28 minute read
Alumni Profiles
BILL SENEY ’02
On any given day, you might find Bill Seney ’02 driving the Manchvegas Brew Bus or hosting trivia nights throughout New Hampshire. After spending time at Plymouth State University, Seney entered the sales industry. He liked what he was doing, but yearned for more adventure, leading him to move to Colorado to become a snowboarding instructor.
Seney eventually returned to live in Manchester and started working in the call center at Eversource, and also hosted trivia nights with his wife’s cousin, Cody. Bill eventually decided his trivia gigs were more profitable than his “day” job, and WAY more fun! Seney’s wife, Alli, proposed the idea for the Manchvegas Brew Bus. At first, Seney didn’t believe the venture would be profitable, but he and Alli took a leap of faith. He quit his job, and the Brewbus was fully operational within 6 weeks— taking groups on tours of local breweries in New Hampshire. Seney is also the owner of two successful small businesses, and is proud his work supports other small businesses around NH.
When reflecting on his time at Derryfield, Seney referred to himself as a “self-proclaimed lax-bro before it was a term.” Seney is grateful to his Derryfield advisor and hockey coach, Dudley Cotton, for pushing him and encouraging him to lean into his talents instead of others’ expectations of him. Using a grant from the city of Manchester, Seney will be installing disc golf baskets around Manchester this fall. He and his wife, Alli, live in Manchester with their two children, Alton, (6) and River (2).
CHRIS SWEENEY ’84
After graduating from Derryfield in 1984, Chris attended Dartmouth College, pursuing a degree in computer science. Sweeney’s first job was at True Basic. He was originally hired as an application developer and tech support officer, but rose through the ranks to become chief developer. After 12 years at TrueBasic, Sweeney became a freelance software developer. One of his clients was Dartware, a mapping program company, and they eventually offered Sweeney a full time position. He took the original mapping program created for Mac computers and rewrote the code so it could be utilized by both Windows and Linux software. Sweeney remained at Dartware for about ten years as the director of software development. Next he moved to ADP as the lead developer, where he focused on converting an applicant tracking system to flow into their payroll and ecosystems. After an eight year tenure at ADP he moved to his current position as an application developer at E-Closing.
Outside of work, Sweeney sang in the Handel Society of Dartmouth College, one of America’s oldest town-gown choral societies, and continued to sing in his church choir. To unwind, he loves to watch the Celtics and the Red Sox, enjoys reading detective novels, and spending time with his family.
MALLORY RINKER ’08
Mallory Rinker’s passion for theatre emerged at a young age. While a student at Derryfield, she received extensive theater, dance, and voice training, and performed professionally at The Palace Theater in Manchester. During her college days at the University of New Hampshire, Rinker enrolled in courses that focused on the backstage elements of theater. She quickly fell in love costume construction and design. After completing three years at UNH, she secured a full-time position at The Palace as a resident artist. Two years later, Rinker packed her bags and headed to New York City, where she handdelivered her resume to 28 stagedoors. Her first call back involved an Off-Broadway show, where she was contracted to be the wardrobe supervisor. Rinker’s next gig was with a national tour of Cabaret. Soon after starting, and after only five months residing in the city, she was presented the opportunity of a lifetime—the Broadway show Phantom of the Opera offered her a wardrobe supervisor position. Rinker worked there for two years, eventually advancing to the position of star dresser. Subsequently, Rinker dressed for multiple shows, including My Fair Lady and Frozen. She also started to delve into the field of marketing, working on social media for several companies.
After a few years, Rinker began to miss her home state of New Hampshire and her family, which prompted her move to Manchester in fall of 2019. Rinker has since opened her own business, Mallory K Social, which focuses on organic growth strategies for Instagram for local New Hampshire businesses. She created the map for Taco Tour Manchester 2022, worked with a woman at IT Cosmetics, helped with social strategies for Shipyard Brewing, and also organized socials for notable Broadway actors.
In addition to her new business venture, Rinker recently graduated with an associate’s degree in marketing from Manchester Community College, and was a 2022 graduate of the Leadership Greater Manchester program. She is very excited to see where her business takes her in the future.
