Advancement

Melissa B. Regan P'13

Major Gifts Officer

Melissa B. Regan P'13

860-408-4259

B.A., Trinity College
M.Ed., University of Vermont

Melissa joined the Advancement team at Walker’s in July of 2024. Having spent the last 12 years in alumni relations at Trinity College and The Frederick Gunn School, she is excited to return to her roots as a fundraiser in her role as a Major Gift Officer. Melissa grew up in Simsbury and her connection to Walker’s runs deep. Her daughter, Chelsea, attended both the middle school and high school and graduated in 2013. Melissa’s husband, Tom, is a member of the board and they have a son, Colin, and a mini golden doodle named Daphne.

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Liana Sowa

Advancement Database Assistant

Isabelle Russell

Stewardship and Donor Relations Manager

Isabelle Russell

Marion Paterson P'17, '19

Director of Alumnae Relations and Major Giving

Marion Paterson P'17, '19

860-408-4257

B.A., Middlebury College
M.Litt., University of St Andrews

Marion joined the Development Office in 2014 as Campaign Manager. A 12-year student of the all-girls’ Roland Park Country School in Baltimore, she then graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Middlebury College and then a master’s degree from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. She was then the personal assistant to a conservation architect in Edinburgh, where she met her husband, Guy. Marion lived and worked at the St. Denis and Cranley School, and all-girls’ boarding school in Edinburgh for four years before returning with Guy to the United States. While raising her two daughters here in Simsbury, she managed two businesses from home. Marion held numerous board positions and was then president of the Simsbury Newcomers Club. With both daughters attending Walker’s, she fell in love with the community here and is thrilled to be on campus with them and working for the advancement of the School.

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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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Allie Harris '13

Advancement Communications Coordinator

Allie Harris '13

860-408-4249

B.A., College of the Holy Cross

Allie Harris ’13 joined The Ethel Walker School Advancement Team in 2019. She graduated cum laude from the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester in 2017 where she majored in English Literature and wrote for print magazines and social media. At Walker’s, Allie was Head of Day Students and Head of Cicerones as well as a member of the Varsity Equestrian Team.

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Kathryn Bratslavsky

Kathryn Bratslavsky

Advancement Associate

Kathryn Bratslavsky

860-408-4251

B.A., University of Connecticut, English
B.A., University of Connecticut, Psychological Sciences

Kathryn Bratslavsky joined Walker’s Advancement Office in 2020. She is also known at Walker’s for her role as yogini, a role which facilitated her appreciation toward the Walker’s community. Kathryn earned a B.A. in English from UConn Storrs where she was a New England scholar, graduating cum laude. She earned a second B.A. from UConn Storrs in Psychological Sciences. Most recently, Kathryn served as executive assistant, office manager, project manager and analyst at the Leadership Research Institute in Middletown, CT.

In addition to her yoga instruction, Kathryn is also involved locally in CT Rhythmic Gymnastics Academy where she serves as program director for communications. She has traveled extensively and worked two years as a preschool teacher and program coordinator in Moscow. Kathryn speaks fluent Russian.

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Je Banach

Advancement Research Manager

Je Banach

860-408-4255

B.A., Manhattanville College

Je Banach joined The Ethel Walker School in 2013 with experience in the fields of education and development, law, and arts and culture. She received her BA from Manhattanville College, majoring in English (with a concentration in writing), philosophy, and religion. In addition to her work as Campaign & Prospect Research Manager, she is also a practicing writer. A recipient of the New Boston Fund Fellowship in Fiction, Je has written for many academic and popular venues, including The Paris ReviewGranta, Bookforum, Oxford University Press, Publishers Weekly, and PEN. She is the author of teaching and reading guides to works of fiction and non-fiction for Penguin Random House, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, and Simon & Schuster. Most recently, she wrote guides to Ian McEwan’s Sweet Tooth, Salman Rushdie’s Luka and the Fire of Life, and the Dalai Lama’s Beyond Religion. She was also a longtime contributor to Harold Bloom’s literary series. In 2013, Je was awarded the state’s Artist Fellowship for Prose by the CT Office of the Arts. She is currently a member of the Residential Faculty in Fiction at the Yale Writers’ Conference.

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