Spring 2023 Review Magazine

A SUM OF SMALL PARTS

THE MAGAZINE OF MONTCLAIR

KIMBERLEY ACADEMY

Science Teacher Huma Niazi and her student explore the Middle School campus in an outdoor class.

WELCOME to our latest issue

About a decade ago, when we lived in Trenton, NJ, my then six-year-old daughter Logan (currently a senior at MKA) and I were crossing a busy intersection in the city. As we were hurrying to reach the other side of the street, Logan stopped to pick up some garbage on the road. I told her that we shouldn’t do that, urging her forward, the way a parent does holding their child’s hand, especially as the light was about to change. She stopped moving those little feet, turned to me, and said, “But if we don’t stop to pick it up, then who will?” Fortunately, as the light turned green, the drivers didn’t honk their horns–they could see what was happening.

In the grand scheme of things, picking up a piece of trash that day didn’t have a significant effect on the city or the world, nor did it contribute to a larger discourse or understanding about sustainability. But it did have an effect on me. It takes just one person to remind us that we have a responsibility to care for our environment and that we can make a difference. I am thankful to be surrounded by so many individuals at MKA who lend their voices, their energy, and their hearts and come together to work on behalf of themselves and future generations toward a more just and sustainable world. We are in good hands, indeed.

I hope you enjoy, reflect upon, and synthesize the rich ideas embedded in the Spring 2023 issue of the Review magazine. I am thrilled that we are sharing and celebrating the school’s commitment to sustainability. Environmental stewardship is a foundational responsibility at MKA and is important to me and to so many members of our community. In the following pages, you will see and learn about the sustainability initiatives in our physical spaces, organizational culture, and educational program. It is due to the concerted effort on the part of many that MKA has emerged as a leading steward of the environment though, in reality, the seeds are planted one person at a time.

With gratitude,

Nigel D. Furlonge, Head of School

“Environmental stewardship is a foundational responsibility at MKA and is important to me and to so many members of our community.”

Every once in a while we have a moment that changes the way we think or perhaps what we think about. And sometimes we learn things from unexpected sources. This is a story about both.

EDITORS

Gretchen Berra

Kim Saunders

ASSISTANT EDITOR/COPY EDITOR

Marnie McNany

DESIGN

Mercer Design

www.mercerdesign.co.uk

CONTRIBUTORS

Ashley Conde

Madison Kilduff

Laela Perkins

PHOTOGRAPHERS

Michael Branscom

Steve Clayton

Michael Mineo

Derek Morf

Evidence of our mission is found in the KNOWLEDGE, VISION, and INTEGRITY of our students and our alumni:

KNOWLEDGE

• Academic excellence

• Intellectual independence

• Love of learning

VISION

• Personal engagement with the world

• Understanding of human complexity

• A sense of humility and compassion

INTEGRITY

• Strength of character

• Responsibility as a citizen and leader

• An honorable and generous life

On the cover: artists in second grade started off the year sharpening their observation skills by practicing blind contour line drawing. Blind contour line drawing is when the artist draws the outline and shapes of a subject while slowly drawing its contours in a continuous line without looking at the paper. This drawing exercise forces students to slow down, look carefully at an object, and allow their eyes to guide their hand.They started by exploring a variety of subjects and ended by rendering plants. Using only a sharpie, they drew the lines using blind contour line drawing technique. They then painted their drawings using watercolors.

A SUM OF SMALL PARTS

SUSTAINABILITY AT MKA

Wecannot go through our daily lives without our actions affecting something or someone else. Some people travel through their days unaware of their metaphorical footprint, while others walk through life with a strong understanding of the ways their behaviors have an impact beyond themselves. At MKA, we hope that all students, faculty, staff, and community members walk through their daily lives aware of their impact and with a sense of duty and pride for the environment. To ensure that this is part of the ethos of our community, it is our job to inspire our community to step up and conserve, preserve, and regenerate our resources in order to ensure the long term viability of humanity as well as address environmental and related social justice issues to promote health and quality of life for all.

Fundamental to our mission to provide students with a transformative education that inspires them to lead lives of noble character, purpose and distinction, MKA must ensure that students gain the knowledge, vision, integrity, and skills necessary to develop habits that enable them to make responsible stewardship decisions and contribute to a more sustainable and just world. As educators, we must model impactful sustainability principles and practices throughout all aspects of school life.

In 2021, the Board of Trustees adopted a Commitment to Environmental Sustainability ensuring that all school decisions will be considered through the lens of environmental sustainability before being made. This commitment shows that the work we need to do to ensure our future as a school and as a member of a global society is not only a job for MKA’s Sustainability Coordinators or the MKA Tri-Campus Sustainability Committee, but it is also a job for each and every one of us. To ensure that this happens, our sustainability initiatives at MKA are divided into three categories: our physical space, our organizational culture, and our educational program. These three aspects of school life must work collaboratively to enact change and provide our students with a true understanding of what it takes to make an impact.

As part of our physical space, we commit to incorporating and holding ourselves accountable for prioritizing best practices in sustainability in the construction, renovation, and maintenance of our facilities and in all school operations. Some examples of this include a recent boiler replacement for better energy efficiency, LED lighting installations, and new insulated roofs that will have the ability to house solar panels. As part of our organizational culture, we commit to fostering a sense of environmental responsibility and urgency. To do this, we will strengthen our

sustainable practices across the organization and connect our commitment to environmental sustainability and justice through our school values, strategic priorities, and investment strategies. One example of organizational culture is our TriCampus Sustainability Committee, which is composed of faculty, administration, and a board member. Currently the committee is prioritizing the Sustainability Strategic Plan Goals and making an action plan for implementation.

As part of our educational program, we commit to intentionally integrating sustainability principles and best practices into both curricular and co-curricular programming. By integrating this work into the fabric of our curriculum, our students will understand their relationship with our environment and actively participate in making our world a better place for all to live, grow, and flourish. Some examples of this include Brookside’s collection of plastic caps and lids which are being turned into a bench for the Primary School campus. At Middle School, a new sustainability-focused trip to Costa Rica is being planned for eighth grade students, and at Upper School, student activists created the Carbon Neutrality Commitment Committee with the hopes of helping others understand their carbon footprint.

As you look through the Review magazine, we hope that you are able to recognize the ways this commitment plays out on a daily basis within the walls of our institution. As co-chairs of the Tri-Campus Sustainability Committee, we hope the work we have done and the commitment to future work is evident within these pages. Sustainability work is not a check-box initiative you can mark as complete and then forget about. This work is an ongoing journey, and we are grateful to be part of an institution that values this process and understands that our commitment to sustainability is a small but integral piece of building a more just and sustainable world.

Shanie Israel , Associate Director of Curriculum, Professional Development, and Multicultural Innovation and Co-Chair of the Tri-Campus Sustainability Committee and Merrick Andlinger , Board of Trustees member and Co-Chair of the Tri-Campus Sustainability Committee

“As educators, we must model impactful sustainability principles and practices throughout all aspects of school life.”

“I'm just somebody who wants the world to be a better place.”

DEVELOPING CLIMATE RESILIENCE SOLUTIONS, ONE CLASS AT A TIME

Geoffrey Habron is a professor of sustainability science in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Furman University. Currently, he is part of a multi-institutional effort to develop climate resilience solutions in frontline, at-risk communities across the Carolinas. The initiative is led by North Carolina State University and funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Before coming to Furman in 2017, Dr. Habron spent three years at Warren Wilson College as director of Electronic Portfolios, director of First Year Seminar, and faculty member in the Department of Environmental Studies. From 1999-2014, he was associate professor in the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife and the Department of Sociology at Michigan State University. Dr. Habron has a PhD in fisheries science from Oregon State University, an MS in wildlife and fisheries from Mississippi State University, and a BA in biology from University of Miami.

All of us feel the impact of climate change, and unjustly, many of the people and places most impacted will be those who are already most vulnerable. Two of the classes you teach at Furman are: Resilience and Adaptation and Sustainability and Social Justice. Can you tell us a bit about each of the courses and what you hope to impart to your students in each one of them? Sustainability and Social Justice is a new course. Social justice has always been neglected as a part of sustainability. Most people focus on energy systems, green buildings, recycling and waste, and saving the rainforest. But then of course there's the economic side of things. Cost and affordability are what often drive the sustainability conversation;

however, equity is a really important piece. You could argue that Sustainability and Social Justice is kind of a silly title because social justice should always be part of sustainability. But I felt we needed to put special emphasis on that.

Typically in sustainability, we say things like, "We're on the right side; everybody else is doing the wrong thing.” There's injustice in the world because people think they can fix everything. What we don't realize is that when we come in with our fixes, we can also perpetuate inequality through a green lens. I try to get students to think about the sustainability fixes and how they can have differential impacts on justice and equity. For example, "We need to have more green buildings" sounds great but why wouldn't we want to do that? If you do that, costs go up and then who gets access? “Let's have electric vehicles; let's eat organic.” That all is wonderful, but if costs go up, who gets to eat that organic food and drive those vehicles? There are going to be some people who are going to miss out while others are trying to do good. With sustainability, it’s important to think about the issues and how one can not only do good but also be cautious about their efforts because they can have unintended consequences.

Resilience and Adaptation talks about how communities can deal with change. It focuses on how we live in a dynamic environment and asks how we are going to adjust to climate change, whether it's floods or fires, and how we can build capacity. If you think about the hurricane that went through Florida in October, many people think, "Resilience means putting up a sea wall" as the engineering solution to keep the water from coming in. But, there is also a social component of resilience. After the floods come through, do the communities have the capacity to bounce back? You might put up a sea wall, but who is going to come back once the people have been disturbed and pushed off the land? The environment is constantly changing, and they are going to be changing for hundreds of years. The whole “Build Back Better” concept is really an idea of thinking about resilience. You don't plan for the past: you plan for the future knowing that it's going to change. But how does that happen across the world? There

Dr. Geoffrey Habron ’83

are so many communities who've lived in dynamic environments for millennia, and they're pretty resilient. If you're in the Amazon, you have seasonal floods that are 30 feet high. People have floating homes, people live on boats. The adaptation side of recognizing climate change and flooding specifically is recognizing that in 50 or 100 years from now, life is going to be different. What are we prepared to do? And again, there is an equitable side in that some people can afford to move, some people can afford to elevate their homes, but other people can't.

You spent the majority of your adolescent life living internationally and knew that you always wanted to be involved with sustainability, especially finding a balance between sustainability and access. Can you talk to us a bit about that? My dad worked for the United States Agency for International Development. Even to this day I don't know exactly what he did and all the places we went, but I knew he was there to help people. He was a civil engineer and wanted to make life better. We lived and traveled to different countries, and I was able to see and be around people that weren't like me, and spoke different languages. I went to international schools and was constantly interacting with people that were different, yet, somehow we all found commonality. That was really impactful on me.

My father loved being outdoors and taking us to the beach so at first I thought I wanted a career in marine science. However, because I was growing up in these different places, I was also feeling like, "Oh, there's lots of people in the world who need assistance. How can I do that?" When I got to college, I was still struggling with, "How do I bring these two things together?" It wasn't until the Peace Corps became an option, that it put things together for me. I realized being in Nicaragua, being in Thailand, there are places that are differently developed than the US, and I want to contribute to making that better, both from environmental and human perspectives.

What is one thing everyone should consider in regards to climate change? I try to get students to think about being “systems thinkers.” We're not individually responsible for all the inequity in the world; you have to change the structures. There are lots of structures and systems and institutions that are systematically biased. I think we can ask the question, "Who benefits from this? Who covers the cost? Are the people that benefit, the ones responsible for the problem?" And especially, “Who has a voice in making the decisions?” People should have a voice in the process to determine what their problems are and help to come up with solutions.

Geoffrey Habron overlooking Linville Gorge in Marion, NC.

When it became time to replace old boilers from the 1960s, they were replaced with high efficiency boilers at both the Primary and Middle School campuses. When buildings are updated, the insulation is increased to improve energy efficiency as well as retain aesthetic beauty.

FOSTERING SUSTAINABILITY IN THE BUSINESS WORLD

Carly Sibilia is a biodiversity consultant and nature-based solutions specialist at Environmental Resources Management (ERM). As the largest global pure play sustainability consultancy, ERM partners with the world’s leading organizations to create innovative solutions to sustainability challenges, unlocking commercial opportunities that meet the needs of today while preserving opportunities for future generations.

In her role, Carly supports clients across sectors, understands their upstream and downstream impacts to biodiversity and helps to design corporate strategies that put nature first, while also scaling up funding for nature-based and natural climate solutions. Nature-based solutions refer to actions that address societal challenges through the protection, sustainable management, and restoration of ecosystems, benefitting both human well-being and biodiversity. Natural climate solutions are nature-based solutions that harness nature’s capacity to capture and store carbon from the atmosphere.

By advocating for holistic solutions that benefit people, climate, and nature, Carly helps companies with large-scale impacts do their part in reversing the dual crises of climate change and biodiversity loss. As decarbonization of energy systems and issues related to greenwashing and environmental injustice continue to pose significant challenges to the corporate world, there has never been a greater need for and interest in naturepositive business. A published writer who is passionate about making an impact on the future, Carly has built her early career around this emerging demand, finding success in a role that did not exist as little as five years ago.

Carly encourages current MKA students and recent alumni to find their place in the sustainability conversation and build the business case for positive impact by leveraging the interdisciplinary skillsets gained from their MKA education.

Carly Sibilia and her ERM colleague collect field data on bald cypress trees in a swamp in coastal Louisiana.

Carly Sibilia ’13

“I want to create more effective conservation strategies to change the trend line of populations that are endangered.”

PROTECTING OUR WILDLIFE, ONE SPECIES AT A TIME

Katie Goulder ’12

Katie Goulder graduated from Kenyon College in 2016 after majoring in biology and earning minor degrees in environmental science and anthropology. She went on to work in sea turtle conservation up and down the East Coast doing research on nesting females and hatchlings during the summer nesting months in the South and then working in rescue and rehabilitation of cold-stunned juveniles and sub-adults during the winter months in the Northeast. She continued to work in sea turtle and marine mammal rescue and rehabilitation for two years before seeking out experience with largerscale conservation strategies focused on the monitoring and restoration of wetlands. Katie currently lives in Boston and is pursuing her Master of Science in environmental science and policy at Northeastern University.

Tell us a little bit about your work. I went from MKA to Kenyon College and graduated as a biology and environmental studies major. Since then, I've been working in wildlife conservation, primarily with endangered species. Much of my work has been doing nesting work with sea turtles in Florida and South Carolina. I patrol beaches, look for nests, and identify species. Once the

turtles hatch, I do a full inventory to figure out how many eggs were there, how many hatched, and how many survived. I have also done genetic testing on some of them in order to identify nesting females. I've spent quite a bit of time back up in Boston as well as on Long Island doing rescue and rehab on cold stunned sea turtles. When turtles are migrating south, they can get caught in Cape Cod, which looks and acts like a giant hook, and sometimes they get stuck in the Long Island Sound. They wash up cold stunned, which is essentially hypothermic shock. It takes a couple of months of rehab to get them back to normal, and if it is successful, the turtles can go back out into the wild where they belong. When you're dealing with endangered species, every individual matters. Recently, I have pivoted a bit and worked in wetlands rather than with a particular animal. It’s been interesting to get both perspectives of narrow species-specific work versus habitat management.

What areas of opportunity in regards to environmental science excite you the most right now? I think there's much to be excited about. We often hear doom and gloom regarding environmental conservation, and I don’t think that's unrealistic. However, I also believe many positive things are happening in response to current pressures that we need to focus on more. One important factor I've come across often in my line of work is that a community that believes in your mission and is willing to help can really makes a difference. Places where I've worked in the South, like Sanibel, FL in particular, have a communities that are dedicated to their sea turtle nesting program. Tons of volunteers get up at 5:00 a.m. to go patrol in hot, muggy, awful conditions just because they're dedicated to the cause,

and it makes a big difference. Organizations that are small and underfunded rely on volunteers and the community to support their work.As climate change is becoming more prevalent and more people are accepting it as a serious issue, more people want to get involved. Support is going to make a huge difference in terms of resources from both a monetary and time perspective.

What do you believe are the largest obstacles related to environmental science that exist currently? I think one of the biggest issues is the lag of policy behind science. You can do the research, get the results, and say, "Here's what you need to do,” but putting directives into action is tough. There are great challenges in implementing the necessary changes. The sooner we can start working towards fixing the disconnect between science and policy, the better.

In what ways did MKA prepare you for the path your life has taken? I got a great foundation and education from teachers who were engaging.

What is one piece of advice you would give to current MKA students? I've had a weird path in getting to where I am today; it definitely has not been a straight line! So going off of that, my advice would be to give current students the advice I would have liked to hear, such as it’s okay not to know what you want to be when you grow up. It's okay not to have a specific career path to follow. It's okay to change paths once you've already started down the one you thought was the right one. I would even argue that it can be better for your metaphorical path to look more like a maze because I think all experiences have value, even if it's just to teach you what you don't want in either a job or a career. All these experiences teach you new perspectives that can be beneficial as you move forward. Be open to experiences that are a bit outside the box and be curious and learn as much as you possibly can from every experience. You're setting yourself up for success for the day when you finally say, ”That's it. That's what I want to be."

Katie Goulder is all smiles in the field with a baby sea turtle.

Environmental Science students extend their learning beyond the classroom walls at the Upper School.

CREATE A VISION TO ACT WITH INTEGRITY: SUSTAINABILITY AT THE UPPER SCHOOL

Ben Rich , Upper School Science Teacher and Sustainability Coordinator

The Upper School community is actively working toward improving our sustainability by reducing our footprint in a variety of ways. There are three student groups focused on sustainability and environmental protection in different forms.

The Environmental Action Club (EnAct) does great work educating the student body about how to be better stewards of the earth and they have regular directed conversations about topics such as COP27 in Egypt, single use plastics, and they recently took a field trip to physically remove invasive plants from a nearby park. The Carbon Neutral Commitment Committee (CNCC), whose mission is to convince the school’s leadership to commit to going carbon neutral by a specific date, is led by a dedicated group of seniors who took AP Environmental Science last year, and they want to make a meaningful impact on the most important crisis of our time. The Surfrider Club organizes beach cleanups in the fall and spring to make a direct impact on the health of New Jersey’s vast coastal ecosystem.

Sustainable efforts are visible all around campus whether you are enjoying the LEED Silver certified Johnson Academic Center, the Green Roof, or visiting the student or faculty parking lots where you can see more electric vehicles each month. All three campuses have EV charging stations, which allow our city-dwelling faculty members to charge at work and open the possibility of EV ownership to more community members.

In addition, the roofs at the Upper School have been upgraded and are now ready for solar panels. Sustainability is also interwoven throughout the curriculum, and you’ll find students working on art projects with found materials, projects in French class about pollution across the globe, history classes highlighting the environmental factors leading to conflicts, and of course environmental science field trips studying water quality in nearby streams.

We strive to gain knowledge of our impact on the environment to create a vision in which we act with integrity to protect the precious resources of our planet.

“We strive to gain knowledge of our impact on the environment to create a vision in which we act with integrity to protect the precious resources of our planet.”

The Green Roof has space to hold class, is home to pollinator plants to encourage bees and butterflies in the local ecosystem, allows students to grow hyper-local vegetables to serve in the cafeteria, and provides space for community members to compost waste using two compost barrels

SUSTAINABILITY AT EVERY LEVEL OF THE MIDDLE SCHOOL

Laura Zimmerman, Sixth Grade Science Teacher, Middle School Sustainability Coordinator

Sustainable practices at the Middle School are taught, modeled, and reinforced throughout the entire community. Our youngest learners in fouth grade are in charge of paper recycling throughout the building. They also make their own recycled paper to learn about the process, repurpose materials for STEAM challenges, and begin to learn about climate change.

In fifth grade, students read the book Seedfolks in Language Arts, which focuses on the power of gardening and community, and then they plant and tend seeds and plants in the garden boxes located outside their science classroom. The fifth grade also visits the Newark Conservancy’s garden and farm spaces to learn about sustainable agriculture and help the farmers with a variety of tasks from moving mulch to painting fences. In sixth grade science, students study the science and societal impacts of climate change. They create a climate action project to address the climate crisis at home, at school, or in the larger community. Projects have included writing letters about putting solar panels on our buildings to presentations to promote Meatless Mondays. In seventh grade, students study the foundations of biology and ecology. This year for the first time there will be a MS Sustainability-focused trip to Costa Rica in the summer.

Many of these connections to sustainability have started in the science department but have become connected cross-curricularly throughout the last few years. For the last two years, eighth-grade students have watched and discussed the recent film, The Sacrifice Zone, which is a movie about a group of environmental justice fighters in Newark, NJ. Specifically, the film addresses local air pollution caused by the trash incinerator in the neighborhood. This is relevant to our MKA community because of its geographic proximity, and also because our garbage is sent to this incinerator. Last year, eighth-grade students taught about the concept of environmental justice to the sixth-graders through a hands-on lesson modeling a similar situation. In the activity, students represented different community groups and culminated in a vote about where to place a toxic waste site and discussed and reflected on these challenges. Through this advisory activity, older eighth-grade student leaders were able to teach their younger peers about social injustice and environmental discrimination. In addition, other eighth-grade volunteers led historical advisory lessons about the Newark Uprising and how to raise awareness of these local issues in the larger community.

Many opportunities to learn and lead in green practices are available outside of the classroom as well. Students are allowed to choose and lead “FLEX” or optional courses, several of which focus on the concept of sustainability, and they have the opportunity to participate in the Walk in the Woods Flex in which they explore Mills Reservation to walk the trails and visit the nearby Hawk Watch. The Middle School Green Group provides students leadership opportunities to drive student-based sustainability changes at our school. Therefore, this group makes presentations to the school community, plans events, and helps collect data about how we are doing in terms of our waste and recycling. These students have also visited the Green Roof at the Upper School and are helping set up and take care of a Hydroponic Garden Tower growing produce inside the school. Each year around Earth Day, students lead and participate in a variety of hands-on activities to learn more about their impact and what they can do to help improve the environment.

Students playing on the brand new MS fields and in the new Gaga pit. Studies show that fresh air and time outdoors help children to learn better.

“We strive to give Middle School students the opportunity to build connections to nature and the environment and also become leaders in making change both inside and outside our community.”

Green academic practices are woven into the fabric of the culture at MKA, and it is evident that every student experiences meaningful, engaging activities about being good stewards of the planet on a daily basis.

A SUM OF SMALL PARTS

The school is committed to installing solar panels and establishing a stormwater catch basin that is 3x the regulation size in order to help manage future stormwater runoff from stronger rainfall due to climate change.

As early as 2010, MKA established systems to fight climate change and reduce consumption. Installing occupancy sensors to turn off lights when classrooms were empty and triple-bins to separate waste and make recycling easier were the start of our green academic practices.

The Upper School library renovation provided the perfect opportunity to create a state-of-the-art facility complete with a green roof. The Johnson Family Academic Center is LEED Silver certified and uses less energy than its predecessor.

From a curricular perspective, students engage with environmental issues in virtually all areas of school. Physics classes do home energy audits, chemistry classes discuss gas-forming reactions that lead to the production of acid rain, French classes do a unit on the environment, and advisor groups do projects cleaning up the surrounding woods

SMALL ACTS WITH GREAT IMPACT

Skylar Rhodes ’27

We can all be inspired to do small acts to help the planet and minimize climate change. My name is Skylar Rhodes, and I am in the Class of 2027. I was inspired by one of my teachers, Mrs. Zimmerman, who graciously gave her time teaching about sustainable practices during Covid while everyone was first locked down over the summer. I learned that there were small actions that we could all do to make a big impact on the environment. For the last three years, I have been leading and creating food sustainability programs for Pre-K through 12th graders across all three MKA campuses.

With the help of a fourth and fifth grade team and supported by an educational website we created, we instituted a Meatless Monday program to raise awareness about the importance of eating less meat to benefit the environment. To engage students about the program, we shared fun facts they could relate to in their everyday lives. The students were surprised to learn that the amount of energy it takes to make one hamburger can charge a phone for around four and a half years. Going meatless on Mondays is an easy action that students can do for the environment because they already love meatless foods like pizza, pasta, and salads. While I am not a vegetarian, I realized that I could eat less meat to become more sustainable in my daily actions, but not everyone was ready to commit to meat-free meals. I conducted surveys to gauge student and faculty interest to help tailor the program to their needs. I was able to glean from the surveys that our community needed more education, which is why I created the Voices of MKA, a video montage of students, teachers, and faculty inspiring others by sharing the importance of food sustainability and eating less meat through the Meatless Monday program.

The following year, I knew we had to broaden students’ education to food sustainability as a whole. I developed the MKA Art & Writing Challenge so that students in all grades could express the importance of food sustainability in any medium they chose. The youngest members of our community colored pictures accompanied by sustainability facts while older students submitted videos, short stories, paintings, and poems that were all highlighted on our food sustainability website. I also created and posted educational and promotional materials on the website. Throughout the years, I have continued to inform students about the positive impacts of green actions through videos and assembly presentations for all three campuses.

I was honored to help accept the International Green School Award for Montclair Kimberley Academy in addition to receiving an individual Climate Cadet Award at the Green School Conference as part of New York City Climate Week. The award was presented by Green Mentors, which has a consultative status with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations. The conference attendees came from countries ranging from India, Mexico, Uganda, and the United States. I was touched that I was able to reach people from all over the world with my work, and I hope to continue educating my community about the sustainable actions they can take to positively impact the environment.

