateful for every bit of support that I have received. 

There are many wonderful takeaways from Courageous Conversations — one in particular that has helped me tremendously was the added opportunity to build strong connections. I was lucky to have two members of my team attending as well. This time allowed us to be vulnerable with each other and to understand and build respect in an unexpected way. I count my blessings for this time with them.

What are you looking forward to this year? 

I look forward to learning more about ECFS and, most importantly, meeting and developing deep relationships with the people that make up this extraordinary community. I am also excited to understand and elevate the School’s finances by putting my education, skills, and experience into something I am passionate about.

I am excited to experience everything I possibly can. I firmly believe that I have to fully immerse myself in the School’s mission to truly understand my role as CFO. 

What do you see as a challenge or opportunity in your new role?

I am thrilled to have the opportunity to have a lasting and positive impact on the ECFS community. A challenge I foresee in the Finance Office is that there can be many competing priorities for the School, and we often have to make difficult decisions around these priorities. 

I have fought very hard through every step of my professional journey to get to where I am today. My new position allows me to fight even harder for something I wholeheartedly believe in. I see many opportunities for growth, and I look forward to learning many years into the future. 

Whom do you look up to?

My mother was a single mother and immigrant to this country who went above and beyond to push me every step of the way to be the best I could be. She instilled a deep love for learning and hard work in me from a young age. I have worked in education for the last 20+ years because of her impact on me.

Now that I have kids, I understand and respect even more how much my mother sacrificed to make me who I am today. I respect many people, but she will always be at the top of my list.

Do you have a favorite spot on campus?

There are too many spots on both the Manhattan and Bronx campuses that could make this list.  If I had to choose, I would say the Tate Library. I spent a lot of my childhood in the library, so it is a very special and comforting place. My daughter loves it so much that we walk through it almost every day, even if it is a bit out of the way.