Board of Trustees

Board member since 2022
Committees: Finance, Marketing (Chair)

Gil Aikins worked for several years on Wall Street at top-tier investment firms in Fixed Income and International Equities; however, his passion for travelling and emerging markets finance led him to live and work in Ghana, South Africa, and Brazil. During this time abroad, he took a leap of faith to pursue his entrepreneurial ambitions. These early business ventures ultimately led to Gil founding Global Securities Consulting Group LLC in 2017 - a 100% owned & operated minority business enterprise delivering executive management, C-suite level consulting, and a range of operational & compliance services to broker-dealers, investment advisers, and other institutional financial market participants worldwide.

Gil graduated from Brunswick School in Greenwich CT and earned his B.A. in English from The College of William & Mary and an M.B.A in Finance from Tulane University. He also obtained a Certificate in Brazilian Studies from Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV) in Sao Paulo.

Gil served on the GFA Advisory Council from 2020 -2022 and has been an active volunteer (along with his wife, Natasha) in the GFA community. They live in Easton with their two daughters.

Board member since 2023
Committees: Buildings and Grounds, Coyle Scholar (Chair)

Renee Bea is a partner at Slarskey LLC, a boutique commercial trial law firm in New York. Her practice focuses on investor, financial products, intellectual property, and fiduciary disputes. Prior to teaming up with her law school classmate at Slarskey LLC, Renee founded a law firm in San Francisco, California (now Singer Cashman LLP) which has continued to thrive after she and her husband, Sebastian, relocated from the Bay Area to Darien, Connecticut in 2017. Prior to launching and building out these two law firms, Renee spent a decade practicing law at two of the most notable trial law firms in the country: Quinn Emanuel Urquhardt & Sullivan LLP and Jones Day.

Renee was born in Guatemala, and most of her extended family continues to reside in Antigua and Guatemala City, where her grandfather founded law schools at Landivar and Marroquin Universities. Inspired by her grandfather, Renee cultivated a passion for education and the economic
empowerment of underprivileged people, especially women. Renee finds meaning in mentoring young professionals and advocating for policy initiatives that create opportunity for the next generation.

Renee graduated from Santa Ynez Valley High School in Santa Ynez, California, earned a B.S. in Psychology from the University of California, Berkeley, and a J.D. from Stanford Law School. Renee previously served on the GFA Advisory Council and has been an active volunteer with the Annual
Campaign for GFA. Renee has also served on the Board of Directors for the American Red Cross (Bay Area), and as an advisor to Mercado Global. Renee and Sebastian live in Darien with their two daughters.

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

Vani Bettegowda 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. Prior to joining the Board, Vani served on the Advisory Council, Education Policy Committee, and as an Annual Giving Class Captain. She lives in Wilton with her husband, Manu, and their two daughters. 

Board member since 2024
Committees: Marketing

Prior to moving to Connecticut in 2022, Howard lived his entire life in New York. He attended Vassar College and New York Law School before a 15-year legal career in corporate and restructuring law. In 2013, Howard co-founded a technology-based restructuring administration firm named Prime Clerk, which was acquired in 2019 by Kroll, where he currently works as a Managing Director.

Howard is an avid art collector, yogi, squash player, and former marathon runner. He is active in numerous charitable causes including those that help our environment, support food insecure families, and nurture young professionals. He lives with his wife Christina and their two children in Westport.

Board member since 2019
Committees: Marketing

Since graduating from Brown University in 1992, Rebecca Bliss has primarily worked in higher education, focusing on advising, access, admission, and service-learning. After completing her graduate degree at Stanford University in 1994, she was a first-year dean at Georgetown University, the Associate Director of Foundation Programs and an external admissions reader at Dartmouth College, and she spent five years as the sophomore and junior class dean at Dickinson College. Following her time at Dickinson, Bliss served for four years as an external reader in  the Carleton College admission office. Earlier in her career, she worked for the Corporation for National and Community Service in Washington, DC, overseeing a portfolio of higher education grants and conducting site visits to dozens of colleges and universities nationwide. From 2015-2019, Bliss worked at Brown University in the Alumni College Admission Program (ACAP), providing free college counseling to the children of Brown alumni. After working for several years as an independent educational consultant, Bliss now primarily assists pro bono clients and low-income students in the Providence, RI community. She recently completed six years as a member of the board of trustees at St. George's School in Rhode Island. Bliss and her husband live in East Greenwich, RI, and have two grown daughters.

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

Michael Blitzer is a Managing Partner at Kingstown Capital, a New York City-based investment firm that he founded in 2006.  Mr. Blitzer is also the founder of Inflection Point Asset Management, a Miami-based merchant bank that is financial sponsor of Intuitive Machines, Inc., a Houston-based aerospace company (Nasdaq: LUNR), and USA Rare Earth, LLC, a Texas-based mining and magnet production company. Mr. Blitzer sits on the Board of Directors of Intuitive Machines. He 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.

