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School Leadership

The Ethel Walker School Board of Trustees supports and promotes the School’s mission and ensures that it is appropriate and relevant to the School community.

The Board sets the policies that govern the School and appoints and vests authority in the Head to implement those policies. Trustees advocate for the School and serve as its ambassadors in the community. New trustees are elected by the current board upon the recommendation of the Trusteeship and Governance Committee.

Board of Trustees

Katharine O'Brien Rohn ’82

Chair · Conservation and Education Nonprofit Leader

Katharine O'Brien Rohn ’82

Darien, CT

Chair

Kit earned her B.A. in Environmental Studies and Fine Arts from Dartmouth College and is a full-time volunteer in the areas of education and conservation. In addition to her leadership role at Walker’s, she is a member of the Board of Directors of the National Wildlife Refuge Association, and also serves on the board of Horizons at The Ethel Walker School, the first all-girls Horizons program in the country. Kit was a founding member of Conservation International, a nonprofit environmental organization that focuses on science, policy, and partnership with businesses and communities to accomplish its goal of protecting nature as a source of food, fresh water, livelihoods, and a stable climate. Kit volunteers as a bird bander for the Connecticut Audubon Society and has previously served as President of the Darien Audubon Society and as an educator for the National Audubon Society. She has recently completed training to become an EMT. Prior to serving as Board Chair, Kit chaired the Head of School Search. In 2017, she received the Margot Rose ’80 Distinguished Alumnae Award, The Ethel Walker School’s highest alumnae honor.

Emma Simon ’89

Vice Chair · Managing Director, Marketing, Virtus Investment

Emma Simon ’89

West Hartford, CT

Vice Chair

Emma earned a B.A. from Wellesley College and an M.B.A. from the University of Connecticut. She also completed a fashion design certification from Istituto Marangoni in Milan. She is Managing Director, Marketing for Virtus Investment Partners in Hartford, CT. Emma has been an active member of the Hartford Wellesley Club, including serving as its president, and has volunteered for the Hill-Stead Museum in a number of capacities, including as a member of the Board of Governors. For Walker’s, she has volunteered as a member of the Alumnae Board (President), Auction Committee, Campaign Committee, Campaign Steering Committee, Centennial Honorary Committee, Development Committee, and Marketing Committee. She has also been a leadership solicitor, Reunion Gift Chair, class agent, Advancement Committee solicitor and, most recently, a Reunion Tri-Chair in 2019.

Thomas Regan

Thomas Regan P’13

Treasurer · Partner, Brown Rudnick LLP

Thomas Regan P’13

Avon, CT

Treasurer

Tom earned a B.A. from Trinity College, an M.B.A. from Yale University, and a J.D. from the University of Connecticut. As an attorney and partner of Brown Rudnick LLP, he practices in the areas of real estate, energy, land use and administrative law. He also represents national clients on permitting matters throughout the state. Tom has previously served as Senior VP of Economic Development and Governmental Affairs for the Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce. Tom is a member of the Board of Directors of USA Hockey and serves the USA Hockey Legal Council, and is the former President of the Connecticut Hockey Conference. In 2018 Tom was awarded The Ethel Walker School Medal, the highest honor bestowed upon non-alumnae members of the Walker’s community. His daughter Chelsea is a member of the Class of 2013.

Michaelynn Ware P’28, ’29

Secretary · Vice President, Legal Operations and Intellectual Property, Otis Elevator Co.

Michaelynn Ware P’28, ’29

Farmington, CT

Secretary

Michaelynn earned a BA in International Affairs from The George Washington University and a JD from the University of Virginia School of Law. As VP of Legal Operations and Intellectual Property for Otis Elevator Co., she has global legal oversight over large customer contracts, supplier agreements, and intellectual property assets. Previously, she was VP, Legal Affairs & Compliance for Otis in the Asia Pacific region, based in Singapore. She has also served as VP and Counsel, Commercial Engines for Pratt & Whitney and Associate General Counsel for antitrust for United Technologies Corporation. She started her career as an antitrust lawyer at Hogan Lovells in Washington, DC. She also serves on the board of the Simsbury Meadows Performing Arts Center. Michaelynn lives in Farmington, CT with her husband and two daughters Lena and Elise, members of Walker’s classes of 2028 and 2029.

Alexandra Badger Airth ’83

Director, Mars Foundation Board

Alexandra Badger Airth ’83

Newport Beach, CA

Alex earned a B.A. from Duke University and an M.B.A. from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University. She is currently Director of the Mars Foundation Board, a member of the American Ballet Theater Global Council, a member of the Tulane University Parents Council and co-founder and board member of Pretend City Children’s Museum of Orange County, CA. Alex has held senior level positions at several international advertising agencies including Hill, Holliday and DMB&B. Her previous board service includes Choate Rosemary Hall, Harbor Day School, and the Board of Visitors of Trinity College of Arts & Sciences at Duke University. 

Margot Bogert

Margot Campbell Bogert ’60

Board of Trustees, The Frick Collection and World Scout Committee

Margot Campbell Bogert ’60

Bedford Hills, NY

Trustee Emerita

Margot earned her BA from Sarah Lawrence College. She has been an active member of the Frick Collection’s Board of Trustees for more than a decade, serving as President from 2005 – 2017. From 1998 – 2004, she was Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Sarah Lawrence College, where she had previously launched the institution’s first capital campaign as Director of Development. Margot is one of the first women members of the National Executive Board of Directors of the Boy Scouts of America, formerly Vice Chairman of the World Scout Committee, and a member of the Board of Directors of the World Scout Foundation. In 2004 she founded the World Scout Fund/USA, which supports community projects in underdeveloped nations. She also dedicates time to the Episcopal Charities of the Diocese of New York and the Woodland Foundation in New York City, of which she is President, and has served on the Board of Trustees of the Northern Westchester Hospital Center and the Board of Directors of Fiduciary Trust International.

