Spring 2024 Review Magazine

ART AT THE HE ART

WELCOME to our latest issue

It is my pleasure to introduce the Spring 2024 Review magazine. In these pages, you will find the intention, evidence, and incredible renderings of the vibrant Arts community fostered at MKA by talented educators and inspiring student artists.

“Artistic expression encourages critical thinking and problem-solving while remaining a realm with few strict formulas. MKA allows students to explore, experiment, and find innovative solutions.”

Growing up, I didn’t have the opportunity to learn an instrument and never imagined myself on any artistic stage. I’m grateful that my children are having very different artistic experiences here at MKA. My oldest child, Logan Furlonge, Class of 2023, is a first-year college student who has declared a dual major: English with a concentration in Creative Writing and Studio Arts. I can not imagine she would be in the place she is today without the artistic opportunities she forged at MKA and the relationships she developed with all of her teachers.

MKA’s Arts program plays an essential role in elevating creativity and fostering an intellectual life in all of our students. Beyond the canvas, darkroom, and stage, the Arts cultivate lifelong skills that are transferable and endurable. As you will see in the following pages, students enter our school ready to participate in and take advantage of state-of-the-art facilities and our diverse Arts offerings. The Fine and Performing Arts imbue every aspect of a student’s educational development, and as alumni, many graduates build upon this foundation that enables them to be creative, empathetic, and confident contributors to the world.

Artistic expression encourages critical thinking and problem-solving while remaining a realm with few strict formulas. MKA allows students to explore, experiment, and find innovative solutions. This kind of flexible, dynamic thinking is a core competency at MKA. The Arts serve as a powerful medium for self-discovery and self-expression. Whether it's through painting, drama, or music, students learn to articulate their values, thoughts, and emotions. Collaborative projects and performances teach teamwork and communication skills, fostering an environment where individuals learn to appreciate diverse perspectives and work towards shared goals. These habits of mind and habits of heart build confidence and emotional intelligence. And most of all, what we hear in our concerts, witness on our stages, and see on our walls is simply beautiful and brings joy to our community.

With gratitude,

Nigel D. Furlonge, Head of School

EDITORS

Gretchen Berra

Kim Saunders

ASSISTANT EDITORS/ COPY EDITORS

Madison Kilduff

Marnie McNany

DESIGN

Mercer Design

www.mercerdesign.co.uk

CONTRIBUTORS

Ashley Conde

Laela Perkins

PHOTOGRAPHERS

Michael Branscom

Carl Flocco

David Kenas

Tucked within the pages of the insert awaits a vibrant showcase—a collection of the dynamic visual artistry emanating from all three MKA campuses. These astonishing creations highlight the contributions of our faculty members and the innovative spirit of our students. It's a celebration of creativity at MKA that knows no bounds!

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

THIS IS VISUAL ARTS AT MKA

ART

THIS IS AT MKA

MKA is committed to fostering creativity in all of our students, from our youngest learners to the oldest. We believe that the Fine and Performing Arts are essential to children’s emotional and physical well-being and to balanced, joyful lives that set the stage (and prep the canvas) for infinite growth. We offer an Arts program with deep, broad, and plentiful opportunities, supported by dedicated facilities on each campus and a passionate faculty who love to teach art as much as they live to create it.

At MKA an Arts education is not only delivered in the art room and fostered on the stage, it intentionally permeates other disciplines, enabling every one of our students to notice and wonder about a subject through the lens of creativity. For this reason, Art is at the Heart at MKA.

Thanks to the strength of our program, MKA’s fine and performing artists are consistently recognized. Our students achieve success in competitions. Our productions garner professional honors. And many graduates pursue art in college, with several going on to thriving professional careers.

THIS IS ART AT THE PRIMARY SCHOOL

Jocelyn Fine, Chair of the Primary School F&PA Department

Entering the teaching profession as an artist, my approach mirrored that of Barbara DuRant, MKA’s long-time Primary School Visual Arts instructor. We connected during my time at the Chapin School, and when Barb decided to retire, she passed her legacy to me. As an Arts teacher, my role involves exposing children to various materials so they can be successful while teaching them versatility and fostering artistic concepts. Our program carefully scaffolds information, ensuring continuous concept building from Pre-K onward.

In the Primary School, the Arts extend beyond the studio, integrating into various disciplines. Collaborative projects are common, offering an empowering means of communication, especially for younger students who may not be writing yet, and this is how they communicate and express themselves. We link art with science, creating shadow puppets for light lessons, and sculptures for pulley and motion concepts. When the students learn about poetry, we will create self-portraits that overlay their poems. In French class, the students make up characters and then explore French words and how to translate them artistically. Connections between academic subjects, drama, and music further reinforce the value of cross-disciplinary integration.

Kristen Weaver's drama class incorporates social-emotional workshops tied to expressive storytelling, while music teacher Jane Smith has her students use handbells in performances across all three campuses and beyond to celebrate the Arts. The students get excited to perform publicly and learn confidence and belonging along with skills and techniques. Having our youngest learners express their individuality is central, inspiring us with their curiosity, open-mindedness, and free expression. Kids know how to do that so much more than adults!

Further emphasizing project-based learning, the Art department collaborates with the third grade's Capstone, ensuring a more integrated and robust program. These integrated projects offer diverse opportunities for each child to succeed and express themselves uniquely.

Beyond nurturing budding artists, Arts at the Primary School instill crucial life skills—risk-taking, embracing mistakes, and open exploration. These skills transcend the Arts, influencing success across all disciplines for every child, artistically inclined or not.

THIS IS ART AT THE MIDDLE SCHOOL

Dr. Monica Elmore, Chair of the Middle School F&PA Department

The Middle School years are a time of intense change and growth. We believe in educating children holistically, and the Arts allow students to tap into the creative process and share their feelings and their stories through all different areas, whether it's music, visual arts, dance, theater, or film. We encourage students to keep an open mind as they're being introduced to all different areas of the Fine and Performing Arts and to know that their journey is specific to them and their level of ability, whatever that happens to look like.

When you walk into a Fine and Performing Arts classroom, you'll see students collaborating with their peers, working with the teacher, learning about the history of the specific style of art that they're studying, and discussing why that's so important. We utilize differentiated instruction: we know that every child in our classroom is going to learn differently, so we make it our utmost priority to meet the needs of each student where they are. We communicate to the students, and I can't stress this enough, this is their safe space for them to be their authentic selves, hone their skills as artists, and not be uncomfortable sharing their story with the school community at large.

We make it a point to collaborate with our colleagues in other academic disciplines. You'll see members of our department collaborating with teachers in World Language and English making those cross-curricular connections across all areas of their learning process. Fangzhou Zhang and I partner together to have her students celebrate the beauty of the Lunar New Year and the beauty of diversity in its many forms, by having her Chinese students perform in our MLK concert. In her Shakespeare unit, Lisa Gunn-Becker collaborates with the English department so students read Shakespeare and are taught the significance of why it is a core work at MKA. Art goes beyond just what the students are doing in our classrooms. They're making connections to the Arts in math, in science, and in world language.

Art is everywhere at MKA and it's valued. We're very proud of that, as a department. It's in the fabric of everything we do, and everything we stand for. It speaks to inclusivity. It allows students to see themselves in their learning process, as well as to embrace the diversity of everyone else that they're learning about and collaborating with.

The Arts at the Middle School are transformative. Students are given opportunities to try out all different areas of the arts, which often leads to the discovery of a specific art form they're passionate about, and then the sky's the limit. It's exciting to see students find their passion and then take it to the next level, and it all starts from those building blocks that they had when they were at the Middle School.

In the studio: Sarah Mueller, Upper School F&PA Department Co-Chair

Nicole Hoppe

THIS IS ART AT THE UPPER SCHOOL

and Sarah Mueller, Co-Chairs of the Upper School F&PA Department

Nicole: Upon my arrival, I was entrusted with the mission to revive the sense of "family fun" and deep love for the arts that Marilyn Faden, seasoned MKA teacher and theater luminary, had instilled in her students. I believe the theater is a vibrant space where creativity thrives, whether it is on stage, backstage, or during the cherished rehearsal hours. A humorous twist to this endeavor came from the late Tony Cuneo, who asserted, "Just because they're teenagers doesn't mean they can't be serious artists." I've endeavored to reconcile these seemingly opposing ideas, emphasizing to my students that if they walk into my room stressed, akin to approaching a chemistry test, something is awry. Our corner of the building should be a haven—a place to shed baggage, take a deep breath, have fun, alleviate stress, and engage in dynamic and intriguing creative pursuits. Witnessing Tony's approach, I've learned that nurturing a profound respect for the Arts can transform students into exceptional artists. At MKA, our hallmark is meeting each student where they are and propelling them further than they imagined possible, whether they're novices or seasoned young artists.

Sarah: I consistently remind my students that the essence lies in the process, savoring each step and garnering knowledge along the way, rather than fixating solely on the end result. While the final creation is significant, building confidence and comfort in their skills is paramount. Exposure to the historical roots of their craft, coupled with an understanding of its contemporary applications, pushes students beyond their comfort zones and fosters self-challenge. Freshmen arrive often timid, adhering to familiar artistic patterns, but by their junior and senior years, they contemplate and develop complex ideas that resonate with them.

Nicole: Sarah aptly captures the essence—Art at MKA is about the journey. Dispelling the myth of waiting for inspiration to strike, we emphasize the daily grind, documenting each step in visual arts, practicing scales tirelessly in music, and embracing the meticulous process. The arts, often seen as a genre where only the final product matters, demands attention to the arduous journey. Whether on Broadway or in Kristen Weaver's Primary School productions, the process remains the same.

The impact of our work in the Arts Wing extends beyond the creative realm. Just as math education isn't solely to produce mathematicians, teaching art at MKA serves a broader purpose. A student in my audition technique class exemplifies this; although not pursuing arts in college, the skills acquired in class significantly improved their performance in a college interview.

Sarah: My students, many of whom delve into drawing classes, apply their knowledge to diverse fields like product design, engineering, and robotics. Exposure to various techniques broadens their skills and perspectives. In Christa’s photography class, a lot of students are learning the process of developing film and how that can apply to their understanding of digital editing as well.

Nicole: History plays a pivotal role in our classes. Understanding the context and evolution of art is vital. Maria and I co-teach a musical theater class where we talk about how groundbreaking Hamilton is, but Hamilton doesn't exist without Rent, and Rent doesn't exist without West Side Story. Connecting different art forms and showcasing the historical progression of artistic expression is a highlight of the cross-disciplinary nature of our courses.

On stage in Weiss Auditorium: Nicole Hoppe, Upper School F&PA Department Co-Chair

One of my best student makeup artists took all that she learned in Sarah's drawing classes and all she learned from Christa in regards to shadowing and photography and applied those skills doing all of the makeup on the student actors. We had one of the singers in the musical work with John in the band, and John taught him about how to breathe for the woodwinds and that is how he has to breathe when he sings and dances at the same time. Those are the light bulb moments!

Sarah: We also see collaboration between students from different grades, which creates a strong sense of community within our school. The mentorship from older students to younger ones fosters a supportive environment, enhancing the overall school experience.

Nicole: The integration of the arts in all areas of the school is intentional, enabling students to participate and pursue varied interests seamlessly. From night rehearsals to accommodating sports schedules, our commitment to providing an enriching experience for our students is evident. The fusion of disciplines within the F&PA department reflects the broader ethos of collaboration and balance that defines our school.

It

is

the tradition before every production that Nicole

writes a poem to her cast. Last year, before the first-ever Alumni play YouCan’tTakeitWithYou , the Alumni actors wrote her one:

Back in the year 2008 there was an opening in the theatre MKA was down a director and needed a new teacher. Someone to produce and mount musicals, plays, and performances and to teach a full course load; the requirements were enormous.

MKA got that teacher, but in truth got so much more: An artist, mentor, leader, and friend with an always open door. Of her there is no equal, of her there is no copy. This school needed a teacher. What it got was a Hoppe.

From Footloose to Forum, Shrek to Chicago, and every show in between she made us laugh, she made us cry and made each of us feel seen. Now we’re back up here in Deetjen, back up on the stage. Hoppe, look at all these lives you’ve touched, all these lives you’ve changed.

From lines we couldn’t remember to moments we’ll never forget, each one of us is grateful and forever in your debt. So here’s to Nicole Hoppe, the reason for this show. To you we give a round of applause and to you we say, Bravo.

“ART IS EVERYWHERE AT MKA AND IT'S VALUED . IT'S IN THE FABRIC OF EVERYTHING WE DO, AND EVERYTHING WE STAND FOR. IT ALLOWS STUDENTS TO SEE THEMSELVES IN THEIR LEARNING PROCESS, AS WELL AS TO EMBRACE THE DIVERSITY OF EVERYONE ELSE THAT THEY'RE LEARNING ABOUT AND COLLABORATING WITH.”

DR. MONICA ELMORE

ART AT THE HE ART

In order of booklet

Giorgio Altirs ‘24 Acrylic on Paper

Ben Safirstein ‘26 Charcoal, Ink on Paper

Saniya Bansal ‘26

Morgan Lee ‘24 Photography

Cameron Corbett ‘24 Self Portrait

Eliana Vega ‘24 Silver Gelatin Print, 2023

Morgan Lee ‘24

Vicki So ‘26 Turntable

Teddy Trento ‘34

Gemma Szegedi ‘36

Alicia Cuccolo Ancient History of a Distant Future

Christa Leonard Three dahlias, silver gelatin print

Jocelyn Fine Everything there is made of Gold

Sarah Mueller Enter and Exit, Site Specific Mixed Media Installation

Joelle Francht Apartment #4

Hudson Hargrave ‘24 Half Moon

ART IN ACTION

Brandon Uranowitz ’04

What has been your journey since graduating from MKA?

I had always been a musical theater kid, but when I was at MKA, I started falling in love with plays, and I realized I wanted to be an actor so I went to NYU for acting. Funnily enough, during my senior year at NYU, I was in a main-stage musical, the only musical I ever did when I was in college. There was an agent in the audience who wanted to sign me and said, "We're going to send you out for musicals."

My first big job was the Rent tour, and then Baby It's You!, then American in Paris, Falsettos, Prince of Broadway, and The Band's Visit. It was mostly musical theater, and all I really wanted to do was be an actor. My first play on Broadway, where I was allowed to stretch my acting muscles was Burn This.

When moving from musical theater to plays and trying to prove myself as an actor, what set me apart, and what the theater community appreciated about me, was what I brought to the characters. It wasn’t just singing and moving, it was the storytelling.

I don't know what's on the horizon. I want to do film and TV, and I am working on some things here and there. I have leverage now to be able to try and fight for my break into TV (because you have to insist on yourself in this industry), but it’s not something I’ve ever been good at doing. I think a lot of people assume that fame is the ultimate destination on the journey. For me, it's never really been about that. The only thing I think fame has to offer for actors is opportunities for more work. And so that’s really the only reason I want to move into film and TV. I'm a theater kid to the core. That's where I find the most joy, that's where I find the most creative satisfaction. But it's hard to make money in the theater.

What is your proudest moment to date from a career perspective? I felt very proud when I won a Tony. I think that the pride I felt at that specific moment was more about being able to thank my parents. I absorbed their pride through osmosis at that moment. All I've ever really wanted was to be able to thank them in that way, and I know that my reaching this point in my career has been a group effort and they've been leading the charge.

But also, speaking again to the fact that I had to work really hard to break out of the box of musical theater that the industry put me in, I was coming up against a lot of walls and closed doors. So

I think for me, it was also just getting the job in Leopoldstadt. It was a huge moment for me because it was so above and beyond anything that I thought the industry would allow me to do. So to get that permission, and then to be celebrated for it, well… I could wrap Leopoldstadt up in a neat little package from the first audition to the day it closed, I think that would be considered my proudest moment.

What is the greatest professional challenge that you've ever had to overcome? I think my biggest challenge was not only getting people to pay attention to the other things that I have to offer as an actor, but also, and I think these two go hand in hand, learning to advocate for myself in a meaningful, productive way. It was hard for me to feel entitled enough to be able to stand up for myself and insist on myself in this industry. On the other side of this though are really exciting things, so you just have to push through the discomfort in some way

How did studying the Arts at MKA prepare you to become the artist you are? My experience at MKA legitimately changed the trajectory of my life and my career. I don't want what I'm about to say to make it seem like I didn't find MKA to be a safe space. I loved my high school career: I loved MKA and had an amazing time at the school. It was also a very different place than it is now, all private schools were at the time.

Recently, I visited one of my best friends from high school, and as we were driving through Montclair we drove by MKA to see the school. As we passed by, there were all of these Pride flags in the windows in the cafeteria. We were very, deeply moved by this because when we were at MKA, no people were advocating for a gay-straight alliance. In fact, the GSA was denied. It was not the place that it is now, and that's exciting to me as MKA has always felt like a progressive place.

When I got to MKA, I was still in the closet, and I thought that one of the ways I could make myself feel safe and not outed was to not do the musicals. I felt like if I did the musicals, then it would just be over for me. Like I said, it was a different time.

I knew I wanted to do something in the arts and participate in some way, so I decided to do the plays. J.C. Svec, who was the theater teacher at the time, saw something in me and kept casting me in them. In addition, I took an elective English class with Mrs.

Gerard called Modern American Drama. The first play we read was Sam Shephard's Buried Child, and I was like, "Wait, what? This is amazing.” And then we read Tennessee Williams and Arthur Miller, and all of these amazing playwrights that I hadn't been exposed to. They changed my life. And that's when I decided, “I'm going to go to college for acting.” So although my passion was born out of unfortunate circumstances at MKA, I think it was the best thing to happen to me. I think ultimately it opened up my eyes to what I really wanted for myself as an actor and as an artist. I don't know many schools that would've had a class like that, so I feel very fortunate. It changed everything for me.

What is one piece of advice that you would give an aspiring thespian? I think it would be to know who you are. Be yourself and make no apologies for who you are. Being yourself is what sets you apart and makes your work real. It took me a while to learn that comparing myself to others and trying to be like others was denying my own identity. Once I reclaimed my identity and stood authentically, the work got better, and my career started taking off.

I sort of reject the idea that actors are chameleons. I think that for every character I've played, the only way that I can bring authenticity and truth to it is to find whoever that character is in Brandon. I have to find a version of myself, no matter how ugly. I always bring up Meryl Streep in these moments. Meryl Streep, the greatest living actor of our time, has played the entire spectrum of people. Every character you watch her play, you can see Meryl Streep in it. She doesn't actually deny herself from the character. She is someone who knows who she is and has a firm grasp of her identity. I think that's how you make your work sparkle, how you make it magical, how you make it singular and unique.

"I'm a theater kid to the core. That's where I find the most joy, that's where I find the most creative satisfaction, it's in my blood, and that's where I feel most at home and most comfortable."

Bio: Brandon Uranowitz won the 2023 Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle Awards for his performance in Tom Stoppard’s Tony and Olivier Award winning Leopoldstadt. He was previously nominated for Tony and Drama Desk awards for the Broadway revivals of Lanford Wilson’s Burn This (2019) and Falsettos (2017). He also received a 2015 Tony nomination for An American in Paris. Other Broadway credits include The Band’s Visit, Prince of Broadway and Baby, It’s You! Brandon starred in the acclaimed 2021 off-Broadway revival of Assassins at CSC, directed by John Doyle. Film credits include Here Today, The Kitchen and Stage Fright. Series credits include The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Fosse/Verdon, Dietland, Blue Bloods, Inside Amy Schumer and Law & Order: Criminal Intent

Marcus

Joan

ART IN ACTION

Nadia Brown ’12

Tell us about your career. After graduating from MKA, I went to Marymount Manhattan College to get my Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting. I studied abroad twice: at Oxford University, where I participated in the British American Drama Academy program, and at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. Once I completed my B.F.A., I worked in regional and Off-Broadway theater until I booked Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. I made my Broadway debut playing Rose Granger-Weasley and stayed with the company post-pandemic. During the pandemic, I booked my first television role on New Amsterdam (NBC), and that was a dream come true for me. Since then, I have hosted my own show, The Green Room with Nadia Brown on the Ovation Network, booked a role on HBO’s Succession, another on FX's American Horror Stories, and have shot many commercials. Now, I am living in Brooklyn, continuing to audition, and feeling excited to see what comes next.

