THE MASTERS SCHOOL Board of Trustees 2017-2018
The Board of Trustees is the governing body of the Masters School. It is composed of a diverse and representative group of elected alumni and parents. Together with the Head of School, the Board is responsible for setting and guiding the strategic vision for The Masters School. In addition, the Board oversees the management of the School’s financial and physical resources, is responsible for hiring and evaluating the Head of School, and ensures that the School meets its regulatory and legal obligations.
OFFICERS Edith C. Chapin ’83, Chair Keryn Norton Mathas P’19, ’21, ’22, Vice Chair J. Keith Morgan P’17, Treasurer Suzie Paxton ’88, Secretary
TRUSTEES Fred Brettschneider P’19 Jonathan Clay P’19 Laura Danforth Michael D’Angelo P’15, ’19 Michelle DeLong P’17 Lucinda Emmet ’57 Kate Henry ’94, P’25 David Heidelberger ’01 Sheree Holliday P’16, ’20 Phillip Kassen Shaojian “Richard” Li P’ 20 Victor Luis P’17, ’19 Sydney Macy ’70 Edgar M. Masters H’98, Life Trustee Christina Masters Jones Susan Follett Morris ’57, Life Trustee Christine Grim Neikirk ’84 Beth Nolan ’69 Hillary Peckham ’09 Janet Pietsch P’09, ’20 Margarita Sawhney P’20 Diana Davis Spencer ’56, P’84
HONORARY TRUSTEES Marin Alsop ’73 Cynthia Ferris Casner ’52, P’76, ’86 Jeannette Sanford Fowlkes ’58, P’87 Ruth Mitchell Freeman ’51 Nancy Maginnes Kissinger ’51 Claudia Boettcher Merthan ’51 Lynn Pilzer Sobel ’71, P’99, ’05
Fred Brettschneider P’19 Fred Brettschneider is Co-Founder and President of LibreMax Capital, a New York-based asset management firm specializing in structured credit. He chairs LibreMax Capital’s risk committee and is a key member of its investment committee. Fred holds a B.A. from the University of Toronto (1986), an M.B.A. from the Schulich School of Business (1989) and an M.Sc. from the London School of Economics (1993). He is also a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Charterholder. He is a former member of both the Treasury Borrowing Advisory Committee and the Board of the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association. Fred and his wife, Michele, live in Scarsdale, NY with their two daughters, Morgan ’19 and Haley.
Edith C. Chapin ’83 Edith Chapin is the Executive Editor of NPR News. In this role, she oversees all desks and reporters, and helps set the agenda for the entire News division. Before joining NPR in 2012, Edith spent 25 years at CNN – most recently, as the vice president and deputy bureau chief of CNN’s Washington, D.C. bureau. Edith’s work has been recognized with the journalism industry’s highest honors, including a 2005 George Foster Peabody Award for coverage of Hurricane Katrina, a 2005 Alfred I. DuPont Columbia University Award for CNN’s coverage of the tsunami disaster in South Asia, and a 1997 Cable ACE award for extended breaking news coverage of Rwanda and Zaire. She contributed to Covering Catastrophe (Bonus Books, 2002), a book recounting the events of 9/11 in an oral history format. Edith is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and holds a B.S. in journalism from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. She serves as Chair of The Masters School board.
Jonathan Clay P’19 Jonathan Clay is the Managing Director of Morell Studios, a golf manufacturing company, and is the author of My Best Day in Golf. He graduated from Harvard College in 1984. Jon is a trustee of The Boys Club of New York and a National Trustee of The First Tee and also served on its Scholar’s Committee. His wife, Whitney, is a trustee of the New York Botanical Garden and has served on several New York City benefit committees, including the New York City Ballet. The Clays have been actively involved since joining the School. As a trustee, Jon serves on the Development Committee. Jon’s family also has a long legacy at the School through his grandmother, Emily Thomas Clay ’17, his great-aunt Ellen Thomas on his father’s side, and Eliot Brady Stewart ’56 on his mother’s side. Jon and Whitney live in Bronxville, NY with their two sons, Jamie and Harry ’19.
Laura Danforth Laura Danforth, an ex officio member of the Board, became Head of School at The Masters School in July 2015. Before joining Masters, she was Principal of the Upper School at Ethical Culture Fieldston School in Riverdale, NY. Prior to that position, she served for 10 years as Associate Head of School at Miss Porter’s School in Farmington, CT. Laura has served in a variety of administrative roles in her 30-year career in independent schools, including as Dean of Faculty at Suffield Academy, Dean of Students at Ethel Walker School, and Director of Counseling at St. Paul’s School. Laura received a B.A. in psychology and anthropology from Colby-Sawyer College and an M.A. in counseling psychology from Lesley University. She is married to Dr. Paula Chu, a psychotherapist, former college dean and independent school administrator. They have three grown children.
