Courtney Ross

„ALL CHILDREN LEARN. YOU JUST HAVE TO
INVEST IN THEM.“

Courtney is an attractive woman with the well-styled blond mane of a New York benefactress. She has great resolve and has graciously used her wealth to bring opportunity and education to the masses, regardless of the challenges she has confronted along the way. Her dear motto: Know Thyself In Order To Serve.

In 1991, Courtney and Steven J. Ross founded the Ross School in East Hampton. They recognized that preparing students to meet the challenges of an increasingly connected and rapidly changing world requires innovative models to transform education. Starting with only three children, the Ross School currently serves about 420 students.

The children take music, dance and Chinese, and start the day performing either yoga or Tai chi. However, this isn’t a tiny private school, but a charter school in the East Village, and most of its 420 students are black or Hispanic and come from poor families.

Photo: Ryan McCune/PatrickMcMullan.com