MONTCLAIR KIMBERLEY ACADEMY AWARDED THE INTERNATIONAL GREEN SCHOOL AWARD 2022

Montclair Kimberley Academy was awarded the International Green School Award at the Green Schools Conference as part of NYC Climate Week. The award was presented by Green Mentors, which has special consultative status with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations.

The conference included attendees from all over the world, including India, Mexico, Uganda, and the United States. The acceptance speech for the award was given jointly by Ben Rich, Laura Zimmerman, and 8th-grade student Skylar Rhodes who highlighted sustainability at the Middle School. Mr. Rich was also awarded the International Green Teacher award for his work in bringing environmental sustainability to life both in and outside of the classroom.

A few years back we saw a need to involve students in looking at inequity in our school and in the world, not only socially but also academically. In order to bridge the gap between what's going on in the world and how it impacts what we do here, the Student Diversity Leadership Committee (SDLC) was created. This group consists of 28 student members in tenth through twelth grade who apply for a position on the committee.

As part of the SDLC’s work, the group addresses different areas of school life where there is inequality or underrepresentation. Such areas have included academic programming, extracurricular activities, and sustainability. Members identify the issues, break into focus groups, and come up with goals for the year. For instance, we took a look at the classroom, and this year, one of the SDLC’s goals is to be more transparent in what equity looks like when it is not just based on race or things that we can see. For example, people may assume that in science, there aren't any equity or diversity issues, but we can certainly talk about how DNA was identified and how female scientist Rosalind Franklin didn't get the kind of recognition that male scientists

Watson and Crick did. Those are super important things because young women sitting in class may want to be a scientist one day and need to see some representation.

In regards to SDLC’s work specifically with sustainability, we are partnering with the Upper School Environmental Action Club (EnAct) and looking at ways to connect with the Ironbound section of Newark. This city has a history of chemical companies dumping toxic waste not only in landfills but also in the water. We are connecting with wastewater treatment facilities to examine how the process of cleaning up this damage impacts local communities. We want to expose our kids to these types of situations to show them that underrepresentation and a lack of equity has made the lives of many residents in nearby Newark radically different from many of those attending MKA. We must take action and see where we can help, whether that be through education, amplifying the issues, and partnering with them to make improvements.

SDLC plants the seeds for growth down the road. When the right framework is in place to grow these ideas, you'll see the fruits. SDLC is based upon the belief that when our kids graduate from here, they not only got a great education, but they felt like they belonged in this community. We're not a perfect school nor is this a perfect world. There are things that we need to address and continue to address in order to be better and have a nice healthy garden. Looking at this growth process like a garden is really important. We have to plant seeds; we have to give it the proper nutrients; and we’re going to have to pull out the weeds.

SUSTAINABILITY THROUGH THE LENS OF EQUALITY

“Looking at this growth process like a garden is really important. We have to plant seeds; we have to give it the proper nutrients; and we’re going to have to pull out the weeds.”

Tony Jones , Upper School Science Teacher, Boys’ Basketball Coach, and Advisor to SDLC

AP Environmental Science took their annual field trip to test the water quality of the Peckman River in nearby Cedar Grove. Students tested for nitrates, phosphates, dissolved oxygen, water flow, turbidity, and other factors to see how healthy the stream is.

EDUCATION AND ACTIVISM AT THE UPPER SCHOOL

Julia Narucki ’23 and Ellis Fertig ’24

The Environmental Action Club (EnAct) is dedicated to a number of goals that include raising awareness among and educating MKA students about environmental issues as well as instilling a sense of responsibility to serve the environment and make the school more sustainable.

One of the ways we have been working toward these goals recently was a service trip to clean up invasive species in a nearby area, which both got students involved in nature outside of school and provided an opportunity for them to learn about invasive species and ecological concerns in our local community. We plan to return in the spring and do regular service trips. In addition to work outside of our community, we focus on working with the MKA student body to act more sustainably by following EcoSchools USA Pathways, which are environmental foci for improving school sustainability. Last year we tackled consumption and waste by improving school recycling habits and reducing usage of single-use plastics. This year, we will focus on sustainable eating on campus. One way students will be involved is through planting vegetables on the Green Roof that can be used in our salads at lunch.

To encourage students to continue to interact with current environmental issues, we have held weekly discussions where students gather to learn about and discuss current events

involving climate change and the environment. Topics have ranged from the authenticity of COP27 to climate activists throwing food at artwork, and the discussions often result in a lively debate.

During Earth Week last year, EnAct held a viewing of The Sacrifice Zone, a documentary highlighting the Ironbound Community Corporation (ICC)’s fight to end environmental injustice and environmental racism in the nearby Ironbound area of Newark. We then hosted smaller community discussions along with the Student Diversity Leadership Committee to get students thinking about individual, community, and global responsibilities with regard to addressing environmental justice issues. Moving forward, EnAct hopes to form a relationship with the ICC, starting with taking students on an environmental justice tour of the Ironbound.

In addition to the EnAct, some Upper School students, mostly former and current AP Environmental Science students, are involved in the Carbon Neutral Commitment Committee (CNCC). Last year, the CNCC worked on petitions, presentations, and educating students and the MKA community toward the goal of becoming carbon neutral by a certain date. This year, the CNCC will continue educating students about the meaning of carbon neutrality and how we can get there.

Facility improvements reflect the school’s ingenuity and commitment to sustainability. As electric vehicles became more widely used by the MKA community, the school installed EV charging stations at all 3 campuses.

EMBEDDING SUSTAINABILITY IN THE DAILY ROUTINE OF PRIMARY SCHOOL STUDENTS

Erica DeTrolio , Kindergarten Teacher and Primary School Sustainability Coordinator

At the Primary School, sustainable practices are embedded in the student’s day-to-day activities. Practicing sustainability in the classroom raises awareness, increases children’s interest in the environment, and teaches them about our interconnected world. Examples of teachable moments include, using recyclable materials whenever possible, using both sides of the paper, encouraging children to turn the water off as they wash their hands, or simply and consistently throwing paper in the big blue recycling bin.

Both Pre-K and Kindergarten follow the Reggio Emilia approach to learning, which has deep roots in nature. In the Pre-K and Kindergarten classrooms, we are always looking for ways to learn from nature and foster a love of the outdoors. By using recyclables and loose parts in art projects and for other academic lessons, students are taught that beauty can be found anywhere and that we rely on a healthy planet.

All grade level teachers model, mentor, share, and interpret their positive connections with nature. The teachers illustrate the importance of being resourceful instead of being wasteful. When children see that their teachers are excited about something, they too, become excited and want to learn more. In their social studies unit, Second Grade teaches about the concept of “want versus need.” Third Grade goes on a trip to the High Line each year, and the children discuss the importance of repurposing something old into something new.

In addition to practicing sustainability in the classroom, students at the Primary School benefit from extra-curricular activities and facility spaces that encourage greater understanding of and care for the environment.

HOW WE DO IT OUTDOOR CLASSROOM

The outdoor classroom serves as a great way for the children to become more connected to nature. It helps to increase empathy for nature, which is the first step toward environmental awareness. Not only do the children explore this area, but teachers often will go outside when the weather is nice to conduct morning meetings or to read a book.

THANKSGIVING SERVICE LEARNING

Each year around Thanksgiving, the Primary School works on a service learning project. Over the last two years, we combined service learning with sustainability. Children collected old towels, blankets, water bottles, and socks. They then created dog and cat toys as well as care packages for shelter animals that were delivered to the Montclair Animal Shelter (pictured above).

EARTH DAY

Each year on and around Earth Day, the school celebrates the Earth in different ways but primarily emphasizes the importance and benefits of just being outside. Over the course of the week, there were many activities celebrating nature and the Earth: Pre-K did a nature scavenger hunt, Kindergarten planted a flower on school grounds, First Grade planted wildflower seeds, Second Grade completed a tree sketch, and Third Grade wrote positive messages about nature in chalk in front of the school

CRAYON RECYCLING PROGRAM

Last year the Primary School collected and sorted over 40 pounds of crayons and sent them back to the National Crayon Recycling Program for a new life. We were proud of saving crayons from a life in a landfill.

CAPS PROGRAM

The Primary School collected and sorted over 200 lbs of bottle caps, saving them from a life in a landfill. These caps will either be sent to the company and made into a bench for the school, or they will be sent to a recycling program where they will be made into something new.

“Practicing sustainability in the classroom raises awareness, increases children’s interest in the environment, and teaches them about our interconnected world.”

Primary School students using the Outdoor classroom. At MKA we value outdoor recreation in our student’s learning. All of the plants outside of the PS are all native to their habitat.

AROUND MKA

MKA’s youngest student assists Head of School Nigel D. Furlonge with the ringing of the Academy Bell at the All-School Gathering

Academics

MIXED ME BY TAYE DIGGS

Kindergarten students welcomed Paris McLean, Assistant Head of School for Diversity, Inclusion, and Antiracism to their classroom when he came to read a story by Taye Diggs. The story he shared explains how the main character, Mike, lives in the world as a biracial student.

Paris shared, “We all come from different backgrounds, have different identities, and walk our history. For me, the book is essential for our young people to recognize that difference isn't dangerous. As a biracial person, I could also share my personal background and identity with the students. The class was terrific: they remained engaged, made thoughtful predictions, and highlighted personal connections.”

MODEL UN VISITS BROWN UNIVERSITY

Members of the Model UN Club at the Upper School, as well as Upper School teachers Isabel Janelli and Derek Morf, attended the 26th Annual Session of the Brown University Simulation of the United Nations. Hosted by the Brown Model UN program, the event allowed students to expand their understanding of global issues, develop critical thinking skills, and make new connections with other students who attended the conference.

To keep up to date with, and for more arts news, follow us on our social media accounts: /montclairkimberleyacademy /MKAcademy /MKAcademy

CELEBRATING OVER 80 YEARS OF SCHOOL BELLS

Students at the Primary School began the 30th year of the handbell program this fall. Long-time Primary School music teacher Jane Smith started the “Brookside Bellringers” in 1989 when she moved from teaching at the Middle School to the Primary School and wanted to help the young musicians sing heartily, read music, count time, perform on a musical instrument, and participate in an ensemble. While this program for our youngest students has enjoyed great longevity, bell-ringing is one of MKA’s most enduring and unique traditions.

The original “Kimberley Bells” were purchased in England in 1937 by The Kimberley School (TKS) music teachers, Miss Bauer and Miss Carpenter. The first group of students learned to ring them in 1938, and while no formal group was created, the bells were available to students, and being a bell-ringer was seen as a very special role. Mrs. Smith’s Brookside Bellringers used these original bells from 1989 until 2007 when they started to disintegrate. New handbells and choirchimes were gradually introduced beginning in 2005, which allowed whole grade levels to play together.

8th grade

ANNUAL WILLIAMSBURG TRIP

The Bellringers have performed at MKA for All-School Gatherings, investitures of new Heads of School, Primary School concerts, assemblies at the Middle and Upper School, and Primary School Closing Exercises. The group has also performed off campus at Senior Care, the Short Hills Mall, Van Vleck House & Gardens, The Pleasantdale Chateau, The Manor, and the Highlawn Pavilion. The handbells have been an important and engaging tool to foster a love of music and learn technique at TKS and eventually MKA for over 80 years. We look forward to many more years of music and joy from the bells of the Brookside Bellringers!

Eighth graders explored Mount Vernon, Colonial Williamsburg, Historic Jamestown, and the Yorktown American Revolution Museum on their annual class trip. They learned all about the people of the past through handson exhibits and activities, tours, and visits to archaeological sites. The power of place took them back in time to experience historical empathy as they saw, heard, felt, and sometimes smelled the past. This trip helps all students dive deeper into their research for their history papers.

“Performances drive home how crucial music is for kids. Mastery of an instrument not only requires eye-hand coordination, critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, communication, determination, and grit, but it also inspires joy.” Jane Smith

STUDENTS EXPERIENCE NORTH AMERICA’S PREMIERE POETRY FESTIVAL Poetry came to life as 28 juniors and seniors from Paige Boncher's Art of Poetry classes traveled to NJPAC in Newark to attend the Dodge Poetry Festival. Students listened to readings and engaged directly with acclaimed poets like Sandra Cisneros, Sharon Olds, Patricia Smith, Yusef Komunyakaa (in some cases, even collecting their personal emails to continue their conversations!). The day was designed for high school students, and the poets tailored their talks to their audience, dispensing advice on writing and life for the budding poets in the audience.

Arts

RADIUM GIRLS

Congratulations to the 8th Grade Performance Ensemble for their amazing rendition of Radium Girls! Under the direction of Lisa Gunn-Becker, students put on three amazing performances in Logan Auditorium. Radium Girls is based on the events that transpired in the early 1920s at the Radium Dial Corporation in Orange, NJ. It documents the young women who came to work at the factory painting watches using the “lick, dip, paint” technique until it made them very sick. These young women stood up to the large corporation, looking for accountability, and fighting for what they believed was right.

“The play Radium Girls offered us the opportunity to learn about the incredible true story of the dial painters who worked at the Radium Dial Corporation right here in West Orange, New Jersey. Our small ensemble of actors got the opportunity to play many roles and examine the fortitude of this group of young women as well as the scientists and company workers involved with what everyone thought was a miracle element.”

Lisa Gunn Becker

THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG

Deetjen Theatre was once again filled with four sold-out audiences and uproarious laughter at this year’s fall comedy, The Play That Goes Wrong. The play is a hilarious farce about a small amateur theatre company doing their absolute best to put on a murder mystery play where, much to their embarrassment, a lot goes wrong.

Between the cast and crew, this production involved almost 20 students in grades nine to twelve who came together to take on what is typically a very difficult production to stage. Due to their talent and hard work, everyone left feeling that they hit the nail on the head. One student commented during rehearsals, “It’s so hard to make things go so wrong, in the right way, at the right time!” Congratulations to all students involved on making this year’s fall play a great success.

THE MKA COMMUNITY MURAL

The Upper School community came together to celebrate a new gallery opening in the arts wing featuring student artwork, several performances, and a mural. The photographs were done by Photo 2 students, and linoleum prints, drawings, and paintings were created by Studio Art Honors and AP Studio Art students.

The MKA Community Mural was started by Sanaa Williams ’21 as her May Term project. In her words, "Each painting is meant to bring together four MKA students to show that despite our different features, we are all part of the same family." It was completed under F&PA teacher Sarah Mueller's guidance by Studio Arts Honors and DP2 students.

PRE-K STUDENTS PEEK BEHIND THE CURTAIN

As part of their Reggio study of performance and storytelling, students in Pre-K Green visited F&PA Department Co-Chair Nicole Hoppe at the Upper School. She treated them to tours of the main and black box theaters and let them explore the costume closet and even try on some real pieces from actual MKA productions! They loved moving in the dance studio, watching the workings of the curtains and light board, and meeting actual teenage performers! As a souvenir, they returned to Brookside with prop money.

HONORING DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.

Dr. King said, "Let us realize the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice." It doesn't happen by itself but rather through the actions of pioneers who are willing to go against the tide of tyranny. The MKA Middle School Dance Program, directed by Dr. Monica Elmore, held its annual performance to honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Lunar New Year. Both the in-school assembly and evening performances began with a heartfelt introduction by Paris McLean, MKA Assistant Head of School for Diversity, Inclusion, and Antiracism. The program included many outstanding performances at all grade levels that incorporated a variety of dance genres, including tap, modern, jazz, lyrical, contemporary, hip-hop, and Bollywood. A particular highlight of the evening was the fourth, sixth, seventh, and eighth-grade Chinese class performances that were choreographed under the direction of Fangzhou Zhang in honor of the Year of the Rabbit. Students incorporated umbrellas, dragon dance, lion masks, flowing fans, and the powerful sound of a live Chinese drumming performance into their celebration of Chinese culture. Congratulations to all on a beautiful and moving performance!

SOUNDS OF THE SEASON

It was another extraordinary month of performances for our singers and musicians. Kyle Blackburn led the choir students in his first concert at the Middle School, and at the Upper School, the Concert Choir, Chamber Singers, Jazz Choir, and Remix performed their annual winter concert led by Maria Gilmartin. At the Middle School, Paul Murphy helmed his first band concert in Logan Auditorium, and at the Upper School, John Leister and the Concert and Jazz Bands filled Weiss Auditorium with a wide-ranging and exciting program.

WE'RE BETTER

together

The Upper School Student Diversity Leadership Committee (SDLC) traveled to the Pingry School’s Pottersville campus and joined the Princeton Day School (PDS) for the first-ever We're Better Together; A Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) Student Leadership Conference.

The one-day conference provided over 60 student leaders opportunities to engage with one another and learn from educational leaders at each school through five workshops centered on fostering inclusive and safe school communities. The day was the culmination of months of planning from school leaders at the three schools, and the intention is to make this an annual event. MKA's Assistant Head of School for Diversity, Inclusion, and Antiracism (DIAR) Paris McLean (PDS Class of 2000), shared, "MKA is always exploring avenues to educate and support the growth of all our student leaders. We firmly believe in our students and educators having meaningful points of contact within the halls of MKA and externally through partnership. Pingry and the PDS are natural thought partners as they lead within this work, as well. Most importantly, the student feedback has been highly positive, and we are already dreaming of what could be next for our community."

Many thanks to Shanie Israel, Tony Jones, and James Moore for supporting this special day of conversation, learning, and relationship-building.

Big News GAME CHANGER FOR ALL

MKA’s new state-of-the-art Middle School Fields Complex is officially open. On Saturday, October 22 members of the MKA community came together to commemorate the Grand Opening of the Middle School Fields Complex and celebrate with an official ribbon cutting. During the beautiful morning ceremony, several speakers acknowledged the hard work, dedication, and generosity of so many.

Coaches, faculty, administrators, and staff, including Chief Financial Officer Kathryn Davison, Director Of Physical Plant and Security James Castelli, Head of Upper School Dr. David C. Flocco, and Director of Athletics Todd Smith, were instrumental in moving the project to completion, which would not have been possible without the significant contributions made by PAMKA, alumni, families, and friends of the school.

Head of School Nigel D. Furlonge said, “This commemoration represents years of focus, commitment, and planning dating back to 2017. Thanks to [former Head of School] Tom Nammack’s leadership, the dedication of the Board of Trustees, the vision of the school’s strategic planning committee, and support from each donor, this dream has become a reality. I am honored to witness the culmination of what is possible at MKA when our vision, commitment, leadership, and philanthropy all come together in service to the thousands of children that will benefit from this incredible generosity.”

The state-of-the-art facility allows for flexibility so that different sports can use the fields throughout the year. It includes redesigned softball and baseball fields, the newly named Barrett

Field, as well as two multi-use fields for soccer, football, lacrosse, and field hockey. Both softball and baseball teams have brand new dugouts, two of which have been dedicated to Varsity Baseball Coach Ralph Pacifico. In addition, there is beautiful new landscaping surrounding the perimeter of the new space. As the ceremony concluded, Dr. Carlaina Bell, Head of Middle School, invited Nigel Furlonge, Todd Smith, and the Barrett Family to join her in cutting the ribbon.

The Middle School Fields Complex has been called a game changer for fall and spring sports. For years, the shared space had not fully accommodated our athletes, especially softball and baseball players. The ability for multiple teams to practice and play games simultaneously is now a reality. But just as importantly, the reimagined and redesigned outdoor spaces have significantly enhanced the school’s flexibility for how the Middle School does recess, class meetings, lunch, social gatherings, or just allows kids to be kids.

“I am honored to witness the culmination of what is possible at MKA when our vision, commitment, leadership, and philanthropy all come together.”

In the Valley - A bird’s eye view of the Middle School Fields Complex

BRINGING MKA TOGETHER CELEBRATING COMMUNITY WITH CHARACTER AT ITS CORE

CELEBRATING DIWALI

Festive Diwali celebrations took place at our Primary, Middle, and Upper School campuses. The Anja Dance Company visited the Primary School helping us to celebrate Diwali with students, faculty, and staff. Middle School students enjoyed an interactive assembly where they learned all about Diwali, watched Bollywood dance performances, and participated in rangoli. Upper School students had the opportunity to share food, culture, and more in a special space set up outside the Dining Hall. A BIG thank you to all of the parents who helped plan these events on each campus.

HELPING OTHERS STAY WARM

Third graders and their Pre-K buddies recently donated 20 scarves and 10 placemats to Toni’s Kitchen. The group spent the fall working on these amazing scarves as part of the ServiceLearning Strand of Buddies.

MKA’S HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH MOVIE NIGHT

Over 100 community members joined together in the Middle School Dining Hall to enjoy Encanto and an array of delicious food such as empanadas, alfajores, pastels, and more. Thank you to all who attended this event for making it such a special evening for students from all three of our campuses to enjoy!

ALL SCHOOL GATHERING

Since 1993, the All-School Gathering has celebrated the community, highlighted the depth of talent across all three campuses, and officially started the school year. In his first All-School Gathering since becoming Head of School, Nigel D. Furlonge embraced the celebration and shared, “As we enjoy this community moment, I do so mindful that The Gathering is also a reminder for us to be grateful.” He recognized the support and dedication of school administrators, Board members, and PAMKA and gave an MKA Sweater to 2022 Founders’ Cup Award for Teaching Excellence recipient CherylAnne Amendola. The audience was greeted by the dynamic Upper School Pep Band combined with the Eighth Grade Band, and performances by groups from each campus, including the a capella group Remix, Upper School Cheerleaders, Upper School Advanced Dance

Ensemble, Middle School Step Team, Middle School Dance Ensemble, and the Third Grade Brookside Bellringers kept the program light, lively, and engaging. Eighth Grade Class President Layla Lynch shared her contagious enthusiasm for the year ahead, and Upper School Student Council President Amari Urquhart and Upper School Student Council Vice President Yousef

Abukwaik related a few cautionary as well as appreciative tales of their experience as MKA Lifers. Tradition abounded during the ceremony, including the singing of the alma mater, “Oh, MKA,” and the senior presentation of a stuffed cougar to Kindergarten students as they crossed a bridge. The event concluded with the ringing of the Academy Bell by the youngest student in Kindergarten, this year, in honor of the 30th Anniversary of the program, joined by the Brookside Bellringers.

In October, students, faculty, and staff from Kindergarten through twelfth grade came together for the first All-School Gathering since 2019, and it was a high-energy, exciting, and entertaining morning for all!

StrategicPart n e sr spih

MKA is proud to share that thirteen members of MKA’s faculty and administration are alumni of the prestigious Klingenstein Center at Columbia University’s Teachers College. Steve Valentine explains, “The Center turns teachers into school leaders and reminds school leaders that teaching is an essential component of the work that they do in schools.” Our faculty and administrators have had the privilege of attending transformative programs and are now leading, creating, designing, and innovating in education at MKA.

CELEBRATESLONG-STANDINGCONNECTIONTOTHE

In year-long and summer courses, the Klingenstein Center works at the intersection of education, equity, and change leadership and is dedicated to building the capacity of educators so that they can better teach, lead, and make change for the kinds of schools all students deserve and need to flourish. Assistant Head of School for Diversity, Inclusion, and Antiracism Paris McLean shared, “At Klingenstein, I walked away with a deep understanding of how independent schools function, honed my leadership practice, and developed my skills in listening and providing clear communication that can reach my communities.” The Center improves the quality of independent and international schools by developing and strengthening the leadership skills of teachers and administrators at every stage of their careers.

The relationships formed between attendees from different schools, with different perspectives, is a lasting and impactful outcome at the Klingenstein Center as Assistant Head of Middle School Catherine Gaynor emphasized: “The experience allowed me to connect with educators around the country and around the world and have ongoing conversations about best practices in teaching and learning.” The Klingenstein Center is dedicated to cultivating creative, confident, growth-minded, informed, nimble, and inclusive leadership, so school leaders can lead in a time when rapid change is constant and the commitment to socially just and socially-emotionallyinformed leadership is most urgent. We are so proud and honored that so many members of our faculty and administration have been a part of this program, have chosen careers at MKA, and make a difference in the lives of our students every day. >>

“The Center sets a standard for independent school leadership. Engaging with it is intense, demanding, and ultimately transformative.”

Steve Valentine

Klingenstein Center Alumni: Carlaina Bell, Ed.D., Head of Middle School

Cort Bosc, Director of Global Experiences

Bre Conley, Pre-K Teacher (currently in the Private School Leadership Program)

David C. Flocco, Ed.D., Head of Upper School and Assistant Head of School for Strategic Initiatives

Nigel D. Furlonge, Head of School

Catharine Gaynor, Assistant Head of Middle School

David Hessler, Upper School History Teacher

Paris McLean, Assistant Head of School for Diversity, Inclusion, and Antiracism

Kyle Salkin, Upper School History Teacher

Maria Shepard, Academic Dean

Donna Starke, Middle School Mathematics Department Chair

Amy Mai Tierney, Middle School History Teacher

Steve Valentine, Assistant Head of Upper School and Director of Academic Leadership

EMBRACING AGILE MINDSET IN EDUCATION

Montclair Kimberley Academy hosted the Klingenstein Center Head Fellows for a professional learning session on Agile. Developed from a dynamic approach to project management in the software development field, Agile is now an approach to collaboration, teaming, and innovation in the face of uncertainty that is being applied to and transformed in a variety of fields, including education. Participants in the workshop included Heads of School from around the country who are Fellows of the Klingenstein Center at Teachers College, Columbia University. The Klingenstein Center, founded in 1977, is the premier professional learning program for independent and international school educator-leaders. Dr. Nicole Brittingham Furlonge is Professor and Director of the Center. Joining the Klingenstein Fellows for the Agile workshop were members of Montclair Kimberley Academy’s Administrative Leadership Team. The group of more than 40 participants engaged in a fourhour hands-on, minds-on workshop designed to demonstrate Agile in action by using over 10,000 Lego bricks to simulate a team project. During the workshop, participants used teamwork and collaboration to apply Agile principles to their Legobuilding tasks. Through activity, discussion, and reflection, insight was gained for how Agile might foster innovation in schools. The workshop was facilitated by Mike Palladino who is the director of the Agile Center of Excellence at Bristol Myers Squibb Pharmaceuticals and a professor at Villanova University.