What is your proudest moment to date? I was asked to reprise my role at Harry Potter and the Cursed Child for a brief stint, and it had been over eight months since I had performed on a Broadway stage. I had limited rehearsal, felt out of shape, and was extremely nervous. When I took my final bow that evening, I felt so proud that the show had gone off without a hitch, and I was able to jump onto a Broadway stage after having been away from it for so long without any hiccups! It really felt like home.

What is the greatest challenge (professionally) you've had to overcome? My greatest challenge professionally has been overcoming nerves. I was very nervous in the room with Emmy winners while I was shooting Succession. I had the biggest case of imposter syndrome in my life. I got over it by leaning on my castmates. I was honest with myself and others that I was very green (or new) to the television world and rather than beating myself up for small mistakes, I opened my eyes and ears and tried to soak up and learn as much as I could.

How did studying the Arts at MKA prepare you to become the artist you are? I learned so much at MKA, particularly within the Arts program and that has shaped who I am as an artist

and as an adult today. It was not easy keeping up with all of my studies, being in Strings, Dance 3, and Acting class, doing the fall play or winter musical, and completing my homework all in one day (or many days in a row--this schedule rinsed and repeated daily), but it taught me a valuable lesson in time management, discipline, hard work, and effort. I have carried those skills with me throughout my collegiate and professional careers. Plus, I have to shout out to Hoppe and J.C. for teaching me everything I know and preparing me for my college auditions.

"No one will believe in you or your career as much as you do, and that is actually a superpower."

What is a piece of advice you would give to an aspiring thespian? Believe in yourself. I know that sounds incredibly cliché, but it's cliché for a reason. There have been many times over the past couple of years (with a pandemic, industry strike, and just general disillusionment with the world) when I have stopped believing in myself for a second and it feels awful. No one will believe in you or your career as much as you do, and that is actually a superpower. You can be your biggest advocate for the rest of your life, and no one can take that away from you.

Bio: Nadia Brown’s Broadway credits include Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (Lyric Theatre); her television credits include Succession (HBO), American Horror Stories (FX), New Amsterdam (NBC), and The Green Room (Ovation Network). Her training includes a B.F.A. from Marymount Manhattan College and study at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, London, U.K.

HOW FACILITIES AND PHILANTHROPY TOOK A SUCCESSFUL ARTS PROGRAM INTO OVERDRIVE

Dr. David Flocco, Head

of Upper School and Assistant Head of School for Strategic Initiatives

The addition of the Arts Wing at the Upper School in 2005 had a transformative effect on the school's Arts program. The success of that project highlights the importance of philanthropy in supporting educational initiatives that enhance the overall experience of every student at MKA.

The impetus to build an Arts Wing stemmed from the thriving band program, led by Band Director Alana Franklin who had succeeded Barry Centanni. The band practiced on the stage of Weiss Auditorium unless the school needed to clear the stage, for the musical for example. The band would then be displaced and have to move up to the Dining Hall. Imagine the lunch experience when a third of the Dining Hall was taken over by band practice!

We knew we urgently needed to create a proper space for our students and meet the needs of the full Arts program. Fast-forward to 2005 and our new space was completed. We had built an art studio, a sculpture studio, a band room, and a digital photo lab. We preserved a few of the original spaces, including the darkroom and wet processing lab, both of which the late Tony Cuneo advocated vociferously for. Nowadays, people don't do a lot of wet processing, but that option was something that he wanted to keep, and Christa Leonard, our current photography teacher, is so grateful that we have it as a resource for this art form and another way for kids to understand photography.

A critical component of this overhaul is also what the space allows us to do on an extracurricular basis. We provide students with robust afterschool programs to further develop their skills and become even better artists. In addition, we have created several external relationships that benefit both parties, including but not limited to the Montclair Art Museum and the Montclair Film Festival who use our space throughout the year.

Since the completion of the Arts Wing, the number of MKA graduates pursuing art programs in college has increased significantly. Where we only had a few incredibly talented student artists go on to study their craft in college, we now have between 10 and 15 students every year attending art schools. The Arts program has become a draw for students specifically choosing MKA. These artists contribute to the transformation of our program and the school overall. The Arts Wing at the Upper School reflects our genuine commitment to the arts, leaving a lasting impression on anyone who observes it or is lucky enough to create in it.

SPILLING ART

OUTSIDE OF THE ART ROOM

R ART IN SCIENCE

Ben Rich, Upper School Science Teacher and Sustainability Coordinator

As visitors step into the Upper School building from the opposite end of our Arts Wing, they see an array of prints hanging on the walls. The catalyst for this visual feast? A science teacher's belief that the essence of science lies in observation and wonder.

What ignites the passion for scientific exploration? Often, it's a singular experience that triggers curiosity, propelling individuals to delve into the mysteries of the universe. And what serves as the spark for curiosity? Beauty. Whether it manifests in the natural world, the elegance of motion, or the revelation of meticulously presented data that catches you off guard, beauty is a magnetic force.

Guided by this philosophy, Ben Rich has curated a collection of enchanting images from the natural world, strategically placed to kindle curiosity within the Science Wing of MKA's Upper School. Passers-by are encouraged to contemplate the intricacies of a bee pollinating a flower, as captured in a stunning photograph by math teacher Derek Morf, or to reflect on the alarming effects of climate change through the visual narrative of coral bleaching, which can devastate a reef in just three months. They can delve into the world of classic Darwin's Finches, understanding the unique features of their beaks through a beautifully crafted illustration. Additionally, a freehand graphite drawing by alumna Skye Volmar '15 offers a visually striking exploration of the inner workings of a fetal pig. The connections between science and art run deep.

AENDURING UNDERSTANDINGS

Liam Campbell, Upper School English Teacher and Department Chair

I focus on “enduring understandings” in my courses, including that all art is a reciprocal experience. The artist creates something with intention, and the audience must understand that intention and the context that motivated it. What keeps a work alive is how the viewer analyzes and finds meaning in their own life, continually adding to the artist's original intention in ways they couldn't have imagined. We reflect on literature this way in class, but it should apply to all the art and media students encounter in their lives.

My 20th Century World Literature course centers around Titus Kaphar's work and a TED Talk he gives called Can Art Amend History, which were incredibly impactful to me personally. Students also consider how authors use their writing to "shift the gaze" of the reader and illuminate history sidelined in traditional accounts. In the culminating assignment of the semester, The Exhibition Project, students curate an exhibition of visual art pieces that they set beside three short analytical pieces, one of which is the students’ description of an independent field trip to a museum in NYC they are required to take. The only instruction on this final piece is to explore the museum, find a work of art that grabs them, stare at it for a long time, and then write about why they connected to the piece. Living the epiphany that art is personal is what I want for my students, if not directly in one of my classes, then perhaps years later when they stumble across a book or painting or record that does change their life in some meaningful way.

A EXPERIENCING CHINESE LANGUAGE AND CULTURE THROUGH ART

Fangzhou Zhan, Middle School Chinese Teacher

In Middle School Chinese classes, students have the opportunity to experience the fun and creativity of art through hands-on projects and activities while learning the Chinese language and culture. Students learn to draw beautiful Chinese paintings and also write traditional Chinese calligraphy. Every year during the Lunar New Year celebration, the students from Chinese classes also put on various beautiful performances including the umbrellas dance, dragon and lion dance with hand-painted lion masks made by the students, and also the colorful and flowing fan dance, as well as the powerful sound of a live Chinese drumming performance.

We believe that learning Chinese through art is not only fun but also immerses students in the environment to help them cultivate an aesthetic sense of the beauty of Chinese culture and language and also develop an appreciation for the similarities and differences between Chinese and their own cultures.

SPREADING THE GIFT OF MUSIC

John Leister, Upper School Band Director

RIn the MKA band program, we have been using an adaptation of Ken Wilber's Integral Theory where we discuss balancing an equilateral triangle shape to include "I," "We," and "It." The "I" refers to how we improve as individuals; the "We" pertains to our growth as an ensemble; and the "It" is the sound we create. Our overall goal each semester is to create beauty and share it with others. For this reason, we cherish performing for our families, the MKA community, and the community beyond our school. In addition, we know that performing in front of others increases our self-confidence. Finally, there is a selfish enjoyment to playing (and singing) that we all acknowledge at MKA. This can be a valuable break from our core academics. We hope to continue to perform at PAMKA events, school events, the "Arts In April" celebration at the Montclair Art Museum, and music festivals beyond Montclair. Hopefully, our "It" (the music) is a gift to all who hear us.

I DANCE BECAUSE I LOVE TO SHARE MY SOUL WITH THE WORLD

Mireicy Aquino

’28

From the age of two, Mireicy discovered her passion for dance during a music box performance and has dedicated the past eleven years to the art. Enchanted by performing, she sees dance as a narrative of her story through movement. Despite its demands, she finds joy in expressing her emotions to the audience. Proficient in various styles, her heart lies in contemporary dance, where her dedication and artistic growth shine.

Her journey includes a debut in Savion Glover's "Bring Back Time" at NJPAC, making her the youngest performer with a living legend. This experience opened doors, leading to training at Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre and collaborations with dance luminaries like Nasha Thomas, Hope Boykin, Dr. Susan Pope, and Heather Robles.

Mireicy has graced prestigious venues like Lincoln Center Stage, Off-Broadway, Prudential Center, and NJPAC. Beyond dance, she explores acting and spoken word, crafting a unique artistic vision that captivates audiences. Despite accomplishments, Mireicy remains humble and grateful for opportunities. Her accolades extend to the Ailey School's Junior Division and roles as a Dance Ambassador for NJPAC, performing with the All Stars and National Hispanic Showcase.

Balancing education and intensive dance training at Alvin Ailey, Mireicy found a supportive home in MKA during seventh grade. The school's flexibility and Dr. Elmore's unwavering support allowed her to flourish academically and artistically. Mireicy acknowledges the role of educators and friends in shaping her character.

Mireicy expresses gratitude for MKA's understanding and encouragement, enabling her unwavering dedication to her passion. Her family recognizes the school's profound impact on Mireicy's personal and artistic growth, emphasizing the significance of education and artistic pursuit in her journey.

TTHE INTERCONNECTION OF ART AND RESEARCH

Alicia Cuccolo, Upper School Fine & Performing Arts Teacher

All creative endeavors can be identified in three stages. The first, Idea Generation, is the planning and preparation stage. You make sketches, models, practice forms, and test your ideas. You also ask questions. Questions such as “What if…?”, “ What happens if…?”, or “I wonder…?” These questions continue throughout the stages of the process. In the second stage, Production, you use materials and tools to transform an idea into a physical, concrete object. You experiment and incorporate new techniques and make connections. You analyze and synthesize information. You look for strengths and drawbacks. Then in the last stage, Reflection and Evaluation, there is the opportunity for sharing, critique, and feedback. Creativity is a process, one of trial, error, and success, and happens as much in the science lab and English classroom as in the art studio, photography darkroom, or dance studio.

THE ART OF PHOTOGRAPHY

Christa Leonard, Upper School Photography Teacher

Why do you still use cameras and not just shoot with iPhones? We work primarily with Digital Single Lens Reflex (DSLR) cameras, but we explore traditional darkroom techniques at each level of photography. In Photo 1, we build pinhole cameras out of cardboard, tape, and pieces of soda cans. In Photo 2, we work with medium format film cameras, and by the time students are in Photography Projects, they can use almost anything they want including 35mm film. I had a student one year who made wet plate collodion images, which is a process dating back to the 1850’s! Any camera - digital or film - gives students a level of control over image-making that you just can’t get from a phone camera (yet).

Why do you have a darkroom? The darkroom is an experience unlike any other classroom. It’s a hands-on opportunity to experiment with image-making that adds depth to understanding how cameras and light work that you can’t get any other way. The darkroom teaches patience and problem-solving, encouraging students to be very thoughtful about what they’re creating. Plus, we have the portal: the darkroom door itself is an amazing experience, and you have to be a photography student to use it.

APHOTOGRAPHY OUTSIDE OF

THE DARKROOM

Carl Flocco ’25

Whether it be filmmaking, painting, photography, or sculpture, there is a place for everyone in the MKA Arts Department. Students can experiment with different techniques and styles in the diverse teaching and classes offered. Students are able to express their creativity in a multitude of different ways, both in class learning and assignments and by applying what they have learned to their artistic journeys outside of the classrooms. Throughout my professional experience and journey with photography this past year, my teachers have pushed me to try new techniques and concepts, giving me a different perspective at every shoot I am at and enabling me to express my creativity and personal connection to photography and high school sports even more. Anytime you meet with your respective art teacher, they are always willing to give feedback, once again, always pushing students to be their best artistic selves. The one-on-one meetings I spend with my teachers every day are the reason I can capture the moments I capture and create the art I make.

WHEN OPPOSITE ENDS OF THE BUILDING JOIN TOGETHER

- THE INTERSECTION OF PE AND ART

Jordan Raper, Upper School Health, Wellness, and PE Teacher and Department Chair

Our school's Health, Wellness, and Dance Fitness program has blossomed into a vibrant aspect of our educational landscape. Our goal in introducing this initiative was to create a space where every student could explore the joy of dance, regardless of their prior experience. We aimed to cultivate an environment where beginners could thrive and learn, making the art of movement accessible to all. By integrating physical education with dance, we've not only improved students' physical fitness but also bolstered their self-confidence. This combination has proved to be a powerful tool for self-expression, fostering a sense of belonging and accomplishment.

Through the Health, Wellness, and Dance Fitness program, we're not just teaching dance but nurturing passion and embracing diverse talents. The course provides students who may not have otherwise chosen to dance with an opportunity to discover the transformative power of movement no matter what level of dancer they are.

Carl notes that his powerful photo of Seton Hall Prep football players preparing to take the field is one of his favorites.

Carl Flocco ‘25

AROUND MKA

Academic Excellence

SIXTEEN SENIORS RECOGNIZED BY THE NATIONAL MERIT® SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM

Sixteen seniors have been recognized by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC®). The National Merit Scholarship Program is an academic competition for recognition and more than $28 million in scholarships that include approximately 1.3 million entrants each year. Ellis Fertig and Cyrus Rosenberg have been named Semifinalists in the 2024 National Merit Scholarship Program. Semifinalists represent less than one percent of high school seniors nationwide. Ellis and Cyrus will now be considered for National Merit® Scholarships as the selection of approximately 7,600 Finalists from the group of more than 16,000 Semifinalists is now in progress.

The following fourteen seniors have been named 2024 National Merit® Scholarship Commended Scholars: Payam Ekrami, Hannah Ewing, Gary Gao, Sebastian Gonzalez, Gary Hu, Julia Larish, Sean Nigito, Madeline Polanskyj, Devin Ramsay, Elias Solomon, Henry Sun, Hilal Tokat, Nathaniel Turvey, and Zain Zaidi. Congratulations to all students who were recognized for this tremendous accomplishment!

STEM RESEARCH SEMINAR SERIES

This fall, the Upper School’s STEM Research Seminar Series provided an opportunity for students, teachers, and staff to get together over lunch, hear about the research experiences, ask questions, discuss the work, and be inspired. Seniors Zach Ehrenreich, Naya Saker, Ellis Fertig, and Cyrus Rosenberg conducted outstanding STEM research outside of the classroom and each prepared informative and interactive presentations for their session. Zach shared his passion for and work learning aspects of design, Computer Assisted Design (CAD), and rapid prototyping. Naya Saker presented her work from her Maine Semester at Chewonkee on the connection of music principles and birdsong. Ellis Fertig explored her interest in environmental biology and shared her research on pathogens during her NJ Governor’s School experience. Cyrus Rosenberg presented research he completed at the NJ Governor's School explaining how the blockchain works, how he coded a website, and what people can do to prevent malicious infiltration of machine learning algorithms. Each presenter confidently shared an interest they had a chance to explore further, and the experience was great for all.

>> The Robotics Team had the most successful competition in team history when they won the Essex County League tournament and then headed to the State tournament, both firsts for the program.

This is Performing Arts at MKA

US MUSICAL

The Upper School Winter Musical played to three sold-out audiences. The Addams Family was a hilarious, family-friendly show that resonated with the cast and the crew: they didn't stop laughing after their first read-through, and audiences certainly enjoyed the chance to smile and laugh. The production, which included students from all grades, received support from all areas of MKA itself, especially the Upper School. Director Nicole Hoppe is so proud of this production and shared in the playbill, "I hope we remind you that ‘normal’ is just a word we made up. Love, family, hope - those are words we also made up but they matter so much more."

Watch the Spooky and Kooky Show Here:

MKA CELEBRATES LEGACY AND CULTURE THROUGH DANCE AND MUSIC

The 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. The performance began with a heartfelt introduction by Head of School Nigel D. Furlonge. Chamber singers opened up the concert by singing "Seasons of Love," dedicated to the legacy of Dr. King. The program included many outstanding performances at all grade levels that incorporated a variety of dance genres, including tap, modern, K-pop, lyrical, contemporary, hip-hop, and classical Indian dance. A particular highlight of the evening was the fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth grade Chinese class performances choreographed under the direction of Fangzhou Zhang in honor of the Year of the Dragon. Students incorporated ribbons, dragon dance, lion masks, flowing fans, and the powerful sound of a live Chinese drumming performance into their celebration of Chinese culture.

PRIMARY SCHOOL WINTER CONCERT

All students from the Primary School lifted their voices with joy and enthusiasm at the annual Winter Concert. The Brookside Bellringers led MKA's youngest voices by ringing "Season's Greetings'' and "Do You Hear What I Hear?", and all grades sang individual pieces. The finale "Light a Candle for Peace'' by Shelley Murley was highlighted by the passing of candles by the PS faculty, while the parents used their phone flashlights to light the room. The encore was a magnificent rendition of "Seven Feet of Snow."

See the Magical Concert Here:

JANE SMITH’S MUSICAL LEGACY

After 39 years of teaching music at MKA, Jane Smith's legacy in the community is undeniable. She has earned and is looking forward to her retirement from the Primary School this spring. In her classroom, Jane employs props, characters, and visuals as well as instruments to teach musical skills and share her love of music. She has found and incorporated songs that are hallmarks of the Brookside experience, and she serves as a pianist for nearly every school event at every grade level. Jane introduced the popular Bell Ringers program in 1989, a highlight of the Primary School experience since its performance debut in 1992.

Jane's impact goes beyond regular classes; she manages the music for 10 productions each year, collaborating with teachers to infuse more movement and choreography and aiding students in internalizing lyrics and concepts. The music program has evolved to incorporate more advanced material, influenced by students'

extensive extracurricular activities and early musical education. Jane’s career has lasted long enough that she has now taught several children of former students!

Illustrated by one of Jane’s favorite lines when she begins an activity with the students, "Here we grow," she is keenly aware of the connection between music and the Arts and student development. Music activates the entire brain when you sing, listen, and perform. At the Primary School, Jane incorporates almost every subject in music class, whether it is history and geography of the United States in “Nifty Fifty” or science when the students sing and do the skeleton dance. Jane’s legacy aims to boost students' confidence in singing and foster music appreciation. Her influence stretches far beyond musical notes and will leave an indelible mark on the MKA community.