BILL PARTLAN ’69
Bill’s love of theater spawned when he was a student at Derryfield. His favorite teacher, Jack Coogan, started a drama club at Derryfield, and encouraged Partlan to join. That decision revealed his future career pathway—though he didn’t realize it at the time.
After graduating from Derryfield, Partlan attended Dartmouth College. His original plan was to study psychology and perform in theater productions as electives. The first semester he landed a role in the freshman play, shortly after, Partlan switched majors, opting to pursue a degree in Performing Arts.
Partlan attended the National Playwrights Conference during college summer breaks. It was at the Conference that Partlan was introduced to Lloyd Richards, who quickly became a significant mentor and source of inspiration.
During the summer following his junior year, Partlan stage managed a play in New York City. His senior year he received a call from the National Playwrights Conference, who shared that the Royal Shakespeare Company was seeking a stage manager for a production that featured American actors. Partlan signed on, and spent seven months in England. He then followed the production back to New York City, and wrote his thesis about his experience.
After Dartmouth, Partlan pursued an M.A. at the University of Minnesota and later moved back to New Hampshire to work in summer stock theater. His next adventure led him to New York City where he reconnected with his mentor, Lloyd Richards who offered him a job as production manager and casting director for ABC Television’s playhouse.
Partlan went on to become a freelance director and served as an artistic director at the National Playwrights Conference. Partlan is presently the theater director at Arizona State University. What started out as a passion pursuit at Derryfield transformed into a lifetime career—one which has been both both rewarding and soul-satisfying.
RACHEL HUMPHREY ’87
Rachel Humphrey attended Connecticut College, where she majored in international relations and minored in Spanish and sociology. Humphrey aspired to become a lawyer, and ultimately decided to become a criminal defense attorney. Following law school at Syracuse University, she relocated to Washington D.C., and began working at a law firm that concentrated on high profile street crimes.
A subsequent opportunity led her south to Atlanta, GA, where she spent the next 15 years as a litigation and transactional attorney, married, and had two children. In 2014, she stepped away from practicing law to focus on herself and her family. Upon introspection, Humphrey decided she yearned for a career shift. She began exploring opportunities within the nonprofit sector which led her to the Asian American Hotel Owners Association. Humphrey rose through the ranks, culminating as the association’s CEO upon her retirement this August.
Her retirement was short-lived as she felt compelled to act after learning many women in leadership roles were leaving their industries. She believed strongly that more opportunities for women to advance to leadership positions, especially in the hospitality field, were needed. Humphrey founded The Women of Hospitality Leadership Alliance, a non-profit comprised of 22 organizations that work collectively to help elevate and advance women to leadership positions within the hospitality industry. She also serves as the Board Director of DEI Advisors, a nonprofit organization that empowers personal success through learning from experts representing the field of hospitality.
KERRI FALKENHAM ’12
As a student, Kerri Falkenham ’12, envisioned a career as a veterinarian. Through mentorship and dialogue with her biology professor she re-routed her career trajectory. Opting to major in Psychology with a minor in Italian at Holy Cross, she found herself drawn to interpersonal communications and workplace psychology. While at Holy Cross she volunteered in the admissions office and interned in the human resources department.
Falkenham gained professional work experience in human resources with an agency that specializes in pharmaceutical logics recruitment. The next leg of her professional journey, Falkenham was hired as the human resources coordinator for a tech startup, Cloud Technology Partners, and was soon promoted to a human resources associate business partner. She advanced an additional level to human resources business partner upon accepting an offer from a telecommunications company, Fuze.
During her time at Fuze, her boyfriend was graduating from medical school and awaiting residency placement. This inspired her to search for other job opportunities and stumbled across WorkHuman which maintains offices in Boston and Rhode Island. The day of residency assignments, her boyfriend learned he would spend one year in Boston and three in Rhode Island. It seems as though the stars were aligned—the timing perfection—Falkenham landed the position at WorkHuman the same day her boyfriend proposed!
Falkenham was married in the Summer of 2022, and recently celebrated her first year anniversary at WorkHuman.
