From Student to Steward: Emma Simon ’89 Steps In as Board Chair

With a new role in hand, the Chair of The Ethel Walker School Board of Trustees, Emma Simon ’89, reflects on her journey and what lies ahead.

When Emma Simon graduated from The Ethel Walker School in 1989, she had gained not only a diploma, but also confidence. “Walker’s is where I learned to learn,” she recalls. “I wasn’t just a student — I was a learner.” This confidence and curiosity have driven her career and now brought her to her newest role as Chair of Walker’s Board of Trustees.

After college, Emma moved to Europe with her parents and there attended fashion design school in Milan. She returned to Connecticut and soon built a multifaceted career with positions in retail, insurance, and asset management. Emma’s passion for marketing was realized when she transitioned from product management to lead the firm’s brand rollout as it prepared to spin off from its former parent company at Phoenix Investment partners, now Virtus Investment Partners. Proudly, she notes that she has been with the company for nearly 25 years. “What I love about my work is that it’s never the same,” Emma says. “I like things that are moving — I like the challenge of a moving target.” She goes on to explain that having her hands in many areas of the work has afforded her the chance to cultivate a different relationship with the organization. She has the privilege to bring both her energy and her institutional knowledge to new initiatives. 

This love for the dynamic and the complex has made Emma a natural fit for leadership in her workplace as well as at The Ethel Walker School. Her work on the Trusteeship and Governance Committee has developed her insight into the value of a high-functioning board, and she credits Board Chair predecessor and mentor Kit O’Brien Rohn ’82 for the strong foundation that Kit and Head of School Dr. Meera Viswanathan have created. “Kit has a unique, electric personality that draws people together,” Emma shares. “The team she has built is cohesive and friendly, unified by collaboration, not competition.”

At 60%, the high percentage of alumnae on the Walker’s Board is notable — a testament to their deeply rooted devotion to Walker’s and their desire to create and sustain opportunities for students similar to when they attended. The Board is experienced, engaged, and invested in the School’s future. Emma recognizes that it is this partnership that inspires her: “It makes me better at everything I do to be a part of this Board. It sharpens the way I think. It introduces me to perspectives about education, about learning, about people. I enjoy interacting with those who are working on a shared goal.”

Emma plans to build on this foundation, fostering board engagement and structure while ensuring that current and future initiatives — such as the master plan, the strategic plan, and Walker’s upcoming fundraising campaign — are completed with clarity and momentum.

As she steps into this new chapter of leadership, Emma feels that she has come full circle, seeing the same confidence and spirit in today’s Walker’s students as when she was in high school: “The times are different and kids are different, but having the courage to try things and explore and take risks is still present.” Positioning The Ethel Walker School to help our students thrive and lead is what her role is all about. Her infinite affection for and commitment to the School bring clarity and insight to her new position  — qualities that will continue to be useful in her role as Chair. 

 “This is not just a school. It is our home, our memories, our promise,” Emma reflects. “Every role comes with responsibilities, but this one is personal.”