CURRENT TEACHER AND ALUM AWARDED PRESTIGIOUS SCHOLARSHIP

Breanna Conley ’08, an MKA Pre-K teacher who is currently on leave to complete a master’s degree in the Private School Leadership Program from Klingenstein recently received the prestigious Pearl Rock Kane scholarship from the Center. The Pearl Rock Kane Endowed Scholarship was established in recognition of the late Professor Kane's vision and leadership as the Director of the Klingenstein Center and the Klingenstein Family Professor for the Advancement of Independent School Education. The recipients of this award go on to make a difference in the lives of young people as teachers, administrators, leaders, and founders of schools and educational organizations around the world.

Faculty Excellence at MKA

MKA attracts outstanding, professional faculty for whom excellence, continuous learning, and professional growth are central to their journey as educators. Our faculty’s commitment to MKA’s Mission and their own learning enriches our students’ learning experiences and perspectives in myriad ways.

FACULTY EXCELLENCE FUND

At MKA, we recognize that educational debt can be significant and challenging. Thanks to a generous lead gift from Brian and Linda Sterling P ’12 ’14 and to the ongoing fundraising efforts of MKA’s Development Office and PAMKA, MKA has created Faculty Excellence Fellowship awards. These Fellowships are intended to help us create an even more robust MKA community, diverse in ability, ethnicity, gender, race, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic status. They are designed to make a faculty member’s commitment to both their own education and their MKA teaching career more affordable by covering costs associated with current or completed education, including undergraduate and graduate work.

Congratulations to the Fellowship recipients for the 2023-2024 school year:

New Faculty Award

Brittany O’Neill, Third Grade Teacher

Returning Faculty Award

Laura Demaria, Director of Academic Support

Marc Tuazon, Biology Teacher

CHEMISTRY TEACHER PUBLISHES ARTICLE

We are proud to share that Upper School Chemistry Teacher Laurie Smith recently published an online journal article for the American Association of Chemistry Teachers (AACT) entitled "Chemical Phenomena in Everyday Life: An Adventure in Writing Across the Curriculum.” Laurie has worked at MKA for 37 years and has taught physical science, physics, science research, and all levels of chemistry. She is also a freelance education writer. Currently, Laurie is a member of the 2022-2023 AACT Governing Board, serving as AACT’s High School Ambassador.

In her article, Laurie illustrates a lesson she developed for her second-year honors chemistry students in which they observe everyday chemical reactions, document the observations and explain the science behind what they observe, and then share their findings in a creative and personal way. Colleagues in the English department already coordinated a Writing Marathon for their classes, and they encouraged other departments to participate with their students in this unique experience. In her teaching, Laurie is committed to illustrating the relevance of chemistry to everyday life. Her encouragement of creative approaches in a science class and her use of differentiation in allowing students to personalize their academic work received praise from students and resulted in the demonstrated mastery of science concepts necessary for her class.

FACULTY AUTHORS

Upper School history teacher Tim Cook released his first book this fall. In addition to personal experience, Youth Sports: How to Play the Game is built upon extensive high-level research of both primary and secondary sources, as well as interviews with professional players and coaches in baseball, softball, soccer, hockey, basketball, and lacrosse. Chapters are supplemented by activities that families can complete in order to circumvent some of the issues identified. The book is not only for parents but also coaches, families, trainers, and all those involved in helping young people develop in their chosen sports.

Anne-Sophie Roure, Primary School French teacher, World Language Chair, and Curriculum Coordinator, recently published Atir et Zarafa, a book she hopes will be enjoyed by any reader,including French students and teachers. “My students at MKA are the ones who gave me the motivation to write it.” This historical fiction is written with high frequency words and includes images and a glossary for each word on every page. This innovative format allows readers to establish meaning instantly. Inspired by a true story starting in 1824, a young giraffe named Zarafa was captured by Arab hunters to be gifted to the king of France as a diplomatic gift from the viceroy of Egypt. Readers can follow the challenging journey of Zarafa and her traveling companions, including Atir, a young Ethiopian boy who escaped slavery when he became Zarafa's handler. Together, Zarafa and Atir discover the will to survive and thrive when everything and everyone has been taken away from them.

WORLD-CLASS SCHOLAR JOHN JACOBS SHEDS LIGHT ON INDIGENOUS LANGUAGE AND CULTURE IN NEW JERSEY WITH MKA AS HIS PLATFORM

On October 10, 2022, Indigenous Peoples’ Day, Dr. John Jacobs, Upper School World Languages Teacher and Department Chair, spoke about the holiday and how it relates to the experience of the Lenape peoples who originally inhabited this area. In a compelling and highly-engaging discussion, the audience learned about the history of the tri-state area, the people who first inhabited it, and the machinations of the Europeans who came to settle here. The story of how the Lenape came to be dispossessed of their own homeland demands to be told, as does the story of how the Lenape continue to work to reclaim it.

In the United States, government action to formally recognize Indigenous Peoples’ Day in lieu of Columbus Day at the federal level has stalled, although some state and municipal governments around the country have made that designation. New Jersey’s own bill has been stalled since 2020. John’s research means to emphasize how important this proposed legislation was and is because it recounts in detail both the suffering and the resilience of the Lenape in what is now called New Jersey over the past 500 years.

The United Nations has declared the decade 2022–2032 the International Decade of Indigenous Languages, and John went on to connect that initiative with the ongoing efforts of the World Languages Department to do more to integrate indigenous peoples into the curriculum. As he continues that aspect of work in the classroom, he has taken on a complementary project aimed at giving indigenous languages and cultures a more visible presence in the Upper School as a whole.

“Our department makes ongoing efforts to create opportunities for meaningful and authentic engagement with both the Lenape and other indigenous languages and cultures.” Dr. John Jacobs

GEORGE WASHINGTON’S MOUNT VERNON RECOGNIZES

ANTHONY LABIB

Congratulations to Anthony Labib ’26 who was named the Middle School Winner of the 2022 Mount Vernon Student of the Year Award in June. Anthony submitted a paper about George Washington's views of public health and how they translated to strategy for the Continental Army that he initially wrote for his eighth-grade history class at the Middle School.

In the words of Middle School History Department Chair CherylAnne Amendola, “It was SO impressive!” George Washington’s Mount Vernon created this award to celebrate students who used their understanding of Washington’s life to extend his legacy within their classrooms, schools, or communities. Sadie Troy, Manager for Student Learning, told Anthony when she informed him of his selection, “While we reviewed numerous outstanding nominations, our panel was very impressed with the level of scholarship and analysis that you displayed within the essay on George Washington and Inoculation."

utS d e ntSuccess

ROTAX MOTOR RACE GRAND FINAL

CELEBRATING COMMUNITYWITHCHARACTERATITS

Fion Shi, a 6th-grade student at MKA, attends go-kart races as a sport. This year, he attended the Rotax Race in New Castle Motorsports Park in Indiana, which is a Rotax Grand Finals Qualifying Series event, and he won an opportunity to represent team USA in the Rotax World Final race, which was held in Portimao, Portugal. There were nearly 400 drivers from 60 countries at the event. In Fion’s class he competed with 72 children and qualified in 17th place! Congratulations to Fion on this amazing accomplishment.

Athletics

THE MKA CAPTAIN’S AWARD

THE MKA CAPTAIN'S AWARD IS GIVEN OUT EACH SEASON TO THAT MALE OR FEMALE CAPTAIN WHO HAS EXHIBITED THE QUALITIES THAT WE LOOK FOR IN OUR TEAM CAPTAINS: LEADERSHIP, DEDICATION, RESPECT, WORK ETHIC, AND BEING A ROLE MODEL BOTH ON AND OFF THE FIELD TO HIS OR HER TEAMMATES AND PEERS.

Congratulations to the MKA Fall Captain’s Award recipient, Jordan Fishback ‘23 (Varsity Football). Head Football Coach Anthony Rea states, “Captains are looked upon for their leadership and are expected to be dedicated, respectful towards their teammates, coaches, and opposition, show a strong work ethic, and be a role model on and off the field. Jordan is a captain who checks every single one of those boxes. He is a strong leader both verbally and by example. He is respectful of his coaches and has the respect of all his teammates. His work ethic is as good as I’ve seen at the high school level. When you have great leadership, special things can happen, and having Jordan as our captain and a member of the team the last four seasons has been a big reason why our program has been a special place to be.”

FALL 2022 TEAM AND STUDENT-ATHLETE HONORS AND AWARDS

During the recently completed 2022 Fall Athletics season, the following MKA teams, coaches, and athletes achieved honors:

FIELD HOCKEY

Head Coach: Injoo Han (12th year)

Record: 14-8; NJISAA Prep B State Champions; Essex/Union Conference

White Division Champions

Sophia Eichmann ’23 MKA Coaches

Award; Honorable Mention All-White Division, Essex/Union Conference

Cameron Lienhardt ’23 Captain

Caroline Murphy ’23 Captain; 1st Team All-Prep B; 1st Team All-American Division, SEC; 1st Team All-White Division, Essex/ Union Conference; Selected to Senior “All-Star” Game, NJFHCA; 2nd Team All Non-Public, nj.com

Natalie Yu ’23 Captain; MKA Players’ Player of the Year Award; 1st Team All-Prep B, 1st Team All-American Division, SEC; Essex County “All-Tournament” Team; 1st Team All-White Division, Essex/Union Conference; Selected to Senior “All-Star” Game, NJFHCA; 3rd Team All Non-Public, nj.com

Shea Branigan ’24 MKA Most Improved

Player Award; Essex County “AllTournament” Team; 2nd Team All-White Division, Essex/Union Conference

Julia Larish ’24 Honorable Mention AllWhite Division, Essex/Union Conference

Lucy Osterberg ’24 Honorable Mention

All-American Division, SEC; 2nd Team AllWhite Division, Essex/Union Conference

Mimi Temkin ’24 Captain; 1st Team AllPrep B; 2nd Team All-American Division, SEC; 1st Team All-White Division, Essex/ Union Conference

Malia Cesareo ’25 2nd Team AllAmerican Division, SEC; Essex County “All-Tournament” Team; 1st Team All-White Division, Essex/Union Conference

Sydney Fradette ’25 2nd Team AllAmerican Division, SEC; 1st Team All-White Division, Essex/Union Conference

Julia Flocco ’26 Honorable Mention AllWhite Division, Essex/Union Conference

Addie Goldstein ’26 2nd Team All-White Division, Essex/Union Conference

Maggie Murphy ’26 Honorable Mention

All-American Division, SEC; 2nd Team AllWhite Division, Essex/Union Conference

Shea Murphy ’26 1st Team All-Prep B; 2nd Team All-American Division, SEC; 2nd Team All-White Division, Essex/Union Conference

FOOTBALL

Head Coach: Anthony Rea (9th Year)

Record: 5-4

Jordan Fishback ’23 Captain; MKA Weiner Award; MKA Fall Captain’s Prize Recipient; 1st Team Offense, All-MIFL

Nicolas Lembo ’23 Captain; MKA Offensive Player of the Year Award; 1st Team Offense, All-MIFL

Jaylen Ankrah-Jones ’24 1st Team Defense, All-MIFL

Nate Conforti ’25 MKA Defensive Player of the Year Award; 1st Team Defense, All-MIFL

Oscar Douglas ’25 1st Team Offense, All-MIFL

Jack Scuorzo ’25 MKA Most Improved Player Award

Nathaniel Chou ’26 MKA Rookie of the Year Award

BOYS’ CROSS COUNTRY

Head Coach: Timothy White (4th Year)

Record: 1-6

Freddy Bishop ’23 Captain

Oliver Chang ’23 MKA Most Improved Runner Award

Aidan Szilagyi ’23 Captain; Honorable Mention All-American Division, SEC; 2nd Team All-Essex County, ECCA; 2nd Team All Non-Public, nj.com

Stephen Hatfield ’24 Captain; 2nd Team All-American Division, SEC; 2nd Team All-Essex County, ECCA; 3rd Team All NonPublic, nj.com

Aidan Maas ’24 Honorable Mention AllAmerican Division, SEC

Nicholas Snyder ’24 MKA Most Valuable Runner Award; 2nd Team All-American Division, SEC; 2nd Team All-Essex County, ECCA; 2nd Team All Non-Public, nj.com

Matthew Kwon ’26 MKA Rookie of the Year Award

GIRLS’ CROSS COUNTRY

Head Coach: Timothy White (4th Year)

Record: 0-9

Rebecca Herrick ’23 Captain; 1st Team AllAmerican Division, SEC; 1st Team All-Essex County, ECCA

Ella Martin ’23 Captain; MKA Coaches Award; Honorable Mention All-American Division, SEC

Margaret Horn ’24 Captain; MKA Most Valuable Runner Award; 1st Team AllAmerican Division, SEC; 1st Team All-Essex County, ECCA; 2nd Team All Non-Public, nj.com

Olga Shandarivska ’24 MKA Most Improved Runner Award; 2nd Team AllAmerican Division, SEC

Natalie Ewing ’25 Honorable Mention All-American Division, SEC; 2nd Team AllEssex County, ECCA

BOYS’ SOCCER

Head Coach: Rob Leather (9th Year)

Record: 12-8-1; 2022 SEC Liberty Division

Champions

Julian Coviello ’23 Captain; 2nd Team AllLiberty Division, SEC; Honorable Mention All-Prep B

Omar Martinez ’23 Captain; MKA Most Valuable Player Award; 1st Team All-Liberty Division, SEC

Dylan Okai ’23 MKA Players’ Player of the Year Award; Honorable Mention AllLiberty Division, SEC; 1st Team All-Prep B

Sebastian Gonzalez ’24 MKA Coaches Award

Lucas Furlonge ’25 1st Team All-Liberty Division, SEC

Joseph Nigro ’25 1st Team All-Liberty Division, SEC; 1st Team All-Prep B

Alex Provost ’25 2nd Team All-Liberty Division, SEC; 1st Team All-Prep B

Michael Rallatos ’25 Honorable Mention

All-Liberty Division, SEC; Honorable Mention All-Prep B

GIRLS’ SOCCER

Head Coach: Jordan Raper (4th Year)

Record: 6-10-1

Caia Carlesimo ’23 1st Team All-Prep B

Isabella Douglas ’23 Captain; MKA Points Leader Award; 1st Team All-American Division, SEC

Brooke Huntington ’23 Honorable Mention All-American Division, SEC

Sofia Vinasco ’23 Captain; MKA Players’ Player of the Year Award; 1st Team AllAmerican Division, SEC; 1st Team All-Prep B

Gisella Armstrong ’25 MKA Coaches’ Player of the Year Award; 2nd Team AllAmerican Division, SEC; 1st Team All-Prep B

Alia Rasheed ’25 Honorable Mention

All-American Division, SEC; Honorable Mention All-Prep B

GIRLS’ TENNIS

Head Coach: Bill Wing (26th Year)

Record: 17-2; Essex County Tournament Champions; SEC American Division CoChampions

Caitlyn Jeffrey ’23 Captain

Amara Bhatia ’24 2nd Team All-American Division, SEC; 3rd Team Third Singles AllState, nj.com

Milagros Carbajal Diaz ’24 MKA Player of the Year Award; 1st Team All-American Division, SEC

Katie Chung ’24 2nd Team All-American Division, SEC; 2nd Team Doubles All-State, nj.com; 1st Team Doubles All Non-Public, nj.com

Hannah Lewis ’24 Captain; 2nd Team AllAmerican Division, SEC; 2nd Team Doubles All-State, nj.com; 1st Team Doubles All Non-Public, nj.com

Elizabeth LoPiccolo ’24 MKA Most Improved Player Award; Honorable Mention All-American Division, SEC

Aria Nina Abalos ’26 MKA Player of the Year Award; 1st Team All-American Division, SEC; 2nd Team Singles All-State, nj.com; 1st Team Singles All Non-Public, nj.com

Lauren Chung ’26 Honorable Mention AllAmerican Division, SEC

VOLLEYBALL

Head Coach: Kennedy Robinson ’18 (1st Year)

Record: 16-6; NJISAA Prep State

Champions

Samiyah Abdur-Rahim ’23 Captain; MKA Best Offensive Player Award; 1st Team AllAmerican Division, SEC; 1st Team All-Prep; 2nd Team All Non-Public, nj.com

Hailey Fouché ’23 Captain; MKA Most Valuable Player Award; 1st Team AllAmerican Division, SEC; 1st Team All-Prep; 2nd Team All Non-Public, nj.com

Kai Gibson ’23 Honorable Mention AllAmerican Division, SEC

Amara Lerner ’23 Captain; MKA Best Defensive Player Award; 2nd Team AllAmerican Division, SEC

Avery Pratt ’25 Honorable Mention AllAmerican Division, SEC; 1st Team All-Prep

Mahala Weintraub ’26 2nd Team AllAmerican Division, SEC

ALUMNI NEWS

Safety first: an MKA student participates in and learns from science lab

Dear Alumni,

What an exciting start to the 2022-2023 school year it has been. I have had the pleasure of attending many alumni events this fall such as the Golf Classic, Homecoming, Friendsgiving, and ReSCHOOLED, and it has been awesome to see so many of you. The feeling of community, which truly makes MKA such a special place, has never been stronger.

I want to thank all of you who have participated in a variety of engagement and philanthropic initiatives at the school:

• MKA Day 2022 was a huge success, and it was inspiring to see how many alumni came together to give back to our alma mater raising critical funds in support of financial aid and helping to give the gift of a life-changing education to students.

• We have had more alumni come back to the school this year than ever before. Many of you have come back to speak to the students in their classes and clubs, volunteered for panel discussions, and more. These are such amazing opportunities for the students, and they so appreciate seeing you!

• THANK YOU to everyone who has graciously agreed to provide students with an internship, shadowing, or mentorship opportunity. The Alumni Office has connected more students this year than ever before to you for their May Term projects, and the program will continue to grow. If you are interested in providing an internship to a senior student in the month of May, or can spare some time to be a mentor to younger alumni as they navigate their careers, please let us know!

It is an honor to be at the helm of the MKA Alumni Association as the school continues to evolve, while staying true to its mission. We are always looking to expand the Alumni Council, and now, due to virtual meetings, we are able to include those that live anywhere in the world. If you are interested in learning more, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me.

Please know, my “door” is always open; I’d love to hear from you and hope to see many of you at MKA events in the future.

All my best,

Caitlin DiRuggiero ’06 President, Alumni Council

2022-2023 MKA ALUMNI COUNCIL

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Caitlin Di Ruggiero ’06 President/Treasurer

Stuart Harwood ’07 Executive VP

Stephen Bezer ’11 Senior VP

Lhenée McKoy ’05 Secretary

COUNCIL

Devin Bukowczyk ‘05

Seth Bynum ‘11

Kelly Byrne ‘08

Jenna Clancey ‘03

Geoffrey Close ’71

Jeffrey Festa ‘06

Frank Godlewski ’76

Cara Landolfi ‘05

Dominic Leone ‘12

Angela McCaffrey ’06

Chadd Mukete ’11

Samora Noguera ’02

May 5 - 6, 2023

Reunion Weekend

June 2 - 4, 2023

First-Ever, All-Alumni Production

“It is an honor to be at the helm of the MKA Alumni Association as the school continues to evolve, while staying true to its mission.”

CHANGE MAKERS

Changemakers are MKA alumni who have turned their passion into powerful purpose and wildly successful careers, leaving their indelible marks on the world. Help us celebrate these inspirational and visionary leaders who are changing the way we live.

ANMOL BHANDARI ’98

CHANGE MAKERS

ANMOL BHANDARI

is an executive and entrepreneur with expertise in developing financial research and innovative data solutions. Born in New Delhi, India and raised in New Jersey, Anmol was greatly influenced by the importance of family, which shapes his approach to business to this day. He is the Founder and former Chief Executive Officer of Cians Analytics (“Cians”) and Lever Data. Cians, which Anmol founded in 2008, is a research and data analytics firm offering an array of managed services that adapt to the needs of investment banks, private equity firms, and hedge funds. Lever Data, a sister company to Cians, serves as a platform, built with the world’s largest systematic hedge funds, to ingest, validate, and monitor large datasets at scale, while capturing anomalies in data, in real time. Both firms were recently acquired by Equistone Partners and merged into Acuity Knowledge Partners in the fall of 2022.

Anmol is the Managing Partner of Turnbull Capital Holdings, his personal investment vehicle and family office. Given Anmol’s experience in building, scaling, and exiting companies, Turnbull is focused on investments in founder-led, sponsor-backed companies. Anmol uses his experience to help companies devise successful growth strategies to enable them to execute their vision. Based in Miami, when he is not building or investing in companies, Anmol spends his time playing golf and enjoying time with his wife Devina and children Armaan and Lyla. A passion project and homage to his family is PerUs, a bespoke, allocation-based winery located next to the iconic Screaming Eagle winery in Napa Valley that Anmol founded with the inspiration and support of his family. The hope is that “this is one of those businesses that will be passed down for generations.” This venture allows Anmol the ability to express his creativity and create meaningful experiences all while actively engaging with his family, the winery members, and overall community.

You are an entrepreneur and an investor: tell us about your career. When I graduated from Villanova, I became an electrical engineer like my father, but I was more interested in finance and trading. In 2002 my family and I suddenly lost my mother Veena to a heart attack, and through that experience, I had to harness my emotions and channel them into something; it was the first time I took on focused strategic risk. I moved to London where I worked for an entrepreneur who still serves as a mentor. I helped manage his private investments and develop his initial ideas for a few early-stage companies, finally helping him build out one core business named Copal Partners. Copal outsourced financial research to emerging markets and scaled to circa 2,000 people before ultimately being acquired by Moody’s Corporation. It was certainly a challenge, but as with all challenges, much growth is realized. A great mentor supports you but also pushes you out of your comfort zone, giving you the benefit of seeing an opposing point of view you may not have considered. He was, and still is, a driving force in how I approach situations. Having the humility to recognize that we do not know everything and need to look at things from all angles is key.

After the sale of Copal, I moved back to London to pursue the next step in my journey. The experience and rush of fostering a

company from its initial stages through incredible growth make it hard to go back to anything else. That rush is indescribable, any founder will tell you the same. There comes a point when risk gets developed as a muscle; it’s not something you can be taught but instead, is something that needs to be leaned into and felt. When you’ve exercised that muscle, it starts becoming a little bit more calculative, a little stronger, and allows you to look at things differently. You start evaluating risk and return from a completely different framework.

While in London, I was helping a family office with some investing, taking stakes in real estate projects in Germany and renewable energy projects in India. I then moved back to India and connected with my former partner where we built both Cians and Lever Data (Lever). Cians was an outsourcing research provider for almost every big hedge fund, investment bank, and private equity fund, while Lever was our data ingestion fintech platform that ingested data sets and did anomaly detection for very large, systematic quantitative hedge funds. During my time in India, I met my wife Devina. We were married a year later, and I credit a lot of my success to her support as well.

The two companies that I currently manage are Turnbull Capital

Holdings Group, my family's private investment office that takes stakes in companies and entrepreneurs that we believe in and that we can help nurture along their journey, and a winery/ vineyard in Oakville in the heart of Napa named PerUs.

What excites you right now? There are various facets of data that are unfinished business for me, and I will most likely start another data company and enjoy the process all over again. It’s not out of necessity but more out of interest and passion. It comes down to a couple of key areas. First, the hardest part about selling our firm is that it was truly a family. Building a core team with people you love working with is so much fun. Second, I think there's an intersection of where you go next. On the left end of the spectrum, the only way to go is bigger but on the right end of the spectrum is what I call a “crisis of meaning.” On the left, you could be in the financial data space and be solely commercially focused, but on the right, you can be in a healthcare data space that helps cancer patients and is serving a greater purpose while also being commercial. Both could have the same addressable markets, but one serves a “crisis of meaning” versus one that is effectively creating a commercial enterprise. In an ideal world, you create something that can do both.

What is one piece of advice you'd give to current MKA students? Embrace your mistakes: they are the greatest lessons. Mess up a lot in your twenties. I'm 42 and realizing I still have several acts left in life, and I certainly do not know everything. If you think you have it figured out in your twenties you're crazy; nobody does at that age let alone in high school. Stay humble, hungry, and positive; keep moving forward and always question when things don’t make sense or don’t feel right.

What was your biggest failure and what did you learn from it? Failure is a bit of a misnomer. The outcome may not be what you had envisioned when you set out, but that doesn’t mean the experience didn’t have an immense amount of embedded value. Being outside of your comfort zone is exhilarating, sometimes surprising, but always worthwhile. I've had a lot of failures, and they were my greatest lessons. I do take a lot of risks and, inherently, those risks lead to unexpected outcomes. Our main business almost failed miserably twice. That’s that risk muscle I referred to. Anything worth doing is worth fighting for. I love the line that aptly states, “you get what you tolerate,” and that can be in a business, a relationship, or really anything else in life.