EVERETT BAKER ’13
A love for chemistry was activated in Rob Bradley’s science classes, and Baker matriculated to Worcester Polytechnic Institute into its chemical engineering program. Once there, he refined his interest and majored in chemistry with a minor in material science. His years at WPI included an internship at the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
Baker’s first position after college was for Worthen Industries, manufacturer of specialty adhesives, coatings, coated products, and thermoplastic extrusion, located in Nashua, NH. Baker was part of the research development lab, where he was responsible for developing new products. He worked collaboratively with several wellknown companies, including New Balance and Nike. After three years at Worthen, Baker decided to pursue his PhD. He is currently a doctoral student at Missouri University of Science and Technology, where his concentration is in explosive engineering. He expects to complete the program in two years. Part of his doctoral research, includes studies of explosives and brain injuries, and post-traumatic stress disorder prevention in soldiers for the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs. His current project involves the creation of graphene through combining and combusting materials together in small chambers. Graphene is a form of elemental carbon that has the potential to be used for impactful advances in cancer treatments and drug delivery systems. Graphene is extremely expensive and hard to supply so Baker is conducting experiments to determine if alternate, cost-effective materials and solutions exist. Once this project has run its course, he is hoping to publish his findings, and plans to write his thesis this year. Baker is delighted to be part of a Ph.D. program that had the potential to change and advance the treatment of diseases.
When not immersed in groundbreaking experiments, Baker enjoys exploring the outdoors. Two of his favorite hobbies are rock climbing and competing in shooting competitions. He also renews his EMT Basic certification every two years, and continues to foster his goal of making a difference in this world.
RYAN STEVENSON ’12
Following his tenure at Derryfield, Ryan Stevenson attended Emory University—an apt suggestion from former Derryfield librarian Betty Jipson—where he pursued a double major in international studies and Latin. Stevenson felt well prepared as many of the published works he studied were concepts Derryfield has taught him. Similarly, he was able to double major in Latin because he had completed many of the course requirements needed while at Derryfield. After graduating from Emory, Stevenson began teaching Latin at The Cristo Rey Jesuit High School. Realizing the structure of the program was similar to his Derryfield experience, he introduced some of the same books to his students. He also implemented teaching techniques patterned after Gill Roberts and Chris McNeil. In addition to teaching, Stevenson helped with college counseling and found this part of his position to be rewarding. Specifically, he felt a passion for helping students find colleges that suited their needs and personalities—that would propel them to their next chapter beyond school.
After two years at The Cristo Rey Jesuit High School, he moved to Washington D.C. where he presently works in the field of international relations. Stevenson is also a Latin translator, and recently translated a Reformation era sermon called Address at Regensburg, by Johann Eck, for an anthology. He has a deep appreciation for this Classical language, and is grateful it has been a constant thread in his life.
ANU MULLIKIN ’84
Anu Mullikin worked as a law clerk at Devine Millimet, her current firm, before heading to Boston University to pursue her J.D. Following completion of her J.D., Devine Millimet offered her the position of associate in criminal litigation. Mullikin subsequently transitioned to trusts and estates, utilizing her M.A. degree in tax law and taxation. In 1999 she became a partner, and in January of 2022 she became the president of the firm. Mullikin cites her appointment as president as the proudest moment of her career.
Mullikin envisioned becoming a lawyer early in her educational journey, despite the challenges the male-dominated field presented. She recounted stumbling upon her gifts for taxation, trusts, and estates because of her talents with manipulating and balancing numbers. Originally, Mullikin believed she would pass on an offer to become a president of a firm, as it meant paring back her client list—relationships she nurtured and grew over many years. She also knew the lead position would force her to trade administrative responsibilities for full-time litigation. Mullikin had a change of heart when the presidential search committee approached her sharing she was unanimously endorsed by her peers. The collective faith in her abilities to lead the firm, swayed her to accept the position. Looking back, she is confident of her decision and looks forward to celebrating Divine Millimet’s 75th anniversary this year.