Christopher L. Brigham

Principal, Updike, Kelly & Spellacy, P.C.

Christopher L. Brigham

West Hartford, CT

Chris earned his B.A. in American Literature from Middlebury College and his J.D. from the Vermont Law School. As Principal with the law firm of Updike, Kelly & Spellacy, P.C. and Chairman of the firm’s Employment Practices Group, he focuses on representing and counseling schools and businesses with respect to workplace and employment law issues. Chris is a member of the Board of Directors of Meritas, a leading global alliance of independent law firms and serves as a member of its US Leadership Committee. Chris is a member of the Board of Trustees for the St. Thomas’s Day School Foundation in New Haven. Chris is the brother of Walker’s graduates Jean Brigham Chant ’82 and Kathleen Brigham ’85.

Elizabeth Rockwell Cesare

Former Head of School, King Low Heyward Thomas School

Elizabeth Rockwell Cesare

Norwalk, CT

Trustee Emerita

Sue earned a B.A. in English from Connecticut College and an M.A. in Comparative Religion from Union Theological Seminary. She was the Head of King & Low-Heywood Thomas School in Stamford, CT for 25 years, during which time she coordinated Low-Heywood’s merger with the Thomas School in 1975 and spearheaded the consolidation of Low-Heywood Thomas with King School in 1988. Sue was also a founding trustee of the Runnemede School in Vermont. She has served on the Board of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) and was a past President of the Connecticut Association of Independent Schools (CAIS). A strong advocate of women’s education, Sue was appointed to the Walker’s Board of Trustees in 1987, and served as President of the Board from 1996 – 2000. In 2015 she was the inaugural recipient of The Ethel Walker Medal, the highest honor bestowed upon non-alumnae members of the Walker’s community. In 2009, Sue won the prestigious CAIS Award, presented to a person who has provided an inspiring example of leadership and commitment to the improvement of education for children in Connecticut. She is the co-author of the book Succeeding at Parenting and Teaching.

Kevin Chessen

Kevin Chessen P’17

Managing Director, BTIG

Kevin Chessen P’17

San Francisco, CA

Kevin earned a BA in Business Economics from the University of California, Santa Barbara. As co-founder and Managing Director of Business Development at BTIG, a global financial services firm, he actively expands client relationships, cross-sells products and services and handles special situations across both institutional and corporate clients globally. Kevin co-founded BTIG and its predecessor firm Baypoint Trading. He is also a member of BTIG’s Global Operating Committee. Previously, Kevin was Head of Listed Trading at Banc of America Securities between 1997 and 2002. Earlier in his career, he was Head of Asian Equity Trading at Merrill Lynch. Kevin began his career in financial services with S.G. Warburg, based in New York, London and Tokyo. Kevin is also a Principal of Pacific View Asset Management, LLC, and a founding member of Pacific View’s management team. Kevin serves on the Board of The First Tee of San Francisco and was previously Treasurer for the National Center for International Schools’ Committee. His daughter Samantha is a member of the Class of 2017.

Mary Lou Cobb

Mary Lou Cobb

Cobb Education Consulting, LLC

Mary Lou Cobb

West Simsbury, CT

After graduating from Mount Vernon College, Mary Lou earned her Montessori Primary Diploma in 1964 before founding The Cobb School, Montessori, of which she was Head of School for 45 years. She is currently the founder and principal consultant of Cobb Education Consulting, LLC. Mary Lou is a founding board member of The Montessori Administrators Association, the Montessori Training Center of New England and the Montessori Schools of Connecticut. She continues to serve on the boards of The Montessori Training Center of New England. She has also served on SPHERE, a coalition of Connecticut independent schools dedicated to diversity and inclusion, and on the Commission for Membership and Accreditation for the Connecticut Association of Independent Schools. Mary Lou is Vice President of the Whole School Leadership Board and a trained instructor for the Association of Montessori Internationale’s Montessori for the Aging.

Sarah Gates Colley ’75

Retired, Goldman Sachs

Sarah Gates Colley ’75

Hobe Sound, FL

Trustee Emerita

Sarah earned a BA in Economics from Duke University. She began her career at Chemical Bank, and spent the remaining part of her 20-year career at Goldman Sachs in finance and investments. Sarah has served Walker’s and our Board of Trustees in innumerable ways over many years. Most recently, she has served as a member of the Finance, Trusteeship and Advancement committees. Sarah was Campaign Chair for our Centennial Campaign from 2011-2016 and has served on two Head of School search committees. She is a member of The Ethel Walker School Heritage Society, and has established The Sarah Gates Colley ’75 Scholarship Fund and The Gates Family Bowl, which recognizes the highest level of Reunion giving. In 1989, Sarah was awarded the Vander Poel Bowl for distinguished leadership in the Annual Fund, and in 2015 she received the Margot Rose ’80 Distinguished Alumnae Award, The Ethel Walker School’s highest alumnae honor.