What do you want your legacy to be? I want my children to know that their father gave them all his time, love, and affection. I want them to know I was there for them, invested in them, and they felt my love in all they did. For the rest of my family and friends, I’d like them to feel I was always present, kind, generous, and the kind of man that would never think twice about giving the shirt off his back.

PERUS

Anmol Bhandari’s ‘98 PerUs was established by a group of people passionate in our belief that life is to be measured not by our possessions, but rather by friends, family, and the memories that they cherish. This philosophy defines who we are as a company and inspires us to share our vision through our wines.

With Russell Bevan, the winemaker with most 100 points from Robert Parker, at the helm of our winemaking and drawing fruit from prized vineyards such as Tench, Houyi, Sugarloaf Mountain, and Sage Ridge vineyards; PerUs wines are bold, powerful, and fruit-forward yet seamlessly integrated. Tench Vineyard shares a fence with legendary Screaming Eagle Vineyard and is equally blessed with the climate, exposure, and rock soils that have placed the Oakville appellation among the great wine growing regions of the world. Our first vintage in 2013 with 60 cases of wine and in just seven vintages have grown to 1,200 cases sold solely via allocation through our network of members, exclusive events, and partnerships. Anmol Bhandari, along with our other founders welcome each new member with a glass of wine and invitations to private intimate events all over the world. We are a collective of dynamic individuals sharing stories over wine - great wine and our current members are the connectors which allow this to happen.

To learn more and inquire about these beautiful wines, please follow this link peruswine.com or reach out to info@peruswine.com.

“In life, relationships, and business, you ultimately get what you tolerate.”

EVAN WHITTENBERG ’87

CHANGE MAKERS

EVAN WITTENBERG

Prior to being the Chief People Officer at Pivot Bio, Evan Wittenberg ’87 was most recently Executive Vice President & Chief People Officer at Ancestry, the world leader in both genealogy and consumer genomics, with $1B+ in annual revenues and 1,500 employees world-wide. As a member of the senior executive leadership team, Evan helped to guide the privately held company through a period of fast growth by finding, developing, and retaining amazing talent and ensuring a fantastic culture. Before Ancestry, Evan spent five years as Senior Vice President of People at Box, a public cloud content management software company. As Box’s Chief People Officer, he was responsible for scaling the company from around $50M to close to $500M in revenue and from 400 to 1,700 employees in 14 countries. He was a member of the executive leadership team that took the company public in 2015. Prior to joining Box, Evan was Hewlett-Packard’s Chief Talent Officer, where he was responsible for the largest technology company in the world’s diverse global talent.

Previously, Evan spent four years as Head of Global Leadership Development at Google. He created and grew the function and was responsible for leadership development globally and cross-functionally, leading a team that built a variety of programs, courses, and development opportunities for Googlers, therefore enabling the company’s rapid growth and ground-breaking innovation. Before Google, Evan was the Director of the Graduate Leadership Program at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. In this role he was responsible for all of the leadership development activities for the school’s 1,600 M.B.A.s, taught the core course in Leadership and Teamwork, and ran the school’s experiential leadership learning program, the Wharton Leadership Ventures. He was also Associate Director of the Center for Leadership and Change Management. Evan received his BA with Distinction in Psychology and English Literature from Swarthmore College and his M.B.A. with Honors from the Wharton School, specializing in Strategic Change Leadership.

How did you first become interested in your profession as a Chief People Officer? For as long as I can remember, I've woken up in the morning with two thoughts. One is, what am I going to learn today and how am I going to get better? And the second is, how can I help somebody else be great today? These questions are ingrained into my mindset. Luckily, both of those are imminently achievable if you focus on them over the course of your day. In organizational life, this lives in people-function. I'm an accidental Human Relations (HR) person. I never was interested in being in HR, but that's where learning, development growth, and development leadership tend to live in organizational life. It’s about how you help individuals, teams, functions, and organizations achieve their full potential, and that is what I love doing.

How has your role evolved over the years? I’d like to think I'm innovative, but certainly, it's also true that tech companies, Silicon Valley tech companies specifically, have been really pushing the envelope on a lot of people issues for a long time. I think there would be more pushback in more conventional industries or in some longerterm companies. The job has changed in many ways. Twenty years ago, people had a seat at the table, right? I think the background of a lot of people in traditional HR was HR. It was hard to get a seat at the table because traditional HR is not very good. It typically just does what it thinks HR should do instead of what the company needs to succeed. As a business leader, I think about the business first and how I'm a leader of the company first, and then I run my function second. So I had a seat at the table because I understood how to solve

problems for the company, not just for the function. I tell my teams: your job is to solve for the employee and for the company, both. Most companies solve for the company, and that's why nobody wants to work there. And some managers solve for the employee, and that hurts the company. Increasingly in recent years, my function has become that of babysitter, political advocate, or trying to make everybody happy, even though everybody disagrees with each other. I think the hardest thing, frankly, over the last five or six years for this function, has been the divide in the country.

Have you seen a change in the way people are engaging with the workplace given recent world events? I can't find a time in history where the power has shifted so much from employer to employee because of scarcity of

talent, the Great Resignation, and people knowing employers can only run their company if they get the talent they need. The talent they need now has certain expectations of that company, and so employers are having to get really flexible.

In economics, there's this theory called the tragedy of the commons, and it's based on the old English commons, which was the grass area in the middle of a town. People were allowed to let their cows graze there because it was common to everybody. The problem was, if everybody optimized for their own cows, the cows would eat all the grass, it would be a mud pit, and everybody would lose. So it's the idea that people's self-optimization actually ends up with the whole being a disaster. I think there's some of that happening where people optimize for themselves, saying, “I want to come in when I want to come in.” The thing is they want it to be the same place they left it. They want everybody there that they want to see, cooler talk, and snacks, etc. But if everybody's deciding to come in when they want to, then when they go in, it's crickets and nobody’s there, and then in turn, nobody wants to be there. It's a self-fulfilling spiral to the bottom. My take is, if everybody self optimizes, you lose all the goodness that you had from

the community at work. So I think we're going to have to come up with some other solution. And I think, probably the best answer is a different hybrid model.

The best answer is probably a couple days in the office where everybody comes in together. So you get that community, and a couple days that are flexible to work wherever you want.

What is your proudest professional accomplishment to date? The great companies I've built and the great people that I've had the opportunity to work with who have now gone on and done amazing things are the things I'm proudest of because I'm about growth and development. I think if you need a specific one that kind of highlights both of those concepts, it would be standing on the podium at the New York Stock Exchange, taking Box public in 2014. We couldn't have gone public if we didn't grow the great people we had when we were a company of just 400 people. They got better and better, and over time we grew a great company that's still around today doing great things.

What would you say is your biggest career challenge you've had to face? The biggest challenge has definitely been the last two years regarding both COVID-19

and social justice issues. My team and I did some amazing things to protect our employees, to respect our employees, to take care of our employees: everything you would think you would need to do. Most of the people at Ancestry said, “Wow, I really feel like the company cares about me as a person,” which most companies don't get. At the same time, my team and I took more personal attacks for things like our belief in science and for caring that the police killed someone. It was exhausting.

In what ways do you feel that MKA might have prepared you for the path your life has taken? I learned critical thinking skills from Mr. Dower in eighth grade and humanities from Mr. Hemet in AP history. There were so many leadership and teamwork skills that I learned in football and baseball (baseball with Mr. Hrab, football with Coach Monahan and my teammates, of course) as well as extraordinary leadership lessons as Student Council President. There were so many opportunities to learn the skills that I now have to use every day. I was one of a handful of scholarship kids at the school, and I just can't say enough about my opportunities there and how much I learned and grew as a result.

PIVOT BIO

Pivot Bio has transformed the way fertilizer is produced and used by the world’s farmers. From their environmentally sound fermentation production process to their zero waste and zero footprint, Pivot Bio’s microbes offer farmers a more efficient and sustainable nitrogen to fuel their crops. Pivot Bio’s mission is to remove close to 10% of global greenhouse emissions by replacing synthetic fertilizer with microbes that naturally exist in the soil and yield more for farmers. Synthetic fertilizer is made from fossil fuels and creates 10% of global greenhouse warming. It's also responsible for ruining 500 - 600 oceans and lakes around the world from algae blooms because of the runoff. Pivot Bio has already replaced 40% of the synthetic fertilizer used today.

“How can I help somebody else be great today?”

JEFFREY KINDLER ’73

CHANGE MAKERS

JEFF KINDLER

serves as Chief Executive Officer of Centrexion Therapeutics, a company focused on developing safe and effective, non-addictive treatments for chronic pain.

Kindler was formerly the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Pfizer, the world's largest research-based biopharmaceutical company, which he joined in January 2002. As CEO, Kindler led Pfizer’s $68 billion merger and acquisition of Wyeth, diversified Pfizer’s product portfolio, improved its R&D pipeline, and reshaped the company’s commercial, innovation, and leadership models to drive growth and cultural change. While at Pfizer, Kindler worked with former President Bill Clinton to help bring medicines to impoverished patients in the developing world through public-private pharmaceutical partnerships. He also represented the pharmaceutical industry in U.S. government healthcare reform efforts, helping to increase access to affordable medicines, while preserving an environment in which pharmaceutical firms can discover and develop innovative treatments.

In his prior work, Kindler joined McDonald's Corporation as Executive Vice President and General Counsel then moved into line management as President of Partner Brands. Before joining McDonald’s Corporation, Kindler was Vice President of Litigation and Legal Policy of the General Electric Company.

Tell us briefly about Centrexion and what you do. Centrexion is a company whose mission is to develop treatments for chronic pain that do not involve opioids or other dependency-forming agents. As you undoubtedly know, we have a serious opioid crisis in the country, and there is a lack of really safe and effective medicines for the tens of millions of people suffering from chronic pain. I'm the CEO, so I have the responsibility of leading a great team of people from our phenomenal lead scientists, to our financial group, to the commercial group, and everything else that's necessary to make a company like this successful.

What opportunities excite you the most in regards to your work? The opportunities to develop medications that help people live better lives excite me most. That's what I've been spending my time on ever since I went to Pfizer. I care a lot about helping bring innovative new medicines to people that need them.

You have sat on multiple boards. What drives your dedication to them? I join

boards when I find that the company's mission is important, when the leadership of the company is effective at pursuing that mission, and when the board itself has an important and valuable role in the company, like providing advice and counsel to the CEO. Highly functional boards are really important to ensure that the institution's mission is fulfilled: they ensure that there's good governance of the company.

What are some of the largest ways in which your industry has changed due to the recent world events that have taken place? What do you think might be some of the longer term impacts? Well, clearly the most significant recent world event that is relevant to the healthcare ecosystem, in general, and pharmaceuticals, in particular, is the COVID-19 pandemic. And I was extremely proud of my alma mater, Pfizer, for their incredible work in bringing forward a safe and effective vaccine in record time. Prior to this, the fastest that a vaccine had been developed was around four or five years, and that I believe was for mumps in the 1950s.

The fact that the phenomenal scientists and leaders at Pfizer and also other companies were able to bring forward these vaccines in the kind of timeframe that they did was nothing short of a medical miracle, and it has really had a terrific impact on the health and wellbeing of hundreds of millions of people. I think that as a result of this experience, there are probably going to be opportunities to speed up the development of other medicines. There's certainly a lot of work being done in trying to ensure greater access to medicines in countries that have fewer resources than the United States does, and I'm very proud of the work that Pfizer and other companies have done in that regard as well.

What would you say is your biggest career failure or biggest challenge you have faced in your career, and what did you learn from it? It was very challenging to lead a very large company like Pfizer because large companies can often be less agile than smaller companies, and trying to make change in that context can

be difficult. One of the things that I've definitely learned over my career, not just at Pfizer but in general, is how crucial it is for leaders to have mentors, coaches, or counselors outside of the company or firm they're working in to provide them with advice. It's a cliche, but it's true that being a CEO is a very lonely job. You really benefit from having someone outside the company with experience, who's been around and has faced similar issues as you're facing, who you can be completely open with, and who can help you think about things from your very unique perspective.

I think that most important leadership jobs require the exercise of judgment, meaning making decisions on matters that fall into areas other than clear cut answers. If the problem has a clear cut answer, there's a high likelihood that it will have been addressed, or at least should have been addressed, by someone else in the organization before it lands on the CEO's desk. So the CEO, ideally, should be dealing with those issues that for whatever reason only the CEO can act on. And that requires judgment and judgment, in turn, I believe, is a function of experience and pattern recognition.

After a while, if you've been around a while and you've seen a number of different situations, you hopefully get to a place where, when a new problem comes along, it has similarities to something you've seen before, and you know how to think about it or who the right people are to talk to

about it. I believe in all this so strongly, I've spent a lot of the last 10 years being an advisor to new CEOs.

Obviously you have a lot of management experience. What do you look for in someone you are hiring? If I had to put it in one phrase, I'd call it enterprise thinking. People join an organization typically because they have a skill or a background that the company needs and that they can bring to bear. I think it's sort of a threshold requirement that they have the requisite skills, experience, and ability to perform that function at a high level. That's what you might characterize as checking the box, so to speak. Beyond that, I've found that there's a very significant difference between people who are really good at their particular function or domain expertise, and those who have that expertise but also think more broadly about what's important to the enterprise as a whole. When you are sitting in the CEO chair, you're thinking not of any one particular function, but you must consider how the different functions work together and what's important for the entire enterprise.

When I have a leadership team, the people around the table are each there because of the expertise they bring, but the real value comes when they think of the enterprise as a whole and, more broadly, about how their expertise can fit together with others. That kind of imagination and mindset is crucial the higher you go in an organization.

In what ways did Montclair Academy prepare you for the path your life has taken? I was very fortunate to attend MA. We had a small class and as a result, we had opportunities to participate in a lot of activities and hold leadership positions. I was able to, for example, be the editor of the paper, be in plays, and partake in other extracurricular activities. The education was first rate, of course, but I think, as in any school, a lot of what you get out of it happens outside of the classroom. We were a pretty tightly knit group, and we learned a lot from each other, and I think all of that was very valuable to me, in terms of learning about writing a paper, working with people on a team, or in a play, etc.

What is the one piece of advice you would give to current MKA students? Be open-minded and opportunistic. As you're graduating high school and going into college, you feel like adulthood is coming at you pretty quickly, and you need to start making decisions about where you're going to live, where you're going to work, and who you're going to be with. I would encourage people to try to remember that you are actually still pretty young with a very long life ahead of you. Don't sell yourself short and find yourself too quickly following a narrow path. Keep your mind open to other opportunities. If you're lucky enough to go to a college that offers you the opportunity to see things you would not otherwise have been exposed to, let it happen: let yourself see and hear those opportunities and follow your heart.

“When I have a leadership team, the people around the table are each there because of the expertise they bring, but the real value comes when they think about how their expertise can fit together with others.”

KELSEY BOWERS ’10

CHANGE MAKERS

KELSEY BOWERS

is the Head of US Sports Partnerships at Twitter and has been with the company for four years. She is responsible for Twitter’s strategic partnerships with sports leagues and media partners to bring the most premium sports content to the platform and drive advertising revenue. The partnerships she's focused on include the NBA, WNBA, NFL, ESPN, NBC Sports & Olympics, and Fox Sports & World Cup.

Prior to Twitter Sports, Kelsey was a Manager in Media Strategy and Business Development at the National Football League (NFL) for three seasons. She helped drive the NFL’s media business through the deployment of key media rights, identification of new business opportunities within the broader media landscape, and the formation of strategic partnerships. Kelsey also spent two years before the NFL as an analyst at Bank of America Merrill Lynch in Technology, Media ,and Telecom Investment Banking, where she focused on financial analyses of media and entertainment companies.

Kelsey is a graduate of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and is an active member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated. She is originally from East Orange, NJ and currently resides in Irvine, CA.

Tell us about your work at Twitter. I work at Twitter in our sports partnerships team after spending three years at the NFL. I definitely wasn’t a stranger to the sports industry when I began at Twitter. I was really excited to join this team from a social media distribution platform lens and start working with some of the top sports publisher partners in the world including, the NBA, WNBA, and NBC Sports (believe it or not, we're already talking about the Olympics, Paris 2024). I oversee an incredible team who manages our day to day relationships across every top sports league and media entity from the NFL, MLB, and MLS to Fox Sports, Univision Sports, and Turner Sports.

We work with our partners to create content on Twitter in two ways. First, of course, is revenue driving in order to make money for both Twitter and our partners. In this collective effort, we really work on what ways we can create revenue-generating opportunities through the content that's distributed

on Twitter. A lot of the things we also do are related to fan engagement and conversation-driving experiences. We have thoughtful strategic discussions with each partner to determine their content distribution strategy and how they can leverage different content types like a 30-second clip, a short live stream, or other ways that we create fan engagement opportunities through products that we have on Twitter, like Spaces, which is our new live audio product.

And second, we have a lot of fun showing up in real life, connecting fans back to Twitter at a Super Bowl or at an NBA Finals, the NHL playoffs, or an MLB World Series. We create opportunities for fan tweets and the conversation that people are having on Twitter to show up in real life for fans to feel like they're there in person. There are a lot of different hats that we wear on this team, but it's really under the umbrella of content creation and conversation driving fan engagement within sports on Twitter.

When did you first become interested in what you're doing? I knew right after my freshman year in college that I wanted to work in the entertainment industry. I went to Wharton undergrad at the University of Pennsylvania, and after my freshman year, I completed an internship with BET Networks (subsidiary of Viacom) where I filled a business development and digital operations role there and that was where I felt, "Okay, I found what I want to do. I want to be in entertainment. I want to work in partnerships or business development.” I then went the investment banking route and focused on tech, media, and telecom because I knew I wanted to be in the entertainment space. I did go back into banking post-college because that was really how I felt I could best set up my career trajectory, and those two years opened opportunities for me. I was very vocal while I was there about what it was I wanted to do, and my VP at the time knew someone at the NFL who was hiring.

My work was focused on how the NFL's

media rights were deployed across the media industry, and the negotiations and value exchange associated with those rights. Some properties I worked on included Thursday Night Football with NBC, Fox, CBS and Amazon, and Sunday Ticket with DirecTV. While I was at the NFL, I found that I really like working in the sports industry more specifically than media and entertainment. My work experience and seeing all those distribution platforms, including the rise of social media, are how I found myself here at Twitter focusing on sports.

Have you seen a change in the way people are engaging with Twitter given recent world events? Yes. It’s changed how we think about working with our partners and how they interact with users on Twitter. Twitter's just not that old. It's very young as a company, maybe older than TikTok or Snapchat, but in the grand scheme of things, Twitter hasn't really been around for that long. This concept of coming to a platform where you can find out what's happening, when it's happening, and have a microphone to talk to the entire world is still a relatively new concept.

The COVID-19 pandemic was a time in the world where everyone was united in

wanting to stay up to date and wanting to feel together, and Twitter was really a great platform for that. We saw the daily average users (DAUs) go up significantly over the past few years because people are turning to Twitter to talk to people and hear different perspectives.

What areas of opportunity excite you the most in your industry right now? I'm very proud and excited to be in an industry where the product is something that people enjoy so much, and at the crux of it, unites people. What I'm most excited about is continuing to find ways to bring sports content to fans the way they want it, just how they want it, where they want it. There are newer things to think of like sports betting or the cross sections between sports and entertainment, sports and gaming, sports and crypto, and more.

What is your proudest professional accomplishment? I am always thinking about ways to grow and invest in underserved, undervalued, or underprivileged communities. While I work in sports and the distribution of sports and social media, I get the most pride when I'm able to make an impact and bring light to a community or area that isn't always seen.

The work that I've done with the WNBA in particular is what I am most proud of because that's where I've created opportunities in partnership for the organization, its players, and its community to talk about social justice and to support them in that. Last season we created an orange hoodie, and the front of the hoodie said #W, which was actually a QR code. When you scanned the QR code, it took you directly to a pre-populated tweet that talked about supporting the WNBA and its social justice work. This activation makes me proud because we were able to bring light to an important topic and was highlighted in my Forbes 30 Under 30 honor because it was an impactful experience that people felt moved by.

What way did MKA prepare you for the path your life has taken? I feel that MKA did a really great job of preparing me for college. The challenging curriculum set me up to have a pretty smooth and seamless transition to college; I had a really strong foundation to work from. I think the school has come a very long way when it comes to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and I look forward to seeing MKA continue to make DEI a priority.

“I'm very proud and excited to be in an industry where the product is something that people enjoy so much, and at the crux of it, unites people.”

MATTHEW BLESSO ’91

CHANGE MAKERS

MATTHEW BLESSO

is a serial entrepreneur and self-made real estate developer. He melds financial discipline with creativity and innovation to conceive, develop, and manage a diverse and distinctive portfolio of residential, commercial, and hospitality assets in New York, Panama, and Costa Rica. Since its inception in 1998, Matthew has intended for Blesso Properties (BP) to be a unique real estate development company with a mission to generate outsized returns while having a positive social impact. He has proven that the two goals are not exclusive but complimentary. His intellectual curiosity, inventive nature, and sense of purpose fuel Blesso Properties’ ability to develop a deep understanding of its customers and the world to conceive unique opportunities and executions that are missed by competitors merely focused on economics. BP has always been focused on art and design, community, and environmental stewardship and prides itself in its long-term relationships and reputation. Matthew has observed and experienced how living in community benefits wellbeing and counteracts the detrimental health impacts of living in isolation. His vision of a new model for living that would bring people together in community became the foundation of Shift Living, a company dedicated to transforming the way people live. A lifelong volunteer and philanthropist, Matthew has raised or donated over $300,000 for charitable causes to date. He has served on multiple nonprofit, cultural, and charitable executive boards, including:

• Worldwide Orphans Foundation

• Citizen Housing and Planning Counsel

• NYU Schack School of Real Estate Development

• Institute for Urban Design

• Fourth Arts Block (founding board member)

• Dixon Place

• Van Alen Institute

Tell us about your work. I've worked as an entrepreneur in real estate development and hospitality since 1996. My focus has evolved a lot over the years. I started in residential real estate development in New York City, and then I opened up some businesses in Panama, which I still own and operate, and then I came to Costa Rica in 2018. In the beginning, my focus was on making money and trying to differentiate myself from other developers. As I got older and started finding more success, the equation started shifting for me. I was making more money, but I was caring more about social goals and less about financial

goals. Most developers don't really have social goals that coincide with their work: it really is a more financially-focused industry. I saw this as both an opportunity and a personal interest of mine. At this point in my career launching Shift is launching the second half of my career, really starting over in a different way, in a different country. Shift is primarily focused on social goals AND the money is there.

You have worked (and very uniquely so) to be successful in your field but have also put equal importance on having a positive social impact. How do

you do this, and why is this important to you? I had the good fortune to make some real money at a fairly young age. I didn't grow up with a lot of money. The good fortune of it was not so much because I earned the money, that was nice, but it was more because I was able to earn a lot of it at a young age, and it made me realize that it wasn't the thing that really drove me. I know a lot of people spend their whole lives chasing the money, and many never get there, or they get there at a very late age and are like, “Now what?” This led me to begin to change my focus. I knew that I wanted to do impactful work

Matthew earned a MS in real estate development from NYU’s Schack School of Real Estate and a BA in economics (cum laude) from the University of Rochester. In 2010, he received the Bart Lawson Award for Humanitarianism from NYU.

and that I was not going to be satisfied with more money. The reason I wanted to work was to have a positive impact. I started a deep journey of trying to figure out how I can have the most positive impact in real estate. My focus became how to use housing to improve people's lives and to improve the world at large. There's been very little innovation in housing since World War II, and housing has been really bad for the environment. There is a reason that real estate developers generally speaking have a bad reputation. My idea was to come up with another way to live that actually could have a positive impact. I wanted to answer the question, "Can housing actually have a net positive?" We believe we have answered that question with the model at Shift.

There are three elements to the project: the first is the environment, which means building in a way that is not just reducing carbon footprint, but actually being carbon negative. The second element is the way people live. I believe that the way we're living is not working for most people; there is a pandemic of loneliness. The way that we have lived throughout humankind has been fairly consistent. People lived in tribes and villages and communities, and they supported one another. As we've gotten more wealthy as a society, we've gotten more separated, and there's a false idea that people are better off somehow. But as a result, people feel unsupported and lonely. The way we

design our housing can have a real impact on this. We studied different housing models, and we came up with one that puts together what we believe are best practices of how to have more fulfilling lives by living in community.

The third element is the intentional type of people that will live in this community. They have shared values and principles. We have six shared principles (interconnectedness, environmental stewardship, self-inquiry, generosity, accountability, and play), and rather than just letting people come in and buy a house or a lot, they have to go through a vetting process. We are highly inclusive yet at the same time, highly selective. We want to be very diverse. We want to attract a wide range of cultures, lifestyles, demographics, and economics, but we want people who embody the six principles that Shift stands for. The thesis behind this is that we are putting together people who embody self-awareness and kindness. I believe these people will lead more successful lives, will be happier, and will have a greater impact on their own families and their friends in the surrounding community.

What areas of opportunity in your industry excite you the most right now? I want my work in Regenerative Development to be successful so that others will copy our model. I was doing sustainable development in New York, but

I was just being “less” bad. It took me a while to admit that to myself, that I was still part of the problem. My work now feels more like being part of a solution. If you're doing something that is truly regenerative, that's the social opportunity.