Mullikin believes Derryfield provided the foundational skills for analytical thinking and writing, for both her and her daughter Kaitlyn ’15. She fondly reminisced that Mr. Anthony’s challenging coursework helped her to become the leader, thinker, and businesswoman she is today. Mullikin is excited to see Derryfield equity and belonging initiatives evolve and hopes the work will continue through gifts that support students.
RICH SIGEL ’81
Rich Sigel has dedicated his life to serving the citizens of New Hampshire by impacting political and social change in the community, earning him recognition as The Derryfield School 2005 Distinguished Alumnus. Sigel is the son of Derryfield Founders, Saul Sigel and Selma Deitch Sigel, two active community members with a vested interest in the future of The Derryfield School, and also Breakthrough Manchester, known then as Summerbridge. During his six years at DS, he actively developed his leadership skills, served as president of the school government for two years, and mentored younger students. After graduating from Derryfield in 1981, Sigel studied political science at Tufts University. While an undergrad, he became involved with the presidential campaigns of Gary Hart and Michael Dukakis, giving him a taste of a career in politics. Additionally, he served on the McEachern for (NH) Governor staff, where he became acquainted with McEachern’s campaign manager, Jeanne Shaheen, current New Hampshire senator.
Sigel received his J.D. from The George Washington University Law School in 1992, and spent three years as an associate attorney with Wilmer, Cutler, and Pickering in Washington, D.C., specializing in securities enforcement litigation. He returned home to New Hampshire in 1995 to practice law with Devine Millimet, but took a leave in 1996 when Jeanne Shaheen asked him to manage her campaign for governor. Sigel continued to work for Shaheen as chief of staff for six years, and then as the campaign manager of her 2002 senatorial campaign. Sigel returned to the law in 2003, working as attorney of counsel at Shaheen & Gordon, P.C. Sigel served as the chief architect of and senior advisor to John Lynch’s 2004 campaign for governor. Upon Lynch’s election, he named Sigel chief of staff, because, in his words, “Rich brings a passion to public service, along with deep understanding of state government and the political process.” He was featured on New Hampshire’s Ten Most Powerful People list in 2009 and on the New Hampshire Business Influencer’s list in 2011.
Since 2012, Rich Sigel has been working as a senior advisor with McLane Middleton GPS, providing strategic advising and government affairs services for businesses and organizations. Sigel shared that the skillsets he uses each day were developed at Derryfield and has remained a common thread throughout his career. His love for management and effecting positive change started back at DS in 1975.
“I use the same skill set today as I learned and became passionate about at Derryfield. Organizing and moving things forward are what I really enjoy doing, and I’ve been able to help people because of the skills I picked up in leadership roles at Derryfield.”
CAM BRENSINGER ’94
NEMO Equipment Founder and CEO Cam Brensinger shared Derryfield instilled in him a love for physics, creative writing, and studio art which led him to continue his studies at Middlebury College. He quipped his only plan for post-graduation was to climb Denali with some friends.
The adventure proved to be life-changing, as it spawned the aspiration to launch a climbing gear company. With encouragement from his father to further his education in a relevant field, Brensinger enrolled at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), where he concentrated in industrial and product design. In 2002, three days after graduation from RISD, Brensinger opened the first NEMO Equipment Office. He characterized himself as a “naive entrepreneur,” with only $7,500 to his name and a business plan that promised profitability in six months. Brensinger quickly clarified it took $8.5 million in investment and 12 years to truly become profitable.
“As a majority family-owned and founder-led business, we make decisions with a long view of our future. We’re here to build a lasting and iconic brand and that informs everything we do.” Brensinger recalled his years at Derryfield as a member of the tennis, Nordic skiing, and lacrosse teams, and a student of the arts and sciences. He shared that the NEMO mantra, “never bring anything to market that doesn’t offer a meaningfully better experience than what’s already out there,” was rooted in his high school English lessons with Mr. Anthony. Mr. Anthony would never allow his students to write something if it had already been said, and encouraged them to reject cliches, instead being innovative and creative in their work.
Brensinger lives in Stratham, NH with his wife and two adventurous children. NEMO Equipment remains headquartered in Dover, NH.
