Meet the Board Members
Ryan Strain, Chairman, School Board Position 1
Ryan attended Dogwood Elementary, Houston Middle, and Houston High (class of 2001). He graduated from the University of Memphis in 2005 with a degree in history, and then graduated from Vanderbilt University Law School in 2008. Ryan is a lawyer with a focus on civil litigation, though he has counseled clients on various other matters, as well.
Ryan is passionate about serving others and education. He has received honors from his law firm for his pro bono legal service, and he has been involved with or volunteered for the Dogwood PTO Board, the Dogwood Dads, the City of Germantown’s Historic Commission, Leadership Germantown, the Juvenile Court of Memphis and Shelby County Foster Care Review Board, the United Way, and the Memphis Grizzlies Charitable Foundation TEAM Mentoring Program. He also served on the Board of Directors for Operation Broken Silence, a nonprofit helping to fund a primary and secondary school in Yida Refugee Camp near the border of Sudan and South Sudan. Ryan is also an active member of First Evangelical Church, where he serves on the Memphis Ministries Team.
Daniel Chatham, School Board Position 2
Brian is a member of the Forest Hill Elementary PTO, serving on the board as the Legislative Chairman. He was on the Bylaws Committee that helped form the PTO at Forest Hill Elementary and was thrilled to be a part of opening a brand new school. He previously volunteered with the Dogwood Dads as part of the Dogwood PTO. He has served as a Community Advisor on the board of Farmington Presbyterian Day School, a leading preschool program in the city of Germantown that many of our GMSD students utilize for its before and aftercare programs. He has also served in the past as the Secretary and Treasurer of the Cedar Lake Homeowners’ Association.
Brian has been married for twenty years to Kristi Curry. They have two daughters, Caroline and Linley. Caroline is in the 9th grade at Houston High School and Linley is in the 5th grade at Forest Hill Elementary School. Brian enjoys traveling, diving, playing golf, and being active in the community. He is a proud Eagle Scout. Brian and his family attend Germantown Church of Christ.
Angela Griffith, School Board Position 4
Angela Griffith is a third-generation resident of Germantown having attended our own Riverdale Elementary School and graduating from Germantown High School (Class of ’94). She then earned a BA from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, majoring in history and political science.
After college, she completed the course for Rule 31 Family Mediation Certification. She then began giving back to one of her favorite organizations from childhood, the Germantown Youth Athletic Association. Griffith served as co-director of the association’s softball program from 1999-2001. In 2005, Griffith became a CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) through Shelby County Juvenile Court to be the legal advocate for children who were removed from their parents’ custody.
Professionally, Griffith has worked in foodservice sales and marketing since 1999 and at her current position as regional sales manager for St. Clair Foods, a local food manufacturing company, since 2002.
She and her husband Brad have been married since 2007, moving back to Germantown in 2010 to raise their family. They have two sons, Henry a 9th grader at Houston High and John David a 6th grader at Houston Middle.
As a member of the Dogwood PTA/PTO, she has volunteered for the school’s annual Springfest and Book Fair and served on the Dogwood 40th Anniversary, Gift and Appropriations Committees and currently an active member of the HMS/PTO and HHS/PTSO.
Griffith previously served as the 2nd Vice Chair on the board of Farmington Presbyterian Day School, one of the primary preschools which feeds into GMSD. As an active member of St. Louis Catholic Church in East Memphis, she has taught fifth grade Sunday School since 2005. She is a graduate of Leadership Germantown Class of 2021 and currently serves on the Germantown Historic Commission.
In her leisure time, Griffith enjoys traveling, fishing and listening to live music of any kind. A political and history buff and an avid sports fan, she faithfully pulls for the Tennessee Vols, St. Louis Cardinals and Dallas Cowboys and hopes to visit every Presidential Library and Major League Baseball Park. Griffith says that it is her greatest honor to serve her hometown and its schools. She is a strong proponent of developing well rounded students, empowering our great teachers with a focus on providing a variety of opportunities in safe and updated facilities. Griffith is actively engaged with parents and the community, knowing that the success of our schools directly impacts the future of our city.
Amy Eoff, Vice Chairman, School Board Position 5
For more than fifteen years, Amy has volunteered in multiple capacities in Germantown schools. From room parent to PTA President to band and theatre boosters volunteer, she has seen first hand the importance of positive teacher-parent teamwork in the success of our students. In 2015, Amy was awarded the Tennessee PTA Life Achievement Award for her commitment and work to benefit the school community.