Keeping Pace

1946 Daisy Chain

Coral Butler Brooks and Chumley celebrate KPS Strong!

Dear Alumnae,

In June 2020, Kent Place School completed an incredibly challenging academic year with determination, grit, collaboration, creativity, and enthusiasm. In September, students returned to campus despite mind-boggling challenges and ended the year with wonderful — and well-earned — celebrations, such as Step-Sing, Field Day, the 126th closing exercises, and the Class of 2021’s Commencement. School spirit was off the charts!

Now it’s another September, and what a difference a year makes!

I hope you spent the summer reconnecting with family and friends from whom you’ve been separated. Spending time with loved ones for relaxed gatherings full of laughter is always a summer highlight, but never quite as welcome as this year!

As I begin to travel with Head of School Jennifer Galambos to meet with members of our community north, south, east, and west, I hope you’ll join us. We want to know how you’ve been and what’s new in your lives — we want to shake hands, to give hugs, to chat!

Until we meet again, Kent Place is here to keep you informed. Assistant Heads of School Julie Gentile and Julia Breen Wall P ’23 ’27 write about what an all-girls community has meant to both newly minted graduates and seasoned alumnae (starting on page 32). Our 2nd Athletic Hall of Fame induction is just a few weeks away, and there will be many more opportunities to get together (see the events listing on page 57). And please save the dates for Alumnae Weekend 2022, April 29 and 30 — all are invited!

The Keeping Pace section of the magazine has Q&A’s, Class Notes (beginning on page 55), and more news of our amazing alumnae from around the globe. Happy reading!

With warmest regards,

Coral Butler Brooks Director of Advancement

Michaela Markels ’19

Michaela Markels ’19 Powers a REBOOT

Michaela Markels ’19, a Yale sophomore, first learned about Max Stossel, an award-winning storyteller, poet, and youth and education advisor for the Center for Humane Technology (CHT), an organization dedicated to realigning technology with humanity’s best interests, when she and her mother heard him speak at Montclair State University her junior year at KPS. She was intrigued.

Michaela and her mother then watched The Social Dilemma, a Netflix documentary that features the CHT and explores the dangerous human impact of social networking, with tech experts sounding the alarm about their own creations — and they knew they had to connect Stossel with Kent Place.

In 2020, they arranged for Stossel to speak with students about how technology is designed to be addictive and distracting; the impact on our lives; and resources to manage it. Michaela saw the positive response and overwhelming interest in continuing the discussion.

“I realized there was an opportunity for Kent Place to be a leader in the space of youth digital health, and knowing how engaged our students are in passion projects and in bettering their communities, I got excited about bringing that to KPS,” says Michaela.

Working with Dr. Karen Rezach, Director of the Ethics Institute at Kent Place School, Michaela partnered with Stossel to develop a social media empowerment program for students, as well as resources and professional development for staff and parents. The program, REBOOT — Rethinking Ethical Behavior Online for (self)Ownership Together — was born.

The framework for a series of Upper and Middle School REBOOT workshops is in place and has been piloted at area schools. Michaela believes the success of the program will be in large part a result of peer-to-peer mentoring to support students in navigating their challenging online world while encouraging them to take control of their lives.

“The value for students is to empower them to think critically about the ways and the amount they use technology, and to use social-media platforms more than the platforms use them,” says Michaela. “We hope to get these conversations started in schools where unhealthy usage is often seen as unavoidable.”

Cheers to the Years!

Kent Place couldn’t let another year pass without celebrating our alumnae. Although disappointed that our reunion classes ending in 0, 1, 5, and 6 couldn’t be with us in person, we were determined to carry on the KPS tradition of community, unity, and festivity.

The all-virtual weekend, held in April, kicked off with coffee and conversation for our milestone 50th-reunion classes, who were joined by Head of School Jennifer Galambos. That evening, our Women of Wisdom panel featured three inspiring alumnae who talked about their journeys after Kent Place and how they thrive as leaders. The weekend culminated in a cocktail party for all class years — members gathered as a group and then spent time with their classes in breakout rooms, joined by special faculty guests.

A complimentary box of gifts, to be used during the weekend, was sent to each registrant, to bring the Kent Place community to their homes and add a sense of fun and connection to this memorable occasion.

Celebratory gifts for the weekend

SHARING TRADITION. Congratulations to alumna Diann Gropp-Roth ’84 P ’21 as she celebrates her daughter Erin’s graduation. Erin attended Kent Place for seven years.