ALUMNI NEWS // Profiles
When Del Pierson embarked on her Independent Senior Project in the spring of 2016, she never expected it to span throughout the next four summers and blossom into a career. Pierson interned at Nanocomp, where she designed a Soxhlet extraction for carbon nanotube materials, researched carcinogens and their by-products, experimented with new ways to prevent carcinogens, and even dappled in quality control. Pierson eventually completed her college thesis at Colby College with Nanocomp. She found her love for physics at Derryfield, inspired by Mr. Cousineau’s lessons and labs. At Colby, she discovered an interest in quantum physics, citing its potential for impacting the world. After completing her bachelor's degree in physics, Pierson worked as a teaching assistant in the physics labs at Colby while employed at the Huntsman Corporation as a product development intern. There, she researched and performed heat transfer experiments.
In July of 2020, Pierson joined the XMA Corporation as a sales engineer. She gives credit to Derryfield as a cornerstone in her success in her new position. She noted, “Derryfield taught me how to learn, how to dissect a problem and communicate the solution. This is so important in my roles as a salesperson and a scientist.” Pierson sells the XMA productline to corporations like BAE Systems, Raytheon, Verizon, Blue Origin, Oxford Instruments, IBM, Google, Amazon, and Intel.
As a woman in a male-majority field, Pierson recognizes the need to continue to diversify and market her talents. Her efforts have led to strengthened connections and mutual respect among her male counterparts. Pierson is a member of the NH Tech Alliance’s Power Women Breakfast series, which gathers women and nonmale-identifying people in all different industries surrounding tech to talk about their goals and issues they face in the industry.
After chatting with our alumni office, Pierson was able to reconnect with Mr. Cousineau. Together, the pair is discussing how Derryfield can build our physics program to expose students to careers in STEM, and equip them with 21st century skills employers seek. Pierson praised Derryfield, “As I get more settled in the quantum community, I am learning more about the need for quantum knowledge coupled with strong soft skills and professionalism. I think Derryfield’s focus on a well-rounded education and hunger for learning is an awesome foundation for these skills, and knowledge of opportunities could help students navigate the post-high school process. I never realized there were so many jobs that require a balance of technical skills and communication abilities until I landed this job.” Derryfield is grateful for Pierson’s desire to give back to her alma mater, and we can’t wait for students to experience the STEM curriculum changes inspired by Pierson’s input.
DEL PIERSON ’16
Derryfield gave me a solid foundation in science and math, but coupled it with skills in communication, writing, interpersonal relationships, and creativity. Those soft-skills help me bridge the gap between engineers, physicists, and sales reps. That kind of flexibility is really attractive to employers, and it isn’t something I would have learned anywhere else.”
ALIX REILLEY ’06
Alix Reilly attended Drexel University to pursue a degree in psychology with a minor in anthropology. Post-graduation, while researching graduate school programs, she returned to Derryfield to support a long-held passion—the crew team. As an assistant coach, she was able to share her love of the sport with a new generation of Derryfield students.
Soon however, Reilly secured a full-time position at the Nashua Children’s Home. She was assigned to the teen floor, where she was in a mentorship position. Reilley later transitioned to The Counseling Center in Nashua, where she served as the client intake specialist. Matching patients with the right care provider for their mental health needs exposed Reilley to the inner workings of the mental health field. This exposure led to Reilly pursuing a master’s degree in mental health counseling from Rivier College. During her time in grad school she worked as a case manager with Greater Nashua Mental Health. She also completed internships at Seacoast Mental Health Center and Monadnock Family Services. Upon graduating in 2021, Monadnock Family Services offered her a full time position, and she is now a therapist master level clinician. Reilly is in the process of submitting her application to become a licensed mental health counselor.
Reilly and her fiance plan to marry next year. She spends her free time planning her nuptials, crafting, crocheting, and kayaking. Derryfield fosters learning and exploration, it makes classes and subject matter interesting but also fun. It has wonderful faculty that “ really make you feel welcome and cared for. It also makes you do things you never thought you would. I never thought I would fall in love with crew like I did but crew made me an athlete and I loved every minute of it.”
