Board of Trustees

Board member since 2020
Committee: Advancement

Barbara Cona Amone graduated from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania (B.B.A.) and Columbia University (M.A. Organizational Psychology). She is a Partner and Chief Human Resources Officer at Centerbridge Partners, a private equity and credit investment management Firm. Previously, she was the Chief Human Resources Officer at Wellington Management Company, a global asset manager, and held leadership positions at UBS across the Asset Management, Investment Bank, and Wealth Management divisions. She transitioned into Human Resources while at Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette after working in institutional sales, and began her career with Drexel Burnham Lambert where she was an equity and options floor broker. She is a member of the GFA Advisory Council, and lives in Westport with her husband Ron and son Quinten (’23).

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

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. At GFA, Vani has 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 2019
Committees: Marketing

Since graduating from Brown University in 1992, Rebecca Bliss has primarily worked in higher education, with a focus on advising, access, admission, and service-learning. After completing her graduate degree at Stanford University in 1994, she was a freshman dean at Georgetown University, the Associate Director of Foundation Programs and 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 at 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 around the country. In 2015, Bliss took a position at Brown University in the Alumni College Admission Program (ACAP), providing free college counseling to the children of Brown alumni. The ACAP program was recently closed after a 25-year run, and she has transitioned full time to Premium Prep, a boutique college counseling company that works with students throughout the United States and internationally. Bliss also serves on the board of trustees at St. George's School in Middletown, RI. She lives in East Greenwich, Rhode Island with her husband and their two daughters.

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

Michael Blitzer is a Managing Partner at Kingstown Capital, a New York City-based investment firm that he founded in 2006. Previously, he 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. He lives in Westport with his wife Julie and two sons.

Board member since 2021

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. William 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 (Co-Chair), Advancement (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).

Chair, Board of Trustees
Board member since 2016
Committees: Advance Plan, Advancement, Athletics, Committee on Trustees, 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.

Board member since 2021

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, Sandy 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. 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 2020
Committees: Committee on Trustees, 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, currently in her second and final year as the co-president of the Lower School Parents Association. 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, Lucy (’27) and twins Caroline (‘28) and Lillian (’28).

Board member since 2018
Committees: Marketing, Advancement, Equity and Inclusion

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 2015
Committees: Building & Grounds (Chair), Committee on Trustees, Marketing

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. More recently he was a series regular on the CBS drama Pure Genius, starred in the Broadway production of Harvey Fierstein's revival Torch Song and will next be seen in a yet-to-be-announced HBO series. 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: Equity and Inclusion (Co-Chair), Marketing, Educational Policy

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 (Co-Chair)

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 2021

Nadene McKenzie-Reid is the U.S. Deputy Head of Technology at Natwest Markets in Stamford, CT. She has worked in investment banking technology for over 20 years, having started her career at UBS in FX technology before moving to Rates technology at Greenwich Capital Markets, now Natwest Markets for the last 16 years. Nadene has a passion for pursuing equity in education and currently serves as the Vice Chair of the Stamford Cradle to Career board that has a city-wide education initiative addressing racial and economic disparities. She also serves on the boards of A Better Chance (Darien CT) and STEAMPark, organizations focused on providing educational opportunities to underserved students.

Nadene was born and raised in Jamaica and received her undergraduate degree in Physics and Computer Science from the University of the West Indies in Kingston. She then migrated to the U.S. to earn a graduate degree in Computer Science from the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut. She currently resides in Stamford with her husband Cecil and three children, Tena-Lesly, Carlee, and Cecil, Jr.

Board member since 2019
Committees: Educational Policy, Finance

Theresa Minson graduated from Georgetown University with a business degree and a minor in Computer Science. She holds an M.B.A. from Columbia University and recently completed the Harvard Business Analytics Program. Minson began her career as an auditor and advisor to media and entertainment clients at Ernst & Young LLP where she earned her CPA. After EY, she worked in finance and business development at dELiA*s Inc. and iTurf Inc., and more recently worked at Vineyard Vines as controller before transitioning to finance for the growing retail division. Since 2013, Minson has volunteered at GFA as a Class Parent and various other Parent Association positions, including president of the Parent Association. She lives in Darien with her husband Artie and their three sons. 

Vice Chair, Board of Trustees
Board member since 2016
Committees: Advancement, Advisory Council (Co-Chair), Athletics, Committee on Trustees, 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.

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.

Member since 2020

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 2018
Committees: Coyle Scholar (Co-Chair), Equity and Inclusion, Marketing

Kim Keller 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 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 multiple roles in the Parents Association, a member of the Advisory Council, and a parent- teacher in the “Learning to Look” art history program. Raveis lives in Fairfield with her three children.

Board member since 2017
Committees: Advance Plan, Educational Policy, Equity & Inclusion

Dr. Kate Roth 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. In 2016 she wrote a book for teachers entitled, Interactive Writing Across Grades: A Small Practice with Big Results, Grades Prek-5. She has also contributed to the book The Essential Conversation: What Parents and Teachers Can Learn from Each Other by Sarah Lawrence Lightfoot as well as to the upcoming book by Kim Marshall and Jenn David Lang, The Best of the Marshall Memo: Ideas and Action Steps to Energize Leadership, Teaching, and Learning. Kate continues her career as a literacy consultant who coaches teachers around the country, as well as those at Horizons at GFA. She raised her family for many years in Shanghai, China and now lives in Wilton with her three children.

Member since 2020
Committees: Building and Grounds, Equity and Inclusion

Don San Jose is a Managing Director and Portfolio Manager at J.P. Morgan, where he leads a team specializing in small and midcap equities in the firm’s Asset Management division. Since joining the firm in 2000, he has been active in recruiting and retention initiatives, including serving as past head of the Diversity Council for JPM’s Investment Management Americas group. Prior to joining J.P. Morgan, San Jose held investment analyst positions at Furman Selz and AIG. 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 serves on GFA’s Advisory Council. He and his wife Jenny live in Darien with their two children Will (’22) and Lydia (’25).

Member since 2020
Committees: Finance, Advancement

Gregg Tenser is a Portfolio Manager and founding partner of the Small Cap team at Poplar Forest Capital in Pasadena, CA. He currently serves as incoming Co-Chair of the DukeNY Alumni board, and is Chair of the Duke Southern California Alumni Interview Committee, as well as serving on the Freeman Center Advisory Board in Durham, N.C. He additionally serves as Treasurer and outgoing Chair of the Finance and Endowment committees of The Chadwick Schools in Palos Verdes, CA, and Songdo, South Korea. Tenser has been an active member of the GFA Advisory Council. He received his M.B.A. with high distinction from The University of Michigan (’94) and his A.B. in Economics and Psychology from Duke University (’89). Tenser and his wife Christine McCracken have two children: AJ ( ’23) and Addison ( ’25).

Member since 2020
Committee: Buildings and Grounds

Angela is an avid art collector. She thrives in creative environments and supports artists from around the world. Angela has maintained a global philanthropic presence throughout her adult life, actively participating in local, regional and global initiatives including Art Basel Switzerland and Venice Biennale. Angela attended Ohio State University. She has lived in Moscow, Russia, and Switzerland and now resides in Greenwich with her husband Ratmir, and children Dasha, Matvey, and Philipp.

Board member since 2018
Committees: Head of School Evaluation (Chair)

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 Assets 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 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.