Michael D’Angelo P’15, ’19 Mike D’Angelo is a Managing Director of Credit Suisse. He is Chief of Staff for Credit Suisse USA and Global Asset Management. Before assuming his current roles, Mike and his family resided in London, England from 2008-2013, where he was Chief of Staff for the Chief Executive Officer of the Europe, Middle East and Africa region. Mike is a Certified Public Accountant and received his M.B.A. in finance and international business from New York University. He is a member of the Credit Suisse Global Education Initiative and participated in a Teach for All assignment in Argentina. Mike and his wife, Cristina reside in Scarsdale, NY with their three sons, Christopher, Matthew ’15 and Michael ‘19.
Michelle DeLong P’17 Michelle is a founding and current board member of the Children’s Aid College Prep Charter School, an elementary community school in the Bronx, NY. She is also a member of the School in the Square, a charter middle school in the Washington Heights section of Manhattan. Michelle graduated from Harvard College with an A.B. in social studies and received a J.D. from Harvard Law School. Following graduation from law school, she served as a clerk for the Honorable Richard P. Matsch of the District of Colorado and then worked as an associate at Cravath, Swaine & Moore, litigating trade secrets, antitrust and civil rights cases. She was a federal prosecutor in the Eastern District of New York for five years, working in the violent criminal enterprises division. For the past 15 years, Michelle has been active in her local community and public schools. She lives in Scarsdale, NY with her husband, Chris, who is the Chief Investment Officer for Taconic Capital Advisors, and their children, Courtney ’17 and Brian.
Lucinda Emmet ’57 Cindy Emmet is a Masters School alumna and graduated with a B.A. from Smith College in 1961. While living in Hong Kong in the early 1980s, Cindy was Founder and Managing Director of Tai Tai Shoppers, an organization started to help expatriates get acclimated and to organize corporate meetings for U.S. companies. Cindy has served as President of the Planned Parenthood Boards in Fairfield County, CT and San Francisco, and was on the National Board of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America. After moving to San Francisco in the 1990s, she chaired the Board of the San Francisco General Hospital Foundation from 1997-2000 and was a Director of the Magic Theatre. Cindy lives in Leesburg, VA with her husband, Grenville T. Emmet, a former banker and President of the Emmet Broadcasting Co. Between them, they have seven children and 13 grandchildren.
Kate Henry ’94, P’25 Kate Henry is a Managing Director at NFP, where she is responsible for the growth and profitability of NFP’s Northeast Region. Kate has responsibility for NFP’s Employee Benefits, Retirement, and HR Services consulting practices in the Northeast and also has operational oversight of NFP’s private equity consulting business, Alterity. Before assuming her current role, she led Sales for NFP’s Northeast Region. Kate is a member of the NFP Women in Leadership Council. Prior to joining NFP in 2012, Kate was a Principal at Mercer, where she spent almost a decade developing and managing client relationships. Before that, she was the Director of Business Development at the Ambrose Group. She started her career at NYU Medical Center. Kate has experience in a diversity of areas, including organizational structure, client and sales management, benefits program design and management, collective bargaining, mergers and acquisitions, group purchasing, and HR technology and administration. Kate is a 1994 Masters School graduate. She graduated from New York University with a B.A. in European History. She lives with her husband and two young children in Chappaqua, NY.
David Heidelberger ’01
Association.
David Heidelberger is the Alumnae/i Board President and ex officio member of the Board. David is an Emmy-nominated producer of “Great Decisions” on PBS, America’s longest running national television series dedicated to the nonpartisan discussion of U.S. foreign policy and global issues. In that role, he films and conducts interviews with foreign policy experts in and around the U.S. government. Since 2006, he has served as the lead video editor of the program, which is produced by the Foreign Policy
David has also edited television programs and commercials that have been seen across the United States and internationally. His editorial work on corporate films has helped raise funds and rebrand clients ranging from an Ivy League university to a corporate jet company. In the beauty world, he has edited television and viral campaigns for companies including Olay and Nordstrom. He has edited music videos for artists including singer/songwriter Ben Folds. David graduated from The Masters School in 2001. He graduated with honors from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts in 2005 with a B.F.A. in film and television production and a minor in computer science. David has served on the Masters School Alumnae/i board since 2005 and was elected the board’s first male president in 2017. He lives with his wife, Alaina, in New York City.