What is your biggest career failure/ challenge you have faced and what did you learn from it? I never had any mentors, and I had to learn a lot of things the hard way. I think if I had someone to teach me how important it is to work with the right people, that would've saved me a lot of heartache and money.

What do you want your legacy to be? That I was honest, had integrity, was selfless, and that I was fun and had good ideas.

What is the one piece of advice you would give to current MKA students? There's nothing as gratifying as having a positive impact on others.

SHIFT LIVING

Shift Esperanza is a regenerative community real-estate development in Nosara, Costa Rica that is naturally secluded on a 108-acre (43-hectare) restored cattle farm. With approximately 120 full- and part-time residences, the best parts of the land are dedicated to shared amenities and a public commercial amenity area. Shift is a mixed-use wellness community with a regenerative agroforestry farm that supplies organic food to residents while restoring native species. 75% of the land is reserved for preservation that has already begun. Guided by our permaculture experts, we have already planted more than 800 native trees and 150 bamboo plants, established an active nursery, and launched our new regenerative farming operation, Finca La Siembra. Coupled with sustainable building and operating practices, residents will live in and support a carbon-negative existence to create a better way of living that honors the planet and to support and care for each other in the spirit of community, shared experience, and social cohesion.

“The reason I want to work is to have a positive impact.”

NITHYA NATHAN-PINEAU ’03

CHANGE MAKERS

NITHYA NATHAN-PINEAU

is a policy attorney and strategist based in Washington, DC. She focuses on federal legislative advocacy at the Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC). Her work is focused on policies combating criminalization of immigrant communities, including developing and cultivating partnerships with community-based organizations and elected officials and providing legal education and training. Nithya brings nearly a decade of experience providing legal services to immigrants in Texas, Virginia, and Maryland. Prior to joining the ILRC, Nithya served as the Director of the Children’s Program at the Capital Area Immigrants’ Rights (CAIR) Coalition. She also worked at the Tahirih Justice Center and the South Texas Pro Bono and Asylum Representation Project (ProBAR). Nithya focused on removal defense and humanitarian-based immigration relief including affirmative and defensive asylum, special immigrant juvenile status, protection under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), DACA, and U and T visas. Nithya obtained her Bachelor’s Degree in Spanish and Political Science from Tufts University, and she earned her law degree from Brooklyn Law School. Nithya is admitted to the bar in Texas and New Jersey. She is fluent in English and Spanish and conversational in Tamil.

Tell us about the work that you do, and how you first became interested in your profession. I work at the Immigrant Legal Resource Center, which is a national nonprofit that's based in San Francisco. I work in our DC office as a policy attorney, primarily working on federal legislative advocacy, which means I work on legislation to make the immigration system in our country more just and fair. The areas that I focus mostly on are policy around immigration detention, enforcement, the criminalization of immigrant communities, and drug policy as it relates to immigrants. I work both on legislative advocacy and also advocacy with the different component agencies of the federal government. Sometimes I’m meeting with folks in the White House, and sometimes we're meeting with folks from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) or from the Departmant of Justice (DOJ) pending the areas within my portfolio.

Prior to advocacy and policy work, I represented immigrants seeking asylum,

primarily folks in detention. I worked in the courts in Harlingen, TX, which was my first job out of law school. I came to the DC area almost 10 years ago, and I've been working here at different nonprofits primarily representing kids and families. I've always had an interest in working with children. In law school I studied education law and worked a lot in education, but when I discovered that there was an overlap in my interest in working with youth and my family’s history of immigration, being able to blend my personal story with my professional interests really fit what I was looking to do. My parents immigrated to this country, my mom as a teenager and my dad as an adult, and that's really shaped who we are as a family and how I see the world.

How has your career progressed, and how has your role changed, especially given recent world events? At the advice of a mentor, I had a lot of experience practicing advocacy before I moved into policy and that was intentional. I wanted to get to know the

immigration court system before I tried to work on policy.

I always had this idea that I wanted to work in policy, and I wanted to write legislation, but I didn't know how to get there. I also really knew that I wanted to represent folks, and that I liked the sort of personal contact you get when you're in court. I really loved that energy and adrenaline you get from a trial and being able to help people during the process. The advice I got from a mentor very early on was to work within the system and take on lots of clients and lots of different kinds of cases to see and understand what really needs to change. It's hard to come up with a policy solution if you don't know all the components of the system. I focused on representation and creating good, culturally competent practices.

What is your proudest professional accomplishment to date? The first client who I represented on my own was granted asylum. She's now a US citizen and is on track to graduate from high

school. When I worked with her, she was seven years old. She and her mother have really built a life for themselves and become members of their community. Being able to see a client go through the whole lifespan of their case, heal from trauma, and build this amazing life in the US is very inspiring, and it's honestly why I went to law school.

What is your biggest career challenge you have faced and what did you learn from it? Even though our country has a long history of exclusion-based immigration policy, working in immigration through the last administration with the barrage of policies and the pace at which immigration law was changing was devastating. As advocates, we had to be creative, draw on different skill sets, learn new areas of law, and become more reliant on tools that we were not used to. We had to really educate ourselves and partner with people, which called for a lot empathy and kindness for each other. That time period pushed me to move toward influencing both legislation and

policy that's written by the agencies. Everyone I think is familiar with Miranda rights or has seen Law & Order, and you hear them talking about how if you can't afford an attorney, you'll be appointed an attorney. In the immigration system everyone has the right to an attorney, but no one has the right to an appointed attorney. There is no guarantee that if you are not able to pay for your own lawyer you will get one. In particular, we see this impacting the most vulnerable of the vulnerable. The program I was running was for kids, and we could not represent every child. And so when you think about children going to court alone, it is as nonsensical and horrible as it sounds. There are a lot of arguments now that there should be more investments in programs that provide counsel to immigrants. This area of my work is really important.

In what ways did MKA prepare you for the path your life has taken? The school’s emphasis on critical thinking made a huge impact. Some of my favorite classes that I took at MKA were history

classes, and they translated directly into my work now because anytime that I am working on a policy campaign, there's a historical context and we're trying to find out why a particular piece of legislation came about and why it might need to change now at this point. Being able to read and analyze something critically is something foundational at MKA that you start doing at a very young age. Many of my teachers really influenced that ability at MKA. Additionally, I appreciated the school’s emphasis on civic engagement.

What is one piece of advice you would give to current MKA students? I think that MKA sets you up to do whatever you want to do in life, but you must emphasize looking around you to see how you can be of service to others. Take all of that privilege and goodness that you get from MKA and use it out in the world. It will take you far.

“It's about relationships and working hard. If you show that you are dedicated and you are willing to really throw yourself into your work, you can do amazing things.”

CHANGE MAKERS

REGINA CHI

is Vice-President and Portfolio Manager with lead responsibility for AGF Emerging Markets strategies. Regina is also a member of the AGF Asset Allocation Committee (AAC), which consists of senior portfolio managers responsible for various regions and asset classes. The AAC meets regularly to discuss, analyze, and assess the macro-economic environment and capital markets to determine optimal asset allocation recommendations. Regina is also co-Chair of AGF’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee.

Regina was most recently a partner at DePrince, Race & Zollo Inc. where she was portfolio manager for the Emerging Markets and International Value disciplines. She was also head of portfolio management and research as they related to Emerging Markets, Global, International, and International Small Cap strategies. Prior to this role, she held senior investment management roles at Oppenheimer Capital, Federated Investors, and Clay Finlay Inc. Regina has almost 30 years of experience managing global equities. Regina is a CFA® charterholder. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Philosophy from Columbia University.

Tell us about what you do. I am an emerging market portfolio manager covering all emerging markets (EM) across the globe. So I manage EM strategies including China-only and emerging markets excluding China.

What opportunities excite you the most in regards to your work? There's a lot to be excited about when you're covering emerging markets. Emerging markets are so broad and diverse, and no country is identical to each other. There are so many heterogeneous and idiosyncratic factors that determine how a country's stock market performs. The rich history and transformation of a developing country or region is also very exciting. For example, China has been a country that has evolved dramatically over the last 10-15 years. Almost 20 years ago, India and China had the same level of GDP per capita, but China has been able to grow from $2,000 to over $12,000. Whereas, India has remained unchanged. China has undergone a big evolution through their technological advancements that are underappreciated. It is now the second largest economy in

the world behind the United States and could potentially take the top spot in a couple of years. That's pretty exciting.

Have you seen a change in the way investments are being made due to current world events? Similar to what we're seeing in the United States, there are inflationary pressures in emerging countries. And it's not only due to the stimulus provided during the COVID-19 lockdowns but also because of reopening which spurred tremendous demand for goods and services, including travel. As a result, central banks in EM had to respond to higher inflationary pressures much earlier than the Fed in the United States. Certain countries started to raise interest rates in the second half of 2021, well ahead of the Fed, the European Central Bank, or the Bank of England.

China, on the other hand, is on a different trajectory. It has actually been cutting interest rates and trying to stimulate their economy, and it helps that their inflation is low compared to Latin America or Central Eastern Europe. So, you have the world's second largest economy actually

going the opposite direction than the rest of the world, which is, I think, fascinating. Given the recent reopening, we will definitely see a pick-up in CPI but manageable at 3% compared to 6.4% in the US and 8% in Europe.

So in this inflationary backdrop and ahead of a potential recession, we are focused on investing in high quality companies with a defensible franchise and competitive moat.

You are the co-chair of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee at AGF. Can you tell us a bit about the work you are doing in this arena and how that work gets implemented?

My proudest work is being the co-Chair of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee. The purpose of our committee is to create a more inclusive workplace and key to this is raising awareness of DEI issues through education. We currently have four areas of focus: unconscious bias, anti-racism, building allyship in the workplace, and establishing high-trust relationships. We recently instituted mandatory, annual

unconscious bias training, and we will continue to build on this with additional workshops. We are also rolling out employee research groups, mentorship programs, and other educational webinars. So, it's been really gratifying to implement these initiatives because ultimately, we want people to feel that they can bring their authentic self to work.

What is your biggest career challenge you have faced and what did you learn from it? I've been in the investment management business for almost 30 years, and if you look at the global landscape, only 7% of the global portfolio managers are women. So, it's great that DEI, specifically gender diversity, is now at the forefront of business leaders’ minds, but 30 years ago there was none of that. So my biggest challenge earlier in my career was getting a seat at the table.

Today there are more seats for women at the table, and women are willing to be mentors to each other. Before it was very competitive, even among women.

What do you consider your proudest accomplishment? My kids. You never know what’s going to happen tomorrow, and one day what I accomplished as a portfolio manager will not matter. However, the values I teach to my kids, and how they endure in their lives, is important to me.

What is the one piece of advice you would give to current MKA students? Make sure you're being heard. Your voice makes a difference. It makes an impact. I tell women all the time, it never hurts to ask. Ask. Ask for that promotion. Ask for that raise. If they say no, you just keep asking.

“Make sure you're being heard. Your voice makes a difference. It makes an impact.”

RENU THAMMAN ’89

CHANGE MAKERS

RENU THAMMAN

Renu graduated from Northwestern University in 1993 and received her J.D. from the University of Illinois in 1997. She worked as an Assistant Corporation Counsel for the City of Chicago Law Department’s Labor Division until 2006, leading a host of civil and administrative disciplinary actions and dismissals of city employees who violated policies or laws. Since then, she has been in private practice, working exclusively in the field of labor and employment law. Through her law firm Thamman Law Office, Renu represents individuals and small businesses with a wide range of employment problems including discrimination, wage, and contract claims. She enjoys helping people through challenging situations and offering practical and strategic advice to solve her clients’ problems.

When did you know you wanted a career in law? I started thinking about pursuing law while studying at Northwestern University. During my junior year, I trained to be a rape crisis counselor and learned about client advocacy. I began to realize how much I enjoyed using my verbal and writing skills to help others.

Tell us about your work. What is your area of expertise?

My primary focus is on employment law and litigation. I represent individuals and small businesses who need help navigating the intricate body of state and federal laws and regulations which govern employment practices.

Most of my work is on behalf of individuals. I help them to negotiate pre- and post-employment contracts, including noncompete and severance agreements. If they suffered sex, race, disability, national origin, sexual orientation, pregnancy, or age discrimination, I advise and represent them in civil litigation and administrative hearings. If they were not paid in accordance with state and federal wage laws (including equal pay, minimum wage, and overtime), I help them to recover what they are owed. I also provide general legal advice that is ancillary to their employment concerns. Additionally, I help small businesses draft employment contracts, non-compete agreements, and employee handbooks, and sometimes defend them from their employees’ civil complaints.

What areas of opportunity in the industry excite you the most? What are you most passionate about right now?

It’s hard to narrow down the list, but in recent years I’ve been getting more involved in committee work. I joined the Illinois National Employment Law Association’s Legislative Committee and helped to pass an important amendment restricting non-

compete and non-solicitation agreements in Illinois. Today, I’m actively using this new law in my practice to benefit my clients.

I also work on an unemployment legislative committee. Our group discusses the challenges of implementing unemployment law, shares practice tips, and advocates for changes to problematic areas of the statute. This group is very dedicated because there aren’t a lot of lawyers doing unemployment work, partly because it is a difficult and antiquated process in Illinois. Yet during the pandemic, access to unemployment benefits was such an important lifeline for many people that I felt compelled to take on more of these cases to help people get the benefits they needed to survive. I think it is imperative for lawyers to help others with their expertise and through these committees and other pro bono work I do, I feel I am fulfilling that duty.

What is your biggest career challenge you have faced, and what did you learn from it? In my early 30s, I had two baby boys, and we decided to move from Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood to a nearby suburb. I took some time off from the law, and it was the hardest year of my life! It made me realize I missed my career, so I decided to transition into private practice. Initially, I partnered with a colleague from the City of Chicago’s Law Department, and then in 2013, I opened my own firm. This meant that for the first time, I was not only responsible for substantive lawyering but also for practice administration and business development. It was a tremendous learning experience.

What is your proudest accomplishment? My proudest accomplishment is being able to raise my family while growing my business. Work-life balance is difficult to achieve in any career, especially in law. Becoming a solo practitioner was the

best way for me to work from home in a way I could control while simultaneously raising my boys. My goal was to get busier as they grew up and now that one is a freshman in college and the other is a junior in high school, I have been able to do just that. I am proud that I was able to create the work-life balance my family needed and now that my kids are independent, I can freely focus more time on my career.

In what ways did MKA prepare you for the path your life has taken? MKA afforded me fabulous teachers, innovative classes, and an environment where students wanted to excel. I gained my passion for reading and writing at MKA through some wonderful teachers like Mr. Bullard and Ms. Moore, and those skills are essential for any good lawyer. I still remember taking humanities with the two of them as a freshman, and it was a whole new approach to an English class. We examined apartheid in Africa and went on field trips to Patterson, NJ. to take photos which were then accompanied by haiku.

I also learned a lot from pursuing Mastersingers, a selective choir group I was too scared to audition for as a freshman and sophomore, auditioned for unsuccessfully as a junior, and then made it as a senior. That challenge taught me perseverance (which was encouraged by the wonderful Mr. Bicknell), and Mastersingers remains one of my all-time favorite experiences.

THAMMAN LAW

LITIGATION

Over twenty years of experience with every step of civil litigation from initial investigation through formal pleadings, motion practice, discovery, oral arguments, and trials.

LABOR LAW AND UNEMPLOYMENT CASES

Assist clients in unionized settings with grievances, pre-hearing disciplinary meetings and administrative hearings. Thamman Law Office has successfully helped many individuals secure wrongfully denied benefits. If you need general advice or representation at any stage of your unemployment process, from phone hearings to appeals, Thamman Law Office has the expertise to assist you.

MEDIATION & ARBITRATION

In addition to her conventional civil litigation experience in state and federal court, Ms. Thamman has extensive experience arbitrating and mediating employment disputes.

DISCRIMINATION LAW

Thamman Law Office guides clients through all stages of discrimination claims based on race, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, national origin, and arrest record. She handles claims before the Equal Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the Illinois Department of Human Rights (IDHR), and both state and federal court.

EMPLOYMENT CONTRACTS, WAGE AND HOUR LAW

Thamman Law Office advises clients on the process of negotiating, drafting, and enforcing severance agreements, non-competes, and all other employment contracts. Thamman Law Office handles disputes involving the Illinois Wage Payment Collection Act and the Fair Labor Standards Act, whether it's for unpaid wages, overtime, minimum wage, vacation pay, commissions, or bonuses.

TRAINING AND EMPLOYEE MANUALS

Thamman Law Office offers workplace training on sexual harassment and other employment laws. We can also assist businesses and employers with drafting and revising their employment manuals.

“Be willing to take risks and jump in when you are afraid – it often leads to the biggest growth opportunities.”

DR. RON DEMATTEO ’83, M.D., F.A.C.S.

CHANGE MAKERS

RONALD P. DEMATTEO

M.D., F.A.C.S. is the John Rhea Barton Professor of Surgery and Chair of the Department of Surgery at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. DeMatteo is a surgical oncologist who is nationally recognized for his expertise in treating diseases of the liver, bile duct, gallbladder, pancreas, abdominal sarcomas, and gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST). His clinical research is focused on liver, bile duct, gallbladder, and pancreas cancers.

Dr. DeMatteo completed his surgical residency and two postdoctoral fellowships at Penn Medicine in Molecular Biology and Virology with Steven E. Raper, M.D. and James M. Wilson, M.D., Ph.D. and in Immunology and Transplantation with Clyde F. Barker, M.D. He returned to Penn Medicine in July 2017 as Chair of Surgery, after 20 years spent at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC). He served as Vice Chair of the Department of Surgery and Head of the Division of General Surgical Oncology at MSKCC. He was also Professor of Surgery and Associate Dean at Weill Medical College of Cornell University. At Penn, Dr. DeMatteo leads 140 faculty across 11 divisions who provide advanced patient care and conduct a robust portfolio of basic and clinical research.

Over the course of his career, Dr. DeMatteo has made significant research advances studying the immune environment of the liver and tumor immunology and working to develop immune therapies to help prevent tumors from returning after surgery. He has served as the principal investigator on three national trials of the adjuvant drug imatinib following surgery to remove gastrointestinal stromal tumors, leading to its approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and a new standard of care for the disease. A well-respected educator, Dr. DeMatteo was Director of the Surgical Oncology Fellowship Program for seven years at MSKCC, and he has mentored more than 135 clinical and laboratory fellows. Since 2013 Dr. DeMatteo has been listed in the U.S. News and World Reports America’s Top Doctors list. He earned his medical degree from the Weill Medical College of Cornell University.

Tell us about your work. I have the greatest job on the planet. It's more like a lifestyle, I would say because I have a lot of different jobs. My primary job is that I'm a cancer surgeon who operates mostly in the upper abdomen, the liver, the stomach, the pancreas, and gallbladder. I'm also an educator who trains young, surgical people and medical students. Additionally, I do research, and I run a lab. I've had the lab since 1999. It's government-funded, which is how most scientific research is funded in this country, and I have about eight or so people in it. We study a particular cancer that I treat clinically. Lastly, I lead the Department of Surgery at Penn Medicine and oversee about 140 faculty members in the department. I have a lot of great jobs.

You knew that you wanted to be a surgeon since 1st Grade. How did you know this is what you wanted to do? I don't know exactly what led to that conclusion, but I liked taking things apart and fixing things. I used to make tiny model airplanes, and I just liked the satisfaction of working with my hands. I figured surgery was a good way to do that and at the same time help other people. I didn’t consider much else after that.

You're the Chair of the Department of Surgery at Penn Medicine, what would you say sets you apart from other surgeons? Most other surgeons don't have as many jobs. I was fortunate to grow up in environments that allowed me to experience and get excited about

doing a lot of different things. I had some world-famous mentors on the surgery side, and I was at Memorial Sloane Kettering for twenty years. A lot of things have happened in my career that have simply worked out well.

I was in the right place at the right time a couple times in my career. During my training, I stumbled upon an uncommon tumor, which at the time, was hardly being studied. It's called a Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor (GIST). This positioned me to do a lot of different things in my career that most surgeons don't do. I led a national trial that led to the FDA approval of a drug to be taken after the surgery for this particular tumor. It's very unusual for a surgeon to run a national trial, but I was able to do that because nobody else was

“I want to cure this cancer before I die or retire.”

studying the tumor at the time, and I've studied it for almost 25 years now.

What would you say your proudest accomplishment is both professionally and personally. Personally, I have a great family: my wife and our two daughters. Professionally, it hasn’t happened yet: I want to cure this cancer before I die or retire.

What might you say was the biggest challenge that you faced in your career? There’s a lot of ups and downs in careers, and it's hard to do a lot of different jobs. In my profession, obviously, sometimes patient care doesn't work out the way you want it to. It's hard to take care of patients. Things are not always in your control, and complications can occur. Maintaining research is very challenging because the

funding is so low from the National Cancer Institute. So for instance, if 100 people submit a grant to the government, eight of them will get funded and the other 92 will get rejected. There's a lot of rejection in science, but careers are just like life: there are ups and downs, and you have to keep the long term goals in mind and try to weather the storms that come up now and then.

How did MKA prepare you for the path that your life has taken? It was a privilege to go to MKA. It was an incredible school. It was a small enough school that you could get to know everyone, and it was a big enough school that there were plenty of educational opportunities. Being the glutton for punishment that I am, I took four AP courses and that really prepared me well for the rest of my life. I entered

college with the equivalent standing of a sophomore. So I only spent three years there. The rigor of the classes that I had at MKA made college easier.

What is the one piece of advice you would give to current MKA students? This kind of sounds corny, but it's important to tell people in high school that they really can do almost anything that they want, but they have to work hard and be committed to it. There are plenty of smart people in the world, but intelligence alone doesn't get you success. I trained at Penn for surgery, and it never crossed my mind that I would come back someday to be the chair of the department. This is the oldest department of surgery in the country. It was just purely through hard work and sacrifice.

WHAT IS A GASTROINTESTINAL STROMAL TUMOR (GIST)?

A gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) is a type of cancer that begins in the digestive system. GISTs happen most often in the stomach and small intestine. A GIST is a growth of cells that's thought to form from a special type of nerve cells. These special nerve cells are in the walls of the digestive organs. They play a part in the process that moves food through the body.

Small GISTs may cause no symptoms, and they may grow so slowly that they don't cause problems at first. As a GIST grows, it can cause signs and symptoms. GISTs can happen in people at any age, but they are most common in adults. The cause of most GISTs isn't known.

WITH SO MANY MKA ALUMNI AROUND THE GLOBE, WE NEED YOUR HELP IN IDENTIFYING THOSE WHO ARE MAKING CHANGES IN THE WORLD.

WHO INSPIRES YOU?

CONTACT GRETCHEN BERRA: GBERRA@MKA.ORG

Events

MKA CELEBRATES THE RETURN OF THE GOLF CLASSIC

There wasn’t a cloud in the sky at Mountain Ridge Country Club as MKA community members gathered together for the MKA Golf Classic on October 18. It was a perfect day for golf and a wonderful way to welcome Naveen Ballem, M.D. F.A.C.S. ’90, P’26,’30 as Montclair Kimberley Academy’s new President of the Board of Trustees. Every subset of MKA's family was represented including Current Parents, Alumni, Parents of Alumni, Grandparents, Faculty, and Trustees. Events like these are so important because they build community and allow us to raise critical funds to support our incredible school. It was a day and night filled with endless laughs, connections made, contests, and fantastic food and drink.

A special shout out to our generous sponsors for making the event possible:

• Event Sponsors - Benner’s Auto Body, Bellapianta Orthopedics and Sports Medicine, and Clara Maass Medical Center, an RWJBarnabas facility.

• Hole Sponsors - The Becker Org, Cushman and Wakefield, The Lane Team, The Ballem Family, The Szilagyi Family, Platt Psychiatric Associates, KMPG Women’s PGA, and Yanina and Co.

• Faculty Sponsors - The Salzman Family and Craig Marshall

HOMECOMING

It was a beautiful day on Saturday, October 22, and over 100 alumni came under the Alumni tent on Lloyd Road to connect with one another, enjoy studentled activities on the street, and watch MKA beat Newark Academy in football and Nutley in boys’ soccer. Of course everyone loved the amazing, awardwinning barbeque from Steve Raab’s ’97 Local Smoke restaurant.

BULLDOGS REUNITE

MKA visited Yale University for our annual, alumni dinner on October 27. Upper School teachers Kyle Salkin, Caroline Toman, and Cort Bosc had a great time catching up with these nine incredible alumni (two not pictured). If any recent MKA Alumni want to plan a dinner at their college or university, please contact the Alumni Office at mkilduff@mka.org.

MKA X COMMANDERS!

MKA traveled to FedEx Field for a Washington Commanders tailgate and game. Thirty alumni and friends from the Metro DC area came together for a great time and the start of a new annual event!

Longtime friends from the Class of 1990 (L-R): David Becker, Lloyd Godwin, Naveen Ballem, and Marty Torjussen.

RESCHOOLED

Hosted by the Alumni Office, ReSCHOOLED offers lessons from the best minds at MKA as they share their stories, skills, and experiences. On Monday, December 5, MKA’s Assistant Head of School for Diversity, Inclusion, and Antiracism Paris McLean led a discussion called “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Stronger in Partnership.” During the impactful conversation, attendees learned about MKA’s history with diversity, equity, and inclusion, as well as current actions from the school and visions for future programming. They also heard about how the school continues to expand its reach on the local and national stage by learning more about our external partnerships across the country. At the end of the presentation, guests asked thoughtful questions and explored avenues to support the school’s efforts.