Elly Daugherty

Dr. Eleanor Daugherty P’26

Vice President for Student Affairs, Georgetown University

Dr. Eleanor Daugherty P’26

Washington, DC

Elly earned a B.A. from the University of Chicago and an M.Ed. and Ed.D. from Columbia University. She is an advocate for student well-being and equity with 25 years of experience in higher education and is currently Vice President for Student Affairs at Georgetown University. Elly has presented and published on women in leadership, free speech, crisis management, and access to mental health care. Previously, she held leadership positions as Associate VP for Student Affairs and Dean of Students at the University of Connecticut andAssistant Vice President for Student Life and the Associate Dean of the College for Student Life and Alumni Affairs at the University of Chicago, where she was responsible for providing senior leadership and strategic planning for student life initiatives. Elly has also held administrative roles at Columbia University and the University of Michigan. Her academic interests include diversity and inclusion among underrepresented college students and mental health. Elly’s daughter Annie is a member of Walker’s Class of 2026.

Margaret G. Davis P'26

Owner, Sienna Mountain Ranch

Margaret G. Davis P'26

Petaluma, CA

Margaret graduated from the University of Southern California with a BA in Cinema and Television. Over the last 18 years, she has developed and managed a world class equestrian center at Sienna Mountain Ranch in Petaluma, CA. She was previously a trustee at Sonoma Country Day School. Margaret is often to be found at the barn, where she herself rides, as does her daughter Ainsley, a member of Walker’s Class of 2026.

Harriet Blees Dewey ’60, P’86, GP’21

Educator and Philanthropist

Harriet Blees Dewey ’60, P’86, GP’21

Ridgefield, CT

Harriet earned an AAS degree from Bennett Junior College, where she majored in Dance. She is a retired teacher who devoted the majority of her career to teaching elementary school at The Mead School in Connecticut. Harriet and her family remain actively involved in and supportive of their educational institutions and community. Harriet was on the Head of School Search Committee and instrumental in bringing Meera Viswanathan to Walker’s. In 2016, she received the Margot Rose ’80 Distinguished Alumnae Award, The Ethel Walker School’s highest alumnae honor. Harriet is the mother of  Ashley Logan Van Der Klis ’86, grandmother of Lena Van Der Klis ’21, and stepmother-in-law to Ashley Bourne Dewey ’82.

Leander Dolphin

Leander Altifois Dolphin ’95, P’24

Managing Partner, Shipman & Goodwin, LLP

Leander Altifois Dolphin ’95, P’24

Hartford, CT

Leander earned a B.A. in English, African American Studies and Women’s Studies from Wesleyan University and a J.D. from Howard University School of Law. She is Managing Partner, a member of the firm’s Management Committee, and a partner in the school law practice group at Shipman & Goodwin LLP in Hartford, CT, representing public school districts, independent schools, colleges and universities in education and employment matters. Leander also leads Shipman & Goodwin’s Committee on Diversity and Inclusion. She is also an adjunct professor of education law at Quinnipiac University School of Law, and previously served as Vice President of Human Resources and General Counsel at Girl Scouts of Connecticut. Leander serves on the board of The Governor’s Prevention Partnership, the Lawyers Collaborative for Diversity’s Associates Advisory Committee, and has previously served on the boards of the Hartt School for Performing Arts, the George W. Crawford Black Bar Association, the Girl Scouts of the USA, and the Girl Scouts of Connecticut. Leander was selected as a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation, a James W. Cooper Fellow of the Connecticut Bar Foundation, and by the Connecticut Law Tribune as a “New Leader in the Law.” Her daughter Maya is in Walker’s Class of 2024.

Jean Edwards

Jean Moore Edwards '69

Owner, Moore Ranch Vineyards

Jean Moore Edwards '69

Saint Helena, CA

Jean earned a BA in History and an MA in Education from Stanford University. She maintains a strong interest in curriculum development. Jean lives on Moore Ranch, a family vineyard business which she operates and manages with her husband, Robert J. Edwards. Jean began her career in the LA entertainment business, where she produced docudramas for network television. She later became a pastry chef before moving to Napa, where she has lived for nearly 30 years, managing 80 acres of premium grape vineyards. Moore Ranch fruit supplies Cakebread Cellars, Sterling Vineyards and other well-known wineries. Jean attributes her successes to her Walker’s education and has an interest in curriculum development. She remains an active equestrian competing in hunter/jumper shows on the West Coast.

Ximena Eleta de Sierra

Ximena Eleta de Sierra '83

President, Board of Directors, Fundación Gramo Danse; Founder and Co-Director, PRISMA

Ximena Eleta de Sierra '83

Panama City, Panama

Ximena earned her undergraduate degree in Languages and Linguistics at Georgetown University, and her Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Texas at Austin. She worked as an English professor, as a fundraiser for non-profit organizations, and as an independent college counselor for 20 years. Ximena has danced professionally (aerial and contemporary) for over two decades. She is President of the Board of Directors of Fundación Gramo Danse, and founder and Co-Director of PRISMA–International Contemporary Dance Festival of Panama. She is also Fundraising Chair of the Georgetown Club of Panama Board of Directors, as well as member of the National Theater Board of Trustees and the Chamber of Commerce Creative Industries Committee.