Sheree Holliday P’16, ’20 Sheree Holliday is actively involved in many facets of the equestrian community, and regularly competes on the regional hunter circuit. She is also involved in many charitable organizations and community-based initiatives, such as the rescue and rehabilitation of thoroughbred racehorses that have reached the end of their careers. Sheree is a graduate of the University of Maryland (B.A.) and New York University (M.S.W.). She began her career at the Morrisania Family Care Center in Morrisania, NY and later became a practicing individual and couples therapist. Sheree lives in Scarsdale, NY with her husband, Marc Holliday, and their three children, Max, Danielle ’16, and Sam ’20.
Phillip Kassen P’16, ’20 Phil Kassen is Director of Little Red School House and Elisabeth Irwin High School (LREI) in New York. He joined the faculty in the fall of 1985 as a part-time fifth and sixth grade science teacher. Since that time, Phil has been a science teacher, science department chair, middle school principal, director of admissions, deputy director and director. He has been director since 2004-05. Phil continues to teach middle school life skills, although his favorite role at LREI may be that of referee of the middle school intramural basketball league. Phil received a B.A. in biology from Oberlin College and an M.A. in educational administration from Teachers College, Columbia University. He was a member of the board of the Caedmon School for four years. He is currently a member of the board of the Parents League, of the Guild of Independent Schools of New York City, and of the GO Project. Phil is also a member of the NYSAIS Board of Trustees, the chair of the NYSAIS Membership Committee, and a member of the NYSAIS Commission on Accreditation. Phil and his wife, Johanna, live in Brooklyn with their sons, Harry and Hudson.
Shaojian “Richard” Li P’20 Richard (ShaoJian) Li is Autodesk’s Managing Director of Greater China Region, in charge of all business activities in mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Prior to Autodesk, Richard worked in various roles at several multinational high-tech companies, including F5 Networks, AVAYA and Cisco Systems. He has over 23 years of professional experience, from frontline sales to senior executive, with rich insights into the industries and a unique understanding of business growth and organization development. He currently serves as the Executive Director of China Building Information Modeling (BIM) Union Council (CBU) and China BIM Standard Committee (CBSC). Through these boards, he is committed to introducing new information technologies to the market and to improving productivity and work efficiency, driving disruptive industry change and reshaping the industry landscapes. Richard graduated from Shanghai JiaoTong University in 1992 and holds a bachelor’s degree in precision instrument engineering. Richard and his wife, Jenny (Ying) Fu, and their daughter, Karen ’20, live in Dobbs Ferry and Beijing, China.
Victor M. Luis P’17, ’19 Victor Luis is Chief Executive Officer of Coach, Inc. Before his appointment as CEO in 2014, he held the role of President and Chief Commercial Officer of Coach, with oversight for all of the company’s revenue-generating units, strategy and merchandising, while also serving on Coach’s Board of Directors. Victor has been a member of the senior leadership team since joining Coach in 2006, holding a number of key international management roles and spearheading the company’s successful expansion strategy in Asia. He holds a B.A. from College of the Holy Cross and an M.A. from University College, Durham University, UK. His son Alexander is a member of the Class of 2017 and his daughter Emma is a member of the Class of 2019.
Sydney Macy ’70 Sydney Shafroth Macy is Senior Vice President of The Conservation Fund in Boulder, Colorado, a national land conservation nonprofit. She has devoted nearly 40 years to community service and was the first female state director of The Nature Conservancy. In 2010, Sydney received the Eliza Bailey Masters Award, an award given to a Masters alumna/us for outstanding service to the community. She comes from a long line of Masters School graduates, including her mother, Diana Holland Shafroth ’46, aunts Lorna Holland Gage ’48 and Penny Holland Foster ’57, and sister Tracey Shafroth ’73. Sydney is a graduate of Stanford University (B.A.) and lives in Boulder, CO with her husband, Tom Macy.
Edgar M. Masters H’98 Edgar M. Masters became a trustee of The Masters School in 1971 and served as Chairman of the Board of Trustees from 1992 to 1998. During that period The Masters School transitioned to co-education, introduced the Harkness table pedagogy, and established CITYterm. Edgar is a Life Trustee and honorary member of the Class of 1998—the first coed graduating class. Edgar is the third generation of the Masters family to serve on the Board of Trustees. He is the great nephew of the School’s founders, Eliza Bailey Masters and Sarah Wilbur Masters. He is Chair of the Board’s Facilities and Technology Committee. Edgar lives with his wife, Deborah Cohen, on his family farm in Copake Falls, NY.
