Meet the Administration

Elizabeth Speers

Head of School

(860) 408-4210

Year Appointed: 2007

Johns Hopkins University - MLA

Middlebury College - BA

bspeers [at] ethelwalker [dot] org

Read More About Elizabeth

Elizabeth "Bessie" C. Speers began her role as Head of The Ethel Walker School in July, 2007.

Prior to arriving at Walker's, Speers was Assistant Head of School and Dean of Faculty at Episcopal Academy in Merion, PA, an independent college preparatory school founded in 1785 with an enrollment of 1168 boys and girls from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. Prior to Episcopal, she held administrative and faculty positions at Bryn Mawr School and Calvert School, both in Baltimore, and at The Loomis Chaffee School in Windsor, CT. Speers has also been on staff at the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) headquarters, a membership organization of 1,200 independent schools.

Speers is a graduate of The Bryn Mawr School, a PK-12 girls’ school in Baltimore. She holds a BA in English from Middlebury College, an MLA from Johns Hopkins University and has participated in education programs at Harvard and Columbia Universities. Her extensive background includes teaching positions as well as expertise in the areas of administration, admissions, curriculum, strategic planning, and diversity.

Speers currently serves on the boards of NAPSG (National Association of Principals of Schools with Girls), NCGS (National Coalition of Girls Schools), CSEE (Council for Spiritual and Ethical Education), CAIS (Connecticut Association of Independent Schools), and she was founding Board Chair for the Community Farm of Simsbury.

Speers lives on campus with her husband, the Rev. Thomas G. Speers III, and their two young children, Nellie and Guthrie. She is a competitive tennis player and enjoys hiking and travel with her family, as well as philanthropic endeavors.

Stephen Dunn

Assistant Head of School

(860)408-4212

Year Appointed: 2007

Texas A&M University - M.Ed

Texas A&M University - B.B.A.

sdunn [at] ethelwalker [dot] org

Wendy Allerton

Dean of Upper and Middle Schools/Faculty

(860) 408-4239

Year Appointed: 2006

Middlebury College - M.A.

Tufts University - B.A.

wallerton [at] ethelwalker [dot] org

Read More About Pamela

Pamela Churchill has been in the field of non-profit leadership for over 20 years, raising tens of millions of dollars for not-for-profits in Connecticut. Before she became Director of Development for Ethel Walker School she was President of Churchill and Associates, focusing on capacity building and capital campaigns for non-profit organizations and schools. Previously, she was the Administrative Director and Vice President of Development and Marketing for the Learning Corridor Campus in Hartford. She was an adjunct professor at the University of Connecticut, where she taught Development and Marketing for non-profits. Before she chose to move into the non-profit field, Churchill had a successful career in sales.

Churchill has served on many non-profit Boards in the greater-Hartford area, and regularly trains Boards on a Board of Director’s Role in Fundraising. She has a Master’s Degree in Public Policy from Trinity College, and a BS from UConn. Churchill has received many professional development and marketing awards, including Eight Remarkable Women in Business in Greater Hartford and 40 under Forty from the Hartford Business Journal, and national fund-development awards. She is a Senior Fellow of the American Leadership Forum in Hartford and presently lives in downtown Hartford.

Clarissa Basch

Director of College Counseling

(860) 408-4215

Year Appointed: 2004

Harvard University - MEd

Bates College - BA

cbasch [at] ethelwalker [dot] org

Andrea Fleming

Dean of Students

(860) 408-4236

Year Appointed: 2009

University Of Phoenix - M.Ed.

University of Arizona - BFA

afleming [at] ethelwalker [dot] org

Margy Foulk

Director of Admission

(860) 408-4202

Year Appointed: 2010

University of Connecticut School of Law - J.D.

Williams College - B.A.

mfoulk [at] ethelwalker [dot] org

John Monagan

Director of Athletics, History Teacher

(860) 408-4290

Year Appointed: 2007

Johns Hopkins University - B.A.

jmonagan [at] ethelwalker [dot] org

About Walker's

Walker's Centennial

Meet Helen, '13

Something new I’ve tried at Walker’s: I had never done tennis or dance before until I came to Walker’s! They were both great experiences and I made a lot of new friends through these activities! - Helen, '13 South Carolina

“Walker’s is the kind of warmth found through self-discovery.”

– Elizabeth, ‘85