UPPER SCHOOL CHORAL WINTER CONCERT

Students performed to a packed house in Weiss Auditorium including alumni, families, faculty, friends, and current students. The concert featured exciting performances from the Concert Choir, Chamber Singers, Jazz Choir, Remix, and the Advanced String Ensemble. There were many highlights, among them a Duke Ellington song "It Don't Mean A Thing" from Jazz Choir where seven students improvised scat solos. Remix debuted a new student arrangement "Somebody to Love." Concert Choir performed with Chamber Singers in an a cappella "Carol of the Bells" as well as Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah." "Last Christmas" featured a few soloists and all seventy students, and in the finale, Advanced Strings accompanied all singers for Handel's "Hallelujah." It was a festive and joyous night of music.

THE EIGHTH GRADE PERFORMANCE ENSEMBLE CONCLUDED THEIR THEATRICAL JOURNEY AT THE MIDDLE SCHOOL WITH A PRODUCTION OF THE PHANTOM TOLLBOOTH.

The main character, Milo, played by Aubrey Goldstein, was bored! Wherever she was, she wanted to be somewhere else. Everything is too much trouble or a waste of time until a strange package arrives: a tollbooth. Milo is transported to the Land of Wisdom, where she's forced to think about many new things. Are letters more important than numbers? Can you really think your way out of anything? What is the value of time? In the end, she realizes that her attitude toward learning will never be the same. Aubrey was joined by Oliver Hejna, playing Tock. Aubrey and Oliver played Romeo and Juliet in the seventh grade Shakespeare production last June. Both of these productions will be submitted to the Montclair Theatre Night Awards.

THE UPPER SCHOOL'S KONG’S NIGHT OUT RECEIVED RAVE REVIEWS

Held in Deetjen’s black box theatre, the uproarious farce played to four sold-out houses, led by the five fantastic senior cast members and four other stellar actors. All were assisted by the amazing and robust crew of members from every grade. Director Nicole Hoppe always says the best sound is laughter, and the best gift is to be able to make people laugh. The cast and crew of Kong’s Night Out did exactly that.

WINTER CONCERTS

MIDDLE SCHOOL WINTER CHORAL CONCERT BRINGS JOY

Logan Auditorium was filled with harmonious voices, creating a festive atmosphere that captivated everyone. Audience members enjoyed songs including "Winter Wind" sung by students in fourth and fifth grade, "Ad Astra" sung by students in fifth through eighth grade, and "Moon Flight" sung by the eighth-grade chamber singers. Songs of peace, persistence, and joy celebrated the season's spirit and showcased the dedication and hard work of the talented young students at the Middle School.

MIDDLE SCHOOL BANDS CELEBRATE WINTER CONCERT

The 40 members of the fourth grade band made their debut, sharing their newly acquired skills as instrumentalists with classic pieces like “Hot Cross Buns” and invited audience participation on Queen's “We Will Rock You.” The fifth grade band delighted those in attendance with Timothy Loest's “Attack of the Garden Gnomes,” which features unique stomping and shrieking moments in the score. The Eighth Grade band did a great rendition of Christina Huss's “As Spirits Soar,” and the Upper House Jazz Band took the crowd back to the seventies with Josef Zawinul's “Birdland.” The combined sixth and seventh grade bands showed off their talents tackling Vic Mizzy's “The Addams Family.” It was a great night full of music, joy, and laughter!

FA CULT Y ART SH O W

MKA hosted its inaugural tri-campus faculty and staff art show, bringing together students, faculty, and staff to celebrate the diverse talents within the community. Viewers were amazed by the high-quality submissions, featuring F&PA teachers showcasing their specialties, English teachers painting ceramic pieces, a math teacher with stunning deep-space photographs, and a maintenance staff member creating beautiful portraits. Nineteen artists participated, sharing works ranging from embroidery to illustration to printmaking.

Athletics

FALL 2023 TEAM AND STUDENT-ATHLETE HONORS AND AWARDS

During the recently completed 2023 Fall Athletics season, the following MKA teams, coaches, and athletes achieved honors:

FIELD HOCKEY

Head Coach: Injoo Han (13th year)

Record: 14-7; 2023 NJISAA Prep State Champions; 2023 Essex/Union White Division Co-Champions

Shea Branigan ’24 Captain; MKA Coaches Award; Honorable Mention All-American Division, SEC; 2nd Team All-White Division, Essex/Union Conference

Lucy Osterberg ’24 Honorable Mention All-American Division, SEC; 2nd Team AllWhite Division, Essex/Union Conference

Mimi Temkin ’24 Captain; MKA Players’ Player of the Year Award; 1st Team NJ All-Prep; 1st Team All-American Division, SEC; Essex County “All-Tournament” Team; 1st Team All-White Division, Essex/Union Conference; SEC All-Academic Team;

Selected to Senior All-Star Game, NJFHCA; 1st Team All Non-Public, NJFHCA; 2nd Team All Non-Public, nj.com

Malia Cesareo ’25 1st Team NJ All-Prep; 2nd Team All-American Division, SEC; 2nd Team All-White Division, Essex/Union Conference; 3rd Team All Non-Public, nj.com

Sydney Fradette ’25 Honorable Mention NJ All-Prep; 2nd Team All-American Division, SEC; Essex County“AllTournament” Team; 1st Team All-White Division, Essex/Union Conference; SEC All-Academic Team

Samantha Siter ’25 1st Team NJ All-Prep; 1st Team All-American Division, SEC; Essex County “All-Tournament” Team; 1st Team All-White Division, Essex/Union Conference; 2nd Team All Non-Public, NJFHCA; 3rd Team All Non-Public, nj.com

Addie Goldstein ’26 1st Team NJ All-Prep; 1st Team All-American Division, SEC; 2nd Team All-White Division, Essex/Union Conference; SEC All-Academic Team; 2nd Team All Non-Public, NJFHCA

Maggie Murphy ’26 2nd Team AllAmerican Division, SEC; 1st Team All-White Division, Essex/Union Conference; SEC All-Academic Team

Mia Wallace ’27 MKA Most Improved Player Award; Honorable Mention AllWhite Division, Essex/Union Conference

FOOTBALL

Head Coach: Anthony Rea (10th Year)

Record: 2-7

Jaylen Ankrah-Jones ’24 Captain; MKA Joseph J. Weiner Award; 1st Team Defense, All-MIFL

William Simms ’24 Captain; MKA Defensive Player of the Year Award; 2nd Team Defense, All-MIFL

Geoffrey Vaiana ’24 MKA Coaches Award

Kalvin Thomas ’25 MKA Offensive Player of the Year Award; 1st Team Offense, AllMIFL

Jack Gallagher ’26 MKA Most Improved Player Award

BOYS’ CROSS COUNTRY

Head Coach: Timothy White (5th Year)

Record: 5-4

Stephen Hatfield ’24 Captain; MKA Most Valuable Athlete Award; 2nd Team AllAmerican Division, SEC; SEC All-Academic Team

Aidan Maas ’24 Captain; Honorable Mention All-American Division, SEC Nicholas Snyder ’24 Captain Ben Wolfson ’24 Captain

Nathan Hubert ’26 MKA Rookie of the Year Award; Honorable Mention AllAmerican Division, SEC

Tyler Rizzo ’26 MKA Most Improved Athlete Award

GIRLS’ CROSS COUNTRY

Head Coach: Timothy White (5th Year); Essex County Coach of the Year, ECTCA

Record: 2-7

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

Olga Shandarivska ’24 Captain; 2nd Team All-American Division, SEC; SEC All-Academic Team; 2nd Team All-Essex County

Natalie Ewing ’25 Captain; 2nd Team AllAmerican Division, SEC; 1st Team All-Essex County

Victoria Altirs ’27 MKA Rookie of the Year Award; Honorable Mention All-American Division, SEC; 2nd Team All-Essex County Maren Wheeler ’27 MKA Most Improved Athlete Award; Honorable Mention AllAmerican Division, SEC

BOYS’ SOCCER

Head Coach: Rob Leather (10th Year); Super Essex Conference Coach of the Year, nj.com

Record: 12-7-2

Sebastian Gonzalez ’24 Captain

Hunter Valentine ’24 Captain

Henry Gottfried ’25 2nd Team All-Liberty Division, SEC; SEC All-Academic Team

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

Alex Provost ’25 MKA Most Valuable Player Award; 1st Team All-Liberty Division, SEC

Michael Rallatos ’25 MKA Unsung Hero Award; 2nd Team All-Liberty Division, SEC

Nicholas Carrascosa ’26 MKA Players’ Player of the Year Award; 1st Team AllLiberty Division, SEC

Jan Hejna ’26 Honorable Mention NJ All-Prep; Honorable Mention All-Liberty Division, SEC

Braedan Keegan ’26 1st Team NJ All-Prep; Honorable Mention All-Liberty Division, SEC

GIRLS’ SOCCER

Head Coach: Luke Terkowski (1st Year)

Record: 8-6-3

Salange Bell ’24 Captain; 2nd Team AllAmerican Division, SEC

Aeryn Curren ’24 Honorable Mention NJ

All-Prep

Liah Lim ’24 Captain

Gisella Armstrong-Cassone ’25 1st Team

All-American Division, SEC; 3rd Team All Non-Public, nj.com

Helen Clothier ’25 Honorable Mention

All-American Division, SEC

Grace Masella ’26 MKA Coaches Award

Emery Walls ’26 MKA Most Improved Player Award; Honorable Mention AllAmerican Division, SEC; 1st Team NJ All-Prep

GIRLS’ TENNIS

Head Coach: Bill Wing (27th Year)

Record: 19-1; 2023 Essex County Tournament Champions; 2023 SEC American Division Champions; 2023 NJISAA Prep B State Champions

Amara Bhatia ’24 1st Team All-American Division, SEC; SEC All-Academic Team; 2nd Team 3rd Singles All-Flight All-State, nj.com

Milagros Carbajal Diaz ’24 1st Team AllAmerican Division, SEC

Katie Chung ’24 MKA Player of the Year Award; 2nd Team All-American Division, SEC; SEC All-Academic Team; 1st Team Doubles All-State, nj.com; 2nd Team 1st Doubles All-Flight All-State, nj.com; 1st Team Doubles All Non-Public, nj.com

Hannah Lewis ’24 Captain; MKA Player of the Year Award; 2nd Team All-American Division, SEC; SEC All-Academic Team; 1st Team Doubles All-State, nj.com; 2nd Team 1st Doubles All-Flight All-State, nj.com; 1st Team Doubles All Non-Public, nj.com

Elizabeth LoPiccolo ’24 Captain; MKA Fall Captain’s Prize Recipient; Honorable Mention All-American Division, SEC

Nina Abalos ’26 MKA Player of the Year Award; 1st Team All-American Division, SEC; SEC All-Academic Team; NJ Girls’ Tennis Player of the Year, nj.com; 1st Team All-State, nj.com; 1st Team 1st Singles All-

Flight All-State, nj.com; 1st Team Singles

All Non-Public, nj.com

Lauren Chung ’26 Honorable Mention AllAmerican Division, SEC

VOLLEYBALL

Head Coach: Kyla Sebello (1st Year)

Record: 8-13

Eunice Fernandez ’24 Captain; MKA Coaches Award

Avery Pratt ’25 Captain; Honorable

THE MKA CAPTAIN’S AWARD

Congratulations to the recipient of the MKA “Fall Captain’s Award,” Girls’ Tennis Captain, Ellie LoPiccolo ’24. The MKA “Captain's Award" is given out each season to a 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 their teammates and peers. Head Coach Bill Wing states, ”Ellie was such a responsible, trustworthy leader the coaches could always count on. She led by example in everything she did on and off the court and was instrumental in keeping the team together and united in their common pursuit of what became one of the best seasons in MKA Girls Tennis history.”

Mention All-American Division, SEC

Layla Brown ’26 MKA Most Valuable Player Award; Honorable Mention AllAmerican Division, SEC

Mahala Weintraub ’26 Honorable Mention NJ All-Prep; 2nd Team All-American Division, SEC; SEC All-Academic Team

Layla Lynch ’27 MKA Rookie of the Year Award

Skylar Finkle ’27 MKA Rookie of the Year Award

44 ALUMNI CURRENTLY PLAYING IN THE NCAA

BEYOND THE WINS - WHAT IT MEANS TO BE AN MKA ATHLETE

The MKA Athletics program has seen teams win countless awards and accolades, but how does our Athletic program fit into the mission of MKA? At MKA, being a student-athlete means stepping onto the field as an ethical leader and being a part of something of greater value than winning.

AN INTERVIEW WITH DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS TODD SMITH

How does playing on a team at MKA fit into the school’s larger mission and purpose? Participation in MKA’s educationbased athletics program provides student-athletes with significant opportunities to become involved with their peers and coaches in an educational experience outside the classroom. As members of an MKA Athletics team, students learn how to persevere from loss and failure, how to navigate adversity, how to strive for excellence, how to win with respect and dignity, and most importantly, how to display pride in who they are and the respective teams they represent. In terms of MKA’s mission, many students build their most significant and lasting relationships with their coaches; coaches know them, support them, and help them to reach their potential. And likewise, our coaches often serve as transformational educators in the lives of their players. We aim to draw a direct line from the work that happens in MKA’s classrooms to the work that happens on our fields, and vice versa.

As the AD, how do you prepare coaches at the start of a year to accomplish this purpose? The school year kicks off with a Coaches Summit where various topics that impact all MKA sports and levels are discussed. While the topics and discussions vary year to year, this September we focused on overall team culture and had two fantastic presentations by MKA senior administrators. First, Kerry Verrone (Upper School Dean of Student Life and Tri-Campus Chair of Ethics) presented “Ethical Leaders as Change Agents” and then Paris McLean (Assistant Head of School; Diversity, Inclusion, and Antiracism) shared his thoughts on “Athletics and Diversity, Inclusion and Antiracism at MKA.” Both programs were incredibly informative and well received by our coaches.

We also utilize two tools to help coaches take a closer look at the ins and outs and pros and cons of their program through both their own and their athletes' perspective. Coaches complete self-evaluations, and athletes evaluate both the coaches and the program. This process helps to ensure that our athletic programs are ever changing and proactive in their approach to create the best overall experience and environment for our athletes.

How do we prepare MKA student athletes at the start of a season? At the beginning of every athletics season all of our Middle School and Upper School student athletes review and sign our “Athlete Code of Conduct” which was created and updated over the years by our Upper School Student Athletic Council (SAC). The document outlines an athlete’s commitment level, conduct on and off the field, and allows athletes, coaches, and parents to take on a transparent and proactive collaborative approach to the season ahead.

Team Captains are selected and/or appointed by their teammates and coaches and open the school year with a seasonal conference “Captain’s Summit” at West Essex High School. They work closely with our Head Coaches throughout the off-season and during the

“We realize that every athlete has a different definition of athletic success, and we design for varied aspirations. Our Athletics program has low floors and high ceilings: whatever goals an athlete has, we can provide the resources, coaches, and first-rate athletic facilities to help them become a reality.”

regular season to help set team goals and expectations and serve as a conduit between their respective teammates and coaches.

What is the value of playing on a team at MKA? How might a team contribute to a culture of ethical leadership at MKA? For many of our Middle School and Upper School student athletes, being on the fields, courts, track, or in the pool every afternoon represents the very best moment of the day. It is a time when our student athletes can shine in what they are passionate about, create long lasting memories and friendships, and in the case of Varsity athletics, push themselves to compete against the very best throughout the region and state.

And whether at the Middle School, JV, or Varsity level, being a member of an athletics team teaches one the values of teamwork, goal setting, and respect…not only respect for your teammates and coaches, but your opposition and the game itself. It’s doing the right thing at the right moment even when no one is watching. It’s learning to lead by example in action… not just words. Essentially, being an MKA athlete will help solidify one’s personal, social, and athletic foundation that will propel you to a lifetime of success both on and off the field.

DURING THE 2022-2023 SCHOOL YEAR, MKA HAD 10 DIFFERENT TEAMS CAPTURE 16 CHAMPIONSHIPS.

Community Engagement

COMMUNITY-WIDE HANUKKAH CELEBRATION

On December 8, more than 200 members of the MKA community gathered for the annual Hanukkah Dinner and celebration. It was a wonderful event for our community! A big thank you to the Upper School Jewish Cultural Society and Office of DIAR who worked tirelessly to set up and execute this event. The room was filled with a lot of love and solidarity.

THE MKA

gathering

MKA’s 28th All-School Gathering was a high-energy and exciting celebration of school spirit.

Faculty, staff, and students from kindergarten through Grade 12, as well as members of the Board of Trustees and PAMKA, marked the official start of the school year with performances, recognitions of athletic achievement, and remarks from student leaders. The Gathering is the only time our three campuses come together for a school event. The Upper School Pep Band and Eighth Grade Band, and performances by the Middle School Step Team, the Third Grade Brookside Bellringers, the a capella group Remix, Middle School Dance Ensemble, Upper School Advanced Dance Ensemble, Upper School Strings Quartet, and Upper School Cheerleaders, entertained the crowd. The long-held tradition of the senior presentation of a stuffed cougar to Kindergarten students as they crossed a bridge was the best way to end the day.

STUDENTS AND FACULTY BATTLE ON THE COURT AND BENEFIT THE COMMUNITY

The Middle School Student Government hosted their 20th annual Students vs. Faculty Basketball Game fundraiser on January 26. It was a festive, energetic event as the students took on their teachers in what can only be described as Olympic-level performances on the court. Though the faculty prevailed with a score of 50-39, everyone was a winner as the community came together to raise over $4000 for Save the Children. In addition to the money raised, a game-night food drive for the Human Needs Food Pantry collected over 200 food items for the pantry. Middle School Dean of Students Marshall Hatcher captured the evening when he shared, “This game is one to circle every year. The environment is electric, the stands are packed, and all the proceeds go to a great cause. Praise for the student government and Ms. Amendola who put together this amazing event.”

Ethical Leadership

ETHICAL LEADERSHIP RETREAT LAUNCHES A YEAR-LONG PROJECT

More than 100 Upper School students from ninth through twelfth grade gathered for MKA’s Ethical Leadership retreat, Writing Tomorrow. Led by a team from Stanford's design school and the organization, Only People, the students engaged in future thinking by considering what they wanted the future to look like and what they wanted their legacy to be. Students created collages and accompanying artist statements to represent their thinking. This event kicked off what will be a year-long project for students to edit and refine their vision. MKA is committed to the individual and collaborative process of developing ethical leadership. The annual retreat is an initiative of The Philip McNeal Leadership Program, MKA’s signature program providing students with robust curricular and co-curricular activities that deepen the conversation on the topic of Ethical Leadership and help students identify their own unique leadership style to best prepare for college and the world beyond.

UN model

Students participated in the Model UN Conference at Brown University. This year the conference was focused on “redefining justice” and many of the students represented the USA and Peru in a variety of committees. Faculty advisor Isabel Janelli said, “Students dive into topics related to international studies and politics, going beyond what they are learning in classrooms. Working collaboratively with students from other schools, they create policies, solve problems, and responsibly and respectfully debate with others: the benefits are immeasurable!”

“SOMETIMES IT’S IMPORTANT TO TAKE A STEP BACK FROM THE DAILY ROUTINE TO GROUND OURSELVES IN THE PRIORITIES IN OUR SCHOOL'S MISSION,”

shared Associate Director of Curriculum, Professional Development, and Multicultural Innovations Shanie Israel who, with science teacher and SDLC Faculty Advisor Tony Jones and Assistant Head of School for Diversity, Inclusion, and Antiracism Paris McLean, accompanied 33 students from the Student Diversity Leadership Committee (SDLC) at the 2nd annual We’re Better Together conference held in conjunction with Pingry and Princeton Day School on Pingry's Purnell Campus.