Follow Our Lead

Six successful alumnae talk about what makes a good leader.

Empowering girls to be leaders is what Kent Place is all about, from the first day of Primary School until flowers go flying at Commencement. But how do those lessons translate in the world after graduation? KPS recently hosted two virtual panels with six extraordinary alumnae leaders — three at the start of their careers participated in Alumnae on the Rise and three who have decades of experience were part of Women of Wisdom. All credit Kent Place with the foundation that has enabled them to succeed. Here, they return the favor, offering advice from the wisdom they’ve discovered along their journeys that has helped them become not just leaders, but also good leaders.

Don’t Take No for an Answer

—ADRIENNE WOLFF ’15

Everyone we spoke to in May 2020 about starting the G.A.P. Project said, “This can’t be done in this short period of time, there are sites that kind of already do what you’re doing so there’s really no need, young people don’t want to get involved, they’re lazy.” A lot of people were telling us no. We decided to go ahead with it anyway and see what happened . . . We knew we could prove wrong the people who told us no, but we didn’t know to what extent. By November, we had placed more than 800 students on 105 campaigns in 35 states. Mostly, that was from cold-emailing and cold-calling and not taking no for an answer.

Adrienne graduated magna cum laude from Brown in 2020 with a BA in urban studies and is now the urban and architecture researcher and analyst at the Singapore-based Life as a Service Research Program. She worked on several political campaigns before founding the G.A.P. Project, an online platform that connects Gen Z–ers who would like to volunteer with campaigns that align with their values.

Celebrate the Success of Other Women

—DANIELA QUINTANILLA ’10

It’s important to realize that if someone else gets the promotion or someone gets that job or someone is doing something I think is really cool, that has nothing to do with me. She can succeed and I can succeed. If she’s succeeding, you’re also succeeding because she’s going to be entering rooms you’re not in, and that will do wonders for other women. You’re on your own path. You’re on your own journey.

Daniela is a vice president at BlackRock in the iShares institutional group, leading relationships with global insurance companies. She has a bachelor’s degree in political science and ancient history and is an MBA candidate at Columbia.

Celebrate Your Achievements

—RACHEL HARRISON-GORDON ’08

I might forever struggle with this. The film premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival. It went to South by Southwest. It’s my first film. And that’s probably, just now, the most confidently that I’ve ever said that sentence. I think people, especially women, are afraid of coming across as self-absorbed or, I don’t know, something negative. But the chance of that is very slim. I definitely felt like I had to overcompensate for something — because I’m Black or a woman or young. But being confident in what you know or your potential is not a small deal.

After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Engineering, Rachel switched gears and became a filmmaker. She’s now an MFA/MBA candidate at NYU Tisch/Stern. Her first and highly successful film, Broken Bird, challenges the expectations of race, family, and addiction.

Remember That Change Starts with You

— DR. VICKY (MCGHEE) SMITH ’86

In 2016, my boss — one of the first female physician leaders at Ochsner — asked me if I’d go and support a hospital that was having a lot of challenges. She said, “It’s going to be like you’re opening a new hospital but it’s already in existence. You’re going to have to build everything.” It was really difficult. There was opposition, a lot of challenge, and negativity. I remember, after six months, being at home — I’m Buddhist — and I was chanting . . . I just felt so defeated.

As I was chanting, I recognized, “Wow, I’m letting myself be defeated by the environment.” And I just determined, “No! I’m going to influence my environment, not the other way around.” I began to pray, to chant, that this place will be the best place in the universe to receive care and also the best place to work. I spent all my time really encouraging people — “This is going to get better. This is going to be great.” In 2017, we had a banner year, and in 2018, we won a national award for top general hospital. The change in an environment always starts with a change within us.

Vicky is a family physician and the associate medical director of St. Charles Parish Hospital and primary care for the River Region at Ochsner Health Systems. She graduated from Yale and Harvard Medical School and has been on the frontlines of the pandemic. She was also a participant in the Pfizer vaccine trial. In 2018, she was named New Orleans CityBusiness Woman of the Year.

Find the Right Mentor

—TRISH TODD ’75

I’d been at Simon & Schuster for about a week. My boss was on vacation, and one of the projects I was working on was a movie tie-in, which is a book that has the movie art on the cover. I came back from lunch and in my office was what we call a dump — a corrugated display that has art printed on it. Nobody had authorized the use of this art, and I knew it was a very expensive mistake. I was so new; I didn’t know whom to ask to help. Publishing at that time was full of crazy people — “Me Too” men and people who threw things and yelled.