Toan Huynh '93

Partner, Baylane Capital; Independent Director, Sunlight Financial, Flagstar Bank, and Bankers Financial Group

Toan Huynh '93

New York, NY

Toan earned her Bachelor of Arts and Science from the University of Pennsylvania and a Master’s Certificate in International Relations and Comparative Economics from Kyung Hee University. A former technology founder turned investor, she is also an advisor for early-stage startups, focusing on B2B SaaS, fintech, IT Services, and enterprise technology, with experience in private equity and venture capital funds. She serves as a non-executive director for private and public boards. Toan is currently an Independent Director for both Sunlight Financial and Flagstar Bank, as well as a Partner at Baylane Capital. Toan is an avid advocate for women in technology and finance and an active investor in the North American technology ecosystem.

Barbara Thomas Kennedy '69

Manager, Standard Enterprises, Inc.

Barbara Thomas Kennedy '69

Charlottesville, VA

Barbee earned a bachelor’s degree in French from Duke University with a concentration in languages, and then pursued a career in the computer industry, where she held various positions in IBM mainframe programming, project management, and systems programming for Trust Company of Georgia in Atlanta, and later, Marriott Corporation in Bethesda, Maryland. As she raised her two children, Barbee managed the financial operations of the family LED lighting business based in Charlottesville, Virginia, her home for the past 37 years. She has also been a long-time volunteer for Meals on Wheels. She was a rider at Walker’s and is an enthusiastic supporter of our current riding program.

Cynthia Kirkland Kellogg ’60

Conservationist, Nonprofit Leader, and Philanthropist

Cynthia Kirkland Kellogg ’60

Short Hills, NJ

Cynnie attended Smith College after graduation from Walker’s. She has a long history of supporting farm, forest and coastal land conservation efforts. She currently serves on the boards of Greenwood Garden, a public garden in New Jersey, as well as the Coastal Conservation League and Drayton Hall in South Carolina. Cynnie also served for many years on the board of the New Jersey Conservation Foundation and currently serves on its Advisory Committee. She has been an active member of the Short Hills Garden Club and the Garden Club of America. Cynnie is currently Co-Chair of Walker’s Copper Beech Society.

Charlotte Weidlein Lenzner

Charlotte Weidlein Lenzner ’05

Sr. Director, Business Development & Corporate Partnerships, Global Citizen

Charlotte Weidlein Lenzner ’05

Bronxville, NY

Ex Officio, Alumnae Board Co-Chair

Charlotte earned a BA in History of Art and Visual Culture from Bates College. She is Senior Director of Business Development and Corporate Partnerships for Global Citizen. Charlotte previously worked at Sotheby’s as a key member of the Single Owner Sales Department, and later as Vice President of Client Development and Strategy at Charitybuzz, an online auction house benefiting non-profit organizations. She has cultivated and continues to oversee several strategic brand partnerships focused on corporate social responsibility. In addition to her volunteer work for Walker’s as Co-Chair of the Alumnae Board, she sits on the board of the Cleveland H. Dodge Foundation and is Co-Chair of the Emerging Leaders Council at East Harlem Tutorial Program.

Dr. Shelley Marks ’81

Surgeon, Palo Alto Medical Foundation

Dr. Shelley Marks ’81

San Francisco, CA

Shelley earned a B.A. in Art History and Neurobiology from Wellesley College and an M.D. from the Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University. She trained in Surgery at UCSF and Stanford, where she served as Chief Resident and did a fellowship in Advanced Minimally Invasive Surgery at UCSF under Dr. Lawrence Way. She has been a general surgeon for over 20 years, currently with the Palo Alto Medical Foundation and affiliated with Stanford Hospital. Shelley has served as president of the Northern California Chapter of the American College of Surgeons, the San Francisco Surgical Society, as well as the UCSF Naffziger Surgical Society. Shelley’s family legacy at Walker’s includes her mother Virginia Backus Caulkins ’40; two aunts: Barbara Backus Jewett ’31 and Dorothy Backus Lunken ’38; a cousin, Virginia Backus Vanocur ’54 and a godmother, Susan Ford ’63.

Ann O'Hara

Ann O'Hara P’21, ’23

President, Huhtamaki North America

Ann O'Hara P’21, ’23

Ann Arbor, MI

Ann earned a BSE in Chemical Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from Harvard Business School. She also completed Harvard Business School’s executive education program, Women on Corporate Boards. Ann is currently President for Huhtamaki North America, leading a packaging manufacturing business which services retail, foodservice and consumer goods customers. Ann was previously Managing Director of the angel investment group, Four Provinces Investments LLC. She has also held positions as Executive Vice President of Global Products for the Intertek Group, Vice President and General Manager at Amcor Limited, and General Manager at the General Electric Company, and worked for both McKinsey & Company and Procter & Gamble. Ann has lived and worked half of her career outside of North America in Australia, Sweden, Germany, China, and Argentina. Her daughters both attend Walker’s: Janet Hedges in the Class of 2021 and Jordan Hedges in the Class of 2023.

Letitia McClure Potter ’55, P’85

Trustee Emerita

Letitia McClure Potter ’55, P’85

Greenwich, CT

Trustee Emerita

Tisha earned a B.A. in Art History from Vassar College. After graduating, she worked for the Director of both the Harvard Department of Urban Studies and the Harvard-MIT Joint Center for Urban Studies, and later for the NY State Council on the Arts. An active volunteer, she has been a member of the advisory council of CT American Water Company as well as a board member and Vice President of Hortulus, a GCA garden club. In addition, Tisha has been a board member for the Greenwich Exchange for Women’s Work and the Friends of the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center at Vassar College. Prior to moving to Connecticut, she was on the advisory council of the Children’s Aid Society in NY. Tisha has also volunteered for Vassar College and been an advisory group member for the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Vermont. Tisha has been a valuable Walker’s volunteer, having chaired and/or volunteered as a member of many committees over the years including the Advancement Committee, the Centennial Campaign Cabinet, the Head’s Advisory Committee, the Strategic Planning Steering Committee, the Head of School Search Committee, and the EWS Foundation Board.

