New Hyde Park-Garden City Park school board Vice President Patricia Rudd announced her resignation from the board, effectively immediately, at Monday night’s board meeting.
Rudd, who is currently director of retail for Event Network, said she is relocating to Michigan in two weeks to take a position as the company’s senior director of retail.
“I just want everybody to know I’m resigning from the board,” Rudd told her fellow board trustees near the end of Monday’s regular meeting.
A short time before, Rudd and fellow trustee Tara Notine, were sworn in by District Clerk Patricia Olive for new terms they won in the May 20 school district election.
Rudd, a lifelong New Hyde Park resident, said the move is a sudden, unexpected career change.
“It’s just a whirlwind,” Rudd said.
Rudd said his new responsibilities at Event Network will include handling the retail inventory at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborne, Mich. Event Network runs retail operations in non-profit museums in U.S. and Europe.
“It’s a very big decision. It’s a very big job,” Rudd said.
Rudd has worked as director of retail operations for Event Network at Brooklyn Botanic Gardens since Feb. 2012. She held was in same job at the American Museum of Natural History from 2008 to 2012.
Rudd has served on the New Hyde Park-Garden City Park school board for the past 15 years, including four as president from 2005 to 2009. She also served on the Sewanhaka Central High School school board from 2003 to 2008.
Ernest Gentile was re-elected board president during the board’s reorganization meeting before Rudd’s announcement and trustee David Del Santo was elected board vice president.
Both praised Rudd for her contributions to the school district following her resignation.
“You have been a source of inspiration. You will be sorely missed,” Del Santo said.
“I wish you the best in your endeavor,” said Ernest Gentile.
Gentile said the board planned to interview several interested candidates before appointing someone to replace Rudd.
Along with her service on the local school boards, Rudd has also been a member of the Nassau-Suffolk School Boards Association since 2005.
Rudd was also president of the Garden City Park Generals Soccer Club from 1998 to 2004 and for nine years coached the Garden City Park Spurs travel soccer team for whom her daughter Ann Marie played.
She also served on the Town of North Hempstead soccer advisory committee from 1999 to 2008.
Rudd coached CYO soccer at Holy Spirit Church from 2000 to 2003 and was a Girl Scout troop leader from 1991 to 2000.
She said her husband, Eric, will initially remain in New Hyde Park while she starts her new job in Michigan.
Rudd co-founded a new Garden City Park civic association, Residents for a More Beautiful Garden City Park, last year.
Her daughter Kerri Ann is a part-time physical education teacher at the New Hyde Park Road and HIliside grade schools. Ann Marie is an elementary school teacher working part time in Floral Park.