Paris McLean shared the two-fold goal of the conference: providing students with greater access to teaching and learning within the sphere of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging and promoting opportunities for collaboration, partnership, and friendship between the three schools in a studentcentered space. One of the senior leaders of SDLC,

Dillyn Kim, shared, “We spent the day not only talking amongst our peers about our experiences at our respective schools but also creating long-lasting relationships with the students from Pingry and PDS.”

Dillyn and the other co-leaders, Kellen Ievers and Emma Choy, emphasized how positive the conference was as they participated in three distinct workshops with the entire group. The leaders plan to present their experience at an Upper School Assembly and noted they will be focusing on cancel culture and its impact on young adults and relationships in and out of the classroom. Kellen said, “Bridging, fostering relationships across differences within the student body, is something that will be important for making people feel like they belong and can be comfortable, and it's not addressed nearly enough.”

MKA Students and Faculty Collaborate at 2nd Annual We’re Better Together Conference

"...diversity and embracing difference are at the core of feminism and making real change toward equality..."

MKA WELCOMES GLORIA STEINEM AND SALAMISHAH TILLET

AS PART OF HEMMETER LECTURE SERIES

MKA proudly presented the 2023 Hemmeter Lecture Series, Feminism Across Generations, with Gloria Steinem and Salamishah Tillet P ’30 ’34 on Wednesday, November 8. It was an extraordinary night of sharing, learning, and building community. These two prominent activists and writers discussed their friendship, the power of feminist leadership, and the critical role that race, gender, and age have played in shaping their actions, life experiences, and understanding of equality in two engaging and enlightening opportunities.

Steinem and Tillet began their evening with over 50 MKA and Montclair High School students invited to participate in an engaging and powerful question-and-answer session. During this prelude to the main event, students asked questions ranging from who inspired the speakers and how their life experiences brought them to their role as activists to what current issues in society are most concerning. Both Gloria and Salamishah agreed that diversity and embracing difference are at the core of feminism and making real change toward equality, a key takeaway from this event.

Later, in front of a sold-out audience in Weiss Auditorium, Steinem and Tillet had a conversation moderated by David Hessler, a long-time history teacher at the Upper School and chair of the Hemmeter Lecture Series now in its 25th year. Audience members witnessed the clear and enduring friendship that began after Tillet wrote a critique of Steinem around the 2008 Presidential contest, and the two writers and activists have collaborated and presented together several times. In response to one of David’s questions about what keeps Gloria motivated to continue her work in activism, she said, "Optimism is a form of planning, and we just can't give it up."

A core principle of an MKA education, Ethical Leadership, as demonstrated by the lives and careers of Gloria Steinem and Salamishah Tillet, equips our students to make positive changes in their communities. We are thankful to have had the opportunity to hear from and be inspired by these two exceptional leaders.

THE LASTING IMPACT OF THE PEOPLE OF COLOR CONFERENCE (POCC)

AND STUDENT DIVERSITY LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE (SDLC)

In late November, faculty members, administrators, a Board of Trustees member, and six students attended two impactful conferences in St. Louis, MO that provided incredible opportunities for learning and connecting. Reflecting on the experience, Paris McLean, Assistant Head of School for Diversity, Inclusion, and Antiracism, noted MKA’s commitment and shared, “I could not be more proud of our school. We will remain on the leading edge and look for ways to expand the school's reach within the space of diversity, equity, antiracism, and belonging.”

The 2023 National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) People of Color Conference (PoCC), with a history spanning over 35 years, brought together independent school educators, administrators, trustees, and more under the umbrella of diversity, equity, and inclusion work within school communities. The theme, Gateways to Freedom: The Confluence of Truth, Knowledge, Joy, and Power, guided an array of opportunities for attendees, including seminars, master classes, affinity groups, and more than 100 workshops on a range of topics that explore the diverse experiences of people of color in independent schools. PoCC provides educators at every level—from teachers

to trustees—with new knowledge and skills around leadership, professional development, and networking for people of color and allies of all backgrounds in independent schools.

Simultaneously, six students from MKA attended the NAIS Student Diversity Leadership Conference (SDLC), a multiracial, multicultural gathering of student leaders from eligible independent high schools. The students developed cross-cultural communication skills and strategies for social justice through dialogue and the arts and learned allyship and networking principles. The theme, Bending the Arc Toward Justice: Radical Optimism, Transformational Joy, Resilience, and Brilliance, shaped life-changing experiences for the students. The students also led a session for MKA adults, outlining takeaways and ideas to be implemented at school. Through MKA's new Together for Change Program, the SDLC students will work with a mentor over the next two academic years to ensure their visions become realities and to support them along their journey. This is a talented and dynamic group of young people developing as ethical leaders and already hard at work.

Faculty Excellence

CHERYLANNE AMENDOLA NAMED TEACHER OF THE YEAR BY THE NATIONAL COUNCIL FOR THE SOCIAL STUDIES

Congratulations to CherylAnne Amendola, Middle School History Department Chair and Middle School Ethics Coordinator, who was named the 2023-2024 Middle Level Social Studies Teacher of the Year by the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) and its Board of Directors.

Presented annually to a teacher who has made outstanding contributions in teaching social studies to middle school students, this prestigious award emphasizes the alignment of the NCSS mission with CherylAnne’s commitment to strengthening and advocating for social studies. A published author and recipient of MKA’s Founders’ Cup for Teaching Excellence in 2022, CherylAnne has been teaching at MKA for 17 years.

Head of Middle School Dr. Carlaina Bell has worked alongside CherylAnne for all of those years, and she shared, “CherylAnne is a master teacher who lives and breathes teaching history to young people. She expertly leads her department to embrace the challenge of helping our Middle School students process what is occurring in the world around them and empower them to be engaged citizens who question and lead change. Her energy, enthusiasm, and joy for teaching and learning are always present. We are very fortunate to have her!”

NJAIS LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE: A COLLABORATIVE GROWTH EXPERIENCE

For years, MKA educators have actively participated in the New Jersey Association of Independent Schools' (NJAIS) Leadership Institute. This year, Director of Educational Technology Erica Budd, Assistant Head of Middle School Catherine Gaynor, Assistant Head of Primary School Gretchen Ievers, and Assistant Head of Upper School Jill Maza are attending together. The program, spanning a year, encourages outstanding educators to refine their leadership style, contemplate administrative roles, and gain diverse perspectives in independent school administration.

School leaders across New Jersey present different topics to the participants; this year’s Institute began with a compelling and informative presentation by Head of School Nigel D. Furlonge and CFO Kathryn Davison, focusing on finance and budgeting in independent schools. Gretchen Ievers expressed her gratitude for the nomination, highlighting the valuable connections made during the live sessions. The institute provided insights into crucial aspects of school leadership, including governance and collaborating with the Board as well as financial stability.

Structured with a regular schedule, the Institute allows educators to step away from campus, dedicating time to their leadership development. Jill Maza appreciated “the opportunity to dive into a diverse range of topics from getting under the hood of school finances to cultivating communities of care. It's never easy to step away from school, especially in coordination with colleagues on other campuses, so attending with Gretchen, Catherine, and Erica as a cohort has only served to strengthen our work together.” The NAIS Leadership Institute is impactful and reaps long-lasting rewards for both the participants and MKA.

MKA WELCOMES THE NEXT HEAD OF PRIMARY SCHOOL KATIE PABARUE BANKS

A comprehensive search process, led by Co-Chairs Associate Head of School Steve Valentine and Assistant Head of School for Diversity, Inclusion, and Antiracism Paris McLean, considered valuable feedback from students, faculty, staff, parents, administrators, and Trustees. The caliber of candidates reflected MKA's reputation as a sought-after destination for exceptional educators and leaders. Head of School Nigel D. Furlonge shared, "Katie's collaborative nature, curious mindset, and resilient personality shone throughout the search process. We are thrilled to have Katie be a part of the MKA community."

Katie is the Assistant Head of Lower School for Academics at Brooklyn Friends School, bringing a wealth of classroom and administrative experience to MKA. She was a classroom teacher for 12 years, spanning first through fifth grades in independent schools in New York and abroad on a Fulbright Fellowship in Taiwan. Katie now coordinates and oversees divisional curriculum, works closely with specialists and learning teams, and supervises Associate Teachers. She serves as a representative on the enrollment committee, leads in-house professional development and initiatives, and regularly presents to families on the academic programming of the school and the social and emotional development of young children.

Katie received her B.A. in Psychology with a minor in Elementary Education from Vassar College, her M.S.Ed in Curriculum and Instruction from Bank Street College of Education, and her M.A. as a Literacy Specialist from Columbia University Teachers College. She recently completed a Certificate in Strategic Leadership in Education from the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education in 2021. Looking back on her professional journey thus far, Katie shared, “As I explored teacher-leadership positions, I realized the incredible responsibility and honor of being a school leader and how closely it related to my time in the classroom. Leaders must balance the long-term vision with the important details of the day-to-day and nurture, listen, negotiate, and collaborate. They can inspire change. They have an opportunity to grow, shape, and support the ecosystem that is a school community.”

Committed to cultivating children’s success within and beyond school walls, Katie supports students as they explore and make sense of the world around them. She has led workshops at local and national conferences, and she is passionate about project-based learning, whole child-centered education, collaboration, creativity, and cultivating joy in the classroom and school community. When she is not at school, Katie enjoys reading, discovering delicious bakeries and restaurants around her neighborhood, gardening, and spending time with her husband, Harry, and their puppy, Reggie.

ALUMNI NEWS

“Paying it forward in this way, and giving back to the school that gave us so much, ensures that students who could otherwise not afford it can have access to the same exceptional education we received...”

Dear Alumni,

It has been an amazing start to the 20232024 school year. I have had the pleasure of attending many alumni events and was excited to put my golf lessons and new handicap to good work at the MKA Golf Classic. It has been awesome to see so many of you supporting these initiatives and MKA as a whole. We have had more alumni return to the school than ever before. Many of you have come back to speak to the students in their classes and clubs, volunteered for panel discussions, offered May Term internships, and more. The students appreciate your time, so THANK YOU!

I also want to thank all of you who have participated in a variety of philanthropic initiatives at the school. MKA Day 2024 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. Paying it forward in this way, and giving back to the school that gave us so much, ensures that students who could otherwise not afford it can have access to the same exceptional education we received.

This issue is about the Arts at MKA, and I am fortunate to have been able to be on the receiving end of the great work this school does in instilling a love of the Arts in each of the students. I remember being in Ms. Cuccolo’s sculpture class and working with my hands. It was my point in the day where I could express myself outside of the academic classroom with no judgment or competition.

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 have added five new members to the Council so far this year and are always looking to expand. Now, due to virtual meetings, we can include those who live anywhere in the world. If you are interested in learning more, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me.

All my best,

Caitlin DiRuggiero ’06, President, Alumni Council

2023-2024 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

Stephen Bezer ’11

Devin Bukowczyk ‘05

Seth Bynum ‘11

Kelly Byrne ‘08

Jenna Clancey ‘03

Geoffrey Close ’71

Caitlin DiRuggiero '06

Aron Dyadyuk ’21

Jeffrey Festa '06

Frank Godlewski '76

Lisa Goldsman ’15

Stuart Harwood ’07

Alex Holz ’99

Cara Landolfi '05

Dominic Leone ’12

Angela McCaffrey ’06

Lhenée McKoy ’05

Chadd Mukete ’11

Samora Noguera ’02

Kelsey O’Connor ’14

John Snow ’11

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.

DAVID ALLEN '89

CHANGE MAKERS

DAVID ALLEN

David Allen, a graduate of the University of Rochester, has a background in international affairs and international economic policy. He is the Director of Business Operations at WHO Europe. David has over 27 years of experience working in five United Nations agencies at the country, regional, and headquarter levels in a variety of managerial roles focusing on administration. Recently, David was recognized by WHO Regional Director for Europe, Dr. Hans Henri P. Kluge, as a driving force behind substantive change initiatives undertaken to face growing WHO operations in countries across the region.

A passionate advocate for humanitarian and relief efforts, David supported operations for the World Food Programme (WFP) in Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (then Zaire) between 1995 and 1997, for the UN Secretariat’s humanitarian office in Baghdad, Iraq, from 1997 to 1998, and with UNDP Somalia from 2002 to 2006.

What is the World Health Organization?

We are champions for healthier, safer lives. Our team of 8000+ professionals includes the world’s leading public health experts, including doctors, epidemiologists, scientists and managers. Together, we coordinate the world’s response to health emergencies, promote well-being, prevent disease and expand access to health care. By connecting nations, people and partners to scientific evidence they can rely on, we strive to give everyone an equal chance at a safe and healthy life.

Tell us about your career from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to what you do now at World Health Organization. I went to the University of Rochester after MKA and was going to leave school but was convinced to look for a way to do a semester abroad. I was offered an internship at the European Parliament in Brussels. It wasn't to study; it was to work for four months, which was great and motivated me to finish University. After graduation in 1993, I moved to Rome, where I had odd jobs like bartending and DJing. By the beginning of 1995, I was in Zaire, which is now DRC, Democratic Republic of Congo. It was the Rwandan refugee crisis. The Hutus had just fled and there were lots of refugee camps in Bukavu and Goma. I was in Bukavu for about 18 months until the refugees were forced back into Rwanda, when I went to Kigali to help. I was with the World Food Programme (WFP) then, and I was doing a lot of logistics, reporting, communications, and the like. During the time that I was in Kigali, 12 international aid workers were executed across the country and in Kigali itself; it was really ugly, and the U.S. policy did not help. It was the very start of Kagame's government, so he was asserting himself and initiating huge reforms in the country.

I left Kigali and while on a backpacking trip in South America, I got a phone call to go to Baghdad when the Oil-for-Food Programme started. I went, and my job there overseeing the delivery of goods under the sanctions regime was such a reflection of the politics and how the UN was being used by the international community to hold down the Iraqi government under Saddam Hussein, that I again decided to leave a UN posting. Funnily enough, three months later, Dennis Halliday (the head of the UN in Iraq for Oil-for-Food who had asked me to stay) left as well and went on to publicly criticize the politics of the UN-managed Oil for Food programme.

I went back to Iraq to work on a $1 billion project to reconstruct the electricity grid in the northern Kurdish governorates. After

a year I went to New York to do a Masters at Columbia School of International Public Affairs. As soon as I landed, colleagues at UNDP in New York hired me to continue on the re-electrification of northern Iraq project, so I did the masters program while working. As soon as the Masters ended, I went back to WFP in Rome, managing the Asia and Central Europe desks. Then Afghanistan (9/11) happened, and I went to Islamabad for a while to manage the food pipeline into Afghanistan. I turned down the offer of a job in Kabul and ended up with UNDP Somalia in Nairobi as a regional advisor. I returned to the Iraq operation twice: first from Cyprus, then from Jordan, and then Somalia again where I was promoted to a management position as Head of Operations. My next assignment was in Bangkok as the Chief of Operations for the UNDP Asia Pacific region. I ended up staying there for five years before applying for a promotional opportunity at a small agency called the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), an independent Agency that is part of WHO. I was basically the deputy to the elected Director. This was a very different job than I had held previously and brought me into WHO. After five years at the IARC, I moved to WHO Southeast Asia in New Delhi and then Europe in Copenhagen: in both places as Regional Director of Operations. Recently I moved my division from Copenhagen to Istanbul to more effectively serve the countries in the Eastern part of the region.

During my time in Bangkok, I was used as a surge advisor because of my emergency background, which meant I went to practically every emergency between 2005 - 2012 for the first two weeks to lay out the plan of how UNDP would react, how much money we needed to do it, and who would be needed. This was an interesting time.

The primary areas under my responsibility are finance, human resources, IT, administration, logistics, security, risk management, compliance, and legal. A lot of the political issues are also with me because of the legal and risk management. The regional

"There is a character trait of mine that likes to push boundaries."

office in Europe covers 53 member states - those countries that are members of WHO. We have country offices in 32 of them and have a presence in another seven that are part of the regional office. That means we have a presence in about 40 of the 53 countries. I manage everything: their infrastructure, their buildings, their relationships with their counterpart governments, their presence in those countries, legal, and I oversee the accountability of projects and operations managed in the countries.

Have you seen a change in the way people are engaging with the work of WHO given recent world events? The notoriety WHO is experiencing since the Pandemic is extraordinary. Some positives and negatives come with that. The press since COVID shined a light on WHO, which has been both great in some situations and bad in others. The level of access we have right now is unprecedented. My boss, Hans Kluge, has been extremely effective at raising awareness about WHO and capitalizing on opportunities that have been presented to us since COVID.

What opportunities at WHO are exciting you the most right now? The project I'm doing to set up this Istanbul hub is pretty exciting. This type of change is not done very much and is a big lift. In the UN, you have several offices that are well entrenched with people who have been working for a long time in the same places and haven't been asked to move or pushed very much. We are a very different management team, and we are pushing a lot harder. With COVID and the Ukraine emergency, there's been more work and more challenges, so it has been necessary for us to be more effective. When I arrived in Copenhagen, the operations team was not at all sufficient for the work we had at the beginning of 2020. We therefore designed a restructure with a much larger need for people and resources, which could not be done in Copenhagen because it's one of our most expensive duty stations. In the end, we decided to relocate and that's a big decision because we're not a private entity: we're not a

private company that can make these decisions easily. Now, I’m filling positions, and my division is mostly in Istanbul instead of Copenhagen. We handle a huge workload, so I'm looking forward to having the full team to be able to project manage and guide.

Have you ever faced a challenge and the outcome was not what you wanted? As you get into more and more management positions, you become more and more visible and decisions that you make can be challenged. WHO is a political environment - to the point where my boss is an elected official - and as a result, there are political forces inside the office more so than in other places. I've been pushed out of a job due to this. I left completely on my own cognizance, but I was having challenges because of a small group who had the ear of a politician. I have certainly learned from that experience to pick my battles, which is not bad but can be limiting. There is a character trait of mine that likes to push boundaries.

What is your proudest professional accomplishment to date?

I've worked in five different UN agencies since I started when I was 23, and I've been inside the whole time. I'm as inside as you can get although I've tried to stay away from the more political side of the UN Secretariat. Of course, in WHO we have a lot of governance with our Member States, which is time-consuming but important. I think what I've been able to do in my senior management roles are things like changing the culture of how we look at our jobs every day, figuring out how employees are motivated, and concentrating on how to remain modern. It's about figuring out how to do the job better, how to use money better, how to support the technical projects that we're doing that are important to countries, and thinking in the long term. I do believe, while flawed, it would be very hard to put up a different structure than the UN. The important thing is to make sure that the UN operates and works in the best way it can under the circumstances.

CHANGE MAKERS

DEBORAH BRYANT

is a 2023-2024 White House Leadership Development Program Fellow working in the U.S. Office of the Chief Statistician as part of the Executive Office of the President. In this role, Deborah serves as a Senior Policy Advisor to the Chief Statistician of the United States. Deborah brings her expertise in working across federal agencies and with internal and external stakeholders to advance the office’s strategic initiatives and the President’s Management Agenda.

Prior to her time as a fellow, Deborah dedicated her career to developing and implementing national health care policy and program reforms in the public and private sectors. In her most recent role as a Senior Advisor at the Department of Health and Human Service Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Deborah provided policy and strategic leadership for expanding access to high quality, affordable health care in the private health insurance market. She led the implementation of key provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the No Surprises Act that advanced consumer protections in the private insurance market. She wrote policy and regulations aimed to expand health care pricing and information transparency, protect consumers from surprise medical bills, and assist consumers with understanding their costs and options when navigating the health insurance marketplaces.

