Board of Trustees

Chair, Board of Trustees
Board member since 2016
Committees: Advancement, Athletics, Executive (Chair), Equity and Inclusion, Finance, Head of School Evaluation, Investment

David graduated from Stanford University and has an M.B.A. from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. David is a former founding partner of Avista Capital Partners, a middle-market private equity firm based in New York City. He previously worked as a partner at DLJ Merchant Banking Partners and in investment banking at Donaldson Lufkin & Jenrette. Earlier in his career, David worked in public accounting and achieved the CPA designation. He also serves as a Corporator of the Perkins School for the Blind in Watertown, MA, and is the chairman of the Woodway Scholarship Fund. David lives in Darien with his wife and their four children.

Vice Chair, Board of Trustees
Board member since 2016
Committees: Advancement, Advisory Council (Co-Chair), Athletics, Executive (Vice-Chair), Marketing

Samantha attended Germantown Academy and continued her education at Denison University, graduating with a B.A. in Marketing and Communications. She began her career in marketing, public relations, and merchandising at Tiffany and Company. Her focus later turned to retail buying in the fashion industry for Barney’s New York, MaxMara, and later Letarte Swimwear. Since 2008 Samantha has volunteered at GFA with the Lower School PA, Annual Giving program, and been the president of the PA, among other positions. Samantha lives in Southport with her husband and two daughters.

Treasurer, Board of Trustees
Board member since 2007
Committees: Building & Grounds, Executive (Treasurer), Finance (Chair)

Steve, together with his wife Lisa, are founders and principals of Investment Capital Partners, Ltd., a commercial real estate investment and management firm with offices in Shelton and Hamden. He is a graduate of Yale University (B.A. '65) and The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania (M.B.A. '71). He retired from the United States Marine Corps as a captain in 1970. He and his wife Lisa serve on the board of the Jeffrey Modell Foundation, which focuses on awareness and treatment of primary immune deficiency diseases. Two of Steve's sons attended GFA in the 1980s, and his stepson Michael graduated in 2010. His son Owen and grandson Greg currently attend. Steve and his family live in Southport.

Secretary, Board of Trustees
Board member since 2013
Committees: Committee on Trustees (Co-Chair), Educational Policy, Equity & Inclusion, Head of School Transition (Co-Chair), Executive (Secretary), Marketing

Arlene is a graduate of Indiana University with a degree in Accounting and holds an M.B.A. in Finance from Columbia University. She spent 10 years working as a CPA in auditing and financial reporting in the banking and securities industry. Arlene has been an active parent volunteer at GFA and currently serves as a member of the Parent Admissions Network. She has served as Co-President of the Lower School Parents Association, Annual Giving Class Captain, Class Parent, and volunteer supporting GFA Performing Arts events. Arlene lives in Darien with her husband John and their four sons.

Board member since 2010
Committees: Building & Grounds, Executive, Faculty Housing

Roger is an architect and founding principal of Roger Ferris + Partners, where he directs the design and master planning work of the firm. He is a graduate and former Loeb Fellow in Advanced Environmental Design of Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design. Roger currently serves on the boards of the Centre Pompidou Foundation and the Watermill Center for the Performing Arts, where he is also a member of the executive committee. He resides in Weston with his wife Wendy and their four children.

Board member since 2011
Committees: Advisory Council (Co-Chair), Committee on Trustees (Co-Chair), Educational Policy, Executive

Mike Greenberg has been an on-air personality for ESPN and ABC since 1996, and is the author of four New York Times best selling books. He is a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. He lives in Westport with his wife Stacy and their two children, both of whom have been at GFA since kindergarten.

Board member since 2010
Committees: Advance Plan (Chair), Athletics, Educational Policy, Executive Committee

Shelley worked as a second and fourth grade teacher for 15 years, most recently at Princeton Day School and prior to that at The Spence School in New York. She is a graduate of the University of Vermont and has an M.A. in Secondary Education from Teachers College at Columbia University. Shelley and her family moved to Darien in 2008 and currently have a daughter at GFA and two daughters who graduated from GFA in 15’ and 17’. In addition to working on the board at GFA, Shelley also served on the Board of Trustees of Princeton Day School until 2012.