Alvaro Rodriguez P'24

Director, Enterprise Project Management Office, OhioHealth

Alvaro Rodriguez P'24

Westerville, OH

Al earned a B.S. in Management and Engineering for Manufacturing from the University of Connecticut, and a Master of Business Operational Excellence from The Ohio State University Fisher College of Business where he was also certified as a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt. He is currently Director, Enterprise Project Management Office at OhioHealth. Previous positions include Global Director at Vertiv, Principal Project Manager at American Electric Power, and Senior Project Manager at Siemens, managing oil and gas projects in the UK, Europe, and Asia. Al’s daughter Averi is a member of Walker’s Class of 2024.

Beth Strapp

Beth Strapp P’18, ’21

Senior Vice President, Berkley Healthcare Financial Lines

Beth Strapp P’18, ’21

Granby, CT

Ex Officio, President, Ethel Walker Schools Parents Association

Beth earned her BS in Education from Keene State College, University of New Hampshire. She has worked in the insurance industry for nearly thirty years. She joined W. R. Berkley in August 2016 and now leads the Berkley Healthcare Financial Lines team, formed in 2018. Prior to joining Berkley, Beth was Senior Vice President at Chubb, Ltd, where she served as the Financial Lines Healthcare Product Leader for sixteen years. Beth has also held various healthcare underwriting, product leadership and management positions at Executive Risk, Inc. and Chubb & Son having joined Executive Risk, Inc. in 1995. Beth began her career at the Travelers Insurance Company in 1990 in their managed care division in service and underwriting roles. Her daughter Caroline is a member of the Class of  2018 and her daughter Lizzy is a member of the Class of 2021.

Kelly Lee Tang P'27

Senior Director of Research, Drucker Institute

Kelly Lee Tang P'27

New York, NY

Kelly graduated from Stanford and has an MBA from Harvard University. She is Senior Director of Research for the Drucker Institute, leading research and development for their company ranking system. She has expertise in ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) investing, sustainability investing, and asset management. Previously, she worked at S&P Global in their indices division, where she designed the S&P/Drucker Institute Corporate Effectiveness Index. She has written for The Wall Street Journal, The Journal of Alternative Investments, and Harvard Law School’s Forum on Corporate Governance and Financial Regulation. Kelly’s daughter Morgan is a member of Walker’s Class of 2027.

Jamiah Tappin '00

Director, Health Resources in Action

Jamiah Tappin '00

Boston, MA

Jamiah earned a Bachelor’s degree from Boston University and a Master’s of Social Work from the University of Connecticut. She is currently a Director on both the Health & Racial Equity and Grantmaking teams at Health Resources in Action in Boston. Jamiah works to strengthen neighborhood partnerships across sectors and supports the grantmaking team in facilitating processes and allocation of resources between Boston-based hospitals and community organizations. One of Walker’s first Middle School Students, she went on to lead as President of the Student Body and later as Co-Chair of the Alumnae Board. In 2021, Jamiah received the Margot Rose ’80 Distinguished Alumnae Award, The Ethel Walker School’s highest alumnae honor.

Dr. Emiliana Vegas ’85

Professor of Practice, Harvard Graduate School of Education

Dr. Emiliana Vegas ’85

Washington, DC

Emiliana earned a BA in Communications with a concentration in Journalism from Andrés Bello Catholic University in Caracas, Venezuela, an Ed from Harvard University with a concentration in Economics of Education, and an MPP from Duke University. She currently serves as professor of practice at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. A leading expert on education in developing countries, Emiliana has written extensively on issues affecting education systems in Latin America and the Caribbean and other developing regions. Before joining the faculty at Harvard, Emiliana served as Senior Fellow and Co-Director of the Center for Universal Education at the Brookings Institution, Chief of the Education Division at the Inter-American Development Bank, and at the World Bank in Washington, DC, where she held various positions in the Human Development Network.

Dr. Meera Viswanathan

Ex Officio · Head of School

Dr. Meera Viswanathan

Simsbury, CT

Meera earned a BA, an MA and a PhD from Stanford University. A lifelong educator and scholar, she joined Walker’s from Brown University, where she was an associate professor of Comparative Literature and East Asian Studies. At Brown, she earned the Barrett Hazeltine Award for Outstanding Teaching, and the John Rowe Workman Medal in the Humanities. Meera has served as a reviewer for the National Endowment for the Humanities, on the review board of the journal, College Literature, and on the board of the Community Preparatory School in Providence, and is a Trustee of the Lawrenceville School. Meera has studied and speaks a number of languages including Japanese, French, German, Latin, Classical Greek, Old English and Old Norse. Meera and her husband, Dr. Eric Widmer, resided at Deerfield Academy during his 12-year tenure as Headmaster. While there, she taught English for a year while on sabbatical from Brown. At the behest of King Abdullah II of Jordan, Meera and Eric co-founded King’s Academy in Madaba, Jordan, the Middle East’s first co-educational preparatory boarding school with financial aid. There, she taught and served as the curriculum’s principal architect and dean of faculty. King Abdullah II personally awarded Meera the King Hussein Medal, Jordan’s highest honor, for her endeavors.