As a passionate agent of change, Deborah volunteers with the KidSave EMBRACE project taskforce, which is breaking down barriers to the mentorship and adoption of black youth in foster care.

Deborah earned both her Bachelor of Science and Master of Public Health from Boston University and has a certificate in Business Administration from Johns Hopkins University.

Tell us about your career? I wish that I could say my journey here was super purposeful and this is something I always wanted. I wish that was my story, but it's not. When I graduated from MKA, I wanted to be a physical therapist. I had some experience volunteering at Kessler Institute, and I only applied to colleges that had Physical Therapy programs. I was accepted to Boston University's program, and got there, and quickly realized that I did not want to be a physical therapist. I continued my undergraduate degree in rehabilitation sciences at Boston and then I applied to grad school. I had taken a public health class, and loved it so I got a Master's in Public Health.

After this, I knew I wanted to move to the Washington D.C. area. I wanted to understand more about government and

how it worked and how my new degree in public health policy could be used on a national level. This is where the power of the MKA network came in. I came down to D.C., and had tea with another MKA alumna, Paige Cottingham-Streater ‘79. At the time, her brother Bob Cottingham ’84 was the Chief of Staff for Congressman Payne in New Jersey. Paige and Bob connected me with Congressman Payne's office and I worked there in a fellowship. That’s what brought me to D.C. and the health policy.

I worked on the Hill for a year, and then was accepted as a scholar to the Department of Health and Human Services, where I have been for most of my career. I left for a couple years and worked in private health policy space but then the Affordable Care Act was passed.

I was excited about the opportunity that law presented, and the impact that it could make for people without health insurance. I wanted to be on the ground in the implementation of that law, so I left the private market and went back into federal service, and I've been there ever since.

Before my current role as White House Leadership Development Fellow, I was a senior advisor at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. I work on private health insurance policy, more specifically, consumer protection policies in health insurance. I lead teams that expand healthcare price transparency, surprise billing laws, anything involving providing more information to consumers about their rights, about how to use their health insurance in the private market.

Where do you see yourself now, after the fellowship? That’s a really good question. A cornerstone of this fellowship is to challenge yourself as a leader. I was placed in the Chief Statistician of the United States' office. This is the first time in 20 years that I'm not working in a health policy space, and I'm being challenged to learn new things, but at a very high level, and working with very senior members of government to change policy and processes. The purpose of this is not for you to be comfortable, the purpose is for you to be uncomfortable and demonstrate that you can lead at a high level in an uncomfortable space. I love what I do in my normal space, but I’m also open to new opportunities as long as I'm able to take the new, evolved me, and impact change.

What opportunities excite you the most in regards to your work? In this opportunity as a fellow, I get to work with other senior leaders in government and learn from them. I'm also excited to do something I've never done before. The fellowship mandates self-reflection, and I'm most excited about seeing how I evolved during this and seeing the newer, better version of who I am.

How has the Healthcare Industry changed over the past few years?

I think people expect more of their healthcare dollar. Healthcare is so expensive in this country, people expect

to see where their money is going. People expect better quality and higher access. I think the average citizen is more engaged than they were in prior years. Part of what I get excited about in my position is that we're bringing to consumers more information about healthcare price transparency and how to navigate the system in a more accessible way.

I just recently was working on the implementation team for the No Surprises Act, which is a bill Congress passed to prohibit medical surprise billing. The law prohibits such things like if you go to the emergency room and you think you're at an in-network facility for your health insurance, and then you get home and you get this large bill. I'm really proud of this work in regards to healthcare pricing transparency. When I stepped into the space, I knew nothing about it, but that it was important, and I was able to be one of the major authors of the regulation that was put out by the federal government, and help lead the team into the implementation of this policy.

How has MKA prepared you for the path your life has taken? I came to MKA as an outsider. I didn't go to the Middle School and so when I got there, I thought, “These are really smart kids who've been exposed to so much that I had not yet.” Entering as a freshman I was really nervous and had a lot of insecurity about my ability to keep up and to fit in. Looking back at that time, I see that

MKA taught me that I can do hard things, and that I belonged. It's funny because now in my Fellowship I've now been dropped in this new space with people who've operated here for a long time. I'm working with all these statisticians and PhDs who know all this stuff, and I'm like, "Oh, gosh. Do I belong? I had to think back and say, yes, you belong in this space, you're here for a reason, and you have to trust the journey." I'm expecting to get some stuff wrong here but that's where the lesson is, that's where the richest lesson is, it’s in the failure, and your ability to acknowledge it, learn from it, grow from it, and move on.

I also remember an engaging conversation I had in class one day. I don't remember the controversial topic that turned into a debate, but Dr. Flocco asked me what my perspective was and I had to also back it up. I remember being challenged by my classmates, and it felt like everyone had a different perspective than me. I remember Dr. Flocco after class thanking me for challenging the rest of the class. That sticks with me because there are many voices in a room, and it's important that you speak up, and if you have a different opinion, you need to feel heard.

What is the one biggest piece of advice you would give to current MKA students? Say yes to the challenge. Walk through the doors that other people are afraid to open, because there's so much growth and leaning on the other side.

"Walk through the doors that other people are afraid to open."

DR. RUPALI GANDHI '83

CHANGE MAKERS

RUPALI GANDHI, MD JD

is a pediatric and fetal cardiologist, program director of the pediatric cardiology fellowship, and director of pediatric ethics at Advocate Children’s Hospital. She leads the pediatric ethics advisory committee and is the lead clinical ethicist for consultations. Dr. Gandhi’s research interests are within the field of bioethics, including pre-natal counseling, legal issues in advancing technologies within medicine, and pediatric decision-making. Her recent publications have concentrated on the merits of regionalization of pediatric cardiac surgery, the inadequacy of healthcare surrogacy laws for decision-making for children, and scarce resource allocation during the COVID-19 pandemic. She served on the Illinois Department of Health Crisis Standards of Care ethics committee and is the President of the Society for Pediatric Cardiology Training Program Directors. She completed her MD and JD at Yale, pediatric residency and cardiology fellowship training at Boston Children’s Hospital, and Bioethics Fellowship at Harvard. She resides in Chicago with her husband, three children, and dog.

Tell us about what you did after MKA. After I graduated from MKA, I attended Stanford where I majored in biology and minored in political science. I took a constitutional law class and a bioethics class in my junior year which made me start to think about combining my interests in medicine and law. I was fascinated by the overlap in the two fields, especially in light of questions such as: How does property law apply to the ownership of embryos or organs? How much is criminal behavior influenced by neuronal connections that are formed in childhood? Is it ever ethically and legally appropriate to require medical treatment for a child? Even though I was very sure that I wanted to pursue medical school, questions such as these prompted me to apply to both law and medical school with the long-term goal of combining these interests.

I knew I wanted to practice medicine, so I pursued law school first (because it is hard to take a gap between medical school and residency). Yale Law was an incredible experience where I was not only able to pursue the interests I had started to develop in college but also to be exposed to all aspects of law. I spent one summer working in a bioethics law internship and another summer working at a large corporate law firm. These helped cement my interests moving forward. I was able to stay at Yale for medical school which made the transition easier and allowed me to stay connected to the law school. After medical school, I pursued Pediatrics residency at Boston Children’s Hospital and then started there for a fellowship in Pediatric Cardiology.

Why pediatric cardiology? I have always loved babies. Maybe because I’m the youngest of 3, I didn’t get a chance to be around babies very much, and when I did, I absolutely loved it. Therefore, the choice to pursue pediatrics was easy. Within pediatrics, I was drawn to both the neonatal intensive care and cardiology. My decision to pursue cardiology was largely based on my interest in the physiology of heart and congenital heart defects, but also the ability to take care of a patient throughout their lifespan. Many congenital heart disease diagnoses are made in the fetus and the cardiologist can care for the patient from fetus to newborn and throughout childhood.

Tell us about your work. My work varies day-to-day which is one of the things I love most about it. I see pregnant women and do fetal echocardiograms (ultrasounds of the heart) 1-2 times per week. Often, I am giving the pregnant woman and partner good news that their fetus’s heart is normal, but sometimes I am counseling on the most severe types of heart disease that might require multiple surgeries during childhood and a lifelong need for cardiac care. Once a week, I see pediatric patients in the cardiology clinic. Some of these are patients whom I diagnosed in the prenatal period, and some are new patients with cardiac symptoms. I also read echocardiograms (ultrasounds of the heart) for the patients in the hospital a few days a month and take care of patients admitted to the hospital a few weeks per year.

My other big cardiology commitment is being the program

"MKA prepared me to think outside the box. I was able to combine my interests in law and medicine into my career instead of just choosing one path."

director for the cardiology fellows. I am responsible for the annual recruitment of fellows into our program and their education in cardiology while they are with us for 3-4 years. I have a great team that helps with the day-to-day and the workload varies depending on the time of the year.

Finally, I am director of pediatric ethics for the Children’s Hospital. This involves being chair of the Pediatric Ethics Advisory Committee, participating in the resident ethics curriculum, creating ethics programming for hospital staff, consulting on hospital policies, and staffing ethics consults in the hospital. This work is sprinkled in throughout the week and is sometimes very busy (i.e. developing the scarce resource allocation policy during the early part of the pandemic) and sometimes not at all.

What opportunities excite you the most in regard to your work? There are always new developments in medicine. The opportunity to think about the ethics of new technologies and treatments is always exciting. For example, there is a new method of circulating blood through organs before they are donated for transplant but the ethical concerns about this are only beginning to be understood. It is exciting to be part of the discussion and influencing the policies around it. Similarly, even though developing a scarce resource allocation policy during the pandemic (i.e. what to do if we have 2 children who need a ventilator but only 1 ventilator available) was not something I could have predicted I would be doing, it was fulfilling to

collaborate with other physicians and ethicists around the country who were all in the same position.

What is your proudest accomplishment? My family. I have a great husband and 3 lovely kids.

Within my career, I have been able to create a pediatric ethics program and grow the expertise in ethics within the hospital, and I have changed our cardiology fellowship considerably since being made the program director.

In what ways did MKA prepare you for the path your life has taken? MKA prepared me to think outside the box. I was able to combine my interests in law and medicine into my career instead of just choosing one path. MKA also taught me to be a good writer (thank you, Karen Newman!) and writing is so important in many careers. Finally, the public speaking class I took in 11th grade still impacts presentations that I give.

What advice would you give to current MKA students? You do not need to know exactly what you want to do when you leave high school! It’s fine if you do, but if you don’t, then you can explore so many fields before you decide. If you let one door close, others do open.

ERIN CRAWFORD '74

ERIN CRAWFORD CHANGE MAKERS

is a veteran real estate professional serving the Montclair area since 1985. Currently she is a founding Principal/Realtor at Keller Williams New Jersey Metro Group where she continues to be a top producing agent selling over $400 million in real estate since 1985. Erin has earned the distinctions of "Certified Home Luxury Marketing Specialist'' and “Global Property Specialist.” For the last 10 years, Erin has been the recipient of the Circle of Excellence Platinum Level Award, the top honor presented to agents based on their production. Erin is now team leader of the Erin Crawford Team at Keller NJ MG. Her team consists of Buyer’s Agents, Staging, and Administrative Staff professionals who service her clients from listing to close. Erin is a Graduate of Tufts University with a BA in Economics.

You have been selling real estate for over 30 years in Essex County. You then became a founding partner of the Keller Williams NJ Metro Group, which is now the third largest Real Estate franchise in the country. Tell us about your career. I've been a realtor in Montclair since 1985. I got into the business right before the first boom which started in 1986/1987. I initially worked for Schultz Real Estate, then Stanton Company, and then was approached to open up the Keller Williams franchise in Montclair.

I have always enjoyed real estate. After school, I went out to Colorado and had some odd jobs and kind of fell into, believe it or not, timeshares. Turns out, I was very good and got recruited to sell timeshare in Spain, which did not turn out to be such a wonderful opportunity due to shoddy construction, so I came home, and my sister said, well, if you can sell timeshares, you can sell Montclair real estate, and there has been no looking back.

Keller Williams is the third-largest real estate franchise in the country, and my office is number one servicing Montclair, Glenridge, Cedar Grove, Verona, and Bloomfield. We’ve got 250 agents, and it's

just been the gift that keeps on giving.

Being an entrepreneur in the United States of America is the most American thing you can do: being your own boss, making your own rules. I mean, we bought a franchise, and we were the first all-female Keller Williams franchise that they'd ever opened. My joy for the business and my passion for real estate grew exponentially. I went from being a regular worker bee to being financially independent in three years.

What would you say excites you the most about the industry right now?

Well, Montclair is extremely special, and I love Montclair. And we are just perfect for New Yorkers. When COVID-19 came along, people were suddenly fleeing New York, and they were not made to be in the normal cookie-cutter suburbs. Montclair’s politics, school system,and everything about the town of Montclair “fit” the needs of the people.

What is your biggest career challenge that you faced, and what did you learn from it? I was at Stanton Company, and it was a very decent office. I liked everyone there, Dick Stanton was wonderful, brilliant, and he knew everything about real estate. I was going to leave that

behind and start my own business, and I had to do everything from the ground up. We had to rent a lease for five years; we had to recruit 40 people before they would even give us the franchise, plus we had to pay a lot of money. It was a huge gamble, but I believed in myself and knew it was the right decision within six months.

What is your proudest accomplishment? My daughter. She works for the Brooklyn DA's office and is so special.

What do you want your legacy to be?

I believe I provide great service and help people when they're going from one stage in their life to the next. They need someone they can trust.

What is one piece of advice that you would give to current MKA students? So this is hard because when you come out of college, you just want to get a job and start making money. Every job, even the crummy ones, help you along the way in your career. But when you find your passion, it becomes a whole different story with so much potential. You can be inventive with solutions, and the passion drives you to be a better you and make the world a better place. So if you are lucky

enough to find that passion, then that's what you should do. Real estate has always been my passion.

How did your time at the Kimberley School inspire your career path?

I wasn't a conventional student at Kimberley. One of my things I'm most proud of is that I wasn't necessarily the smartest person, but I wanted to get into a great college, and I studied very hard.

I remember when I was going to be a senior and had to take chemistry, and I knew it was going to be a really bad idea. I went to the college advisor, and I said, "I'm not going to take chemistry." She told me, "You can't graduate unless you take chemistry." She said, "You know what, call your colleges and see if they'll take you without it." So I called Georgetown, Tufts, and Boston College, and I told them, "Will you take me if I don't take chemistry?" And they said, "Well, what would you take instead?" So I went back to my advisor and asked what I could take instead. We were going co-ed that year, so we had access to the boys’ curriculum as well. She told me there was a new course, economics and I said, "I'll take it." I called the colleges back and told them I was going to take economics instead, they all agreed I didn’t have to take chemistry. The best part was I was taught by Ken Gibson, who was a revered teacher at the school, and the class was so good that I got exempt out of a full year of economics at Tufts University.

Keller Williams is #1. Holding the top spot in agent count, units, and sales volume, KW is a force to be reckoned with. As the home where entrepreneurs thrive, our franchise business model equips agents with a technological edge, the ability to provide unparalleled customer service, and the opportunity to build big businesses and even bigger lives.

"Being an entrepreneur in the United States of America is the most American thing you can do, being your own boss, making your own rules."

KATHRYN AUW PRASAD CHANGE MAKERS

is the Global COO for Commercial Real Estate Lending at Morgan Stanley. Kathryn has been with Morgan Stanley since 2007. Previously, she was a trader of structured mortgage obligations backed by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and Ginnie Mae. From 2011 until 2016, she started the Agency CMBS trading platform. Prior to joining Morgan Stanley, Kathryn had worked at Bear Stearns as an analyst. Kathryn is an alumna from MKA’s Class of 2001, and holds a Bachelor of Science in Management Science degree from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Tell us about your career. When I left MKA, I had this great passion for science and trying to figure things out. I went to MIT and while there I explored a lot of different paths trying to hone in on what I was passionate about. I tried the sciences like chemistry and engineering, but ultimately where I found myself really leaning into was in the Management School for Finance. That led me to my career at Morgan Stanley, and I've been here for almost 17 years.

When I first went into the financial world, I really enjoyed the pace of going into an investment bank and dealing with the markets. I had a vision that I wanted to be a trader. I was really into mortgages at the time, which before the great financial crisis was the product du jour, but I think what I’ve learned over the years is that in order to be resilient in my field, you have to be able to adapt your business strategy. As my career has evolved, I've now turned away from executing trades to being a COO for one of our businesses here at Morgan Stanley. I oversee our commercial real estate lending business, which is a global platform within Morgan Stanley spanning the US, EMEA, and also Asia Pacific. One of the critical parts of my job is that I'm trying to solve new business strategies. I think about how we want to proceed over the next few years, and what the goals are that we want to achieve.

What opportunities excite you the most in regards to your work? One of the wonderful things about my job is that there are so many things that seem initially out of your depth, and I think, “I don't know how to solve this, I've never encountered something like this before.” But what I've come to learn is that just like anything else, it's about collaboration and finding where everyone's strengths are. I can't solve all problems by myself, but

I get to meet so many wonderfully talented and smart people and collaborate to come up with the strongest solution. That has been the most exciting part of my job for me because every transaction that I deal with, and any business strategy I deal with is somewhat different, and I need different perspectives and expertise and I have gotten to meet a lot of people along the way to help me build a sustainable platform. The different perspectives allow you to build the strongest and most robust business strategy to support your business.

In which ways have the changes in your industry impacted your work within recent years? My job in its current form wouldn't have existed 15 or 20 years ago. I think when people think about Wall Street back in the early 2000s and even the late '90s and '80s, you have tons of movies out there like The Wolf of Wall Street that really depict a very different era of what it was like in Finance at the time. What has changed about Wall Street is that, yes, we still care about serving our clients and the bottom line, but in doing so, we are also very much about doing the right thing and how to do things appropriately. We must focus on getting the right support around every single facet of our business to make the right types of decisions so that we don't have a situation like 2008 again. That's really a big part of my job, being part of that infrastructure to scaffold the businesses and help Morgan Stanley make the right decisions. If I myself don't know the answer, I can find the right resources to get me to the right solution. That's what I meant by saying this job didn't really exist in this form a few years ago, but now as we think about governance, and how to do things appropriately and sustainably for the business and for the markets, my job has now evolved to be what it is.

What is the biggest career challenge you have faced and what did you learn from it? I think the biggest challenges have been just the changing tides and learning to adapt to them. And I think this is applicable in not just my specific role, but in almost every role. When I was trading, it was all about adapting to new markets when the financial crisis was going on and understanding how the Fed was going to impact interest rates. Now it's also about how regulations are coming in and what we have to do to better prepare ourselves for them.

I think this is applicable to the whole world, things like AI didn't exist a couple of years ago in broad strokes. How do we want to incorporate AI into all facets of various financial markets? How do we deal with all the ethical implications to ensure you're using it appropriately? Being able to think through problems, take a step back and put it all into perspective allows you to grow and roll with every kind of wave that comes through.

What is your proudest professional accomplishment to date? I would say that one of my proudest professional accomplishments to date has been being able to take something that was nothing and create a complete platform out of it. In 2011, I was asked to move from one product to a product that had not been traded at all at Morgan Stanley, and I was asked to do it with just a spreadsheet. There was no research support, no system support, we really didn't know how to approach it. I said, “All right, I’m going to figure this out taking it step by step. I'm going to learn about the product with whatever market research is out there that's not internal. I'm going to talk to clients to understand how they think about this product, and then we'll take it from there.” And by the time I stopped trading this product in 2015, we had 1.5 billion of assets on the book with fully robust research supporting us.