Christina Masters Jones Chrisy Masters Jones is the fourth generation of the Masters family to continuously serve on the Board of Trustees. She is the niece of Edgar M. Masters H’98 and granddaughter of Francis R. Masters, who served 25 years on the Board. She is the great-great-niece of the School’s founders, Eliza Bailey Masters and Sarah Wilbur Masters. Chrisy began her professional career in commercial lending at First Pennsylvania Bank, Philadelphia, and then Union Bank, San Francisco. After taking a break to raise her children, Chrisy continued her career in fundraising and community service work. Before retiring, her most recent position was Development Director for the Habitat for Humanity MetroWest/Greater Worcester, MA, affiliate. Chrisy formerly served on the Board of Trustees for the Barton Center for Diabetes Education, where she chaired the Programs Committee, and served on the Medical Advisory Committee and Capital Campaign Committees. She and her family have been strong advocates of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation for the past 20 years. Chrisy has been active in her children’s schools, her local community, and coaching for many years. Chrisy and her husband, Roger, live in Wyndmoor, PA. They have two grown children, Eric (28), a graduate of Northeastern University, and Courtney (25), a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania.
Keryn Norton Mathas P’19, ’21, ’22 Keryn joined the Board in 2014 and serves as Vice Chair. She recently co-chaired the Faculty Evaluation Committee and the Development Committee. She also chaired the Head of School Transition Committee, and was a member of the Mission Statement committee. Keryn is a graduate of Loyola University Maryland, where she earned a B.A. in communications. She received an M.A. in publication design from the University of Baltimore. She enjoyed a career creating educational materials for Sylvan Learning Centers before becoming head of graphic design for the MainStay Funds. Keryn founded NortonDesign, a full-service graphic design company, concentrating on brand development and marketing collateral. She retired from her professional graphic design career to focus on raising her children. Keryn and her husband, Ted, live in Tarrytown, NY with their three children, Julia ’19, Tim ’21 and Ella ’22.
J. Keith Morgan P’17 J. Keith Morgan P’17 is Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer at TIAA-CREF, a financial services provider. As a member of the executive management team, he leads the company’s legal, compliance and government relations functions. Keith graduated from Duke University with a B.A. in economics and received a J.D. from the University of Virginia Law School. Following graduation from law school, Keith served in the U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General’s Corps until January 1982. Keith is a Director of On-Course Foundation. He formerly served on the Board of Directors of the Child’s Guidance Center of Southern Connecticut and on the Advisory Board of BYU Marriott School of Business. His wife, Jane Morgan, is an attorney at Milbank, Tweed Hadley & McCloy LLP in New York City. Keith serves as Treasurer of the Board of Trustees and Chair of the Finance Committee. He and Jane live in Scarsdale, NY. Their daughter, Lauren Evans, is a member of the Class of 2017. Another daughter, Kathryn, attends Stanford University.
Susan Follett Morris ’57 Susan Follett Morris served as Treasurer of the Board beginning in 1992 and later as Board Chair from 1998 to 2003. During her term as Chair she successfully led the 2001 Strategic Plan. This resulted in the decision to renovate Masters Hall and to construct 10 faculty apartments, a Middle School, a health center, and a state-of-the-art science and technology building, which she andher husband, Bill, generously supported and which is appropriately named Morris Hall. As a tribute to her outstanding leadership, Susan was named a Life Trustee in 2003. Susan has also shared her talents with other institutions, including The Santa Fe Opera, where she joined the board in 1999, served as President from 2002-2010, and is currently Chairman of the Board. Susan is also Chairman of The Cove Point Foundation. Susan attended Bradford Junior College and earned a B.A. from Barnard College. She and Bill live in New York City.
Christine Grim Neikirk ’84 While a student at Masters, Chris was involved in photography, athletics, and DAA, and was the Delta Captain her senior year. She enjoys being her Class Agent and has written the biannual class notes for The Bulletin since her graduation. She was awarded the Richmond Bowl in 2014. Chris serves as Chair of the Committee on Trustees. Chris graduated from The University of Virginia with a B.A. in governmental affairs and a certificate of business from the Commerce School.She currently works at Smartmouth Brewing Co., which her husband cofounded in 2014. She also assists nonprofit organizations with communications and governance issues. Chris lives in Norfolk, VA with her husband, Christopher, who is Assistant VP of Finance at the Norfolk Southern Corporation. They have two sons, Cal (who attended CITYterm in the fall of 2013) and Chipper. Chris’s mother, Helen (Nell) Fisher Grim, was a member of the Class of 1953 and served as an Honorary Trustee of The Masters School.