CELEBRATING THE 2011 AND 2012 STATE CHAMPIONSHIP BOYS’ SOCCER TEAMS

Alumni from the 2011 and 2012 soccer teams came together to celebrate the 10th anniversary of their State Championship teams at Just Jakes.

SOCCER REUNION

Alumni soccer players ranging from the years 1996 to 2015 came out for a grueling battle on the pitch to see who still has it. It was a great day and an impressive showing from our alumni.

FRIENDSGIVING

The night after Thanksgiving, MKA hosted one of our favorite traditions, Friendsgiving at Tierney’s. It was so great to see everyone and to meet some of our newest, adorable Cougar cubs.

PARENT NEWS

A gallery of greenery produced by Primary School students

Dear MKA Families,

The first half of the school year has been a busy and exciting time for PAMKA. The Scholastic Book Fair returned, bringing the thrill and magic of reading to our three campuses. The success of the fall and winter community engagement drives reminded me how amazing it is to be a part of this generous community.

PAMKA volunteers have continued to share their time and talent in planning events such as Parenting Workshops, the Spring Gala, and Cougar Pride Day. Without them, none of our work would be possible. While the end of the school year is approaching, there are still a variety of ways for you to get involved. You can always reach out to me, your grade representative, or an Event Chair to learn more. I encourage everyone to discover a way to get involved in creating meaningful memories for our students and learning and engagement opportunities for fellow parents and guardians.

It has been rewarding to fully return to pre-pandemic normalcy this year and have the opportunity to work in-person with fellow parents and guardians to fulfill PAMKA’s mission. We are always looking to evolve our own events and programming, keeping our school’s mission of Knowledge, Vision, and Integrity at the forefront of everything we do. We will continue to foster a strong partnership with MKA in supporting all school initiatives, including diversity, inclusion, and sustainability.

I hope to see many of you at the Spring Gala on Friday, April 14 and Cougar Pride Day on Saturday, May 6!

Sincerely,

Alison Slone P’30, ’33 President,

Alison Slone

President

Silvia Henriquez

Secretary

Sybil Eng

Finance Vice President

Sonia Vora

Communications Vice President

April Straten

Community Engagement Vice President

Ruchi Misra

Volunteer Coordinator Vice President

Leena Bansal

Special Events Vice President

Meredith Gardner

Primary School Campus Vice President

Monique French-Brown

Middle School Campus Vice President

Leigh Conforti

Upper School Campus Vice President

Friday, April 14, 2023

Spring Gala

Saturday, May 6, 2023

Cougar Pride Day

PICTURED ABOVE PAMKA Executive Board of Officers; Back Row L-R: Ruchi Misra, Sybil Eng, Sonia Vora, Leigh Conforti, Leena Bansal; Front Row (L-R): Meredith Gardner, Monique French-Brown, Silvia Henriquez, Alison Sloane, April Straten

PAMKA

PAMKA BOARD OF OFFICERS

“The success of the fall and winter community engagement drives reminded me how amazing it is to be a part of this generous community.”

THE RETURN OF PAMKA’S SCHOLASTIC BOOK FAIR WAS A TRUE SUCCESS! Tri-Campus PAMKA Book Fair Chairs Valerie Puryear and Nicole Xu, along with their wonderful team of volunteers, brought the excitement of reading to our three campuses with the 2022 Scholastic “Time Machine” Book Fair. This was PAMKA’s first Book Fair since 2019, and it was a true success. MKA has hosted Scholastic’s largest book fair in the country and invited several talented authors and illustrators to share their creative process with our students for years; we are thrilled that this tradition is now back.

Thank you to Julia Mortimore and Eun Jung Park for making our Primary School campus reading extravaganza complete with PJ Night and engaging presentations for our Brookside students by attending authors and illustrators Bryan Collier, Mike Lowery, and Oge Mora. Cara Cesaro and Elizabeth Hejna made sure that every Middle School student celebrated their creativity and love of books by welcoming authors Jeff Kinney, Lois Lowery, Pam Muñoz Ryan, and Jason Reynolds. Jason Reynolds also gave an amazing presentation to our Upper School community, with Becki Hirsh and Janice Jacobson creating a literary space at our Upper School Academic Center.

A special thank you to all of the parents who gave their time and talent to make this special event possible. PAMKA is also grateful to Scholastic for their partnership and our MKA faculty and staff for their continuous support.

“A special thank you to all of the parents who gave their time and talent to make this special event possible.”

Community Engagement Drives

PATTY STRAIN TRI-CAMPUS THANKSGIVING FOOD DRIVE

Our community made a huge impact. In addition to the 150 turkeys and approximately 1,250 food items that were donated virtually, MKA provided the Human Needs Food Pantry with over 200 bags of food, along with monetary contributions. These donations were delivered to the Food Pantry by the Middle School Student Government. A very special thank you to the Cuellar Family and ShopRite of Passaic/Clifton for their generous support. Also, thanks to Middle School Campus Engagement Chair Megan Flick along with Community Engagement Vice President April Straten, for coordinating the drive!

UPPER SCHOOL BLOOD DRIVEMAKING AN IMPACT

Thanks to Upper School Community Engagement Chair Ami Talkow and her team of volunteers, a blood drive run by New Jersey Blood Services was held at the Upper School back in mid-November.

A huge thank you to the 34 members of our community who generously donated their blood! A special shout out to Hannah Ewing and the American Red Cross Club, along with Upper School Dean of Student Life Kerry Verrone, who were instrumental in helping to organize the event.

HAT, SCARF & MITTEN AND TOY DRIVESSPREADING SOME HOLIDAY CHEER

Thank you to all of MKA’s families, faculty, and staff who made this year’s PAMKA Hat, Scarf & Mitten and Toy Drives a success! Because of your generosity, we collected over 250 toys for Toni's Kitchen as well as over 400 pairs of gloves, 280 hats and 120 scarves for Valley Settlement House. Primary School students made holiday cards that were delivered to both Toni’s Kitchen and Valley Settlement House in conjunction with the drives. A special shout out to Primary School Community Engagement Chair Katie Cocco and Primary School Community Engagement Coordinator Brittany O’Neill for organizing this project!

WE ARE MKA

An MKA student heads up the hill to start the school day

Walking the Walk and Talking the Talk: Stories of Extraordinary People and Why They Give

ANTHONY CELENTANO ’74

Anthony Celentano ’74 has been a long-time financial supporter of MKA and is a member of the Heritage Society because he recognized at an early age that “Other people made it possible for me to go to Montclair Academy.” He was aware of the students, families, and alumni whose contributions allowed the school to grow and flourish through the years. From many different points in his life and career, Anthony can draw a line back to the incredible academic foundation he was given and to a few very influential teachers at Montclair Academy (MA).

Arriving on the hill in ninth grade, Anthony found that most of the students had attended MA from seventh grade, and many had started at Brookside together in Kindergarten. While attending elementary school, Anthony’s family moved from Bloomfield to Montclair, and his family eventually chose MA for Anthony due to the location and the school’s reputation. In his freshman year, Anthony met Calvin Matzke who had combined his art and music degrees as a teacher and artist. Calvin invited Anthony to the First Congregational Church in Montclair to see him sing in his role as First Baritone, and while the choral program was impressive and wonderful, it was the organ playing by MA music teacher Nixon Bicknell that really impacted Anthony. Anthony started private organ lessons, and the road to his degree in music and lifetime commitment to playing the organ began. Anthony also was a member of the set crew for the Winter Musical and created wonderful background and scenery for the show. Up until the winter of his senior year, Anthony thought architecture was going to be his path, but ultimately, he followed in the footsteps of these two musically-gifted teachers and attended Westminster Choir College to study and earn two degrees in sacred music and organ.

While at Montclair Academy, Anthony was also fortunate to form a bond with English teacher John Noble since John was

his advisor for all four years. English classes with him and with Allan Penner were rigorous and taught Anthony the art of writing a well-crafted, well-researched, and eloquent essay. This skill proved incredibly helpful throughout his college experience and especially when Anthony was at Seton Hall University earning his degree in counseling. It was with this degree that Anthony began a career spanning 18 years as a guidance counselor and the registrar at Pope John XXIII in Sparta, NJ until his retirement in 2018.

Another academic experience that shaped Anthony and his lifelong love of learning, was the Asian Studies class with history teacher Nicholas Childs. Anthony shared that Nicholas “brought a depth of knowledge and personal travel experience into his classroom. And anybody who had that course would probably tell you it was one of the best courses they had.” The connection between the experience of global learning then and MKA’s commitment to educating students of the world through international travel now is not lost on Anthony. He has enjoyed traveling throughout his life and continues to admire and learn about architecture; even though it was never something he earned a degree in, his foundation of learning at Montclair Academy fostered a continuing interest in the subject and the world.

As a member of the Class of 1974, Anthony was in the last class to graduate from Montclair Academy, and he has remained steadfast in his support of MKA’s growth while the school has also maintained its connection to its founding schools. A musician, performer, guidance counselor, traveler, lover of architecture, and more, Anthony has never and will not stop learning: his instructors at Montclair Academy would not have wanted nor expected anything less.

MKA Heritage Society

Learn more about the benefits of MKA's planned giving opportunities at mka.org/plannedgiving

Contact Chris Kenrick, Associate Director of Philanthropy, at ckenrick@mka.org or 973-509-7933

THE LOGAN-RUNG FAMILY

“I give to MKA to honor, acknowledge, and show gratitude to those families who came before me and gave generously so that my sons could have the many opportunities that are available at MKA . ”

Please describe your family and your connection to MKA. Why did you choose MKA for your family? My family first became connected to MKA in 2000. At that time, our family lived in Chatham, NJ, and we traveled far and wide in our search to find the perfect school for our sons: Josh Logan-Rung, MKA Class of 2013, and Jon Logan-Rung, MKA Class of 2014. We wanted a school that would focus not only on academic excellence but also on teaching and guiding our young children so they would become men of integrity. We wanted our boys to attend a school where kindness mattered, a place of learning where all were respected regardless of differences, and a community that would understand our boys as individuals. We wanted a school that would partner with us to raise men of noble character and purpose. We believed then and continue to believe now 23 years later that we found that ethos at Montclair Kimberley Academy.

In what ways do you see the impact that MKA had on your children? What experiences (and/or people) are still significant in their lives? Well, as you can imagine, I have a maximum word count for this response which does not seem fair for this question, but I’ll address some of the more significant impacts. MKA’s impact on my sons is concrete in some ways and intangible in others. Josh and Jon are well educated, confident men whose breadth of knowledge and interests are remarkable. They established wonderful

connections with many faculty members, including their coaches and members of the administration, as well as the many MKA friends who continue to be a part of their current lives. Through these connections, they learned to be advocates for themselves in college and beyond and are deeply imbedded with a sense of what is right and just. These skills and personal attributes were imbued not just by MKA’s community members’ words but by their actions and lived lives. The friendships they made at MKA from as early as Pre-K at Brookside continue to this day. These friends are MKA alumni who themselves are people of integrity. MKA graduates are exceptional people who have and will continue to contribute meaningfully to this complex world they find us all occupying.

How have you and your family remained connected to the school, and what inspired you to volunteer? In 2008, I was honored to be elected to MKA’s Board of Trustees. Becoming a Trustee was a position I accepted after being affiliated with MKA for eight years. I believed that it was time for me to give my time and talents to MKA because I could see how much my sons were benefiting by their MKA education. In 2016, I was elected to be the President of MKA’s Board of Trustees, and I served in that capacity until July 1, 2022. Being Board President offered me many strategic opportunities to ensure the continued success of MKA. My family has been blessed in many ways, and I strongly

believe that from those who have much, much it expected.

Why do you give back to MKA? I give to MKA to honor, acknowledge, and show gratitude to those families who came before me and gave generously so that my sons could have the many opportunities that are available at MKA. Just as importantly, however, are the young people that will attend MKA in the future. It is for them as well that I give. I want to ensure that MKA is financially secure, our faculty are compensated appropriately, we never compromise our program, and we are the very best we can be for future generations of Cougars.

Several years ago, while working on a speech for a school event, I was provided access to MKA’s archives, a dusty, cluttered place full of rich school history. While in the archives, I saw many bronze and wooden plaques dedicated to women and men I had never heard about with names I did not recognize. These were huge plaques fabricated many, many years ago and then displayed as a source of pride for the donor, a badge of success for the school, and a reminder to me that we are not the first to travel these halls nor will we be the last. I made a promise that day to those I didn’t know, who were perhaps gone and forgotten, that I would, as best I could, ensure that their efforts would become my efforts and we would carry the mission of MKA forward.

FROM OUR TRUSTEES

Taking an opportunity for music and focus during the school day

Dear MKA Community,

The fall and winter seasons seem to have flown by in a flurry of joy and learning. I want to take a moment to thank all of the hardworking, inspirational teachers that are shaping, challenging, and encouraging our students. I am constantly hearing your praises sung in conversations I am having, and I feel so fortunate to have gotten to know many of you better in my new role.

Strong academic programming is a hallmark of the MKA experience. This commitment to academic excellence on the part of the school and our inspiring faculty members is made evident by the outstanding college acceptances we are starting to see in our Senior class. Congratulations to the College Counseling Office, and to the students themselves, as this year is shaping up to be one of our most successful yet.

Because of the generosity of so many community members, especially the Sterling family, MKA was able to launch The Faculty Excellence Fund, which will support hiring, educating, and retaining the absolute best faculty. These are the incredible faculty members who help shape our students to be the thought leaders of tomorrow with an ethical, empathetic, and inclusive nature.

During my first year as Board President, I am focusing on building connections within our great alumni community. Events such as The Golf Classic, the Gathering, Homecoming, Friendsgiving, and ReSchooled brought people together and provided opportunities to appreciate and celebrate MKA. Thank you to everyone who came out and participated in these events.

This issue of the Review magazine is about sustainability. The Board recognizes that it is the school’s, and so ultimately our, responsibility to cultivate intellectual independence and to promote personal engagement with the world. The pursuit of these two essential goals includes recognizing the importance of protecting the environment. In order to support MKA’s mission, we have made several environmental sustainability commitments, inclusive of the “little things” that add up to larger initiatives, in the curricular, organizational, and physical space realms.

I hope you will join me in supporting these critical missions of the school that underpin our faculty and our sustainability efforts.

Naveen Ballem, M.D., F.A.C.S.

President, Board of Trustees

’90 P’26 ’30

MONTCLAIR KIMBERLEY ACADEMY

2022-2023 BOARD OF TRUSTEES

OFFICERS

Naveen Ballem M.D., F.A.C.S ’90

President

Paige Cottingham-Streater ’79

Vice President

Luke Sarsfield, III ’91

Vice President

Jeffrey G. Szilagyi

Treasurer

Stephanie A. Salzman

Secretary

MEMBER TRUSTEES

Merrick G. Andlinger

Jennifer Barbetta

Anya Barrett ’89

James L. Bromley

Caitlin DiRuggiero ’06

Sybil Eng

Clifford Finkle ’92

Nigel D. Furlonge

Tracy Higgins

Tina Jordan

Lauren Kaplan ’93

Kathleen M. Logan

Robert J. Ruberton

Matthew Sherman

Alison Slone

Craig Solomon

Solomon Steplight ’93

Margaret Wager

HONORARY TRUSTEES

Aubin Ames ’54

John Garippa

Alice Hirsh

Michael V. Johnson

Newton Schott

For more information about our Board of Trustees, please visit www.mka.org/about/board-of-trustees

“I want to take a moment to thank all of the hardworking, inspirational teachers that are shaping, challenging, and encouraging our students.”

CLASS NOTES

Students at the Middle School head to class with their laptops

PLEASE NOTE...

The deadline for news for the FALL MKA Review is May 15, and the deadline for the SPRING issue is December 15. News can be submitted at any time in response to the Alumni Office's annual mailing, on the MKA Fund remittance envelopes, via mail or email to the MKA Alumni Engagement Office (alumni@mka.org), or to your class representative. We keep ongoing files for each class and welcome photographs in digital or hard copy. If your class does not have a Class Representative listed, please consider volunteering for the position! It is a great way to re-establish contacts with old friends, does not require a great deal of time, and is essential to the ongoing vitality of the school. Thank you.

1941. / TKS / Mrs. Enid Hyde, 5402 Duvall Drive, Bethesda, MD 20816; enidghyde@aol.com

1945. / TKS / Mrs. Leigh Smith, 847 Franklin Street, Vineyard Haven, MA 02568; lbsmith15@yahoo.com

1951. / TKS / Mrs. Gail Marentette, 93 Glen Avenue, Llewellyn Park, West Orange, NJ 07052

1952. / TKS / Mrs. Martha Moran, 8011 Strauff Road, Baltimore, MD 21204; martha.moran1@verizon.net

We share with a heavy heart that Daphne McGill ’s husband, Robert E. McGill III, passed away peacefully on September 22, 2022 at his home in Essex, CT.

/ MA / It is with great sadness that we share the passing of Rev. Arthur K. “Terry” Wing III on August 1, 2022. He was 88. After graduating from Montclair Academy, Terry received a B.A. from Lehigh University in 1956, and after two years in the army, he earned a master of divinity from Virginia Theological Seminary in 1961. He was ordained into the Episcopal Diocese of Newark the same year.

1954. / TKS / Ms. Georgia Carrington, 38 Silver Spring Lane, Ridgefield, CT 06877

/ MA/ Mr. Sheldon Buck, 22 Bedford Court, Bedford, MA 01730-2903; sheldonbuck@me.com

It is with great sadness that we share the passing of Gail Garner Jacobus ’58. She passed peacefully in her sleep on September 3, 2022 in Vero Beach, FL. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family, especially MA alumni Roland "Jake" Austin Jacobus III, to whom she was married for 61 years.

1956. / TKS /Ms. Susan Ferdinand, 125 Limerick Lane, Phillipsburg, NJ 08865; facesbyferdinand@gmail.com

Nicole DeJurenev reports "After fighting with my computer since the beginning of August, I did manage to find a friend who fixed everything. So now I am back on line and trying to delete the thousands or more emails. Should be a lot to talk about when the election results come in tonite."

"Love to all you dear classmates." writes Julia Schou Estes. "Not much news from down here, just some fun things. Every Thanksgiving our whole family rents a big house on the beach for a whole week. Last March I was a "flower granny" with her other grandmother in my granddaughter's wedding. Last

year I redid my backyard and even put in a putting green and a fire pit. Needless to say, we have had some wonderful times outside."

Your faithful reporter, Sue Crook Ferdinand, has spent the last 6 months pounding the treadmill and reducing her calorie intake, and has shed 70 lbs. Our family is celebrating the return of my son, Mark, a producer at CBS News, from a self-imposed exile in his office where he dealt with the intense chaos of the election for more than a year. Our other source of joy was grandson Noah, a nursing student at Pitt, who was the big winner on Wheel of Fortune on Thanksgiving.

Anne deVausney Hallowell says "After 2 years of staying home and avoiding COVID, we have begun to travel! Started off with our 3 children and their spouses for a September family reunion trip to an Inn at the end of Prouts Neck, Maine. Although the weather wasn’t great, we ignored it and had lots of fun hiking, beach walking, and getting to know some good restaurants and a wonderful museum in Portland. Our Massachusetts Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays will be first in Gloucester and next in Ipswich with our kids, grandchildren, other relatives, and our dogs. The torch has been passed,

as I am no longer cooking the holiday meals, hurrah!"

News from Carol Barnard Ottenberg: "I wish I had something exciting to reportskydiving, triplet grands, greatgrands. But nothing much new. I have returned to tennis and enjoy a weekly game, riding my bike to the courts. Lots of late summer canning and freezingpeaches, apples, plums, tomato sauce from my own plants. Other than that, I am back to cutting jigsaw puzzles, missed seeing Nancy Prescott Ward in Maine - I was there too early -but had a great visit with Gail Zabriskie Wilson."

And from Molla Kaplan Reisbaum "All is well with the children and grandchildren. I must say that Covid did a number on all of the students be they elementary through college and beyond. Many have found it difficult to get back on track. Wishing all of the students a quick and easy comeback. Now that we are in our eighties we find ourselves dealing with the medical profession. Not a pleasant experience! Waiting for an appointment frequently have to wait up to three months to see the MD. What happened to the golden years! Stay strong, stay healthy, stay happy. "

Helen Nelson Skeen says "It's been a quiet year for me - no

trips - not much activity. I am just home from 4 months of summer at Martha's Vineyard where I still enjoy the beach and swimming. Carol Cooper Henry and Bill rent a house near me in September, so I saw them a couple of times. Carol likes the beach too and is still a beautiful swimmer.We had a nice time catching up."

Gail Zabriskie Wilson is back in Naples, FL after a great summer in Maine with all family there at one time or another. "Never a more beautiful fall! " she writes. "Minor hurricane Ian damage

ALEX TARSHIS '97

for us but extreme for so many. May have to have a second knee replacement in 2023 but still playing golf and going to water aerobics, volunteering in our community library. Kids and grandkids scattered. Nice visit with Linda Cole LeStage in October in Duxbury, MA while we were visiting my sister Aubin (Ames ’54) in Little Compton, RI. Spend lots of time with Aubin here at our CCRC in Florida. Good move for us, now 6 years ago.

Sally Bever Zweibach "Usually I have nothing to report. But this

fall has been busy. I returned to the Shaw Theater Festival in Ontario after many years away. Great productions in lovely settings. Highly recommended. Also, I was hoenormous artwork for the school lobby, with our photos and names on it. Teaching does not pay well in dollars, but it surely reimburses in love. Heading to Dublin for Christmas week with my younger son and his family. At home, I volunteer at my public library’s Book store , serve on the boards of my Retired Teachers Union and a local summer concert series. Walking

the dog is my only exercise, although there’s a gym in my building that I find frightening. I get to NYC cultural events, although fewer than formerly. Everything is less than formerly, except my weight.

/ MA / Mr. Eric Jaeckel, 811 SE Klemgard St., Apt. #250 Pullman, WA 99163-5461

Dr. Lawrence Nazarian, 82 Brickstone Circle, Rochester, NY 14620; LFredN@aol.com

1957. / TKS / Mrs. Thelma “Tam” Knight, 3001 Linton

Tell us about your work. I work at Life Sports Agency and my title is EVP of Marketing. We represent NBA and International basketball players. I lead the marketing side of the firm and spend a lot of my time on endorsement deals for our current clients.

What areas of opportunity excite you the most right now in terms of representing an athlete? I've worked on this side of the business representing athletes for more than 10 years now, and what's most exciting today, for someone in my role especially, is the way that my clients can have full autonomy over their personal brand and all they want that to mean. Some of my clients love the fashion and lifestyle space, others just want to play basketball and be able to take care of their families, and others want to set themselves up to go into media and broadcasting post-career. Whatever their goals are, we can set up an action plan and make it a reality. It's a fun process to be a part of.

What is your biggest career challenge you have faced and what did you learn from it? I think the biggest challenge is how reactionary I have to be. Sometimes we put a lot of work into something, and it never gets executed because of something like a trade or an injury, which is completely out of my control. It goes the other way too though where a client can have a breakout stretch and generate a ton of interest from sponsors out of nowhere. I've learned to just focus on what I can control, or at least get a little better at doing that.

What is your proudest accomplishment? My first gig was as the basketball operations intern for the New Jersey Nets in 2002, washing jockstraps and loading coolers, so I guess my proudest accomplishment professionally is where I am at today. The sports industry is very competitive and the business of representing NBA

players can be even more so.

What advice would you give to other young alumni who want to pursue a similar career in the sports industry? The advice I would give is to try to get your foot in the door at a big company where you can learn about the industry in a big picture sort of way. Working in sports can mean so many different things, whether it's marketing, communications, community engagement, operations, sales, or coaching. I was really lucky to get a job at the NBA, in the Entertainment & Player Marketing group, when I was 25, and that group worked across the entire league, helping so many different departments. I was there for six years, and it was in that time that I really figured out what side of the business was best for me by being exposed to so much.

In what ways did MKA prepare you for the path your life has taken? In sports, your network is really important, and MKA really prepared me for that by helping me start to build that network when I was still a student. Some of my closest friends from high school are people I was able to work with years after we left MKA and still rely on. Those relationships have been so valuable to me, both personally and professionally.

Boulevard, No. 201C Delray Beach, FL 33445; tknight115@aol.com

1958. / TKS / Mrs. Diana Little, 1-K Buckingham Road, West Orange, NJ 07052; dianablittle@gmail.com

It is with great sadness that we share the passing of Gail Garner Jacobus. She passed peacefully in her sleep on September 3, 2022 in Vero Beach, FL. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family, especially MA alumni Roland "Jake" Austin Jacobus III ’54, to whom she was married for 61 years.

It is with a heavy heart that we share that Nancy Adams Scherer passed away surrounded by family at the age of 81 on May 5, 2022 after a brief illness.

/ MA / Mr. Henry Agens, 86 Eagle Rock Way, Montclair, NJ 07042; hymelee@earthlink.com

1959. / TKS / Ms. Jarvis Reilly Nolan; email: jarvisno@aol.com; cell: 858 504 1072

1960. / TKS / Andrew Lyons Smith, Jr., husband of Sally Alice Unkles Smith, passed away July 17, 2022.