I went to Carolyn Reidy, who was then president of S&S, and explained what had happened. She lit a cigarette, got on the phone with somebody, and then said, “You have three more days.” I said, “You’re not mad?” She said, “Why would I be mad? I assume you’re all adults doing your best.” It was like I was struck by a lightning bolt. I fell in love with her and was loyal to her until the end of time. It framed for me how that approach worked so much better than screaming and yelling and horribleness. She became a role model to me as a leader.

Trish, who’s worked as an editor for more than 40 years, is vice president and executive editor at Atria Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. A Brown grad, she’s published many award-winning novelists, among them #1 bestselling author Philippa Gregory. Her New York Times bestselling nonfiction includes Whiskey in a Teacup, by Reese Witherspoon; The Disaster Artist, by Greg Sestero and Tom Bissell (which became a movie directed by and starring James Franco); and Confessions of an Heiress, by Paris Hilton.

Set a Good Example

—AMY (WANGGAARD) HAUSMANN ’86

No matter what job you have, at least in the arts, you have to always be willing to sweep the floor, you have to always be willing to break down the cardboard boxes, you have to always be willing to straighten the bathroom if you have to. No matter where you are — in a small gallery or a big museum — the way you set an example for others is the most important thing. You can never ask someone to do something you’re not willing to do yourself.

Amy, curator, art director, and arts administrator, is the director of Olana (a State Historic Site), the 19th-century property of the artist Frederic Church, in Hudson, N.Y. A graduate of Knox College, she spent 22 years working for the MTA overseeing public art commissions and administering art and culture programs. Among her achievements, she earned the Kupferman Award for Excellence in Public Service.

With legendary sports broadcaster Howard Cosell at a boxing match in Puerto Rico

At the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in Alaska, boarding the plane used to travel between locations

Kathy Cook ’71

Kathy Cook ’71, Emmy Award–winning producer for ABC Sports and ESPN, retired in January 2021 after an epic 43-year career.

People ask, “Did you always want to work in sports television?” And my answer is “Never — I just got off on the wrong floor.”

I knew I wanted my life to be different. I never saw myself having a 9-to-5 job. I loved spinning the globe in my bedroom and fantasizing about all the places I wanted to see. I had no idea what life had in store.

I graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in communications and hoped to find a news job in New York City. My brother set up a meeting with a friend at ABC. I just wanted to get my foot in the door. When I arrived, I accidentally got off the elevator on the wrong floor. I stepped out and saw a huge photo wall of sports figures, including Muhammad Ali, A. J. Foyt, Nadia Comăneci, Billie Jean King, and Mario Andretti. A woman told me I was on the ABC Sports floor. We struck up a conversation and she said, “You know, they’re looking for a production assistant; wait here.” She returned with several names on a piece of paper and told me to mail in my résumé. I did, and I was hired two weeks later for what would become my dream job.

It was a “coming-of-age” time in sports production and I was one of only a handful of women in the business. Within a few weeks, I was traveling the world for the anthology series Wide World of Sports, working with iconic talent such as Howard Cosell, Al Michaels, Keith Jackson, Peggy Fleming, and Dick Button. One week I was at the Grand Prix of Monaco or the Indianapolis 500 and the next at the Ironman Triathlon or the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. It was an exciting and exhilarating time, but also demanding and stressful. I learned early on that no matter the request, my answer had to be yes. I distinguished myself as a “go-to” person, the one they could call on for any assignment.

I believe my attitude got me as far as my talent did. Over the years, I was promoted from production assistant to associate director to producer and, in 2007, to coordinating producer for ESPN.

Some of my fondest memories are working on seven Olympic Games; producing “Nadia Comăneci’s Return to Romania,” documenting the gymnast’s return to Bucharest five years after she defected; “Canvas of Ice,” with Olympic Gold medalists Brian Boitano and Katarina Witt, shot around the world, from a glacier lake in Alaska to Katarina’s home rink in then East Germany; and producing major events such as the World Championships in figure skating, gymnastics, and track and field.

I learned that when a great moment happens, let it play out; document the event in the best possible light; and tell the story well: Give viewers a reason to care and a reason to watch. For this, I was rewarded with nine Emmys.

My advice? Work hard, surround yourself with good people, and treat everyone with respect and kindness. Oh, and laugh — a lot.