In what way did MKA prepare you for your future? First and foremost, I think MKA has an abundance of riches in terms of what it offers its students. I would encourage every single student to take the opportunities made available to them. I was really into science and I signed up for a scientific research program that the school was piloting. This is true and applicable to almost any industry you go into because there are a lot of things that can seem daunting out there but you have to be encouraged to seize the opportunity. I also felt like I was an integral part of my own personal and career development because I understood that there was a network of amazing faculty and students that surrounded me. Knowing who you can lean on and who you can learn from and who you should be modeling yourself after, is something that MKA affords all of its students.

If I could give one piece of advice to current MKA students what would it be? Don't be set on one specific path. While you might have a general direction, and while you may really believe that you want to be a doctor, or a scientist, or an author, when you grow up, a lot of different things in life can surprise you. Sometimes, not every single step is seemingly forward. Sometimes there can be steps to the side, but they all have a meaningful purpose and they all teach you wonderful lessons about who you are and what you're made of. I was one of those people who felt like I wanted to focus on one singular thing but even within my track of finance, I found many different roles to wear and many different hats to wear. You don't have to lock yourself in, the world changes and you can kind of change with it.

"Sometimes, not every single step is seemingly forward. Sometimes there can be steps to the side, but they all have a meaningful purpose and they all teach you wonderful lessons about who you are and what you're made of."

KIWITTA (KI) PASCHAL

is an accomplished leader in the Aerospace & Defense Engineering sector with over 20 years of professional experience spanning the full operations lifecycle within the aerospace, medical devices, electronics manufacturing, and automotive industries. As a Project Engineer Principle for Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company in Fort Worth, Texas, Ki is responsible for coaching and mentoring a team of engineers overseeing the technical management and execution of development centric projects in addition to managing several projects of his own. Ki received his Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from Rutgers University, School of Engineering. He received his Master of Science in Information Systems with a concentration in Project Management from Steven’s Institute of Technology and is currently pursuing his MBA from Baylor University. He is a Certified Project Management Professional (PMP), Process Excellence Black Belt, member of the local alumni chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), and member of the Fort Worth Chapter of Lockheed Martin Leadership Association (LMLA). Outside of Lockheed Martin, Ki is the founder of Blkpawn Publishing, a small independent publishing company that issues a growing portfolio of books and journals. Additionally, he is a self-published author, a small group leader in his church, and an active member of his fraternity, Alpha Phi Alpha, Inc. Ki and his wife, Tammy live in Keller, Texas, with their three daughters.

Tell us about your career. How has it evolved at Lockheed Martin? Overall, my career as an engineering professional has been built from my innate ability to solve problems. After MKA, I graduated from Rutgers University, College of Engineering as a James Dickson Carr Scholar with a BS in Industrial Engineering. Before arriving at Lockheed Martin, I earned a MS in Information Systems with a concentration in Project Management from Stevens Institute of Technology. Before arriving at Lockheed Martin, I worked at three other companies, which prepared me well for the success I have achieved. After graduating from Rutgers University, my first job was working for a small electronics devices company in Ewing, NJ, overseeing the Materials Requirements Planning (MRP) software. The second, was working as a front-line supervisor at the General Motors facility in Linden, where I supervised over 50 people in a union environment. At the time, I was the youngest supervisor at the company, and that experience catapulted my leadership abilities to a whole new level. The third and last stop before arriving at Lockheed Martin was working at Ethicon, a division of Johnson & Johnson, where I gained additional leadership experience and added to my skills in the exploding area of Supply Chain Management.

When I finally arrived at Lockheed Martin's Aeronautics division in Marietta, GA, I was positioned to make quick wins and impact the bottom line. I had the honor and privilege of supporting the F-22 Raptor fighter production operations as an Industrial Engineer. My task was to help the production build team meet the contractual cost and schedule targets through performance

analysis and continuous improvement techniques. I traveled around the country and US territories and represented the company as a recruiting ambassador at National Conventions like the National Society of Black Engineers as well as key colleges and universities. The culmination of leadership and practical experience positioned me to compete and achieve the role of Industrial Engineering Manager on the C-130J airlifter. The C-130 platform is the longest continuously produced military aircraft, with over 60 years in production. However, my time on the platform was short-lived as I took the opportunity to relocate to Fort Worth, TX, the headquarters of the Aeronautics division, where the remainder of my career has occurred.

During that time, I've successfully developed programs to engage with high-potential mid-career employees and influence retention. This initiative raised key retention metrics by over 10%. It resulted in many participants achieving senior leadership positions around the company. I am proud to have helped shape a brownfield initiative called the Performance Management Teams (PMTs). Through my efforts, the division-wide program generated tens of thousands of ideas for performance improvement, resulting in millions of dollars in tangible savings to the bottom line.

Later in my career, I transitioned from the production operations department to the engineering and technology department, where my assignment focused on technical project management, process improvement, and technical support of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter in a post-sales environment. This was an

"I want to foster the work environment where everyone is viewed, respected, and revered for the individual value they contribute to the team."

extraordinary opportunity to further expand my leadership capabilities and product acumen and participate in a lucrative part of the business. The experience I encountered in this role allowed for international travel to vendors, and creating new processes that would be codified into standard work that would be used hundreds of times without error. This role provided the final piece of the puzzle to help me visualize the big picture and explain the entire aircraft lifecycle.

The role that I had just before my current position came as a result of providential fortune. It was where preparation and opportunity collided. A presentation during a group mentoring session created a chance to take on a stretch assignment. My performance in that assignment led to me being nose-deep in the middle of cutting-edge technology focused on digital transformation. Digital Transformation (DX) is the term that refers to leveraging new capabilities and technology to radically change the way business is performed. These improvements provide giant leaps when implemented, positioning Lockheed Martin to have a more significant competitive advantage. I managed the transformation of foundational engineering tools that were developed and configured for designing, building, and sustaining an aircraft. This role was transformative for me because I was in a position to influence small changes and improvements to problem areas I discovered in past assignments but could not impact at the time. For me, this project is a big part of my legacy. My way of giving back is to make my mark not just on one platform or aspect of the life cycle, but the entire enterprise. That was special for me; I see it as one of the high points of my career.

In my current role, I serve as the Principal F-35 Project Engineer, leading high visibility, high impact engineering projects to solve problems and deliver value to the warfighter. I also have the privilege of mentoring early career project engineers, so that they, too, can enjoy a fulfilling career as a Lockheed Martin engineer.

What opportunities excite you the most in regard to your work? I am quiet, observant, and pensive by nature. I’m always trying to figure out how something works or why a process is set up to work the way it does. I am a trained Industrial Engineer, so once I understand a process, I look for ways to improve it and make it more efficient. Under those parameters, I am wholly fascinated and excited to work on projects that enable teams to recognize the obstacles and gaps that inhibit success. Then, work with them to systematically dismantle those impediments and execute creative, robust solutions that are only replaced by technology.

I love to work with people, especially teams. I am fascinated by decision-making, how information is processed, and how it influences the strategic course of action. Projects involving people, particularly teams of teams, are typically the most challenging but rewarding and are the opportunities that excite me the most in my work.

What are some of the ways in which your industry has changed in recent years? The Aerospace and Defense (A&D) industry has evolved over the years, particularly in shortening the time it takes to innovate new products and capabilities as well as in the big investments being made to test and manufacture products in a more cost-effective manner. The time it takes for the Department of Defense to commission a study for a replacement platform, to design, prototype, test, and further iterate it has traditionally taken years. Some of the legacy aircraft platforms have spans that range 15-20 years between initial conceptual design to producing versions that are used in a full operational capability. The landscape has significantly evolved, and US adversaries haven't stopped trying to meet or exceed our capabilities.

Additionally, the cost associated with going through this lengthy process is exorbitant. So, the challenge to the A&D industry is how these new platforms, designs, and capabilities can be developed and deployed quickly and at a more affordable rate. This is where Digital Transformation comes to bear. DX allows for creating digital models and using advanced algorithms and analytics to conduct thousands of tests. We can generate hundreds of thousands of test points before a part is even fabricated so that when it is, the manufacturer has a statistically high confidence level on how the part, component, or assembly will function.

The thousands of slight improvements across the aircraft's lifecycle result in millions of dollars in cost savings and years in span reductions. These investments are critically needed to stay ahead of our [US] adversaries and help ensure global security.

What change do you hope to inspire or effect as a leader?

The change that I want to inspire as a leader is around teamwork. I want to foster the work environment where everyone is viewed, respected, and revered for the individual value they contribute to the team. As a leader, I aspire to demonstrate servant leadership and extol the effects it can have on the dynamics of a team and the overall performance they can collectively achieve. I firmly believe that individuals don't achieve extraordinary things on

their own. They are achieved through the help and support of others. Servant leadership certainly isn't easy; it isn't for the faint of heart. It is additional work because servant leadership involves taking the extra time and energy to learn about each person, understanding who they are, and recognizing what motivates and discourages them.

My job is to help team members discover the unique talents they bring to the table and what heights they can achieve as a result. As a servant leader, I am often the first to adjust and compromise for the betterment of the team; I also do it because, as the leader, I have the advantage of understanding the big picture and what the desired results need to be. The underlying goal is a mutually beneficial relationship where personal growth and corporate objectives are achieved simultaneously.

I am reminded of an analogy of the servant leader being referred to as a master gardener. This analogy resonates with me because it possesses both a spiritual and practical application. As a leader, I quickly recognize I have a full array of individuals that, for the sake of this illustration, are the flowers in the garden I manage. My goal is to have a beautiful garden full of vibrant colors where each plant or flower thrives. To achieve this, I must understand what I am dealing with and how to care for them appropriately. Are they robust plants that do not need a lot of attention? Or are they delicate blossoms that require a lot of support and specialized attention to reach full bloom?

I hope to inspire current and future leaders to make personal investments in others. I want to help others recognize that they did not accomplish their goals independently. Other people motivated and encouraged them to press on. Others invested in them. They can pay it forward and simultaneously reinforce what they've been taught.

What is your proudest accomplishment, both personally and professionally? My proudest accomplishment professionally occurred several years ago. I was challenged to expand the launch of the Performance Management Teams (PMTs) from 3-5 teams to over 20, and with my leadership, my team was able to meet the challenge. The accomplishment occurred a few months after the groups were established and operating. The plan was to create a visible showcase that allowed the teams to highlight their impact on cost, schedule, quality, and safety. My idea was for a massive "speed dating" like environment where guests spent a few minutes listening to a team discuss the projects they worked on and the quantifiable impacts they made. What took it over the top and made it so much more remarkable was that the union-represented mechanics on the teams were the ones who presented these impacts to senior leadership and other stakeholders. This was powerful on many levels because, traditionally, the area manager spoke while the mechanic was quiet in the background. In this scenario, the mechanic was front and center. They were briefing the division president, the vice president of finance, and the program, directors, and executive leaders from the union hall. All of them had nothing but positive remarks to share with the team.

THE MIGHTY MOUNTAIN

My proudest personal accomplishment is launching my publishing company, Blkpawn Publishing, and my first book, The Mighty Mountain. The idea for the book was something that I had been carrying around in my heart for seven years before putting my head down and focusing on finishing it and getting it out to the world. The parable-like story, written primarily with young readers in mind, centers around a large mountain that, when it became aware of its existence, believed that its purpose was centered around protecting the lowly foliage in a valley at the base of the mountain. Additionally, the mountain falsely believed there was an adversarial relationship with the sun, wind, and rain and that its job was to counter whatever they were doing. After a natural catastrophic event radically impacts its confidence, the mountain eventually discovers its true purpose, thus introducing the beginning elements of another purpose-filled journey in a well-known classic biblical story. My book embodies my belief that everyone has something of value to contribute. The challenge is to figure out what it is. Sometimes in life, the things that you are good at lead you to falsely believe that's all you can do, that you're incapable of doing more. It takes perseverance, leadership and sometimes unfortunate situations to reveal a deeper providential purpose.

To purchase The Mighty Mountain visit: https://tinyurl.com/2h4653dm

REBECCA SIEGEL '84

DR. REBECCA SIEGEL CHANGE MAKERS

is a board certified Adult, Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist. She joined the Amen Clinics in 2018 after more than 13 years in group and private practice settings. Dr. Siegel graduated from Albert Einstein Medical School where her father also attended and specialized in Neurology. She completed her Psychiatry residency and Child & Adolescent fellowship at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. Dr. Siegel specializes in the assessment and treatment of anxiety, mood disorders, and ADHD. She sees clients for comprehensive evaluations and consultations and provides support for psychopharmacology. Dr. Siegel is supportive of a healthy lifestyle with nutrition, brain-directed supplements, sleep, and management of stress. She believes in treating the whole person with a range of therapeutic techniques and approaches. In 2021 Dr. Siegel released “The Brain on Cannabis: What You Should Know about Recreational and Medical Marijuana.” She has a special interest in issues confronting women across the ages. She is the mother of three teenage daughters and lives in New York City.

Tell us about your career path. After MKA, I went to Duke. After working in Washington, D.C., I went to medical school when I was 29. I did not have a direct path, and this is for every person to know and understand: your path will not necessarily be straight. At Duke, I started out pre-med, and honestly, I wasn't ready to do it. It was very overwhelming and very competitive, and I was not there at that point. I graduated and moved to DC where I worked at the Holocaust Museum. It was a formative experience for me as I was trying to find my purpose. I always say: people need hope; people need options; and people need a purpose.

I knew I had always been interested in medicine, and if I was ever going to do it, now was the time, so I continued working and started taking one course at a time. I then applied and got in to Einstein Medical School in the Bronx, where my father had

gone. I got pregnant at 31 in my second year of med school, and with a huge support system helping me, I graduated. I then started my residency at Mount Sinai in a combination program of pediatrics and psychiatry.

During my residency, I got pregnant again; I had done a year of pediatrics at that point. I decided that pediatrics was not my passion, and I was going to focus on child psychiatry and psychiatry. I went into this process at 29, and I finished everything at 39. It's never too late. I was in med school for ten years followed by five years of residency and fellowship. My last daughter was born when I finished my child psychiatry fellowship, and at that time I went into private practice where it worked perfectly for almost ten years because I could really be around and be involved with my kids' lives.

Like I said, my path was not straight and it is still evolving. Now I am an expert on medical marijuana. I was in private practice when a patient of mine came to me and said, "Cannabis has changed my life." At this point, it was 2017, and I had no idea this was a thing, so I did some research. That's me, I'm very much about continued learning. I started learning more about it and reaching out to people. I got certified to recommend it, and people started hearing about what I was doing.

I work at Amen Clinic. It’s a private clinic started by a psychiatrist named Daniel Amen, who's very much about brain and body health. He'd been around forever and is always on PBS. He's written 20 bestselling books. Soon after I joined his clinic, I went to Daniel and said, "I have this idea for a book about cannabis." I had no idea what I was doing, and I never

"My legacy hasn't been written yet. I'm still here. It's still being written."

thought I’d write a book. I googled how to write a training plan and brought it back to him. He then connected me to his literary agent and a publishing company was interested. At the time, it was a controversial topic: now it’s everywhere!

What is something that excites you in your line of work right now? The whole opportunity of telemedicine and telepsychiatry is huge. There is such a mental health crisis in this country, and telepsychiatry has definitely helped by giving people more options. We can reach more people who may not have had access to care.

So far in your career, what has been the biggest challenge for you and what did you learn from it? Honestly, it was trying to have it all. It was being a mother and having this career that I started later in my life and didn't want to give up. I didn't do it perfectly, but I did it the best way that I could. I have three wonderful daughters who still talk to me, and I have a career that I'm incredibly proud of.

What is your proudest accomplishment so far? I have these wonderful daughters who I hope I've been a good role model for.

What do you want your legacy to be? To never stop growing, evolving, and learning and to ultimately help people.

What is some advice you’d give to current MKA students? Be openminded. There's so much opportunity and sometimes people can get stuck with tunnel vision. Try to take a variety of courses. Also, connections with people are important. You never know who might be struggling next to you. Be kind, be open, and try to make the most of the time you have in high school. It's not all about studying for SATs and getting into the best college. It's also about making connections.

THE BRAIN ON CANNABIS

In 2021 Dr. Siegel released The Brain on Cannabis: What You Should Know about Recreational and Medical Marijuana. From the Amen Clinics, America’s frontline resource for brain health and treatment of brain injury, comes the most comprehensive and myth-busting guide yet on marijuana use and its effects on the brain, including how to effectively talk to young people about recreational marijuana use.

TYLER DINAPOLI '99

CHANGE MAKERS

TYLER DINAPOLI

serves as President of Marketing for Bleecker Street where he oversees media, research, and brand strategy for the NYC based film studio. He has been with the company since its inception and worked on 75+ Bleecker Street films including: The Assistant, Logan Lucky, Hotel Mumbai, Captain Fantastic (Academy Award nominated), Disobedience, Trumbo (Academy Award nominated), Leave No Trace and most recently, the Academy Award-nominated Golda, What Happens Later, and Waitress: The Musical. Prior to Bleecker Street, Tyler was Vice President of Advertising & Field Marketing at Focus Features and oversaw teams who conceptualized, created, and executed on the positioning and promotion of Focus films across all verticals. Titles range from commercial to specialty releases such as Atonement, Coraline, The Kids Are All Right, Milk, Moonrise Kingdom, The Place Beyond the Pines, and World’s End. A veteran entertainment executive, Tyler had previously held senior marketing posts within the exhibitor space (Bow Tie Cinemas), agency world (Terry Hines & Associates) and toward domestic and international marketing at Miramax Films. DiNapoli is a graduate of Sarah Lawrence College, with a Bachelor of Arts. He also has the distinction of being a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences (AMPAS), the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) and Film Independent (FIND).

Tell us about your career leading to you becoming the President of Marketing Media and Research at Bleecker Street. I've been very fortunate that I've worked my entire career at studios, and an agency, and an exhibitor, all in New York. I attribute that to the great many internships I had prior to starting my career which allowed me to network and understand exactly what areas of the business were the best fit for me. Like many film students, I didn't know whether I wanted to work in front of or behind the camera. I'd encourage anyone, whether in high school or college, to try different things.

Currently, I oversee marketing, media, and research. That means a lot of strategy specific items for Bleecker Street. So if you think of marketing, there's two variations of it, there's the creative side which does all the trailers and the posters, etc.. and then there's that which identifies who the audience is that we're trying to reach, and how we best reach them. That is more my area, I'm more into the research and strategy side. There are some movies that are for everyone, but for the kind of movies we make, there's usually one to two core audiences that ultimately we're trying to reach.

I’ve been at Bleecker Street Since its inception 10 years ago. A number of us came over from Focus Features, and the DNA of Focus at that time was socially conscious films like Brokeback Mountain, The Kids Are Alright, and Milk. Our owner, decided they wanted to change directions on the studio and make it more

like a genre division. I love those kinds of movies as a consumer, but my heart wasn't in marketing them. I believe that movies can entertain, but also have something to say. We felt we had an opportunity to make our own studio and follow the mission that Focus had. That means, we came from humble beginnings in my apartment, to now having teams in multiple cities and states, and it's been exceptional.

What opportunities excite you the most in regards to your work? The thing that's the most exciting is consumption habits among individuals are constantly evolving. It’s not just the films themselves, but also the media choices we make. What was true several years ago isn't true today. The work is never dull and always evolving as a marketer. For example, last year was the first year YouTube eclipsed traditional TV ads as the main source of awareness for moviegoers. This speaks to the paradigm shifts that offer up new modes of thinking. Everything we do is very bespoke and handcrafted and different. Several years ago, TikTok was on one or two of our media buys, and now it's just scaled up to the point where it's on every buy because everyone's there. The ground is always shifting, and because of that, we either need to roll with it or get swept under the rug.