1961. / TKS / Mrs. Suzanne Hardy, 47 Bartlett Parkway, Winthrop, MA 02152; sueshardy@comcast.net

/ MA/ Mr. David Bruck, 34 Nelson Ridge Road, Princeton, NJ 08540; dbruck@ greenbaumlaw.com

From David Bruck: As it turns out, the members of my class are presently “laying low,” so I have no news about them other than sad news regarding

the passing in March 2020 of our classmate Charles Lundt . However, I must tell you that I recently received a heartwarming email from John Farrar ’62, and while I know that I am the secretary for the Class of 1961, I want to share this with you. John and his wife live in Western Montana and are both retired from “intense careers.” They are living the “Yellowstone life” although not as grand as Kevin Costner in his role as John Dutton in the popular series. John had read my last report, which appeared in the fall 2022 issue of the Review magazine. He reminded me of a football game that we played in a heavy downpour in 1960 against Oratory, a traditional rival, in which we won the game by scoring the extra point on a trick play (thanks to Coach Carmen Marnell) carried out in the last minutes of the game leading to a 13 -12 victory. The win was carried out by a fake kick and a pass from Steve O’Neill to John Farrar for the winning play. The game was so emotional to me that I wrote a poem about the game, and in particular the fake play, for our English course with Frank Brogan. Many years have passed since that game, but seeing an email from my teammate John where it was apparent that he remembered the game as vividly as did I, was nothing short of heartwarming, as I said. Thanks for the memories, John. As for me, I am still practicing law with my firm, planning some traveling, and appreciating every day.

1962. / TKS / Mrs. Barbara Creed, 501 Portola Road, #8185, Portola Valley, CA 94028; bbcreed@aol.com

Barbara Creed met with Head of School Nigel D. Furlonge for lunch in San

Francisco, CA in August 2022. Here she is pictured with a TKS emblem that was on her white blazer for being the best athlete in her grade.

MKA’s Distinguished Alumni Award in 2012. You can visit https://poetlaureate.illinois. gov/past-features/featuredpoet-guernsey.html for more information.

1965. / TKS / Ms. Katharine “Kitty” Haines, 201 East 83rd Street, Apt. 15F, New York, NY 10028; khaines22@ aol.com

We share with a heavy heart that Susan Wright’s husband, James Wright, passed away from cancer at the age of 83 in his home in Hanover, NH on October 10, 2022.

/ MA / Mr. W. Doug Donald 189 Sedgefield Circle Winter Park, FL 32792 D1Donald@aol.com

Congratulations to Bruce Guernsey whose work was featured on The State of Illinois Poet Laureate. This site highlights the poetic legacy of Illinois and showcases the bevy of fine poets currently writing within the state. Bruce Guernsey is Distinguished Professor Emeritus at Eastern Illinois University where he taught Creative Writing and 19th Century American Literature for twenty-five years. He has also taught at William and Mary, Johns Hopkins, and Virginia Wesleyan where he was Poet in Residence for four years. He was awarded seven faculty excellence awards for teaching at Eastern Illinois, and in 1992-1993, was selected as the State of Illinois Board of Governors’ “Professor of the Year,” the highest award in the state system. He has been the recipient of two Senior Fulbright Lectureships in American Poetry to Portugal and to Greece and has twice sailed around the world as a faculty member with Semester at Sea. Bruce was bestowed

1966. / TKS / Mrs. Jessie Boyer, 8095 S. Addison Way, Aurora, CO 80016; boyerjessie@hotmail.com

/ MA / Mr. A. Craig Cameron, 11 Bay Point Drive, Ormond Beach, FL 32174; ccameron@ cameronhodges.com

Mr. Douglas Fitzpatrick, 70 Eastern Vista, Sedona, AZ 86351

1967. / MA / Mr. Craig Perry, 25 Mooregate Square Atlanta, GA 30327; Craigcperry250@gmail.com

1968. / TKS / Ms. Avie Claire Kalker, 10 Knolls Road, Williamstown, MA 01267; heraldicone@gmail.com

/ MA / Mr. Geoff Gregg, 6108 Percheron Trail, Summerfield, NC 27358; tartanone@triad.rr.com

1969. / TKS / Ms. Christine Hannon, 97 North Street, Northhampton, MA 01060; channon@smith.edu

/ MA / Dr. Edward A. Griggs Jr. 100 Cedar Street, Apt. B24 Dobbs Ferry, NY 10522

1970. / TKS / Ms. Leslie Bryan, 844 East Morningside Drive, NE, Atlanta, GA 30324

/ MA / Mr. V. James Castiglia 3 Lark Lane, Oak Ridge, NJ 07438; vjc@vjamescastiglia.com

Mr. Peter Webb, Mile Slip Farm, 48 Mason Road, Brookline, NH 03033; pwebb@winerbennett.com

1971. / TKS / Ms. Philippa Bowles, 39 Orts Road, Hamburg, NJ 07419; john11t24@outlook.com

/ MA / Mr. Jeffrey Jones, 77 Monroe Street, Cedar Grove, NJ 07009; coastdaylight98@yahoo.com

Mr. Anthony Vitale, 10 North Wood Avenue, Apt. 601, Linden, NJ 07036; tvod9999@gmail.com

1973. / TKS / Ms. Susan Read, 38 College Circle, Staunton, VA 22401

/ MA / Mr. Thomas C. Galligan 14805 Audubon Lakes Drive, Baton Rouge, LA 70810-8419; tgalligan714@gmail.com

Mr. Gregory Lackey, 216 Hunters Road, Medford Lakes, NJ 08055-2116; gregory.lackey@usps.gov

1974. / TKS / Ms. Erin Cuffe Crawford, 121 Clarewill Avenue, Upper Montclair, NJ 07043; erincrawford@verizon. net

1975. Mr. Paul Zuckerberg, 1790 Lanier Place, NW, Washington, DC 20009-2118; paul.zukerberg@gmail.com

1976. Mr. Frank Godlewski, Fells Bridge, 249 Runnymede Road, Essex

Fells NJ 07021; fellsbridge@ gmail.com

Mrs. Sara Close, 76 Wootton Rd, Essex Fells, NJ 07021; dmjcrowther@comcast.net

1977. / MA / Mr. Robert Hubsmith, 16 Warren Road, Maplewood, NJ 07040; roberthubsmith24@gmail.com

Mr. Andrew Pedersen, 335 Ocean Blvd, Atlantic Highlands, NJ 07716-1731; apedersenco@gmail.com

1978. Ms. Pamela Zeug 60 W. 57th Street, #15F New York, NY 10019; pl.bolton@gmail.com

1979. Dr. John Brink, 1246 Beach Haven Road, Atlanta, GA 30324

Mrs. Shawn Ortiz, 2163 Gilbride Road, Martinsville, NJ 08836

Mr. Bruce Eng; Lattjiu@aol.com

Congratulations to James Johnson and his team on receiving the Law Department Alumni Award, which is the NYC Law Department’s highest honor. During the worst of the pandemic, the lawyers of the Law Department supported, counseled, and defended the City reeling from the onslaught that killed 25,000 people in 3 months.

1981. Mrs. Laura Itzkowitz (Laura Reisch), 37 Nottingham Road, Manalapan, NJ 077261834; howardandlaura@ optonline.net

1982. Congratulations to Pam Holding on ringing the closing bell at The New York Stock Exchange on October 17, 2022 with the Fidelity

sustainable investing team. She is very proud to be part of this milestone in Fidelity’s 75+ year legacy and celebrate their commitment to innovation and helping investors meet their financial goals.

Congratulations to Cheryl McCants on being named one of the 2022 Best 50 Women in Business by NJBIZ Magazine

The NJBIZ Best 50 Women in Business program recognizes 50 women who have made a significant impact on New Jersey business and the community at large.

1983. Mr. Walter J. Davis, 66 Oakwood Drive, New Providence, NJ 07974; davisteam@comcast.net

Mrs. Maureen Natkin (J.P.), 5 Riverview Road, Irvington, NY 10533

1984. Mrs. Jennifer Jones Ladda, 17 Belleclaire Place, Verona, NJ 07044; jjonesladda@gmail.com

Congratulations to Dr. Ross I.S. Zbar on his powerful book Floating Feathers: A Doctor's Harrowing Experience as a Patient Within Conventional Medicine --- and an Impassioned Call for the Future of Care in America.

Dr. Ross I.S. Zbar spent his career as a plastic surgeon in the US, as well as abroad in developing countries, mending disease and trauma-related deformities, and he was never hesitant to make his voice heard as an advocate for better patient care. Then, on a warm December day in 2018, Ross suffered a trauma that nearly took his life, putting him into the hands of his profession in a way he never anticipated. While his life was ultimately

saved, his journey to wellness within the conventional medical establishment (three weeks in the ICU and in-patient rehab) was nothing short of nightmarish. Vowing to be a strong voice for change, Ross used the power of his mind to recover faster than any of his doctors predicted. Floating Feathers not only recounts his compelling story but also elucidates a thoughtful and authoritative critical call to the members of his beloved profession for a massive overhaul.

It is with deep sorrow that we share the news that Richard Cosgrove has passed away. Rich was an integral part of the MKA community, first as a student and then as a loyal alumnus. He served on the Alumni Council for many years and always did so with a smile. Rich will be greatly missed by all who had the pleasure of knowing him.

1985. Congratulations to Christopher Smith on joining Alphy as a board advisor. Alphy is a software development company that offers companies a better way to recruit, retain, and advance women and allies in the workplace.

1986. Ms. Jennifer Remington-Knodel, 44 Hamilton Drive East, North Caldwell, NJ 07006; jenremknodel@aol.com

1987. Mr. Dennis Rodano, 3 Byron Road, North Caldwell, NJ 07006; rodanod@verizon.net

Ms. Lynne Yellin, 413 Ridgecrest Drive, Chapel Hill, NC 27514; lynneGY@aol.com

1989. Mr. Louis Lessig, 2009 Morris Drive, Cherry Hill, NJ 08003;

4. 5.

6. 7.

2. 3 9.

8.

llessig@brownconnery.com

Mr. Josh Raymond, 33 Oak Place, North Caldwell, NJ 07006; jraymond@msbnj.com

Classmates Sharad Sahu and Mark Strobeck ran into each other on the greens in August 2021 at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, PA.

Louis R. Lessig has been elected to serve on the Membership Advisory Council (MAC) representing the Northeast (which includes 11 states) for the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM). The five members of the MAC serve as the interface between the Society’s Volunteer Leaders, the Board of Directors, and staff. They provide strategic input from the members within their region and also share input provided by state leaders within the Regional Council to the Board of Directors. The MAC also provides feedback from the Board of Directors to the membership, which is presently more than 318,000 global members.

Josh Raymond has been elected Mayor of the Borough of North Caldwell. Josh ran for Mayor with Council Candidates Art Rees and Stephen Weinstein, parent of Kate Weinstein ’22 and Sydney Weinstein ’20. The Raymond Team slate were all elected in a historic election for a Democratic Mayor and Council.

Josh and his team are grateful to the North Caldwell voters

GIGI PARALKAR FLEMING '98

Tell us about your work. I am an Orthodontist, which is a dental specialist responsible for aligning teeth and correcting jaw or bite discrepancies. Orthodontists first become dentists and then go on for 2-3 more years of additional training to fully learn how to correct malocclusions in children and adults.

Why Orthodontics? How did you first become interested in your profession? I was initially inspired to become a dentist after watching my father work as a general dentist. After his passing when I was 22 years old, I wanted to follow in his footsteps as a way of remembering him and expressing my own strengths. I fell in love with orthodontics after remembering my own transformation as a child and teen, as I needed extensive orthodontic treatment. The change in my patients’ confidence that I witness daily is my biggest reward.

What is your biggest career failure/challenge you have faced and what did you learn from it? My biggest career failure was initially entering into an industry that was not the best fit for me. After graduating from Boston University as a biomedical engineer, I accepted a position as an IT Consultant at IBM. While I gained great experience in the corporate world, I quickly realized that I was meant for something different. I’m grateful that I learned some skills, but moved on to my true calling.

What is your proudest accomplishment? My proudest accomplishment is starting my own practice from scratch. I often joke that Livingston Family Orthodontics is my second child! Designing and growing a boutique orthodontic practice has been a dream many years in the making and I’m so incredibly proud of the environment my staff and I have built for our patients.

In what ways did MKA prepare you for the path your life has taken? MKA allowed me to practice my ability to communicate and present with confidence. I was also able to see so many examples of successful teachers, alumni and parents of fellow students. MKA’s environment really shaped my vision for what I wanted for my life.

who have put their trust in them to meet the Borough's needs moving into the future. Josh is excited to get to work and deliver on his promise to prioritize, plan, and act so that North Caldwell is positioned to face challenges and see many successes ahead.

professionals, and corporate executives who are engaged in a wide range of business interests and have a role in driving the U.S. economy.

1994. Mr. Jason Awerdick; 23 Greenbrook Drive; Bloomfield, NJ 07003; jasonawerdick@gmail.com

1996. Ms. Tanya Barnes; barnes.tanya@gmail.com

Ms. Erica Hirsch 10 West 15th Street, #710 New York, NY 10011 ehirsch77@yahoo.com

Mr. Lee Vartan, 3 Swayze Lane, Chester, NJ 07930; ldvartan@yahoo.com

Cians Analytics was acquired by Equistone-backed Acuity Knowledge Partners, consolidating a leading position in the global financial services outsourcing market.

Congratulations to Kristen Connolly on marrying Stephen O’Reilly in October 2022 at Newman University Church in Dublin, Ireland.

1999. Mr. Alexander Holz, 217 East 10th St, Apt 18, New York, NY 10003; alexbhlz@gmail.com

Ms. Sandra Tritt; sandratritt@gmail.com

2001. / MKA /

Congratulations to Tatjana Gall on her marriage to Michael Morris in August 2022.

2002. / MKA / Miss Emily Santangelo, 27 Woods Road, Little Falls, NJ 07424; emilyannesantangelo@gmail. com

Mrs. Melissa Fortunato Slomienski, 58 Oldchester Road, Essex Fells, NJ 07021; slomienski@icloud.com

Congratulations to Emily Santangelo on her marriage to Matt Marinello on September 10, 2022 in Bernardsville, NJ. 3

1991. Ms. Dara Marmon, 330 E. 39th, Apt. 21D, New York, NY 10016; daramarmon@gmail.com

Mr. Luke Sarsfield, 105 Franklin Street, Apt. 4, New York, NY 10013; luke.sarsfield@gs.com

1992. Dr. Enrique Neblett, 718 Ainsley Court, Durham, NC 27713; enrique. neblett@gmail.com

1993. A huge congratulations to Vejay Lalla who was recognized at the 2022 Outstanding 50 Asian Americans in Business Awards! Established in 2001 and hosted by the Asian American Business Development Center, this annual event has remained the premier forum to highlight the achievements of Asian American business professionals across the U.S. Vejay and his fellow award recipients were recognized in New York as representing a microcosm of the best of Asian American entrepreneurs,

1998. Ms. Gemma Giantomasi, 80 Avon Drive, Essex Fells, NJ 07021; gemma.diaco@gmail.com

Alumni Anmol Bhandari and Jeremy Traster ’97 were seated next to each other at dinner at Uchi in Miami in August 2022.

From Karson St. John McGinley: After a 10-year hiatus from performing while I ran my yoga studio and had my kids, I returned to the stage this summer, reprising my role as the Emcee in Cabaret at Cygnet Theatre in San Diego! We’ve been performing to sold out houses and have extended three times, currently through October. Such a blessing to be back on stage, especially after COVID-19, with such an incredible theatre community and brilliant material! (Also, remember when I directed Cabaret at MKA when I taught there in 2011?) This show has a very special place in my heart… so happy to be back! 1

Congratulations to Anmol Bhandari whose company

Congratulations to Phil Mazo for his short film, “I’m Phil,” on winning the Coney Island Film Festival for Best Comedy Short.

Congratulations to Igor Alves and his team on producing EMERGE: an NJ symphony concert film trilogy, which won an Emmy! EMERGE expands the universe of orchestral music through a mix of live stage performances, stunning visuals, mesmerizing dance sequences, and format-bending elements on and off stage. The concerts were recorded live and filmed on RED cinema cameras at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark, New Jersey, between February and March 2021. 2

2000. / MKA / Ms. Anna Cook, 5 Highview Court, Wayne, NJ 07470; anna_labowsky@yahoo.com

Mr. John Garippa, 2741 NE 58th Street, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33308; oceanhut@aol.com

Mrs. Jaclyn Spedaliere, 60 E. Oak Street, Basking Ridge, NJ 07920; jaclynspedaliere@gmail.com

2003. / MKA / Ms. Judith Ferreira, 819 Clifton Avenue, Newark, NJ 071043211; jferreir@pratt.edu

Mrs. Melanie Bieber, 462 Vance Ave, Wyckoff, NJ 07481; mel.braverman@gmail.com

Congratulations to Amanda Rosenthal Chase and her spouse Emily Chase on the birth of their daughter Quinn Mara on June 24, 2022. 4

Congratulations to Daniel Monico and his wife Jasmine on the birth of their first child Willow Lee Monico in August 2022. 5

2004. / MKA / Brendan McCaffrey, 235 West 102nd Street, Apt. 10i, New York, NY 10025; brendan.a.mccaffrey@ gmail.com

Ms. Katherine Santoro, 333 River Street, Apt. 539, Hoboken, NJ 07030; kate. santoro@gmail.com

Congratulations to Enrique Noguera for earning the 2022 International Men’s Day Educational Leadership

ALEXANDRA FOTINOPOULOS '13

Tell us about your work. I am a Managing Consultant within IBM Consulting Hybrid Cloud Services and have been with IBM for 5 years. Currently, I am serving as the Lead Project Manager for an IBM Consulting Acquisition, integrating a Cloud Services Provider into IBM. The acquisitions space at IBM is very exciting as we are able to learn and leverage key assets and offerings that an acquired company provides as well as share the valuable services IBM offers to its employees and clients. Leading an acquisition focused on integrating a Cloud Services Provider into IBM has been so rewarding as I have learned so much about how a company operates end to end as well as the key benefits of cloud computing for our clients. I also serve as an IBM Consulting Community Leader within Hybrid Cloud Services Americas. This year, I am serving as our Inclusion and Culture Lead, fostering a more inclusive and supportive environment within IBM Consulting. Last year, I led the Engagement and Communications pillar, where I led the creation of key programs such as our Mental Health Awareness Week. These two roles have been extremely rewarding and important to me as I hope to be a part in making IBMers feel part of a greater family.

In October 2021, you hosted a Mental Health Awareness Week at IBM. Can you explain the objective and the work that went into the projects? During 2021, I served as the IBM Consulting Hybrid Cloud Services Engagement and Communications Initiative Lead. I set out, in partnership with key team members, to host a Mental Health Awareness Week in recognition of World Mental Health Day on October 10. Our goal was and has been to end the stigma around mental health and normalize our discussions on the topic in the workplace. We did so by launching a series of events from open forums to discuss mental health in safe space, to more structured sessions around how nutrition plays a key

role in mental health. Due to the virtual times we had/have been in, we felt it was imperative to host this series of events to foster an environment where IBMers felt supported and heard on any issue(s) they are facing.

In my opinion, IBM, as an organization, is a strong advocate in supporting their employees and clients’ mental health. Not only does IBM support its employees, like me, advocating to end the negative stigma around mental health with community-wide discussions and events, but it also offers a Mental Health Ally Badge and encourages its employees to commit to the IBM Mental Health Matters pledge. This speaks to the importance IBM places on their employees and client’s mental health.

What is your biggest career failure/challenges you have faced, and what did you learn from it? Work life balance has been a key challenge I’ve faced throughout my career thus far. I believe it is something that with experience and time one continues to refine. I often find myself in a position where I prioritize work over other aspects of my life, which at times is needed and other times can be detrimental to those around me. I have learned from my mentors and peers different tips and tricks to help me be a better advocate for myself, whether it be setting blocks on my calendar to catch up on work, going for a walk during the day, and/or having a backfill to escalate to when I am on vacation. These are small actions that I have implemented, and they truly helped me attain a better work life balance. I also attribute this better balance to my supportive manager. When you have a manager that supports and encourages you to take the time you need, it alleviates any anxiety or stresses that may come. I hope to continue to reflect on and adjust my behavior to continue to seek better balance in my work and life.

What is your proudest accomplishment? In my current role as the Lead Project Manager for an IBM Acquisition, I have partnered with workstream leads across the integration team to create repeatable and scalable work products that are being used and implemented across the 10+ IBM 2021 acquisitions. Coming into the acquisition space and being able to create new and now repeatable work products such as process flows, internal websites, timelines, and more from scratch is extremely rewarding as well as being able to receive real-time feedback from key senior leaders within IBM.

In what ways did MKA prepare you for the path your life has taken? MKA has been an integral part of my life. I am so fortunate to have attended MKA as it not only prepared me from an academic perspective, but it also allowed me to become more confident in myself and my ideas and has directly contributed to the person I am today. The way MKA encourages its students to be creative, think differently, and challenge the status quo are all key attributes for success. I am very thankful.

Tell us about your work. I own an insurance and financial services business. I have an office in West Orange about two minutes from where I grew up (and am probably one of the only people in the world to reverse commute from NYC to NJ). It's been really rewarding to learn the industry and manage a team and business. We sell insurance products like household lines (auto, residential, commercial insurance, life) to investment products for estate planning (annuities, long term care/disability products, 401k investments). We're all about protecting what is most special to you; whether it's your property or your family, we do it all!

What is your biggest career challenge you have faced, and what did you learn from it? Off the top of my head: the first was changing industries in 2017. I went from working in tech to jumping into a whole new industry with less than the bare minimum of experience. To say I had to learn things on the fly would be an understatement. Being thrown into the fire of having to staff an office, run a business from scratch, manage payroll and taxes, and handle customer policies, service, and inquiries was a pretty big culture shock. Lately we've been facing challenges due to the crazy inflation rates, something that's not unique to my business, but it's made customer spending more challenging and pricing for our products less competitive. I've learned to put a lot of trust into my team; empowering them has been a fundamental key to building a successful practice. Also, having patience is rewarded in the client service industry. Good things generally happen slowly, and bad things can happen quickly.

What is your proudest professional accomplishment? I'm really proud to have built a business that hires and grows careers in the community. This industry sees a lot of job hopping, and I take a lot of pride in providing my team a stable environment to learn and grow their careers. Turnover is the norm here, but I've been

retaining and growing my core group of employees since we've opened. They've helped form the backbone of an agency that has been recognized to operate on an elite agency level for over five years running!

What advice would you give to other young alumni who want to pursue a similar career as a personal financial representative? Really learn the business and your customers. There's a lot of coursework and licensing needed to get into the field, and any type of financial product is so highly regulated. You really need to make sure that you know everything inside and out to give clients and potential customers not only the best products but also the best strategies that fit within their lifestyle. People will always look to you as the subject matter expert and trust that you'll always have their best interests in mind. Reputation matters in this business, and if you always put your best foot forward and put the client's needs above your own, you'll succeed. It's so important to network and get out in the community because often you really are your own brand.

In what ways did MKA prepare you for the path your life has taken? I can honestly say MKA did a great job preparing me. In high school I was a decent student, but when I got to college, I was shocked at how far ahead of the curve I was to my peers not only in writing (MKA had such a tremendous writing curriculum) but also in leadership and life skills. Senior year of high school I took a leadership course with a bunch of my classmates. I'll always remember one morning Dr. Hrab said that because of the school we were in and the education we were getting, we would probably always be put in leadership positions through the rest of our life. It resonated with me, and at the time I didn't realize why. But I look back on that lesson often, and it's pretty obvious just how well equipped and responsible MKA's education made me to tackle obstacles and challenges to this point.

DREW LEVY '08

“Good things generally happen slowly, and bad things can happen quickly.”

Award on November 4. Enrique is the director of the Educational Opportunity Fund (EOF) Program and on the leadership team for the Men of Color Success Initiative (MOCSI) at Passaic County Community College. Through these programs, Enrique provides students with the academic support, leadership development, and financial assistance they need to graduate from PCCC and enter four-year colleges across the state.

2005. / MKA / Mr. Edmund Kozak; e.g.kozak@gmail.com

Mr. Manav Lalwani, 1 32 Blue Heron Drive, Riverside Court, Secaucus, NJ 07094-2391; 201-617-5312; manav.lalwani@gmail.com

Classmates AJ Jensen and Antoinelle Szweed with their sons Mason and Logan in Brigantine, NJ in July 2022. 6

Congratulations to Ryan Boyea on his marriage to Danielle in August 2022 in Maui, Hawaii.

Brian Nolan and his father Michael Nolan, a father-son team managing more than $1 billion in client assets in New York City and Philadelphia, have left J.P. Morgan Advisors for RBC Wealth ManagementU.S. Their departure marks the second heavy-hitting team this month to exit J.P. Morgan’s traditional brokerage unit in New York.