Teresa Younger

Teresa C. Younger

CEO and President, Ms. Foundation for Women

Teresa C. Younger

Brooklyn, NY

Teresa earned a BS in Parks, Recreation and Leisure Studies from the University of North Dakota and an honorary doctorate in Humanities from the University of New Haven. In 2014, she became CEO and President of the Ms. Foundation for Women, the first women’s foundation in the United States. A noted speaker, advocate, and activist, Teresa has been on the frontlines of some of the most important battles for women’s health, safety and economic justice. In 2015, she was honored by Planned Parenthood Federation of America as a Dream Keeper and given Liberty Bank’s Willard M. McRae Community Diversity Award. Teresa served on the boards of the ERA Coalition/Fund for Women’s Equality, Universal Healthcare Foundation of CT, the Women’s Campaign School at Yale University and the Essie Justice Group. She is a lifetime Girl Scout, and was Board Chair for Girl Scouts of Connecticut from 2008-2013, and of the New York Women’s Forum.

Administration

Dr. Meera Viswanathan

Head of School

Dr. Meera Viswanathan

 860-408-4210

B.A., Stanford University
M.A., Stanford University
Ph.D., Stanford University

Meera joined Walker’s from Brown University, where she was an associate professor of Comparative Literature and East Asian Studies. A lifelong educator and scholar, Meera holds her undergraduate degree, her M.A. and a Ph.D. from Stanford University. Meera was born in Madras, India and emigrated at age five to Los Angeles.

At Brown, she earned the Barrett Hazeltine Award for Outstanding Teaching, and the John Rowe Workman Medal in the Humanities. She delivered Brown University’s Convocation Address, has received several National Endowment for the Humanities grants and awards, and has been both a visiting scholar and professor abroad. Meera has served as a reviewer for the National Endowment for the Humanities, on the review board of the journal, College Literature, and on the board of the Community Preparatory School in Providence. She is a Trustee of the Lawrenceville School in New Jersey. She has frequently led seminars locally and nationally about developing curriculum and resources on Asian literature. Meera has studied and speaks a number of languages including Japanese, French, German, Latin, Classical Greek, Old English and Old Norse.

Meera and her husband, Dr. Eric Widmer, resided at Deerfield Academy during his 12-year tenure as Headmaster. While there, she taught English for a year while on sabbatical from Brown. At the behest of King Abdullah II of Jordan, Meera and Eric co-founded King’s Academy in Madaba, Jordan, the Middle East’s first co-educational preparatory boarding school with financial aid. There, she taught and served as the curriculum’s principal architect and dean of faculty. King Abdullah II personally awarded Meera the King Hussein Medal, Jordan’s highest honor, for her endeavors.

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Clarissa Basch P'15

Director of College Counseling, Co-Director of Community Partnerships

Clarissa Basch P'15

 860-408-4215

B.A., Bates College
M.Ed, Harvard University

Clarissa Basch has served as Walker’s director of college counseling since February 2004, where she guides students through the process of investigating, applying to, and selecting colleges.

Before joining Walker’s, Clarissa spent seventeen years as a college admissions officer at Drexel University, Endicott College, and Hampshire College. She was lured to “the other side of the desk” because of the opportunity to work directly with students on their post-Walker’s plans, and to be part of this vibrant boarding school community. With professional colleagues at colleges and universities all over the country, she loves to welcome them to Walker’s when they come to meet with her students in the fall.

Clarissa is an avid exerciser who swims and helps guard at the Walker’s pool on weekday mornings. She is an active volunteer for numerous organizations in the greater Hartford area and at Walker’s serves as one of the faculty advisors to the Community Partnerships Program. Clarissa put her college counseling know-how to use with her daughter (EWS ’15), and both survived the experience intact. Following graduation, her daughter enjoyed a wonderful gap year in England as an English-Speaking Union Scholar, before enrolling at Susquehanna University from which she graduated in 2020. Clarissa lives on campus with her family which also includes her husband and son, currently a senior at University of Connecticut.

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Brett Benzio

Brett Benzio

Director of Athletics

Brett Benzio

 860-408-4290

B.S., Tulane University
M.B.A., Lynn University

Brett Benzio hails from sunny South Florida where she was a multi-sport athlete in high school. In her four years at Jensen Beach High School, Brett was a state champion in basketball and volleyball – winning the State Tournament MVP in volleyball and Player of the Year in both basketball and volleyball as a senior. JBHS inducted Brett into their hall of fame in 2013. Brett chose to pursue basketball in college and was a four-year starter at Tulane University. During her time in New Orleans, Brett solidified her impact on the program in the record books and most impressively as the second woman in school history to score at least 1,000 points and pull down at least 1,000 rebounds. After completing her collegiate career, Brett continued playing professionally for MB Slovenka in the Czech Republic and DJK Brose in Germany.

As an athletic professional, Brett has both collegiate and prep school experience. As the director of operations for the Harvard women’s basketball team, Brett was instrumental in managing the program’s travel, events, and day-to-day operations. Brett gained more collegiate experience as an assistant coach for the women’s basketball program at the University of Vermont, where she was the compliance liaison, marketing director, and academic advisor for athletes in the program. With a combined seven years of experience at the New Hampton School and Lawrence Academy, Brett has had the opportunity to familiarize herself with operations within NEPSAC.