What are some ways in which the industry has changed in recent years? The pandemic was a major inflection point towards the amount of time it took for a film to be in the theater, and then when it was available at home to rent or buy. The

film industry now has to think a bit more holistically from the start of a movie campaign. There are more people watching movies than ever before, but where they're seeing them first is constantly evolving. The biggest adjustment is the fact that you could market something as a theatrical experience and create awareness for it, but there are certain people that just don't go see a movie in a theater, they prefer to watch it at home.

What is the biggest career challenge you've faced and what did you learn from it? We live in a very data rich world, but we need to be careful how to use data directionally rather than having it replace instinct and experience. Data is a tool, but it's not everything. Gut and instincts still matter.

What is your proudest professional accomplishment to date? I would say in a time of immense industry disruption, to paraphrase Elton John, “Movies are still standing.”

In what ways did MKA prepare you for the life that it's taken? I've always believed that background makes foreground, whether in academia or the business world, and so much of that foundation and natural curiosity that goes into doing research and understanding the why as to how something came to be or works in general started for me in the halls and classrooms of MKA. It's not unlike if you were building a house and you might be told the gas line goes in one way, but at MKA, the thing that was great is you're taught to ask, “Does the gas line have to go in that way?” Or better yet, “Does there even have to be a gas line?” I mean, it's just that critical thinking that forces you to ask the question “why” very early on, and it's so applicable to everything in life.

"Gut and instincts still matter."

What is one piece of advice you would give to current students at MKA? I was really lucky enough to work with the late actor, Alan Rickman from the Harry Potter movies and many more. He worked with me on the film Eye in the Sky, and he had a piece of advice that he had shared with me about those entering the entertainment world that really struck me. He said, "Life is cumulative, so you need to go to art galleries, listen to music, you need to know what's happening in the world and develop your taste and judgment so when something quality comes along, your imagination has something to bounce off of." I loved that perspective because life is really about knowing yourself and what your tastes are, and then when something comes along, you've given yourself foundational information to be able to react appropriately to it.

BLEECKER STREET

Bleecker Street is an independently financed U.S. film distribution company founded in 2014. Dedicated to making smart and inviting entertainment for discerning audiences, the company is celebrating its 10-year anniversary in 2024. The company has remained consistent as a constant and key player in the specialized film space. A trusted label and champion of original cinema with an impressive and lauded slate of films.

DiNapoli at the premiere of Anthropoid with stars Cillian Murphy and Jamie Dornan, along with additional actors from the film, producer, and director.

DiNapoli at the premiere of Breathe with stars Andrew Garfield and Claire Foy, the director Andy Serkis, and the producers.

Events

MKA GOLF CLASSIC

MKA’s 2023 Golf Classic was held at Somerset Hills Country Club, and it was a perfect day for golf and a wonderful way to celebrate the MKA community. Parents, alumni, and faculty members showed their skills and had a great time on the course. Afterward, attendees enjoyed dinner together with Head of School Nigel D. Furlonge, Board President Naveen Ballem, M.D., F.A.C.S ’90 P’26 ’30, and other school leaders. Thank you to John Blondel ’74 for sponsoring the event at the Somerset Hills Country Club and to our incredible sponsors for making the day possible: Apotheco Pharmacy Group, The Ballem Family, Bellapianta Orthopedics, Clark Goldin Attorneys at Law, Crown Cadillac and the DiFeo Family, Harrington Construction, Ouigancie, The Salzman Family, and The Szilagyi Family.

ALUMNI OFFICE ON THE ROAD

MAGIC AT THE NEW YORK ATHLETIC CLUB

Scott Schulte ’77 hosted an MKA event at the New York Athletic Club this fall that welcomed over 150 alumni. The atmosphere in the room was electric as alumni connected with one another and with former teachers.

This fall the Alumni Office visited South Carolina, Boston, Chicago, and Austin. Should we come and visit you? If you’d like to help plan an alumni event in your area, please contact mkilduff@mka.org.

MKA GOES DTS!

In July, over 75 alumni visited the Parker House, an MKA summer staple, to enjoy happy hour and one another. An added bonus? A wristband that allows you to cut the line later that evening.

BANI - COMMUNITY AND CONVERSATIONS

A huge thank you to Paige Cottingham-Streater ’79 the cofounder of BANI (Black Alumni Network Initiative) for bringing Black alumni, parents, faculty members, and students together for a great night of community and conversations. A highlight was seeing former students who were mentored by BANI members come back to campus to support the next generation of students.

WINTER GAMES/FRIENDSGIVING

Our annual Winter Games and Friendsgiving Event was a night to remember. Our alumni battled it out in the hockey game (with a surprise upset going to our older alums!), and a great time was had at Tierney’s like always.

MAKING CONNECTIONS AND SHARING THEIR EXPERIENCES

CELEBRATING COUGAR PRIDE

ALUMNI IN THE ARTS ALCOVE

One day, several years ago, Upper School Fine and Performing Arts teachers Nicole Hoppe and the late Tony Cuneo were discussing how many successful artists have graduated from MKA. Tony had the great idea to renovate the alcove in the Arts Wing to showcase all of our extraordinary alumni in the Arts. In 2022, the MKA Office of Alumni Engagement proudly unveiled the renovated Alumni in the Arts Alcove at the Upper School. The Alcove highlights the amazing creative work being done all over the world by MKA alumni. Special thanks to Michael Yamashita, who generously donated his piece Window On My World taken in Songtsam Lodge in Tacheng, Yunnan, China, to be the centerpiece of the installation.

This exciting initiative celebrates: Elizabeth Glaeser-Jones ’53 | Michael J. Pollard ’57 | Michael Yamashita ’67 | Frank LaRocca ’69 | Barbara Bonney '74 | Grant “Whip” Hubley ’75 | Barry Centanni ’77 | Rohina Gandhi-Hoffman ’86 | George Hrab Jr. ’89 | Doreen Oliver ’92 | Taurey Butler '92 | Damien Vena ’93 | Jeremy Selenfriend ’96 | Ruben Atlas ’97 | Kristen Connolly ’98 |

Dan Blake ’99 | Lauren Hooper-Rogers ’00 | Kerry Bishe ’02 | Emily Silver '02 | Danny Monico ’03 | Will Connolly ’03 | Brandon

Uranowitz ’04 | Emma Grace Larkin '07 | Jake Weary ’08 | Michelle Uranowitz ’08 | Melissa Schlobohm ’08 | Carina Wong '11 | Nadia Brown ’12 | Mirsada Abdool Raman ’12 | Isaiah Thompson ’15 | Casey Garvin

Experience the Alcove :

*Bold - 2023 Inductees

MKA’S

INQUIRY TO INSIGHT

BRINGS YOU A NEW ALUMNI PODCAST EPISODE BUILDING THE

FUTURE FUTURE FUTURE FUTURE

MKA is thrilled to bring you Inquiry to Insight’s newest podcast episode Building the Future. In this explosive episode, host Associate Head of School Steve Valentine brings you three visionaries in their respective spaces to discuss the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on various fields.

Antony Brydon ’90 (Venture Advisor and Partner), Owen Jennings ‘07 (COO Cash App), and Kristen Conolly ’98 (Actress) discuss the need for individuals and organizations to adapt quickly and be agile due to the rapid pace of change brought about by AI. They also explore the idea of universal basic income (UBI) as a potential solution to support individuals through job market shifts caused by AI. The conversation touches on the importance of human creativity and the potential challenges and opportunities that AI advancement presents in fields such as the entertainment industry. The participants discussed the creation of a label for companies that prioritize employee well-being and re-skilling and explored the role of transparency and consumer choice in driving positive change in industries affected by AI.

Kristen Connolly '98, Antony Brydon '90, and Owen Jennings '07

PARENT NEWS

“I encourage everyone to discover a way to get involved in creating special memories for our students.”

Dear MKA Families,

The first half of the school year has been a busy and exciting time for PAMKA. The Stories Come Alive Scholastic Book Fair transformed our three campuses. Our amazing parent volunteers used their creativity and worked hard to make another successful book fair for our entire community. PAMKA volunteers have continued to share their time and talent in planning other events such as Parenting Workshops, the Spring Gala, and Cougar Pride Day.

While PAMKA holds various events and programming for our community, our work also looks outward. The fall and winter Tri-Campus community engagement drives were a success due to the generosity of our community. PAMKA and KIPP NJ have restarted programming with their long-standing relationship. Our parents and guardians are volunteering as tutors at a KIPP NJ elementary school. Middle schoolers from KIPP NJ made meaningful connections with our students while attending the Book Fair. These touchpoints highlight the ways PAMKA makes a meaningful impact on the broader Community.

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 special memories for our students and participating in learning and/or engagement opportunities for fellow parents and guardians. We are always looking to evolve our own events and programming, while keeping our school’s mission of Knowledge, Vision, and Integrity at the forefront of everything we do.

I hope to see many of you at the Spring Gala on Friday, April 19, and Cougar Pride Day on Saturday, April 27!

Alison Slone P’30 ’33 President, PAMKA

PAMKA BOARD OF OFFICERS

Alison Slone President

Katie Cocco Secretary

Priya Ballem Finance Vice President

Sonia Vora Communications Vice President

April Straten Community Engagement Vice President

Nancy Wheeler Volunteer Coordinator Vice President

Diana Nagrecha Special Events Vice President

Moushumi Sanghavi Primary School Campus Vice President

Monique French-Brown Middle School Campus Vice President

Leigh Conforti Upper School Campus Vice President

STORIES CAME ALIVE DURING THE 2023 PAMKA BOOK FAIR

Tri-Campus PAMKA Book Fair Chairs Elizabeth Hejna and Elise Hubert, along with their wonderful team of volunteers, brought the excitement of reading to our three campuses this month during the Stories Come Alive Book Fair. Thank you to Meredith Gardner and Shane Mark for making our Primary School campus a reading extravaganza complete with a PJ Night and engaging presentations by authors and illustrators Todd Parr, Doug Salati, and Hyewon Yum. Kristen Brown and Jade Harris made sure that every Middle School student celebrated their creativity and love of books by welcoming authors Claribel Ortega, Brian Selznick, and Lauren Tarshis. Florence Arcilla and Megan Flick created an engaging literary space at our Upper School Academic Center. This year, PAMKA partnered with KIPP NJ TEAM Academy to welcome a group of their students to our Middle School to enjoy shopping at the Book Fair and hearing from author Brian Selznick during an assembly. KIPP students were paired with MKA student buddies and enjoyed games, lunch, and more! Many thanks to KIPP NJ teachers, Shannon Marshall and Josh Rodriquez, for coordinating the visit, along with MKA faculty members Guada Cabido and Shanie Israel as well as our MKA student volunteers. A special thank you to all of the parents and community members who volunteered their time and talent to make this special event possible. PAMKA is also grateful to Scholastic for their long-term partnership and to our MKA faculty and staff for their continuous support.

FACULTY TRUST GRANTS

PAMKA Faculty Trust Grants offer financial support to faculty who pursue field-oriented, transformative courses and/ or travel that will enlighten them and enrich their students’ classroom experience. PAMKA is proud to award these grants, and this year’s recipients will join the list of over 100 faculty members who have received such support since the program’s inception in 1978. Stephanie Salzman, Board Member, parent at MKA for 18 years, and Chair of the PAMKA Faculty Grant, introduced Meg Arcadia and CherylAnne Amendola at November’s In Service session to present their experiences after being awarded the 2023 PAMKA Faculty Trust Grants. Meg Arcadia’s Ciao Italia explored her identity through culture, food, and family. CherylAnne Amendola’s Aloha, Hawaii - I left my Heart in San Francisco allowed her to improve upon her Asian American and Pacific Islander History. Sheila Smith also received a PAMKA Trust Grant. Her journey, a Pilgrimage to Portugal in Search of Learning and Mindfulness, provided opportunities for creative, intellectual, and meaningful global experiences.

FROM OUR TRUSTEES

“MKA is a robust school. We have the strongest enrollment in the school’s history, and our current Cougars are achieving accolades at the highest levels.”

MONTCLAIR KIMBERLEY ACADEMY

2024-2025 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

Dear MKA Community,

The fall and winter seasons have been a testament to the strength of the MKA community. Whether you attended sporting events, concert and theater performances, Homecoming, the MKA Golf Classic, the PAMKA Book Fair, the Alumni event at the New York Athletic Club, or events not on this list, you likely witnessed the incredible connections that were made between members of the MKA family. They are always great to see.

MKA is a robust school. We have the strongest enrollment in the school’s history, and our current Cougars are achieving accolades at the highest levels. We have a dedicated network of volunteers creating engaging opportunities for connection for students, parents, and alumni and a strong culture of giving that provides incredible opportunities for students and faculty and critical support to ensure MKA is wellpositioned for the future.

I want to take a moment, as always, to thank our exceptional faculty members who work tirelessly to make sure that, central to our mission, academic excellence is being achieved by each and every one of our students.

This issue is about the Arts. Another thing I love about MKA is the importance the school places on the Arts and how they enhance every other discipline being taught. I see evidence of this in my boys and appreciate the intentionality of the Arts in their daily lives.

I hope to see many of you this spring and look forward to continuing our work together.

Naveen Ballem, M.D., F.A.C.S. ’90 P’26 ’30 President, Board of Trustees

Anya Barrett ’89

Heather Benjamin

Dan Cesareo

Caitlin DiRuggiero ’06

Sybil Eng

Nigel D. Furlonge

Lauren Kaplan ’93

Robert J. Ruberton

Matthew Sherman

Alison Slone

Craig Solomon

Solomon Steplight ’93

Margaret Wager '97

HONORARY TRUSTEES

Aubin Ames ’54

John Garippa

Alice Hirsh

Michael V. Johnson

Kathleen Logan

Newton Schott

AFFILIATE TRUSTEES

Lauren Tabak Fass

Brian Glatt, M.D.

Dennis Goldstein ’83

Karen Heath-Wade

Scott Rosenberg

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

WE ARE MKA

Walking the Walk and Talking the Talk: Stories

of Extraordinary People and Why They Give

MARJORIE JAMESON ’77

Forward-thinking Businesswoman, Inspired Volunteer, and Impactful Educator

Marjorie Jameson spent seven years attending The Kimberley School (TKS) where she formed lifelong friendships with her classmates and teachers. The school's traditions, such as the Maypole Dance and the May Parade, contributed to the joyous and creative atmosphere that shaped her formative years.

Marjorie's mother, together with other parents, Ms. Penick and Ms. Miller, organized educational outings to various artistic venues to offer a more extensive cultural awareness beyond the traditional curriculum, providing a broader perspective on the world. Her mother's involvement played an impactful role during Marjorie's time at Kimberley.

In eighth grade, Marjorie embarked on a transformative journey when she transferred to Newark Academy. The shift from an allgirls school to an environment with six girls and 56 boys posed a stark contrast. Thankfully, Mrs. Osborne, a beloved teacher at TKS began teaching at Newark Academy at the same time, and having a known and trusted face was very reassuring. Marjorie felt lucky to attend two strong schools, and MKA remains important to her. “Just because I left it doesn’t mean I didn’t love it,” she said.

After receiving her BA in Advertising and Communications at Rutgers College, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, Marjorie started working at an advertising agency and quickly became an account executive in charge of the Hasselblad Camera Account. Eventually, Marjorie founded her own international advertising agency and created a highly successful, robust business. During that time she obtained her MBA in international business. However, life took an unexpected turn, prompting her

to reevaluate her priorities. Driven by the desire to give back to her community, Marjorie pursued a master's and a doctorate in education. She decided to teach at West Essex High School, where she authored a graphic arts curriculum that empowered students with skills essential for a career in either business or the creative arts. Marjorie was able to teach what she was passionate about, marketing, advertising, and graphic design. She explained and outlined the path to entrepreneurship in easy-to-understand terms giving students a realization of how they can use their skills and creative gifts to earn a living.

Marjorie was a passionate teacher who believed in finding joy in one's work. She encouraged her students to identify their passions and created a sense of belonging and purpose for them both inside and outside the classroom. Reflecting on her time at Kimberley, Marjorie acknowledged the influences of Mrs. Osborne, Ms. Koch, Mrs. Faden, Mrs. Shadel, and other teachers who not only imparted knowledge but also illuminated the world for their students. Inspired by them, she was committed to creating engaging lessons that went beyond the contents of textbooks.

Marjorie has remained active in her retirement, contributing her skills by creating brand identities for friends and participating in various organizations, such as the Junior League of Montclair, and serves as a Trustee of the Grover Cleveland Presidential Birthplace and Museum, to name a few. She deeply believes in the importance of education and wishes to support initiatives such as scholarships that enrich children's educational experiences. Although she did not graduate from MKA, her experiences there have left her with lifelong skills, positive relationships, and a desire to give back. Marjorie is a member of the Heritage Society where she can support students and help them have a richer experience that will enable them to grow up to be great members of society and love their schools as much as she loved hers. She firmly believes that “To give much is to receive much.”

CLASS NOTES

— Logan Furlonge '23 illustrated a pair of jeans for Nicole Hoppe featuring several of the musicals Nicole has directed at MKA.

CLASS CONNECTIONS JAY HERBERT REID '33

Jack Reid, Jr recently visited MKA, traced the steps of his grandfather, Jay Herbert Reid, Jr. ’33, and shared an extraordinary story of connection and selflessness.

“I don’t know if my grandfather ever would've gotten where he did in life without graduating from the Academy. Faculty at the school extended themselves to him ensuring he could stay there. Someone at Montclair Academy helped him when he couldn't afford Princeton University and somehow got him into Washington and Lee University, and that made all the rest of it possible. He lived an extremely full life before passing away in 2006.

My grandfather and his cousin Walter III ’33 were in the same class at Montclair Academy. Walter’s father started the Charms Candy Company, where they invented the Blow Pop. Walter ended up becoming a very successful businessman at Charms, the family company, and the factory remained in Bloomfield, NJ from 1919 until 1973 when Walter III retired along with his nephews, and they sold it to the Tootsie Roll Company.

Jay Jr. started at Montclair Academy as a freshman. Even during the Depression, the Academy was at full capacity. The Depression hit the family pretty hard, but Jay Jr. was able to stay at the school on a scholarship-work study arrangement. Although my grandfather was the least athletic person ever, he had great respect for people with physical strength. He raised his four sons to play football and become boxers and wrestlers, my dad included. Jay Jr. did run cross-country one year at the Academy, and he talked about that until the absolute end time. Walter III was probably equally unathletic. He was a manager for the Academy’s basketball team in 1931.

In Jay Jr.’s 1933 yearbook it said that he went on to Princeton, but he never actually went there: he went to Washington and Lee University because Princeton was unaffordable. We don't know exactly how he got to Washington and Lee, but we suspect,

given how close he was with his teachers at the Academy, that one of them had a connection and steered him in that direction. Washington and Lee was a great experience for him and helped solidify his career path: he had written for the Eagle News and the Rostrum at MA and went on to write for the Southern Collegiate, which was the student magazine at Washington and Lee.

Right out of college, Jay Jr. went to work for Charms, but eventually, he got a job at the Philadelphia Evening Bulletin His big break came at the Washington Bureau of the New York Herald Tribune, which at the time was one of the top papers in the country. Just shy of his 29th birthday, he landed his first front-page article there. He mainly covered financial news but also dabbled in international relations. Especially noteworthy was his feat of winning the race to the White House phone bank (beating the AP!) on the afternoon of August 14, 1945, enabling him to be the first journalist to report Japan's surrender and, hence, the end of WWII.