Congratulations to Chelsea Dougherty Henley and her husband Kenneth on welcoming their baby boy Graham Pace to the world on October 3, 2022. 7

Dan Marrazza was on Sports

JESSICA FRANKL '09

Tell us about your work. I am a staff photographer and photo editor for the NY Yankees. Previously, I was a photo editor for the NBA, and prior to that, I was a photo assistant for the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Why photography? How did you first become interested in your profession? I was a gymnast growing up, and when I could no longer compete, I started photographing the sport. My brother was a college gymnast at Stanford, so I had the opportunity to follow him around and photograph some of the biggest college gymnastics competitions that take place. Gymnastics is still something I photograph often (both professionally and as passion projects), as I work closely with the College Gymnastics Association. A few years ago, I took myself on a cross-country roadtrip, photographing men’s gymnastics preseason training, which was published in Victory Journal

What is your biggest career failure/challenge you have faced, and what did you learn from it? By nature, photography comes with a lot of failures - missed photos, bad lighting, etc. I learned not to be so hard on myself. Sometimes you just aren’t going to get the shot. That’s okmove on and get ready for the next moment.

What is your proudest accomplishment? Most recently, working to earn myself the opportunity to photograph the Yankees during the playoffs. It has been an amazing experience for me, and I’m learning from some of the best photographers out there. I’m very grateful and proud of the hard work I put in to get me to this moment. Another big moment for me was covering the gymnastics Olympic Trials last year. After all of the years I spent in and with the sport, getting to photograph the biggest stage was a "pinch-me" moment.

In what ways did MKA prepare you for the path your life has taken? In so many ways, but most importantly, MKA taught me the value of building relationships. That goes for both personal and professional relationships - friends, mentors, colleagues, and professionals. My best friends to this day are the friends I made at MKA, and I know that MKA played an integral part of teaching me how to network, which enabled me to grow my career the way I have. (PSshoutout to Bianca Roses for proof reading these responses!)

MATTHEW PALMISANO '10

Tell us about your work. I am currently the Director of Advance for Axiom Strategies, the largest conservative political consulting firm in the country and a one-stop-shop for political campaigns and public affairs. I travel around the country consulting clients on operations, logistics, and advance. In the run up to the mid-term elections, I traveled to 25 states in the final two months leading up to election day. Prior to joining Axiom, I was the Director of Strategic Operations for Glenn Youngkin’s historic 2021 gubernatorial campaign in Virginia, running advance and leading an operations team responsible for the day-to-day success of the candidate and all logistics surrounding the team’s winning strategy. Before joining Team Youngkin, I served as Special Assistant to the President and Director of Advance and Trip Coordinator for First Lady Melania Trump for three years and did prior advance work in the administration with the Department of Health and Human Services and the Office of the Vice President.

Why politics and governmental operations? I fell into Advance. It found me more so than I found it. When I was looking for an internship between my junior and senior year at the University of Richmond, I reached out to a family friend who was in charge of Governor Christie’s security detail for the New Jersey State Police and asked him if he knew anyone at the State House who was looking for an intern. He connected me with the Governor’s Advance Team and the rest is history. I was always interested in politics, and that combined with some OCD tendencies and my appreciation for attention to details were the perfect combination.

What is your ultimate goal? A few years ago, before serving in the Trump Administration as Mrs. Trump’s Director of Advance, the ultimate goal was to work at the White House. Now that I’ve checked that box, my next goal is to serve as Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations in a future administration. It is a role that few know about and gets very little attention, but it is vital to the efficient operation of the White House, the continuity of government, and the Executive Office of the President.

Tell us about your experience working in the White House. Working for any administration is the honor of a lifetime. It is difficult to explain how special it is to walk the halls of a building so steeped in American history and tradition. Traveling the globe on behalf of the United States on some of the world’s biggest stages, surrounded by world leaders, and negotiating the terms of a presidential and/or delegation visit are incredibly humbling, and getting to do it alongside the finest American’s who serve our country in our armed services and security services is the ultimate privilege.

What is your biggest career failure/challenge you have faced, and what did you learn from it? The biggest career challenge in my line of work is the fact that, even in good times, you are usually out of a job (or looking for a new job) every four years or so. The best way to overcome this is to put your head down, work hard, do a good job, and keep your mouth shut. I have learned to evaluate career options with both a short and long term perspective and to conceptualize how each new step will help me to reach my ultimate goal.

What is your proudest accomplishment? My proudest accomplishment so far was representing the Office of the First Lady and the Office of the President throughout 28 states, 14 countries, and 6 continents. I was also honored to become a commissioned officer (Special Assistant to the President) during my time serving as Director of Advance and Trip Coordinator to the First Lady. In addition, I had the pleasure of flying aboard Marine One and Air Force One on multiple occasions.

In what ways did MKA prepare you for the path your life has taken? I had teachers and mentors at MKA who taught me to challenge the status quo, never settle for mediocrity, and to do all you do with pride. Those mentors taught me to work hard and stay humble. I will forever be grateful for the leadership from the likes of JC Svec, George Hrab, Johnnie Bennett, and Dr. Flocco.

“[Working in the White House] alongside the finest Americans who serve our country in our armed services is the ultimate privilege.”

DANIEL ROSES '11

Tell us about your work. I have been a Doctor of Chiropractic for four years now, and I absolutely love it. A chiropractor specifically detects and corrects misalignments in the spine, which we call subluxations. While subluxations are best known for causing neck and back pain issues, they can also hinder the functionality of organs and the nervous system, causing a variety of health problems such as asthma and irritable bowel syndrome. We fix these subluxations through a specific chiropractic adjustment in which we move the misaligned vertebrae off of the compressed nerve to allow the body to reach its optimum functionality.

Why chiropractic? How did you first become interested in your profession? I come from a family of chiropractors: my father, two aunts, two uncles, and a cousin are all chiropractors. So, growing up, while most kids had summer jobs bagging groceries or waiting tables, I worked in my father’s office developing X-rays. While doing this, I was able to see firsthand the different miracles that chiropractic can bring, and I knew it was something I wanted to be a part of.

What is your biggest career failure/challenge you have faced and what did you learn from it? One of the biggest challenges I have faced throughout my career is being in an industry that is met with a lot of skepticism and pushback. This experience has inspired me to double down on my confidence in chiropractic and grow a passion for educating others on the multitude of ways in which chiropractic can improve their daily lives.

What is your proudest accomplishment? My proudest accomplishment by far is being owner of my practice, The Nest — Family, Pediatric + Prenatal Chiropractic in Parsippany, NJ. For the first three years of my career, I was an associate at different offices. While that was a great learning experience, I did not feel like I was living up to my greatest potential and knew that owning my own practice would be the optimal way to not only spread my passion for chiropractic but also to take care of people in the communities that I grew up in. For more information, please visit my website www.thenestchiro.com and follow our FB/IG handles @thenestchiro.

In what ways did MKA prepare you for the path your life has taken? MKA taught me to push the boundaries when it came to individual entrepreneurship. As an MKA Lifer, there were many times throughout my MKA tenure that at the time seemed extremely challenging and scary, such as the junior thesis or eighth grade science project. Looking back, those were core building blocks in helping me persevere through challenges at chiropractic school and preparing me to run my own business. My teachers at MKA have forever inspired me to lead my life and my business with integrity and empathy. I will never forget Mr. Fleming’s compassion in teaching and Ms. Watkins’ bright, warm greetings every day in middle school. I do my best every day to lead my practice, my staff, and my patients in the same way my MKA teachers led me, and I am grateful for their endless lessons.

Management Podcast to discuss his successful career in sports working with the Vegas Golden Knights, DraftKings Inc., and now the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

2006. / MKA / Ms. Natalie Azzoli, 8 Spruce Street, Apt. 50H, New York, NY 10038; nat6888@gmail.com

Ms. Angela McCaffrey, 229 Crescenzi Court, West Orange, NJ 07052; angelamccaffrey@ gmail.com

Congratulations to Caroline Richardson ’07 and Sean Gaffney on the birth of their second child, Langley McKee on October 28, 2022.

Congratulations to Katie Gelnaw Patton and her husband Michael on welcoming their daughter Robin Faye Patton on November 18, 2022. 8

2007. / MKA / Mr. Brian May; bmay88@gmail.com

Mr. Harry Raymond; raymond.harry@gmail.com

Mr. Stuart Harwood; stuartmharwood@gmail.com

Congratulations to Harry Raymond and his wife Andrea on their marriage on July 9, 2022 at The Otesaga Resort Hotel in Cooperstown, NY. 9

Kassie Dantzler Press spent five months working with collaborators and living with a local family, in Tororo, Uganda. Her teams, both in Uganda and at Stanford, study the development of natural immunity to malaria. She studied samples from children who experienced regular symptomatic or asymptomatic malaria, with the aim to understand why natural immunity isn't totally effective and how they might make it more effective through novel therapeutics. Her project focuses on how the function of specific immune cells change following repeated infection. Outside of the lab, she climbed Tororo Rock with the team every weekend, and organized a group trip to Sipi Falls, a beautiful series of waterfalls in the region.

Congratulations to Hannah Gill Barker and her husband Will on the birth of their daughter Waverly Devereux Barker on October 13, 2022. 10

Congratulations to Emann Odufu on curating Samuel Stabler’s exhibition, Money, at the National Arts Club in Manhattan in October 2022. The exhibition is described as Stabler’s first solo exhibition in which he examines the concept of money and wealth in modern society. …Stabler is concerned with how the machine of wealth can be used as a tool to understand the human psyche, tracking this theme across different times, geographies, and cultures.

2008. / MKA / Mr. Matthew Metzger, 235 Elizabeth Street, Apt #1B New York, NY 10012; metzgermd@gmail.com

Congratulations to Francesca Bacardi on her engagement to Joe Vastola on August 6, 2022. 11

Congratulations to Elise McMullen Bitter and her husband Matt on the birth of their first child, Brady Peter Bitter on August 10, 2022. 12

Congratulations to Stuart Hinds on his engagement to Devon Keefe in September 2022.

Congratulations to Amanda Azzoli on her marriage to Kevin Bornatsch on October 8, 2022.

2009. / MKA / Mr. Brian Purcell, 63 Wall St, Apt 1509 New York, NY 10005; bnpurcell14@gmail.com

Ms. Jane Stanton, 240 South Mountain Avenue, Montclair, NJ 07042; janestanton18@gmail.com

Congratulations to Brian Purcell on his engagement to Heather Marrison in August 2022 at the Montclair Golf Club. 13

Congratulations to Jack Merriman on his marriage to Minisha Lohani on September 17, 2022. 14

Congratulations to Taylor Sutton and his wife Gabby on the birth of their son Beckham Asher Sutton on September 4, 2022.

Congratulations to Giri Nathan on being named the inaugural winner of the Tom Perrotta Prize for Tennis Journalism by the International Tennis Writers Association (ITWA). The annual prize, which is awarded to a writer under the age of 40 who

Classmates got together to celebrate Melissa Minton’s wedding. Pictured left to right back row: Blair Landolfi, Stacey Minton Greenberg ’08, Seth Bynum, and Steve Bezer. Left to right front row: Lauren Friezo, Melissa Minton, and Becky Smith

ASHVIN MELWANI '12

Tell us about your work. My name is Ash Melwani, and I am the CMO and Co-Founder of a Health and Wellness Brand called Obvi! We started Obvi with a simple goal in mind and that was to make supplements look and feel younger, specifically collagen supplements. Since we began in 2019, we have surpassed over $40M in revenue in just three years all while completely bootstrapped!

Why a supplement brand? What interested you in this space? If you look at the collagen space right now, products that boast anti-aging and youthfulness come across as lackluster, dull, tasteless, boring: the list goes on. That felt to us like a major gap in the market. So we decided to launch Obvi with three unique flavors for a collagen protein: Fruity Cereal, Cocoa Cereal, and Cinna Cereal.

The idea is that you should be taking a collagen supplement daily if you'd like to slow down the whole aging process. But you're only going to consistently use something if it tastes great, right? That's why we went with those incredible, nostalgic flavors because we felt like it would be something people WANTED to take not HAD to.

After launching, we sold out in 14 days and the rest was history. Obvi just won “brand of the year.” What, besides your and your team's endless hard work, would you attribute this to? Social/Digital marketing? Advertising? I really think the success of the brand comes from the online community that we've built. We have one of the largest communities with over 60k members in a Facebook Group that consists of mostly Obvi customers.

What's different about Obvi is that it is completely consumercentric. We're able to support our customers in a way that feels more personal as well as get feedback about our products in real-time to help shape the future of the brand. This allows us to continuously build a sense of loyalty to the brand, which is what a lot of brands fail to do.

What is your biggest career failure/challenge you have faced, and what did you learn from it? The biggest challenge has been the recent turn of events in the last year. Apple's iOS 14.5 update really did a number on small businesses. The update affected how small businesses utilized platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, etc, for sponsored ads. Long story short, the update really affected the effectiveness of these ads and really put some small businesses in a bad position.

What we learned from it was that we shouldn't put all our eggs in one basket and that we need to diversify our marketing efforts! It also pushed us to really focus on the customer experience. If the cost to acquire a customer is going up, how can we keep a current customer with the brand for longer? That will usually come from a better overall experience.

What do you want your legacy to be? I would love Obvi to become a household name. The number of stories and lives changed that we have personally seen within our community is invaluable. I want to be able to change a lot more lives than we currently have and really leave our mark in the industry.

What advice would you give to young alumni looking to be an entrepreneur / start a business? The best piece of advice I can give someone looking to be an entrepreneur is to follow your passion. As a business owner or entrepreneur who is just starting out, there are times that you will be working long hours for little pay. You have to enjoy what you're doing or you will never make it to the point where you'll start to see the fruits of your labor.

In what ways did MKA prepare you for the path your life has taken? The biggest thing that MKA prepared me for was really taking pride in my work. There are no shortcuts or hacks to success. My teachers taught me that if I put in 100%, they will give me back 150%. So I think about life the same way. Whatever you do in the future, give it 100%. It is the only way you'll find success in any field that you may venture down.

“There are no shortcuts or hacks to success. My teachers taught me that if I put in 100%, they will give me back 150%. So I think about life the same way. ”

shows excellence in tennis journalism, was presented during the US Open.

Alumni Marta Garibaldi and Ian Pelse ’10 were married on September 10, 2022 in the Berkshires. It was a mini MKA Reunion with other alumni in attendance: Mike Dunn, Laura Ovadia, Andrew Farrelly ’10, Katherine Davis, Rob Gelberg ’10, and Mark Bylancik ’10 15

2010. / MKA / Ms. Devon Barrett, 109 Llewellyn Road, Montclair, NJ 07042; dlb792@aim.com

Mr. Matthew Palmisano, 2812 39th Street NW,

Washington, DC 20007; matt.r.palmisano@gmail.com

Congratulations to Julie Longthorne on her engagement to Chris Dempsey in September 2022.

2011. / MKA / Mr. Seth Bynum, 23-43 35th St, Long Island City, NY 11105; seth.bynum1@gmail.com

Ms. Carina Wong, 9 Deer Trail Road, North Caldwell, NJ 07006; carinamwong@gmail.com

Congratulations to Sierra Cocoziello on her marriage to Evan Gannicott on July 16,

2022 at Cooper Spur Mountain Resort in Oregon. 16

Congratulations to Melissa Minton on her marriage to Jack Espino in August 2022.

Congratulations to Blair Landolfi and her new husband Jon Fredericks on getting married on October 29, 2022. 17

Congratulations to Matthew Staples on marrying Elsa Spring in September 2022.

Congratulations to Hayne Lim on her marriage to Will Ritchings on October 8, 2022 at the Abigail Kirsch at Tappan Hill in Tarrytown, NY.

Congratulations to Travers Nammack on getting engaged to Meredith Hompe in November 2022 in Easton, Maryland. 18

2012. / MKA / Ms. Casey Holden, 573 Farmdale Road Franklin Lakes, NJ 07417 casey.musicant@gmail.com

Mr. Ed Rosini, 32 Edgemont Road, Montclair, NJ 07042; erosini32@gmail.com

Congratulations to Blake Rohde and his wife Stephanie on tying the knot in August 2022. 19

Michael P. Friezo, age 59, passed away peacefully on July 15, 2022 surrounded by his family after a courageous 14-month battle with pancreatic cancer. He was a devoted son, brother, husband, father, mentor, and friend. Through it all, Michael preserved his sense of humor, grace, and hope until the very end.

Michael lived a love story with a 37-year marriage to his childhood sweetheart and very best friend Michele (Scardino). His two most precious gifts were his daughters, Lauren ’11 and Caroline '15, both Lifers at MKA. Michael cherished watching Lauren perform in Deetjen and cheering on Caroline and the

girls’ tennis team. Michael gave generously of his personal time, wisdom, and resources, funding scholarships and serving on the Board of Trustees at MKA.

Michael led an illustrious, 30-year financial career spanning Salomon Brothers, Credit Suisse First Boston, and Deutsche Bank, where he ran equity capital markets for the Americas. In 2017, Michael founded FLOW, an oil and gas analytics company, with his partner, Tom Loughrey. Today the company counts some of the world’s largest investors and energy companies as clients.

A longtime resident of Montclair, he contributed to The American Red Cross, The Montclair Food Pantry, The Montclair Art Museum, and St. Cassian Catholic Church. He was also an active member of Bradford Bath & Tennis Club. Since 1990, Michael and his family have become increasingly involved in supporting Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (where he received treatment), establishing the Friezo Family Support Fund. The Fund helps alleviate economic concerns for families with children receiving cancer care at MSK.

Congratulations to Craig Schweitzer on his engagement to Macaire in August 2022.

Congratulations to Emma Jenkins on her engagement to Chad in September 2022.

Congratulations to Kieran Powell on his engagement to Amanda Tachon in Central Park in December 2022. 20

2013. / MKA / Ms. Elizabeth “Lizzie” Amato; Liz.J.amato@gmail.com

Mr. Edward Bozik; bozik@me.com

Congratulations to Kaitlyn Eda on her engagement to Liam Casey. She said “yes” in Paris, France in July 2022. 21

Congratulations to Meredith Shelby on her engagement to Alex Carter in September 2022.

It is with great sadness that we share the news that Jeffrey Smith, father of alumni Jeffrey Smith, passed away after a battle with illness on October 1, 2022, at the age of 67.

Congratulations to Robert Pannulo and his beautiful wife Nicole Battipaglia on October 8, 2022 at The Rockleigh in Rockleigh, NJ. 22

Congratulations to Claudia Sheer on being recognized as the Top 10% of managers at Yelp.

Congratulations to Robert Pannullo on his interview in Forbes about the landmark announcement about the unionization of Minor League Baseball that will impact the future of the game for generations to come.

kassandra.fotiadis@gmail.com

Congratulations to Hayley Morris and her new husband Scott Toresco on getting married on October 22, 2022 in New York City.

Sydney Silodor displayed her poured iron artwork, “Water Up, Fire Down,” in Fata Organa. This Lower East Side group exhibition featured artists from NYU and was centered around mental health. Sydney is pursuing a masters in art therapy at NYU Steinhardt. She helps others through creative self-expression in art therapy. 23

2015.

interacting with brands and analyzing consumer behavior. She sees the consumer goods sector as an opportunity to bring sustainability and environmental justice into mainstream conversations.

2014. / MKA / Ms. Kassandra Fotiadis;

/

MKA

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Ms. Korinne “Kori” Durando koridurando@gmail.com

Matt Napoli married Heidi Zellhuber in July 2022 at the Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, NJ. 24

Congratulations to Jessica Schmitz on her engagement to Tate Veley on October 2, 2022.

Congratulations to Isaiah Thompson on his engagement to Kaitlin Obien on November 20, 2022.

Evin Henriquez-Groves is the founder of ENVI. ENVI is developing an enterprise SaaS (software) tool to measure, track, and report sustainability performance within the consumer goods sector. Evin has a B.S. in Cognitive Neuroscience from Yale University and contributed to two national research initiatives during undergrad. She created ENVI because what began as an experiment to reduce her own levels of consumption, turned into a passion that she wanted to build a career around. After graduation, Evin spent nearly two years at a top entertainment agency

ENVI is opening their first round of fundraising with a Family & Friends round. Evin is looking for additional advisors, financial contributors to the round, consumer goods brands, mentors, and anyone interested in learning more about ENVI's objectives. She is currently working with advisors from the Yale School of the Environment to develop the software tool. You can find out more about ENVI on their website https://www.envi. eco/. Please contact the Alumni Office if you are interested in an investment opportunity!

2016. / MKA / Ms. Zoe Bieler; zoe.bieler@gmail.com

Mr. Charles Rilli; crilli33@gmail.com

Lily Andres; lily.andres@gmail.com

2017. / MKA / Ms. Jenna Donatiello; jdonatiello12@aol.com

Mr. Matthew ‘Matt’ Rubenstein; mattrubenstein98@gmail.com

2018. / MKA / Ms. Lailanni Lucien; llucien05@gmail.com

Mr. Keenan McAuliffe; keenan.cavenaugh13@gmail. com

Ms. Kerri McGuire; kerrimcg11@yahoo.com

Congratulations to Michael Butler on his new job, UN

General Assembly Assistant in the State Department. In this role, he supports the Political Section of the U.S. Mission to the UN by taking notes, attending high-level meetings like that of the Security Council, and drafting diplomatic cables, among other tasks. He says Lafayette College and his internship at the United Nations helped him gain this opportunity. 25

2021. Alumni from the Class of 2021, Sean Stites and Jonah Barbin, interned for the MLB draft, researching and writing profiles for onair talent about the top one hundred 2022 draft prospects. They worked directly for Greg Amsinger (parent of an MKA alum) to revamp and modernize the MLB draft broadcast and then traveled to Los Angeles to work on set as stage manager for the duration of the draft.

Ariel Grossman’s essay “Virtual Authenticity? How the Picturesque Aesthetic Still Finds Itself in Post-Pandemic Trends” was selected to be published in the 2022 annual issue of REMAKE, which showcases first-year work at Washington University in St. Louis that the university believes to change the conversation by challenging our assumptions and giving new shape to the perspectives we hold.

ABE ABUKWAIK '15

Tell us about your work. I'm the owner of Adsync Media, a marketing company that specializes in selling health insurance leads to America's top insurance companies. If I had to define it, I'm a marketer and businessman. But at my core, I absolutely love to solve problems and serve others with transformational products and services. Building a business is essentially creating a platform to "engineer solutions," and doing that gives me the freedom to build and create every day!

Why Entrepreneurship? When did you first become interested in starting your own company? I've always felt a greater purpose to lead, inspire, and serve others. Early on, I was always fascinated by the idea of business and commerce, but at the time, I didn't really think of it as a career. I remember buying broken iPhones on eBay, fixing them, packaging them very nicely (always with a hand-written note that inspired a smile!), and then selling them for a profit. The profit was cool, but it was the amazing reviews and the process of earning that review that always made me feel most fulfilled.

Today, it's that same feeling that fills me with life every day. Being able to identify problems worth solving, engineer solutions, and see how those solutions positively transform the lives of others are truly the greatest gifts I could ask for.

What is your biggest career failure/challenge you have faced, and what did you learn from it? My biggest challenge was before I started in business. When I was 17, I moved to Argentina

to play professional soccer and it was the most cut-throat, hostile environment I had ever been in. I was challenged mentally, physically, and emotionally at the highest level. But I pushed through the challenges and eventually made my mark on the team there. While I didn't pursue a career in soccer, I learned the importance of being absolutely relentless. That lesson will never leave me.

What is your proudest accomplishment? Ha! It's tough to say because I feel like I haven't really accomplished anything. If anything, I'd say that I'm proud I didn't quit in business during the early years. For almost three years, I severely struggled and wanted to quit every day. I just kept telling myself, "I'll quit tomorrow." While I feel like I still have a long way to go, I'm definitely happy I didn't stop when I said I would.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years? I think everyone can do more than they think they can. The same way I've had mentors who have shown me what's possible, my goal in business and life is to trailblaze and set the standard as high as humanly possible so I have the experiences and lessons to help others do the same.

In what ways did MKA prepare you for the path your life has taken? MKA gave me the support and resources to get started! During my senior year, they offered a program called "Startup 101," which ultimately threw me into the world of business (unintentionally). What I thought was "just a 30-day project" ended up becoming the beginning of my career and the life I live today.

Your annual gift to The MKA Fund has an immediate impact on the lives of each one of our students.

It expands the margin of excellence, allows us to say YES to new opportunities, and provides the resources to create a vibrant, challenging, and supportive learning experience that is unique for each and every student.

9:1 STUDENT TEACHER RATIO AT PRIMARY SCHOOL 50% OVER

1:1 PROGRAM OF LAPTOPS OR IPADS FOR EVERY STUDENT GRADES PRE-K - 12

150 students participated Global Experience trips last school year + 25+ years performing at Carnegie Hall

150+ ATHLETIC CHAMPIONSHIPS IN THE LAST 15 YEARS

OVER

8

COMMUNITY SCHOLARSHIPS

$5 million

of financial aid awarded annually

14

of Juniors and Seniors take AP and Post AP Classes Affinity Groups and growing across 3 campuses IMPACT IN ACTION

HELP OUR STUDENTS CULTIVATE THEIR OWN SUPERPOWERS WITH A GIFT TO THE MKA FUND.

To find out more visit www.mka.org/supportmka

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Located in Vermont, Lane Press genuinely cares about preserving the world around them. This issue is printed on Forest Stewardship Council paper. FSC is a nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring that the world's forests are sustainably managed. Ink choice and ink management are equally important when being environmentally responsible. Lane Press maximizes the percentage of vegetable oil (soy ink) contained in their ink. They purchase ink from a supplier (Flint Group) that prohibits the use of substances known to be harmful. Flint Group is committed to formulating state-of-the-art, environmentally friendly products while minimizing potential negative impacts to the environment.