Brett holds a BS degree from Tulane University in Management and a MBA from Lynn University in Athletic Administration and Media & Marketing Management.

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Isabel Ceballos P'29

Head of the Middle School

Isabel Ceballos P'29

 860-408-4309

B.A., Central Connecticut State University
M.A., Central Connecticut State University

Isabel Ceballos was born in Medellin, Colombia, and raised in Connecticut. She earned her B.A. and M.A. in Modern Languages with a concentration in Spanish Language, Literature & Culture from Central Connecticut State University. She is currently working on her Ed.D. in Leadership and Learning in Organizations from Peabody College Vanderbilt University. Isabel Ceballos has been a member of Walker’s Language Department since 2013, and is the founding executive director of Horizons at The Ethel Walker School, the first all-girls Horizons program in the country.

Named one of Hartford Business Journal’s Top 40 Under 40 in 2016, and a recipient of The Thelma Ellis Dickerson Community Bridge Builder Award, Isabel is an active member in the community. She serves on the Board of The Aurora Women & Girls Foundation, and is a member of the United Way Community Engagement Committee.

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Elisa Del Valle Headshot

Elisa Del Valle

Assistant Head for Student Life, Director of Social Justice and Inclusion

Elisa Del Valle

 860-408-4287

B.A., Smith College
M.A., University of Massachusetts

Elisa Del Valle is a transformational educator and deep believer of young people. She was raised in East New York, Brooklyn and molded by resilient ancestors: strong women who, despite hardship, yielded joy, and her own children who remind her each day that she is here to be taught by them. It is from these wisdom guides that she has learned the most about unconditional love and the power of sisterhood. 

Elisa’s relationship to justice work is an embodied practice rooted in her own liberation and the liberation of others. She defines her work not by what she is against, but by what she is for and the world she wants to be part of. She moves in the world as a complex human with the understanding that she became this way because she was simultaneously harmed and loved by family and strangers alike. She models vulnerability, radical love, transparency, curiosity, and accountability for the young people she works with. They are her greatest motivator for this work and they are who keep her spirit light.

At Walker’s Elisa serves as the Assistant Head for Student Life and Director of Social Justice and Inclusion. Prior to her arrival at Walker’s in 2016, she spent 12 years working in higher education in residential life, student activities, leadership development, and new student orientation at Mount Holyoke College and Wesleyan University. While at Mount Holyoke, Elisa utilized her passion and graduate degree in Social Justice Education to design a more inclusive curriculum for the residential student experience. At Wesleyan, she pursued her passion for justice work on the Presidential Task Force for Equity and Inclusion and was an active voice on issues of Equity and Inclusion amongst her student affairs professionals. 

Elisa attended an all-girls high school in New York City before attending Smith College in Northampton, MA. As a first-generation college student, she majored in Government and minored in Spanish. While working full-time at Mount Holyoke College, Elisa also attended graduate school full-time at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst where she graduated with a Master’s in Social Justice Education. 

Elisa is currently the Chair of the Commission on Diversity in Independent Schools (CODIS) through Connecticut’s Association of Independent Schools (CAIS).

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Tom DiMartino

Director of Facilities Operations

Dr. Ned Edwards P’07, ’10

Executive Director of Walker's Capabilities Approach Program

Dr. Ned Edwards P’07, ’10

 860-408-4213

B.A., The College of Wooster
M.Div, Yale University
D.Min, Hartford Seminary

Dr. Ned Edwards P’07, ’10 earned his B.A. from the College of Wooster in psychology and religion, an M.Div. from Yale University with a focus on philosophical theology, and a D.Min. from Hartford Seminary in sociology and the history of American Protestantism. An ordained minister in the United Church of Christ, Ned has served four churches as senior minister, and has considerable experience in various capacities in secondary independent education including two other girls’ schools as chaplain, director of social services, teacher, dean of faculty, and assistant head. He has taught Hebrew scriptures, Christian scriptures, world religions, ethics, philosophy, advanced placement psychology, and school of rock: the history of American politics and rock and roll from 1950-2000. His commitment to girls’ schools and girls’ education was born out of his daughters’ experience at Walker’s, and is seen not only in his career choices but in his engagement with the National Coalition of Girls’ Schools and his co-authored, peer-reviewed article on adolescent girls’ brain development and spirituality which speaks to the unique ways adolescent girls process information, extrapolating to subjects far beyond spirituality. Ned lives in Simsbury with his wife, Gwen, and enjoys woodworking, learning luthier skills, building guitars, and boating.

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Mark Fuller

Director of Technology

Mark Fuller

 860-408-4230

B.A., University of Rhode Island

After graduating from the University of Rhode Island, Mark studied at Richmond College in London where he met his wife. Settling in Houston, Texas, Mark worked at The Emery/Weiner School as a teacher, network administrator and then finally as a director of technology. Throughout his career at The Emery/Weiner School, Mark transformed it from one that used little technology to one where every member of the staff and student body now leverage technology to work and learn.

Mark also spent two years teaching adults technical skills ranging from Word and Excel to web development and programming. He has worked with special needs children in first and second grade, taught sixth, seventh and eighth grade digital literacy, and taught video editing to high school students.