Board member since 2013
Committees: Executive, Finance

Mike is the Head of Corporate Finance, Americas at Nomura Securities. Mike is a graduate of Vanderbilt University and Vanderbilt’s Owen Graduate School of Management. Mike’s great grandmother, Mary Bolton, founded GFA and his three daughters have all attended GFA, representing his family’s fourth successive generation to have done so. Mike has been a member of the GFA Alumni Council and is a member of Vanderbilt's Alumni Association Board. Mike and his wife Lisa reside in Darien with their daughters.

Board member from 2003 to 2009 and since 2014
Committees: Athletics (Co-Chair), Building & Grounds, Coyle Scholar

Dr. Henry Backe has been in practice in Fairfield, Connecticut since 1993, and is a partner in Orthopaedic Specialty Group. He is also on staff at Bridgeport Hospital, Division Chief of Orthopaedics at the St. Vincent's Medical Center, and a director of the Fairfield Surgery Center. He is active with the Guatemala Healing Hands Foundation and participates annually in surgical missions to Central America. He is a member of the Board of Councilors for the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgery. Henry lives in Fairfield with his wife Tara and their four children.

Board member since 2015
Committees: Committee on Trustees, Educational Policy (Co-Chair), Equity & Inclusion, Horizons at GFA Board of Directors Liaison, Marketing

Vani is a graduate of Northwestern University and has a M.H.S. from Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health. She worked on women’s, maternal, and infant health issues for 15 years, most recently serving as the Director of the Perinatal Data Center at the March of Dimes. At GFA, Vani has served on the Advisory Council, Education Policy Committee, and as an Annual Giving Class Captain. Vani lives in Wilton with her husband, Manu, and their two daughters.

Board member since 2016
Committees: Committee on Trustees, Investment (Chair)

Michael is a Managing Partner at Kingstown Capital, a New York City-based investment firm that he founded in 2006. Previously, Michael was an investment analyst at Gotham Capital and JPMorgan. Michael is a graduate of Cornell University and Columbia Business School, where he has been an adjunct professor, and currently serves on the advisory board for the Heilbrunn Center for Graham & Dodd Investing. Michael lives in Westport with his wife Julie and two sons.

Board member since 2016
Committees: Athletics, Coyle Scholar (Co-Chair), Educational Policy, Marketing

Elizabeth lives in Greenwich, with her husband Robert and their four children, Lukens ('17), Jackson ('18), Jesse ('20), and Rebecca ('22). She attended Dartmouth College and received her M.B.A. from Kellogg. Elizabeth worked in a variety of public relations and marketing capacities in Chicago, Los Angeles, Colorado, and New York. From 2004-2008, she ran a real estate development business in Greenwich. Elizabeth has served on the Parent Association Board of Stanwich School for seven years, her last year as PA President. She is active with World Vision, and served as Co-Chair of its Fairfield County chapter for three years. From 2014-2017 Elizabeth served on the Elder Board of Stanwich Congregational Church and in 2015 became a founding board member of Project Blessing, a long-term initiative in Rwanda. In 2016, Elizabeth launched Global PEHT (Partnership to End Human Trafficking), a social enterprise dedicated to fighting human trafficking in the U.S. and abroad.

Board member since 2016
Committees: Advance Plan, Advancement (Co-Chair), Athletics

Rich Canning has been a Managing Director–High Yield Trading at several banks and retired in 2001. He has been the Board Chair of The Mead School (Stamford, CT) since 2009 and is a Board Director of Silver Hill Hospital (New Canaan, CT). He serves on the Boston College Athletic Director’s Council and the Advisory Board of Change for Kids (NYC). Rich received his M.B.A. from The Wharton School (’87) and his B.S. - Finance from Boston College (’81). Rich and his wife, Celia, have three children: Olivia, Madeline (GFA ’19) and Michael (GFA ’20).

Board member since 2013
Committees: Educational Policy, Equity and Inclusion, Head of School Evaluation (Chair), Head of School Transition Committee, Marketing (Co-Chair)

Carolyn graduated from Brown University, and has an M.B.A. from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University. After working 10 years in consumer packaged goods marketing, Carolyn retired to raise her family. Carolyn held positions of leadership in her Boston-area synagogue and in her children's schools prior to moving to Connecticut. At GFA, Carolyn has served as Annual Giving Class Captain and as Class Parent, and co-chaired the recent Head of School search. Carolyn resides in Westport with her husband, Gary, and their four daughters.