MARTHA VANDERWOLK ’70
Martha VanderWolk is a lifelong progressive educator who, as an eighth grader, was a member of the first student body at DS. She fondly recalled having a great amount of autonomy at the young independent school. After experiencing the intense academic curriculum at Derryfield, VanderWolk was bored by her college curriculum, and left after completing her first semester. She later entered the Goddard College Adult Degree Program. VanderWolk shared that without a progressive program that supported single mothers and working people, she never would have completed her subsequent five degrees.
VanderWolk then applied to the Graduate School of Public Policy at UC Berkeley, now known as the Goldman School. She earned her masters in public policy with an emphasis on property taxation and its effects on environmental policy and school funding. After completing her degree, she moved to Canaan, Vermont and began searching for positions in public policy. She was delighted to discover a teaching position at Goddard, her alma mater. VanderWolk fell in love with teaching over time, and shaped the curriculum at the Adult Degree Program to change the way education is approached. She earned her teaching license, and spent 25 years working in public schools.
In 2011, VanderWolk “retired for the first time,” and bought the Sturtevant Pond Campground in McGalloway, ME. She exited retirement to become a professor of statistics and sustainable businesses and communities at Plymouth State University. She enjoyed this work, but missed teaching children. She then assumed a new teaching role at a tiny middle school in northern New Hampshire before retiring (again), and selling her camp. In the fall of 2020, a local school was desperately seeking a math teacher, and Vanderwolk happily re-emerged from her second retirement. After a long year teaching within the restraints posed by the pandemic, she retired for what she thought would be the final time. However, history repeated itself and VanderWolk accepted another teaching position in July 2022 where she continues to feed her passion for guiding elementary school teachers in shaping their curriculum.
VanderWolk recalled her five years at Derryfield as a wonderful time of her life, and shared her gratitude for the way DS informed her view of education. She doesn’t know how long she will remain in teaching, but she is excited by the prospect of instilling the educational values she learned at Derryfield with more of her students.
ALUMNI NEWS // Profiles
KATHLEEN BOOTH ’88
Derryfield was hugely impactful for me. I recall an assignment at Derryfield in Mr. Berk’s class in which we were asked to play the roles of major world actors in considering whether or not the United States should support the Mujahideen. I took on a position contrary to my personal beliefs, and did very well. That assignment kick-started my interest in politics and world affairs.”
Kathleen Booth graduated from Derryfield with a love for activism, politics, service, Spanish, and problem solving. With advice from Chuck Sanborn, college counselor at the time, Booth attended Johns Hopkins University. Upon graduation she accepted a position in the international sales office of a manufacturing company in Barcelona, Spain. She continued her studies at The George Washington University where she completed an MBA in international business and marketing, as well as an M.A. in international politics. This academic feat was accomplished at night, within four years, while working a full time job.
During her career Booth has traveled to and worked in 54 countries. In 1993, she became the associate director of the Environmental Export Council. Next Booth was a senior consultant with Stone and Webster, where she advised foreign governments on how to restructure their water and energy services. She continued this work with the Institute for Public-Private Partnerships. In 2006, she founded Quintain Marketing, and served as the CEO, before selling the company to IMPACT Branding and Design in 2017. As vice president of marketing at IMPACT, she orchestrated a massive rebranding effort to elevate IMPACT’s position as a media company. Booth then became a freelance marketing consultant, startup mentor and advisor for The Founder Institute, FounderTrac, DAPT, and GMGN Supply Co. She also served as the chief marketing officer for Clean.Io. Booth continues to work in freelance and advising roles, and is also the senior vice president of marketing for Tradeswell. In 2016, she co-founded Ignite Annapolis, a program that helps individuals learn to market themselves, their ideas, and their stories. Booth won the BRAVA Women in Business Award in 2015. Check out her popular podcast, Inbound Success, which features conversations with influencers who have successfully built world class inbound marketing strategies.
Booth is grateful to Derryfield legends like Chuck Sanborn and Bruce Berk for being fundamental to her success.