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Maureen Lamb

Maureen Lamb

Dean of Faculty, Dean of Educational Technology and Innovative Pedagogy, Latin Faculty

Maureen Lamb

 860-408-4313

B.A., College of the Holy Cross
M.Ed., University of North Carolina Greensboro

Maureen loves teaching Latin and is thrilled to be the Dean of Academic Technology and Innovative Pedagogy. Previously, she served as the Language Department Chair, Academic Technology Coordinator, and Latin and Ancient Greek Teacher at the Kingswood Oxford School and the Language Department Chair and Latin Teacher at the Westminster School. She also works as a Google Certified Trainer and educational consultant with districts across the country, and she teaches graduate courses in Language and Latin pedagogy and instructional technology with Idioma Education and Consulting. She teaches courses for the National Humanities Center and served on the Teacher Advisory Council from 2020-2021. She has been recognized for her work as the CT Council of Language Teachers Language Teacher of the Year 2017, the New England Council of Foreign Languages Mead Fellow, the Classical Association of New England Weincke Award, the American Classical League Elizabeth Watkins Award, and received a Fulbright to study for a summer at the American Academy in Rome. She is dedicated to creating an inclusive classroom environment, to using technology to enhance the student experience, and to making Classics comprehensible. She lives in Avon with her husband, Patrick, and their two children.

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Linda Langmeier

Linda Langmeier

Director of Riding and Head Trainer

Linda Langmeier is an accomplished horsewoman who has been riding since she was five years old. As a Junior rider, she won the 1983 ASPCA Maclay Equitation Finals. Linda’s daughter, McKayla, also won the Maclay — the first mother-daughter team to earn this distinction. Linda was the winner of the 1988 Sugarbush Grand Prix, competed in the 1989 World Cup Finals (Tampa, Florida), and the 2013 Fidelity Grand Prix. Linda trained Emma Fletcher, who won the 2019 Dover Saddlery/USEF Hunter Seat Medal Final Champion.

Linda earned numerous championships in the hunter and jumper divisions at competitions such as The Winter Equestrian Festival, The Devon Horse Show and Country Fair, Lake Placid Horse Shows, Vermont Summer Festival, The American Gold Cup, Pennsylvania National Horse Show, Washington International Horse Show, and The National Horse Show.

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Tavia Lee-Goldstein

Tavia Lee-Goldstein

Director of Communications and Marketing

Tavia Lee-Goldstein

 860-408-4393

B.A., University of New Hampshire
M.B.A., University of New Hampshire Whittemore School of Business and Economics

Tavia, a New England native, joined Walker’s in 2022 after serving many years as Director of Communications for an independent middle and high school in Houston, TX. In addition to her time in school communications and marketing, she has taught communications, film, theatre, and business & economics at the high school and college levels. She also spent five years directing an academic summer program for high school students. Tavia has an extensive film portfolio which focuses on short-form documentaries and also includes nationally distributed feature-length documentaries and television commercials. She and her family live on campus.

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Beth McWilliams

Beth McWilliams P'28

Chief Financial and Operations Officer (CFOO)

Beth McWilliams P'28

 860-408-4241

B.S., Gannon University
M.B.A., Robert Morris University

Beth joined Walker’s in November 2020 as the School’s Chief Financial and Operations Officer (CFOO). She is the former chief financial officer at Shattuck St. Mary’s Educational Services in Bath, ME. Prior Beth worked at independent schools in the northeast in financial operations. She holds an MBA from Robert Morris University and a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Gannon University. She is a former board member for the Massachusetts Association for Non-Profit School and Colleges, a member of the Independent School Association of Northern New England, and the National Business Officers Association. Beth’s daughter, Gabby, is a sixth grader at Walker’s.

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Megan Mulhern

Dean of Academics, English Faculty

Megan Mulhern

B.A., Brown University
M.A., Middlebury College

Prior to joining Walker’s, Megan (Danyliw) Mulhern taught several English courses at Westminster School and the YK Pao Secondary School in Shanghai, China. While at the YK Pao Secondary School she developed a school wide reading program. She also taught at The Lawrenceville School, The Emma Willard School and worked for the Center for Talented Youth at Johns Hopkins University. Megan earned her B.A. in English from Brown University and her M.A. in Literature from Middlebury College.

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Gretchen Orschiedt

Gretchen Orschiedt

Assistant Head for Advancement

Gretchen Orschiedt

 +1-860-408-4260

B.A., Wells College

Gretchen was appointed Walker’s Assistant Head for Advancement in October 2016. Coming from Trinity College, she served as Director of Development and, more recently, as Director of Principal Gifts and International Development. Prior to Trinity, Gretchen’s career in education includes over a decade of fundraising at Cornell University and over a decade of work in admissions at Cornell University, Ithaca College, and her alma mater, Wells College.

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Pam Safford

Pamela Safford '81

Assistant Head for Admission and Enrollment

Pamela Safford '81

B.A., Carleton College
M.S., University of Pennsylvania

Pamela holds a B.A. in Sociology and Anthropology from Carleton College and an M.S. from the University of Pennsylvania. Previously, she was the Director of Enrollment Management and Financial Aid at The Country School in New Canaan. Pamela has also been employed as Dean of Admission and Financial Aid at Deerfield Academy; Associate Head for Communications, Enrollment and Planning at Concord Academy; and Director of Admission at Northfield Mount Hermon School. Pamela is a founding trustee and former chair of the board for the Association of Independent School Admission Professionals (AISAP) and she currently serves on the board of the Enrollment Management Association (EMA). Committed to supporting professional development among her peers, Pamela regularly presents at various national conferences including IECA, NAIS, SSATB, and TABS.