David Leinbach, Michelle Gyves '02, Eric Trump '02

When the new academic year begins at The Hill School in September, three new Trustees – two of whom have direct Pottstown connections – will already have begun terms on the Board of Trustees. The new Trustees were appointed during The Hill’s recent Trustee meetings, held June 3 - 5. Effective July 1, the three are Michelle A. (Schaaf) Gyves, Hill ’02; Eric F. Trump, Hill ’02; and David K. Leinbach.

Michelle A. (Schaaf) Gyves ’02, a native of Pottstown, earned her bachelor’s degree at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she was a Morehead Scholar, and she holds a J.D. from Harvard University Law School. She resides in New York, N.Y. where she works for Cravath Swaine & Moore, LLP.

Michelle is married to Daniel J. Gyves, Hill ’01 (whom she married in August 2009 in Hill’s Alumni Memorial Chapel). Her younger brother, James, also attended Hill and graduated in 2009. She will serve a three-year term on Hill’s Board as a “Term Trustee,” defined as a graduate from the past 15 years, bringing valuable perspectives both as a young alumna and as a professional in the legal field.

“I thoroughly enjoyed and continue to reflect fondly on my time at Hill and attribute many of the opportunities I have been afforded to the wonderful education and preparation I received there,” Gyves said.

"I believe it is an important role of the Board of Trustees to see that Hill continues to advance its national and international reputation as a superior college preparatory school while at the same time maintaining the traditions and culture that make it so special -- those aspects of Hill that draw alumni back year after year,” she added. “I hope my experiences both at and since Hill, and my status as the only alumna on the Board at this time, will allow me to bring a unique perspective to this important task.”

“Shelly excelled as a student and school leader at The Hill, serving as the president of the Honor Council in her Sixth Form year,” Dougherty said. “She was bright, academically engaged, and unassailably honorable. Everyone here predicted great success for her, and we were gratified by her nomination as a Morehead Scholar at Chapel Hill and by her enrollment at Harvard Law. I am thrilled that she returns now to The Hill as a member of our Board.”

Eric F. Trump ’02 graduated with honors from Georgetown University. He resides in New York, N.Y. where he is an executive vice president for The Trump Organization, focusing primarily on international negotiations and property development.

Among other endeavors, Trump serves on the Board of Directors of the Eric Trump Foundation which serves children battling life-threatening or debilitating medical conditions. Eric is the brother of Donald J. Trump, Jr., Hill ’96. He will serve a three-year term on Hill’s Board.

"It's an honor to be appointed to The Hill School Board of Trustees," Trump said. "I look forward to having the opportunity to give back to the School that shaped me into the person I am today. The Hill was an intricate part of my upbringing."

“A member of the School’s last Second Form (eighth grade), Eric was a leader of that special group of young men who as Third Formers welcomed our first young women to the school in 1998 (when Hill went coed), making them feel part of the School right away,” Dougherty said. “He was then kind and unassumingly genuine, and helped to make those first years of coeducation here work. He will bring to the Board of Trustees the same vision and loyalty to the School that marked his five years here as a student.”

David K. Leinbach, of Tamaqua, Pa., is well known in the Pottstown business and nonprofit areas. The president and treasurer of Kaiser Construction Co., Inc. (Douglassville, Pa.) and Martin Construction Company (Denver, Pa.), Leinbach is an active member of the Pottstown community, serving on the Board of Directors for the Tri-County Performing Arts Center and the Tri-County Area Chamber of Commerce, and as president of the Board for Pottstown Area Industrial Development Inc., among other civic involvements including several regional government bodies. Leinbach earned a B.S. in business management from Bob Jones University.

Although he is neither a Hill alumnus nor Hill parent, Leinbach has served The Hill as assistant coach of the varsity girls’ soccer team. David will serve on Hill’s Board as a five-year Corporate Trustee.

Noted Hill Headmaster David R. Dougherty: “In business, community service, and work with young people, Dave has reached out to all corners of our community with the goal of bringing people together to strengthen and enhance the lives of people in the borough and tri-county area. He speaks directly, listens carefully, and acts thoughtfully.”

Preston Athey ’67 (Owings Mills, Md.), chair of the Hill Trustees’ Governance Committee, said that while Leinbach is not directly affiliated with the School, “he brings a wealth of knowledge of Pottstown and its development potential. As a Trustee, David will bring fresh insights to the Board.”

“I’m excited to be partnering with The Hill in this endeavor,” Leinbach said, adding, “The motto of The Hill School – ‘Whatsoever things are true’ – aligns with my conviction that truth is foundational to all education.”