Beth Nolan ’69 Beth Nolan is the Senior Vice President and General Counsel of the George Washington University. She served in the Clinton White House as Counsel to the President, and earlier as Associate Counsel to the President, as well as in the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Legal Counsel, as Deputy Assistant Attorney General and as Attorney-Advisor. A 1969 graduate of The Masters School, Beth previously served as a trustee from 1989-1993. She rejoined the board in 2009. Beth graduated from Scripps College (B.A.) and Georgetown Law School (J.D.). She lives in Washington, D.C., with her husband, Charles Wright. Her sister, Sally ’68, and several cousins are also graduates of The Masters School.
M. Suzanne Paxton ’88 Suzie Paxton graduated from The Masters School in 1988, joining more than 20 Lightner family members who have graduated from the School, including her mother, Shirley Lightner Paxton ’50. Suzie is a four-time Emmy Award-winning producer and founder of Point Studio, Inc., a video and television production company based in New York City. A member of the 1996 U.S. Olympic fencing team, she started fencing at The Masters School under the tutelage of Coach Francisco Martin. Suzie is a graduate of Pennsylvania State University and now lives with her husband, Patrick, and son, Griffin, between their home in Brooklyn, NY, and farm in Washington, CT.
Hillary Peckham ’09 Hillary Peckham ’09 is Chief Operating Officer of Etain LLC, a woman-owned family business and one of only five companies in New York State legally registered to grow and distribute medical marijuana. She is responsible for the daily business operations of their dispensaries and manages 50+ employees. She is leading an expansion of the company into Manhattan during the summer of 2017 and into Southern California next year. Hillary attended Masters’ Middle and Upper schools. She boarded from ninth to eleventh grade, and was a proctor and peer leader. She graduated from Hamilton College in 2014 and completed the Summer Bridge Program at the Tuck School for Business at Dartmouth College that same year. Etain is co-owned by Hillary and her sister Keeley ’07. Her mother, Amy Keeffe Peckham ’76, serves as CEO of the company. Hillary’s brother John graduated from Masters in 2009. Another brother, Gregory, also attended Masters. Two of Hillary’s aunts graduated in the 1970s and her father, John Peckham, was a member of the Board of Trustees from 2004–2013.
Janet Pietsch P’09, ’20 Janet Vultee Pietsch is President of the Parent Association and an ex officio member of the board. She is also a class representative and an admission ambassador and mentor for the Parent Association. Janet grew up in Virginia and North Carolina, and graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Swarthmore College. She has worked in book publishing for more than 30 years, these days as a freelance children’s book editor. Janet and her family formerly lived in Ossining, NY, where she was for many years a director and a vice president of Ossining MATTERS Education Foundation, for which she continues to volunteer as a member of the funding committee. She also volunteered as an AYSO board member and as a Girl Scout troop leader, recruiter and registrar for the community. Janet lives in Sleepy Hollow, NY with her husband, Michael, and son Owen ’20. The Pietsches also have two grown children, Jackson ’09, a graduate of Swarthmore who works as a translator, and Caroline, another Swarthmore graduate, who lives and works in New York City. Michael is CEO of Hachette Book Group and serves on the boards of PEN
Margarita Sawhney P’20 Margarita Sawhney grew up in Madrid, Spain, Westchester County, NY and Miami, FL. She attended Georgetown University, where she received a B.A. in finance, and the University of Miami, where she received an M.B.A. in finance and international business. Before having children, Margarita had a varied career in technology as a consultant for Accenture and later as a developer, designer and project manager of various financial service and trading software systems. Currently, she assists Dream Charter School in East Harlem with software and human resources projects. Margarita sits on the Board of the Rye YMCA, the Board of Regents at Georgetown University, and the Executive Committee of the Parents Association of Rye Country Day School as Secretary. Margarita and her husband, Vik, live in Larchmont and have three children, Sabrina, Sebastian ’20 and Samantha.
Diana Davis Spencer ’56, P’84 Diana Davis Spencer is Chairman and President of the Diana Davis Spencer Foundation, which focuses primarily on education, public policy, global initiatives and national security. Diana serves on several boards, including the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship, Northeast Harbor Library, and the Mt. Desert Festival of Chamber Music. She also serves on the Federalist Society Board of Visitors, and is a cabinet member of the Wilson Center. Formerly a journalist and activist, Diana has written for local and national newspapers and magazines, and was a member of the National League of American Pen Women, National Writers Union, and the National Press Club. Diana has traveled extensively in Europe and Asia, and visited Russia five times, meeting with government and business leaders. Her daughter Abby Spencer Moffat is a member of the Class of 1984.
The Masters School celebrates active participation, deep understanding, and meaningful connection. A community of diverse individuals, we gather to learn, to strive, to dare, to do -- to be a power for good in the world.