Board member since 2021
Committee: Advancement

William Bucknall earned his bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of New Haven. He was a Sloan Fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology from which he earned his master’s degree. He spent his business career at United Technologies rising to be Senior Vice President of Human Resources and Organization. He was inducted into the National Academy of Human Resources. Bucknall served on the Board of Governors of the University of New Haven from 1992–2000 including as its chair from 1998–2000. He rejoined the board in 2006 and served as vice chair from 2012–2018 and chair again from 2018–2020. He received an honorary doctorate in Business Administration from the university and the university’s President’s Award. 

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

Durkin 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, he 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. Durkin lives in Darien with his wife and their four children.

Board member since 2024
Committees: Equity and Inclusion

Catherine attended GFA from kindergarten through the 8th Grade and is the youngest sibling to two GFA lifers, Charlie '93 and Michie '96. Her father, Chuck, served as trustee for GFA from 1987-96. After graduating from the Hopkins School in ’01, Catherine attended Middlebury College where she graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in History of Art and Architectural Studies. She maintains close ties to Middlebury by serving as a member of the Middlebury Museum & Visual Arts Council.

Catherine has spent her career working in the art world and currently is Head of Business Development for Sotheby’s Americas where she has responsibility for the region's Valuations department, Fiduciary Client Group, Museum & Corporate Art Group, Collection Sales Management department, Restitution department, Client Strategy and Sotheby's Collectors Group. Catherine has been an active GFA alumna, attending school events and serving on reunion committees and panels and is excited to apply her experiences and lifelong love of GFA into service as a second-generation board member. Catherine is currently a class parent for the second grade and lives in Westport with her husband, Dave, and their three children.

Board member since 2021
Committee: Advancement

Sanford “Sandy” Ewing is a Managing Director in the marketing and investor relations area for Pemberton Asset Management, a European investment firm. Prior to Pemberton, he was Co-Head of Global Marketing at Cross Ocean Partners. He has also held various entrepreneurial roles in the cleantech and fintech space, including as CEO/CFO of Tellus Technology, a renewables company.  Prior to this, Sandy was managing director, founder and principal of Chapdelaine Credit Partners, a diversified credit broker-dealer boutique in New York. From 1993 to 2008, Ewing worked in investment banking and credit sales at Lehman Brothers and Barclays. He has been an active member of the GFA Advisory Council and served as a captain for the GFA Annual Fund. He received his M.I.M. from Thunderbird, The American Graduate School of International Management and his B.S. from The University of California at Berkeley. Sandy lives in Darien with his wife Nicole and their three daughters.

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. Ferris 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 2020
Committees: Executive Committee, Committee on Trustees (Co-Chair), Building and Grounds

Meade Young Fogel is a graduate of The University of Virginia with a B.A. in Psychology, completed graduate coursework in nutrition at New York University, and is a Registered Dietitian. She is an active volunteer at GFA, and served as the co-president of the Lower School Parents Association for two years. A perennial class parent, Fogel also previously served as a member of the Advisory Council and a parent-teacher in the Learning to Look art history program. She currently lives with her husband David and three daughters in Fairfield.

Board member since 2022
Committees: Committee on Trustees, Equity and Inclusion, Horizons at GFA Board of Directors Liaison

Roopali Agarwal Hall is a graduate of Amherst College with a B.A. in economics and political science. Roopali spent seven years at Lehman Brothers in the investment banking division. Later, she pursued her passion for healthcare and sports and earned her doctorate in chiropractic medicine.  She specializes in sports medicine and medical acupuncture, working with athletes of all calibers, from recreational to professional. At Amherst, Roopali was captain of both the women’s varsity tennis and varsity squash teams. Outside of her career, Roopali has been committed to supporting educational equity programs for low-income youth. While living in NYC, she volunteered with Urban Dove, a youth-development program geared towards reengaging students, helping them develop skills to stay on academic track, and plan for their future. Here in Fairfield County, Roopali works with Future Five, providing high school students in Stamford with coaching and programs that help them reach their academic and career goals. She currently serves on the Board of Horizons GFA. At GFA, she has also served on the Advisory Council, as a GFA Fund captain, and as a class parent. She lives in Stamford with her husband, Peter, and their two children. 

Chair, Board of Trustees
Board member since 2015
Committees: Executive (Chair), Building & Grounds (Chair), Committee on Trustees, Marketing, Finance

Ward Horton has worked as an actor 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. He has been cast as leads in studio films, series regulars on network television and starred on Broadway. He can currently be seen in the HBO series The Gilded Age and a soon- to- be announced series for Netflix. Horton previously served on the GFA Advisory Council, and he and his wife, Alexa, live in Fairfield with their two children, Grace '24 and Will '28.

