Lutz Prep is operated by a Board of Directors made up of parents and professional educators.
Note: due to Florida’s very broad public records law, most written communications to or from Lutz Preparatory School Board Members regarding school business are public records, available to the public and media upon request. Therefore, any e-mail communication may be subject to public disclosure.
You may contact Lutz Prep board members by clicking on their highlighted names.
Thomas Murray, Ph.D. – Chairperson and Chair, Academics and Athletics Committee – Dr. Murray holds a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction focusing on Social Science Education. As an instructor at the University of Central Florida, he works in the Elementary Education Department and uses international travel as a learning tool for experience in teaching ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages), history and culture. Dr. Murray has assisted 10 classes from first grade through high school to publish student written oral histories in book form. His most recent student-published books are the result of connecting USA elementary students with English speaking students in Asia. Students 10 thousand miles apart collaborate to write these books. Dr. Murray was also Chairman of the Board of Think About the Children, a 501(c)(3), that supports needy children around the world. Projects include building a health clinic in Kenya for an HIV/AIDS orphanage, building three libraries and an Early Childhood Education Center in Vietnam plus Typhoon relief.
Sean Harrigan - Treasurer – Mr. Harrigan has a Masters in Education from the University of South Florida specializing in Instructional Design & Technology and a Bachelor’s degree in Clinical and Behavioral Psychology from The Florida State University. For the last 14 years he has consulted on performance and learning for Fortune 50 companies as well as the United States Navy. For 8 years he served as an onsite Project Manager overseeing multi million dollar efforts for the Navy in educating Naval Officers and Enlisted personnel on weapon systems, antiterrorism and leadership development for all Enlisted personnel and Officers through Commanding Officer. Following work as a Defense contractor he joined MetLife for four years as a Project and Portfolio manager in the Talent Development group overseeing a team of Learning & Development consultants as well as responsibility for managing a $26M portfolio of projects. In 2010 he joined The Walt Disney Company where he now manages the Executive and Leadership Development for all Parks & Resorts for Walt Disney World in addition to consulting and overseeing the design and development of technical training for operational Cast. Mr. Harrigan returned to Tampa in 2007 where he and his family still reside. He has two children at Lutz Preparatory currently (6th, 4th) and a 1st grader attending their local public school in the community. Mr. Harrigan also serves in his local church community at Idlewild Baptist coaching both of his boys baseball teams and other various efforts.
Alexander Lee - Secretary – Mr. Lee received his Bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Boston College and his Master’s in computer information systems from Nova Southeastern University. He has been working in software development for over 10 years, designing and developing applications for such various industries as HVAC systems (both manufacturing as well as marketing and sales), paper products manufacturing, vital statistics verification for state agencies, and most recently, clinical applications for hospitals and nursing homes. Mr. Lee has prior experience working in the charter school realm as he served on the team that created the Lutz Prep charter application. Originally from upstate New York, Mr. Lee and his family moved to the Tampa area to enjoy its sunny weather, beautiful beaches and parks. He has three children, two of which attend Lutz Prep and his youngest will be in Lutz Pre-prep.
Rick Narkiewicz - Vice Chair – Mr. Narkiewicz is the son of an educator who spent over 30 years in the Pasco County school system. His experience growing up enlightened him on the need to create the absolute best working environment possible for teachers and staff. Mr. Narkiewicz has a vested personal interest in the success of Lutz Preparatory as two of his children will soon be attending the school. Mr. Narkiewicz has been named multiple times as one of the top young business leaders in Metro Tampa Bay. He is a First Vice President at CBRE, Inc. (formerly CB Richard Ellis) which is the world’s largest commercial real estate firm. His area of expertise is the development, sales and leasing of industrial properties in the Metro Tampa Bay area. His clients range from executives of manufacturing or distribution companies to the industry’s most sophisticated real estate investment trusts. Mr. Narkiewicz’s profession requires a wide array of skill sets that he brings to the Board of Lutz Preparatory, for example: Finance, sales, marketing, site development, construction, understanding of legal issues, leadership, and personnel management.
Frank Rygiel - Chair, Facilities Committee – Mr. Rygiel received his Bachelor’s Degree in Construction Management from East Carolina University. A licensed Florida General Contractor and a LEED Accredited Professional, Mr. Rygiel has managed the construction of numerous large commercial projects throughout the state. A Senior Project Manager with Batson-Cook Company (a Kajima USA Group Company), his construction experience is diverse including educational facilities, corporate commercial buildings, hospitals, and high-rise construction projects. Recognized nationally as one of the Top 40 under 40 in Building Design + Construction (BD+C) Magazine 2012, Top 20 under 40 in the Southeast by Engineering News Record (ENR) 2011, and one of the Tampa Bay Business Journal’s 2012 Up & Comers; Frank is well known in the industry. He has completed leadership training through the Lore Institute and Ken Blanchard Companies, and is a member of Leadership Pasco Class of 2011 and Leadership Tampa Bay Class of 2013. Frank is extremely active in the community with a primary focus on education. He is currently the Vice-Chair of Pasco-Hernando Community College’s Foundation Board and is the future Board Chair Elect. In addition to PHCC, he has worked on committees for the Hillsborough Education Foundation, Hillsborough Community College Foundation and the Florida Medical Clinic Foundation for Caring. He is member of the Wesley Chapel Sunrise Rotary Club and coaches youth baseball and football for the Wesley Chapel Athletic Association.
Rania Shehata – Ms. Shehata holds a Bachelor’s degree in English and Political Science from the University of Florida and a Juris Doctorate from Nova Southeastern University. She has been practicing law for the past 8 years in Pinellas, Pasco and Hillsborough Counties. She is admitted to practice law in the state of Florida and the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida. She began her legal career as an Assistant State Attorney, prosecuting felony cases for the Sixth Judicial Circuit, focusing her career on crimes against children. She currently is employed at a full service litigation law firm practicing in civil defense litigation. She is highly skilled at drafting and negotiating agreements, advising corporate clients on all relevant business matters and defending businesses and individuals against civil lawsuits. Ms. Shehata is married with two children.
Christine Donohue Smith – Chair, Advancement Committee - Ms. Smith received her Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology from Tulane in 1970 and her Master’s Degree in Education from Purdue in 1974, where she served as Director of the Women in Engineering Program. She began a career in university development at Lehigh University In 1980; her responsibilities included Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations and Campaign Director and founding Director of International Advancement. From 1997 to 2005, Smith served Georgetown University as Director of Development for the School of Foreign Service, Assistant Vice President, and Associate Vice President for Main Campus Development. She was an integral member of the team that led Georgetown’s $1.0 billion Third Century Campaign. For two years, Smith served as chief advancement officer for the Carnegie Institution for Science in Washington, DC, and then returned to Lehigh as chief operating officer for Lehigh’s $60 million/year fundraising program. She was instrumental in completing Lehigh’s $500 million Shine Forever campaign in 2009. In June, 2011, she moved to Tampa, Florida, and continues as senior consultant for Lehigh University. Smith has served in numerous board and civic positions including the Marshall Legacy Institute in Washington, DC, the YMCA of Bethlehem, PA, and the Boys and Girls Club of Bethlehem (President).