A tradition of
philanthropy that
spans generations

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 B.A. from Manhattanville College, majoring in English (with a concentration in writing), philosophy, and religion. In addition to her work as Advancement Research Manager, she is 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 Review, Vogue, The Atlantic, Granta, Oprah Daily, TIME, ELLE, Story Magazine, Oxford University Press, and Bookforum. She is the author of more than one hundred teaching and reading guides to works of world literature for Penguin Random House, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, and Grove Atlantic. Je was also a longtime contributor to Harold Bloom’s literary series. In 2013, she was awarded the state’s Artist Fellowship for Prose by the CT Office of the Arts. As an original member of the Residential Faculty in Fiction at the Yale Writers’ Workshop (fka the Yale Writers’ Conference), she ran a fiction workshop, taught seminars in literary discourse, and led a live Q&A session with The New Yorker‘s fiction editor Deborah Treisman. As a disabled person, she often does advocacy work via her writing around narratives of health and disability in order to create dialogues that can lead to research and cures.

Christopher French was raised in Simsbury, Connecticut. He earned a B.S. in Political Science at Providence College. Chris has built a career anchored in excellent independent schools. He worked closely with alumni, parents, and friends at Choate Rosemary Hall, where he began his career.  Eleven years as Director of Development at The Hotchkiss School followed. Chris was then appointed Director of Development at Trinity College in Hartford. In 2025, Chris concluded 13 years with Trinity College as Director of Principal Gifts and International Advancement and joined the Walker’s community.

“The most meaningful aspect of our work in Advancement is helping alumnae and parents connect in substantive ways with the mission of The Ethel Walker School,” Chris says. “Walker’s is its people. Alumnae and parents can have a profound impact here.” 

Chris resides in Cheshire, Connecticut with his wife Carey. They have two grown children, Sam and Clare.

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.

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.

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 initially Major Gift Officer and currently as Director of Alumnae Relations. 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.

Liana joined The Ethel Walker School as an intern in the Advancement Office and later transitioned into the role of Advancement Database Assistant. She holds a bachelor’s degree in editing and publishing and recently earned a master’s degree in library and information science from Simmons University, with a concentration in information organization. In addition to her current role, Liana volunteers in the School’s archives and also subs in the Children’s Department at the Farmington Public Library. She brings a strong attention to detail and a passion for building functional systems. Outside of work, she enjoys reading, running, and weightlifting, as well as hiking with her dog.