Member since 2020
Committee: Equity and Inclusion

A 2013 graduate of Greens Farms Academy, Sean Obi earned his undergraduate degree from Duke University and a master's degree from the University of Maryland. He has been a regular volunteer with the GFA boys basketball program and served as a member of the GFA Advisory Council during the 2019–20 academic year. Obi is currently a District Sales Manager and Supply Chain Specialist for Deutsch Family Wine and Spirits Company, an importer and distributor of wine and spirits from around the world. The company is headquartered in Stamford.

Board member since 2023
Committees: Finance, Investment, Marketing

Andy is Partner and Chief Financial Officer at Atlas Holdings LLC, a private investment firm that specializes in acquiring and building manufacturing and distribution businesses with a focus on operational improvement and long-term value creation. Previously, he was Managing Director and CFO of Fund Finance at General Atlantic, and earlier in his career, he served as an Audit Manager at Deloitte. Andy is a graduate of the University of Connecticut and Columbia Business School, and he is also a Certified Public Accountant. He has been actively involved in the GFA community alongside his wife, Kristy, having served as a GFA Fund Captain, a member of the GFA Advisory Council (2020-2022), and as a supporter of Horizons at GFA. Andy resides in Southport with his wife and their three sons.

Board member since 2024
Committees: Buildings and Grounds

Amber Paquette, a Brown University alumna with a degree in biology and a four-year member of the Track and Field team, has built a multifaceted career that spans over a decade in healthcare, specializing in oncology, and later transitioning into education and community service. She has held leadership roles in nonprofit organizations, including serving as Executive Director of the Harold P. Freeman Patient Navigation Institute and Interim Executive Director of the City Kids Foundation. Amber’s move to California led her to teach K-2 physical education and coach high school track and field, further developing her leadership and project management skills. She serves on the boards of the Amanda Cullinan Foundation and the Mateo Family Foundation, and the advisory council for the college of Brown University.  Amber is also an active volunteer in various community initiatives and has embraced her role as a GFA Fund captain and class parent at GFA. She resides in Darien, Connecticut, with her husband Tony and their family of six.

Board member since 2024
Committees: Advancement, Finance

Dmitri is the CEO of Wilton Re, a leading North American in-force life and annuity reinsurer. Prior to joining Wilton Re in 2015, he worked at Goldman Sachs in the Financial Institutions Group of Investment Banking, as well as Credit Risk Management and Rating Advisory. Dmitri received his bachelor’s from Cleveland State University and his MBA from the NYU Stern School of Business.

Dmitri has served on the GFA Advisory Council. He and his wife, Yanina, are active members of the GFA community and supporters of Horizons GFA. They live in Westport with their three children.

Member since 2020
Committees: Executive Committee (Co-Vice Chair), Equity and Inclusion (Co-Chair), Finance, Building and Grounds

Don San Jose is a Managing Director at J.P. Morgan, where he serves as Chief Investment Officer of the U.S. Equity Value team within the firm’s Asset Management division. Since joining the firm in 2000, he has been active in recruiting, retention and mentoring initiatives, including serving as past head of the Diversity Council for JPM’s Investment Management Americas group and is an Executive Sponsor of the U.S. Equity Culture Committee. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in Finance from the Wharton School. He is a past Vestry member of St. Luke’s Parish in Darien and also served on GFA’s Advisory Council. He and his wife Jenny live in Darien with their two children.

Board member since 2023
Committees: Buildings and Grounds, Equity and Inclusion

Melanie Dayani Smith graduated from Vanderbilt University with a B.A. in Modern European Studies and
received an A.A.S. from the New York School of Interior Design and a post graduate diploma from the Sotheby’s Institute of Art in London. She lived and worked abroad in London, England and Munich, Germany before moving to New York City to raise her family. Melanie values contributing to her community and educational institutions, having most recently served as a member of the GFA
Advisory Council, a Co-Chair of GFA Community Connection, a member of the development committee for GFA Horizons and a class parent. She also served on the Board of Trust at Vanderbilt as a Young Alumni Trustee, where she was selected to be a member of the Chancellor search committee. She lives in Westport with her husband and three children.

Board member since 2023
Committees: Buildings and Grounds, Head of School Evaluation (Chair)

Page Roberts Tremaine is a graduate of GFA who went on to Skidmore College, where she received her bachelor of arts in psychology. After college, Page worked at BBDO Advertising agency in New York City and then at Running Times magazine in Wilton, CT. Page is a board member of the Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation, where she serves on the Learning Differences and Family Engagement Committees. She is also a board member of Horizons at Sacred Heart University. Page resides in Southport with her husband, Gean, and their three daughters.