GFA announced Sunday that Eric Lee, the Senior Director of Player Development for the Cincinnati Reds, will become Greens Farms Academy's next Athletic Director, effective this July.
“Eric distinguished himself among an exceptional group of candidates as an authentic and accomplished leader. His commitment to and vision for the development of our student-athletes and coaches were palpable, as were his humility, intelligence, and competitive fire,” said GFA Head of School Bob Whelan in an announcement to the community. “The principles and values that guide Eric are, in part, a reflection of his own experience as an independent school student at Sidwell Friends School and his journey as an athlete, teacher, and coach.”
Lee earned his B.A. in Political Science at Haverford College, where he was a three-year varsity letter winner. He went on to teach world history and coach basketball and baseball at Hawaii Preparatory Academy before returning to Haverford College, where he was an assistant dean of students and assistant baseball coach. Lee spent two years at National Presbyterian School, an independent school in Washington, D.C. where he worked in the Development Office and coached the girls' middle school basketball and softball teams. After earning a law degree from the University of Maryland, Lee joined the Cincinnati Reds organization and rose steadily through the ranks over eight years, serving as the Director of Baseball Operations and the Senior Director of International Operations before assuming his current role as Senior Director of Player Development in 2018.
Lee said he excited about returning to an independent school community this summer when he, his wife Alexandra, and their two dogs arrive in Westport. One of the aspects about GFA that Lee found appealing, he said, was that its mission and values matched his own.
“I knew that GFA was an incredible school that takes seriously its responsibility to provide a well-rounded and rigorous education for its students,” he said. “As I learned more about the community, it confirmed for me that GFA is a place where people do what they say: they set aspirational goals, and then do the hard work to achieve them. That is something I badly want to be a part of. “
Tauni Butterfield will be leaving GFA after 20 years as its Athletic Director, joining Carolina Day School in Ashville, N.C., as its new A.D. Lee said he is humbled by the breadth and depth of Butterfield’s work in her time at GFA, and looks forward to continuing that winning legacy.
"Thanks to the work of the outstanding Physical Education teachers, coaches, and staff under Tauni's exemplary leadership, a tradition of achievement and growth by GFA students and teams is already in place. It is this foundation, plus the incredible potential that lies within each student, that makes the possibilities limitless for what our Dragons can achieve on the fields, courts, and beyond,” he said.