Board member since 2015
Committees: Advancement, Athletics (Co-Chair), Investment

Stephanie is President and a senior macro-analyst at Discovery Capital Management, a global investment firm. Prior to Discovery, she worked at JPMorgan holding a number of senior leadership positions across the Global Markets business. Stephanie is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University with a B.S. in business and mathematics and an M.S.I.A. from the Business School. Stephanie is a member of Carnegie Mellon’s Tepper School of Business, Board of Advisors and on the board of the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund. She lives in Westport with her husband Brian, and their three daughters.

Board member since 2018

Sandra Frost graduated from Southern Connecticut State University with a B.A. in Graphic Design, though her undergraduate studies began at Eafit University in her native Colombia. After working as a freelance designer with clients such as Schick, The Hour (newspaper), and the SONO Arts Festival, she founded small businesses in skin care and apparel. She has served on the board of Trinity Parish Nursery School in Southport and co-chaired their fundraising campaigns. Frost is an active parent volunteer at GFA and current “Membership” co-chair on the board of The Fairfield County Hunt Club. She lives in Fairfield with her husband Steve and their three daughters.

Board member since 2018
Committees: Equity and Inclusion

Dr. Derrick Gay is an international educational consultant with two decades of experience as a classroom teacher, musical director, senior administrator and educational consultant. He collaborates with thought-leaders, faculty and staff, parents, students and board members to cultivate cultural competency, promote empathy and deepen inclusion. Gay has been featured in the New York Times, the Washington Post, and NPR, has produced two Tedx Talks, has served as senior advisor of content and curriculum at Sesame Street, and also served as an adjunct professor at The University of Pennsylvania, where he has taught cultural competency to superintendents, principals and other school leaders pursuing their doctoral degree in education. Prior to consulting full time, Gay taught Middle and Upper School Spanish, French and music The Masters School, Groton, Wilmington Friends, and Nightingale-Bamford. As an administrator, he served as dean of students at L’Académie de Paris in Paris, France; and director of community life and diversity in New York City.

Dr. Gay holds a bachelor of arts from Oberlin College, where he studied Romance Languages; a bachelor of music from The Oberlin Conservatory of Music, where he studied Opera Performance. He earned his master of arts degree from the Klingenstein Program at Columbia University’s Teachers College, where he studied Independent School Educational Leadership. Finally, he earned his doctorate in Education from The University of Pennsylvania. He is proficient in English, Spanish, French, Italian and Portuguese, with studies in German, Korean and Latin.

Board member since 2015
Committees: Building & Grounds, Committee on Trustees

Ward, a film and television actor, has worked with studios and networks nationwide alongside some of the industry's leading directors. He earned his business degree from Wake Forest University and subsequently worked in finance at Smith Breeden Associates before focusing full-time on his acting career. Most recently he was a series regular on the CBS drama Pure Genius and can be seen this fall in the Broadway production of Harvey Fierstein's revival Torch Song. Ward has served on the GFA Advisory Council and he and his wife, Alexa, live in Fairfield with their two children.

Board member since 2016
Committees: Head of School Transition Committee, Equity and Inclusion (Co-Chair), Coyle Scholar, Marketing

After a long career at GFA, Lynne retired as Assistant Head of School and Director of Upper School Student Life. She has a B.A. in English and Secondary Education from Russell Sage College and an M.L.S. from Southern Connecticut State University. Lynne was the President of the NAIS Assistant Heads Association and Chair of the CAIS Commission on Women in Independent Schools. Lynne serves on the Unitarian Church’s Beardsley School Committee and the Pequot Library’s Board of Trustees. She co-chaired the recent Head of School search at GFA. Lynne's son is a GFA alumnus.

Board member since 2017
Committees: Athletics, Marketing

Kristen McDonald graduated from Boston College with a B.A. in English. After spending three years in publishing, television, and contracting for the Coca-Cola Company, Kristen was the founding employee of a high-tech firm, Intradiem, where she performed a variety of roles including marketing, product development, creative services, and running their professional services group. She has been a prolific volunteer at GFA, where she has served as co-chair of Grandparents Day, class parent for multiple grades, and member of the Marketing and Educational Policy Committees. She has served on several community boards including the Christ and Holy Trinity Preschool Board and Junior League of Eastern Fairfield County Executive Board. Kristen lives in Westport with her husband Patrick and their three children.

Board member since 2018
Committees: Athletics, Advancement, Finance

Tom Murphy graduated from Colgate University with a B.A. in Economics and Stern School of Business at New York University with an M.B.A. in Finance. Murphy is managing director and CFO at General Atlantic, a leading global growth equity firm based in New York. As chief financial officer, he is responsible for the firm’s finance, accounting, and tax groups and has shared oversight of firm administration. Prior to joining GA in 1994, Murphy was a senior accountant with Deloitte & Touche in their Financial Services division. Murphy served on Colgate’s Alumni Council and was awarded a Maroon Citation in recognition of his service and contribution over the years to the university. He currently serves on the board of the Darien Soccer Association and is a past board member of the Darien Nature Center. Murphy and his wife Sophie live in Darien, have been members of the GFA community since 2012, and currently have three children at the school (four in the fall). Murphy also served three years on GFA’s Advisory Council.

Board member since 2018
Commitees: Equity and Inclusion, Marketing

Kim Raveis is a graduate of Boston College with a B.A. in Education. She worked in the software and management consulting industries providing strategic counsel to chief executive officers and senior executives in the consumer packed goods and retail segments. She chose to leave her most recent position with BearingPoint (formerly KPMG) to raise her children. As a graduate of GFA, Raveis values the importance of giving back to her alma mater. She has served in the roles of co-president of the Lower School Parents Association, an inaugural member of the Advisory Council, parent-teacher for five years in the “Learning to Look” art history program and class parent for multiple grades. Raveis lives in Fairfield with her husband Chris and their three children Laci (’23), Charlotte (’25) and Will (’28).

Board member since 2017
Committees: Educational Policy, Equity & Inclusion, Head of School Transition (Co-Chair)

Kate is a graduate of GFA who went on to Dartmouth College, where she received a B.A. in Social Sciences. She earned her Doctorate in Education as well as an M.Ed. from Harvard Graduate School of Education and her M.A. in Curriculum and Teaching from Columbia University Teachers College. Kate taught kindergarten, first grade, and Reading Recovery in several urban districts and has published more than 20 books for children on how to write. She recently wrote a book on writing instruction for teachers in grades PreK-5. Kate continues her career as a literacy consultant who coaches teachers around the country, as well as those at Horizons at GFA, on writing instruction. She lived in Shanghai, China for many years with her husband Erik and three children before moving to Wilton in 2014.

Board member since 2014
Committees: Building & Grounds (Chair), Educational Policy, Faculty Housing (Chair), Marketing

Peter is past president and current Partner of Tauck Inc., a travel company offering a variety of cultural trips around the world. He is a past trustee of Salisbury School and serves on the board of the Tauck Foundation, which funds social and emotional learning for children K through 5 in Bridgeport. Peter lives in Westport and is the father of four children.

Board member since 2018

Emily Von Kohorn attended GFA from kindergarten through graduation. She holds a B.A. in History and Literature from Harvard College and an MBA from Columbia Business School. She is the co-head of the Global Real Estate Practice at Sheffield Haworth, a financial services-focused executive search firm. Prior to becoming a search consultant, Von Kohorn worked primarily in real estate finance, with an interlude in education. While living Istanbul, Turkey, from 2011-15, she worked as the founding director of advancement for the Hisar School, a bilingual PreK–12 independent school. She has remained a member of the school’s Advancement Committee. She is thrilled to bring her experiences and passion for GFA to the role as a second-generation board member, following her father, Henry Von Kohorn, honorary trustee. She lives in Manhattan with her husband, daughter and son.

Working as ambassadors to unite all alumni with one another and GFA today: communication; orchestrating meaningful events; supporting the school with time and treasure; maintaining life-long relationships and networking to better serve our school and help one another achieve both career and personal goals.

Carl G. Anderson III, '97

Michelle Gallagher Backus, '00

James Bebon, '83, President

Nicole Ganim Brightbill, '95

Nicole A. Chardavoyne, '95

Emily B. Clifford, '02

Michelle E. Cole, '01

Nicholas D'Addario, '04

Rebecca Brock Dixon, '95

Josh Fishkin, '92

Mari Bebon Flicker, '82

Kathleen M. Hennessy, '75

Matthew S. Hintsa, '06

Tracy Wheeler Lennon, '82

Sefra A. Levin, '03

Martha Gates Lord, Ed.D., '74

Sasha S. Mack, '09

Olivia Newhouse, '06

Michele M. Orris-Modugno, '76

Gioia J. Riccio, M.D., ‘84

Christopher E.G. Saxe, '74

Rosamond Koether Stephanak, '82

Elizabeth McKinney Tritschler, '78

Alexa Wheeler, '84