In 1946 when he was 30 years old, he covered a conference in Georgia for the International Monetary Fund and the International Bank for Reconstruction Development. This was the beginning of the Bretton Woods system, and there were a lot of very important people at this conference. This was a really big break for him, and it ended up setting him on the course to the IMF.

In 1947 Jay Jr. left the Tribune and went to the Wall Street Journal for a year before beginning his long, prestigious, 32-year career at the International Monetary Fund. He married my grandmother Virginia in 1951, had five children, and traveled all over the world as the Director of Information at the International Monetary Fund. As the head of the press office, whenever the Fund was going somewhere for major talks or meetings in a country, Jay Jr. would go before all the meetings to lay the groundwork from a press perspective, stay for the meetings, and then stay after the meetings to manage the press coverage.

In 1980 Jay Jr. retired at the mandatory age of 65. Described by the MA yearbook editors as the embodiment of the art of fine writing and speaking, he had this great writing talent, and I don't know what else he would've done. Thanks to the faculty and the school itself for producing such a proud graduate who went on to a full and fulfilling life.”

“I DON’T KNOW IF MY GRANDFATHER EVER WOULD'VE GOTTEN WHERE HE DID IN LIFE WITHOUT GRADUATING FROM THE ACADEMY. FACULTY AT THE SCHOOL EXTENDED THEMSELVES TO HIM ENSURING HE COULD STAY THERE. "

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, PO Box 2527 Vineyard Haven, MA 02568; lbsmith15@yahoo.com

1949. / MA / It is with great sadness we share that William Matthews, Jr. passed away on November 5, 2023, at the age of 93. He is survived by his loving wife of 67 years Ellen Robertson Matthews, three children, six grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.

1950. / TKS / It is with great sadness we share that Margaret "Peg" Jenkins Madden passed away on July 18, 2022. She was a supporter of conservation and lifelong learning and served as Head of the Upper School at TKS for a time. Throughout her life, Peg loved science, travel, storytelling, birding, and canoeing at Pocono Lake Preserve, PA. She is survived by her three children Lynn Osborne ’73, William Osborne, and Wendy Pierce.

/ MA / It is with great sadness we share that George Hallock passed away peacefully in his home surrounded by the family he built and loved for more than 60 years. He was 91 years

old. George was the beloved husband of the late Nancy Littlewood Hallock for 65 years. He is survived by his son and daughter, seven grandchildren, and nine great-grandchildren. Learn more about George’s life and legacy.

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

/ MA / It is with great sadness we share that Robert Kim passed away peacefully on October 5, 2023. Bob was a loyal and generous alum. He is survived by his loving wife, Bette Pierce Janse, children David, Peter, Stephanie and Doriot, and grandchildren Levi, Nina, and Maxine Uy.

1953. / MA / Howard T. Bellin, M.D. 945 Fifth Ave, Apt. 18B, New York, NY 10021; hbellin@aol.com

1954. / TKS / Ms. Georgia Carrington, 38 Silver Spring Lane, Ridgefield, CT 06877; carrgeo@aol.com

It is with great sadness we share that Teedee Carroll passed away at 87 years of age, on July 12, 2023. She is survived by her beloved husband, Stephen; sons Stephen, Jr. and Reed; and one granddaughter Calen.

/ MA / Mr. Sheldon Buck, 22 Bedford Court, Bedford, MA 01730-2903; sheldonbuck1@icloud.com

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

Greetings, All! If the MKA editorial powers-that-be see fit, you will see the photo nearby of an old friend holding an owl. Still very active and doing her thing as an unofficial representative of the Vermont Chamber of Commerce, it is Ann DeVausney Hallowell. Ann writes: "We had a family trip with our three children and spouses to Woodstock, VT. There is lots to do in the Woodstock area, and one truly amazing experience was visiting New England Falconry, hence my owl picture. Check out the site. Another great day was visiting the Vermont Institute of Natural Science (VINS). They have a section for healing sick or injured animals which was very interesting, and lectures, too! Lots of fun things to do and see like Quechee Gorge for

hikes, and dirt bike trails near Woodstock for adventurers. We stayed at the Inn which was wonderful. Do I sound like a commercial?" 1

From Carol Barnard

Ottenberg: "Only sad news to report. Husband Simon, anthropologist, writer, and arts collector, died on November 1 at age 100. He was mentally alert to the end. A party in June to celebrate his 100th was a grand event with family, friends, and academic colleagues gathering to pay tribute and celebrate his rich and productive life."

Your scribe, Sue Crook Ferdinand, just celebrated her 85th birthday (as did most of you) with kids, grandkids, sister, brother, and brother-in-law. I continue to work for America's Fresh Start, a foreclosure mitigation company, raise African violets, and bake whenever I find an excuse, but I seem to spend an inordinate amount of time visiting doctors for checkups and minor (thank God) repairs. It's an age thing, I guess.

My thanks to Carol Van Brunt Rasic for her gracious invitation to join her in exploring the wonders of New York City. I'm afraid I'm too much of a hick to brave the terrors of Gotham, but her kind invitation was very much appreciated.

Carol and Janko "spent a pleasant six weeks on Cape Cod last summer, swimming in Buzzards Bay and watching sailboats from our porch. We enjoyed a visit from Linda Lovell Smith and her husband Larry who were on their way to Martha’s Vineyard. It’s a double connection since Janko and Larry were classmates at Princeton. We also enjoyed a long weekend with the whole family, both children and our four grandchildren. They love the place as much as we do."

Gail Zabriskie Wilson of the Wandering Wilsons splits her time between their cabin on Panther Pond in Maine and their continuing care retirement community in Naples, Florida, where, despite the challenges of a "gimpy right knee that hasn't completely recovered from a partial knee replacement last JANUARY," she can join sister (Aubin Zabriskie Ames TKS '54) for a round of golf now and then. Gail's family (four kids and five grandkids) is spread across the continent from Pasadena to Denver and Telluride, Fort Worth, Greenville, Buffalo, and New Canaan. She writes, "Husband Peter has slight dementia which we sometimes find amusing and others frustrating...We haven't gotten to California or Colorado since COVID. Yes, we both had it in May after a Viking trip, Venice to Barcelona - worth it, as the trip was fabulous. The highlight was two hours on a Vespa in Rome, whipping through the familiar streets (we lived there from 1991-1993), with absolutely no regard to our being in our mid-80s! I've 'sighted' several alums this year. Always fun to catch up with Carol Barnard Ottenberg in ME, and Linda Cole LeStage in MA when we visit sister Aubin in Rhode

Island where she spends the summers. I do talk to Bette, (Betsy Hasbrouck Cole), and Nini (Nicole de Jurenev) now and then. We all marvel that we have made it this far. Despite all the drama surrounding Facebook, I love that that keeps me in touch with some of you and other old (no offense - we are!) friends. Join in, folks! Always happy to see that MKA is thriving. I send my token gifts to The Kimberley Fund, for nostalgia's sake. Hard to believe we could be celebrating our 68th reunion this June!"

Finally, Nancy Prescott Ward reports, "I don't have anything exciting to relay, but for the record, Bob and I are still in our house in Kinnelon, NJ. Our son Rob, lives in Boonton, 8 miles away. Our daughter, Jen, is in Asbury Park, NJ, and our daughter Vicki resides in Woolwich, ME (near Brunswick). We have five grands, all in school. From youngest to oldest: Rob's son is in kindergarten, Jen's son and daughter are in third grade and high school [ freshman], and Vicki's are both in college (son is a junior and daughter a sophomore). All are doing fine, and we get to see them fairly often, so we're very lucky."

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

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

1959. / TKS / Ms. Jarvis Reilly Nolan; jarvisno@aol.com, 858-504-1072

IN MEMORY

ERIC JAECKEL '56, 1936-2023

It is with great sadness we share that Eric Jaeckel passed away on December 18, 2023 at the age of 85.

Eric, a longtime Boulder, CO, resident since 2000 and a Rochester, NY, resident for 24 years 1976-2000, was born in NYC, NY. He was the only child of F. Murray Jaeckel and Frances Farnsworth Jaeckel. He is survived by his son Brad, daughter-in-law Kate Jaeckel, and two grandchildren, Avery and Ellis Jaeckel.

Erics’ father, Murray Jaeckel, was a furrier in NYC, son of Hugo, one of the founders of Jaeckel Furs, 20 East 57th Street, NY, NY which eventually became Gunther Jaeckel. His mother Frances was one of four sisters of the Farnsworth family of Upper Montclair, NJ and whose father was owner/founder of Farnsworth Woolens in New England. His mother was a professional ballet dancer in NYC.

Eric’s father and mother moved the family from NYC to Montclair, NJ to be closer to her family, and so Eric could attend school. Eric attended Brookside School and then Montclair Academy, graduating in 1956. He was captain of the high school tennis team. Eric attended Williams College, Williamstown, MA, graduating in 1960 with a B.A. Liberal Arts. He was active on the tennis and ice hockey teams, with a major in geology and art history. He served in the U.S. Navy (USNR) as a Junior Officer on a destroyer, based in Pearl Harbor from 1960- 1964. Following his military service, Eric attended Columbia University Business School in NYC, NY, graduating with an M.B.A. in 1965. Most of Eric’s business career was in consumer marketing with such companies as General Foods in White Plains, NY, and Seneca Foods in upstate NY.

Eric was married in Denver in 1968 to Ann Marlow, and their only son, Brad, was born in 1972. Eric’s second marriage was to Diane Johnson (1983- 1991) in Rochester where he resided with Diane and her two children, Carey and Peter. He eventually moved to Boulder, CO, in 2000, retiring after working as a tennis pro, senior insurance sales, and 10 years as a seasonal employee with Mile High United Way in Denver. He was active as a volunteer dedicated to helping others in need, working with such organizations as Meals-on-Wheels, YMCA, National Ski Patrol, and hospitals in Boulder and Lafayette.

Eric’s chief joys were in athletics participating in both alpine and Nordic skiing. In the summer, he played tennis, hiked, and biked. He spent his retired years taking trips in the U.S. and abroad with family and friends. In lieu of flowers, please celebrate Eric’s life by donating to a local hospice of your choice.

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

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

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

1964. / TKS / It is with great sadness we share that Sarah Cytherea Webb, known by her classmates as Sally, passed away on September 6, 2023, at the age of 76. She was loved and cherished by many people including her three daughters and six grandchildren.

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

Our condolences go to Sally Poor Owen. She wrote: “I lost my husband last year. He went out with a bang. He was buried at a military cemetery where there was a 7 gun salute and a flyover. I was handed a flag and all his army buddies attended. Life has been difficult but filled with love from my kids and grandchildren. They include me in all their activities. So nice to live near both families. My daughter’s family and I went to Mexico in January 2023 followed by a trip in November with a friend. I am involved in my church’s choir and luncheon and dinner groups.

And of course, I have my dog Sydney to keep me company. I had to give up skiing due to a back injury but visited the Breckenridge ski area, where we used to live.”

Margaret Crawford Magnell wrote: “In February 2023, our family welcomed my grandson, Axel. He joins his 5-year-old sister, and three cousins, 12, 11, and 8. He and his moms, my daughter Micki and daughterin-law Gillian, live close by, so I get to spend lots of time with him and his sister. They tire me out but also keep me thinking young! Other grandchildren live a greater distance, so I don't see them as often, but my son David and his wife will host our family Christmas again. Perhaps the biggest news is that my partner of 25+ years and I got married in November! We had a full weekend surrounding the event at our home away from home on Shelter Island, NY. Family and friends came from as far as Colorado and Boston to celebrate with us. As I had lots of practice in my professional career, I threw one helluva party at The Ram's Head Inn, and I'm sure it will be the talk of the group for some time to come. We had a blast."

Kitty Haines wrote: “I had some fun this year. Bermuda a few times, CA in July (Palm Springs, San Diego, and Sonoma), and two lovely weeks on a beach in Rhode Island in August with family. I continue to do computer/website work for my Bermuda museum and friends. I had brunch with Ellen Curtin in NYC in December. She was in town for her sister, Kyle’s ’82 60th birthday. Class of ’65 might remember her since she was born in our junior year.

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

From A. Craig Cameron: It is with great sadness that I read about the passing of Carmen Marnell. Coach Marnell was a great mentor to me whether on the football field, the basketball court, or in the classroom. My first contact with Coach Marnell was not related to football or basketball but as a French teacher. I was taking a French oral exam to gain placement at the Academy. He spoke in French, and I attempted to write down in French what he had dictated. I failed miserably despite having had two years of French in a public school. I can remember to this day writing only one word-avec. As a result, I was required to repeat my sophomore year. This turned out to be of great benefit to me; giving me an extra year to improve my academic and athletic skills, enabling me to become AllState in football in my senior year, and matriculate to an Ivy League school. Then on to law school where I excelled and became a trial lawyer in Florida for fifty years at a law firm I founded. I owe much of my success to Coach Marnell and all the other teachers and coaches at the Academy. He was a great coach-we won the State Championship in 1965and a great teacher. I never saw him lose his temper. As a coach, he was always calm, never yelling at his players;

always encouraging, always positive; and always teaching us patiently to perform at a more excellent level. He molded many young boys into responsible young men with high moral character and integrity. He will be sorely missed.

A few years ago, I paid tribute to Coach Marnell in this magazine, and he wrote back. This I what he said in part: "Although I worked hard and fairly successfully at the top of the prep school chain, I was never able to duplicate the satisfactions and rewards I found on the athletic fields or in the classrooms with young men such as yourself and your teammates. I am so pleased that you have good memories of your Academy days. I am certain you sensed that your teachers and coaches enjoyed every single day as much as you students. I think that is the secret of such wonderful memories."

In closing, let me share a story told to his athletes about his alma mater, Columbia University. When asked, "Should we put the varsity letters we earned for excelling in a sport on the front or the back of our jersey?", he responded by saying, "I always put my varsity letters on the front, so that if I got knocked down, when I immediately got up, my opponent could see the "C" coming at him and fear the fact that he was facing a Columbia man!"

It is with great sadness we share that John Hawley, Jr. passed away at 75 years of age, on November 6, 2023. After Montclair Academy, John studied at the University of California, Berkeley where he received a BA in Classics

and an MA in Comparative Literature. His distinguished career included teaching English, Latin, and Greek Mythology in public schools in CA, MA, and NE, ending with a 17-year career at the Harker Upper School in San Jose, CA where he founded the school's still-thriving Latin program. John is survived by his wife Claire Branin Hawley, daughters Elnora Hawley and Emma Hawley Ivaturi, two grandchildren, and sister Katharine Schneider. John resided with his wife Claire at their home in East Windsor, NJ, where they relocated in 2020 after living for 22 years in Santa Clara, CA.

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

It is with great sadness we share that Garret Roosma passed away at his home on Marco Island, FL on December 27, 2022 after a long battle

IN MEMORY

J.DEAN PAOLUCCI '73 1955-2023

It is with great sadness we share that J. Dean Paolucci passed away on September 4, 2023. Dean was a beloved and integral member of the Montclair Academy and MKA communities as a student, parent to Dana ’09 and Dean ’12, Board of Trustees member, and Alumni Council President. He loved his Alma Mater and celebrated his 50th reunion last spring with 19 of his classmates.

After Montclair Academy, Dean graduated from Ithaca College, where he was a member of the football and lacrosse teams and held the title of back-to-back disco dance champion of Ithaca, NY. Following graduation in 1977, he began his career as a sales professional.

An avid golfer, his passion for the game began as a young boy and continued into his final days. Many happy years were spent at Glen Ridge Country Club, where he served as President, Chairman of the Greens Committee overseeing the renovation of the course, and chair of the annual Allison Dodd memberguest, an event he looked forward to playing in every year. He felt lucky to play some of his favorite golf courses many times

with Parkinson's Disease and dementia. He was 70 years old. He is survived by his wife of 47 years, Emily, two sons, two daughters-in-law, and four grandchildren.

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

It is with great sadness that we share the passing of Frances Keller Mills on October 20, 2023. She was predeceased by her husband and former MKA Board Member James Mills in 2016. She is survived by her four daughters, Elizabeth Durkee, Hilary Lambert ’73, Frances Wonnell ’76, and Margaret Kaplan ’79

throughout his life, including Pine Valley, Baltusrol, and Sleepy Hollow.

A man of quiet faith, Dean loyally served the Saint Cassian community as a Eucharistic Minister and usher every Saturday at the 5:30 p.m. mass.

He is survived by his loving and devoted wife of 36 years, Patricia Dunn Paolucci, and their children Dana Dunn Paolucci and Joseph Dean Paolucci, Jr., who also attended the Montclair Kimberley Academy and were his pride and joy. Dean was an incredible father to his children and extended his boundless love to their circle of friends. He never missed a performance, game, or recital. He happily spent hundreds of hours on the road as a voluntary chauffeur to his kids and their friends; Dean always showed up and ensured everyone got where they needed to be safely.

Dean lived a short but happy life, touching many people along the way with his ebullient personality and genuine care for all who knew him. As one of his close friends put it, “His loyalty was unmatched, his sense of humor was epic, and he made everyone he met feel special.”

Dean will be deeply missed by his family, friends, and beloved Labrador retriever, Ferris.

/ 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

1972. / TKS / Barbara Flessas, 140 Lorraine Ave, Upper Montclair, NJ 07043; barbara.flessas@gmail.com

/ MA / It is with great sadness we share that David Dollar passed away suddenly on October 6, 2023. He was the devoted and adored husband for 36 years of L. Paige Whitley and the phenomenal and adored father of Evan and Isabel Dollar.

1973. / TKS / Ms. Susan Read,38 College Circle,Staunton, VA 22401; sread@readlawplc.com

It is with great sadness we share that Margaret "Peg" Jenkins Madden ’50 passed away on July 18, 2022. She was a supporter of conservation and lifelong learning and served as Head of the Upper School at TKS for a time. Throughout her life, Peg loved science, travel, storytelling, birding, and canoeing at Pocono Lake Preserve, PA. She is survived by her three children Lynn Osborne, William Osborne, and Wendy Pierce.

/ 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.lackey10@gmail.com

We are saddened to share that William “Bill” Breen passed away on November 9, 2023. Bill was well-loved for his unassuming and easy demeanor and great good humor. He had just celebrated his 50-year reunion in the spring of 2023. Bill is survived by his beloved wife Lise and their two children, Leah and Aidan Breen.

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.

Mr. Robert Hubsmith; roberthubsmith24@gmail.com

Mr. Andrew Pedersen; apedersenco@gmail.com

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

As a founding member of a digital health startup and social impact business democratizing access to lifelong medical learning, Pam Bolton spent five years building an online academy for healthcare professionals in Africa and India. She now provides advisory services in global health and sustainable business (https://ethosmatters.com/

pam-bolton.html). As always, she would love to hear from others doing similar work (or looking for a consultant).

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

Mrs. Shawn Ortiz, 2163 Gilbride Road, Martinsville, NJ 08836; csaortiz@optonline.net

Mr. Bruce Eng, 1032 Irving St., #727 San Francisco, CA 94122; Lattjiu@aol.com

1980. Congratulations to Irma Kanter Nimetz on being named to the 2023 New York Metro Super Lawyers in the practice areas of Estate & Trust Litigation, Estate Planning & Probate, and General Litigation.

1981.

Mrs. Laura Reisch Itzkowitz, 37 Nottingham Road, Manalapan, NJ 07726-1834; howardandlaura@optonline.net

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; mtnatkin@me.com

1984.

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

1986.

Ms. Jennifer RemingtonKnodel, 44 Hamilton Drive East, North Caldwell, NJ 07006; jenremknodel@aol.com

Karestan Koenen is a professor of psychiatric epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and one of the

nation’s top experts in trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder. She was awarded MKA’s Distinguished Alumni Award in 2017 and has spoken with students and alumni about her past trauma and how she was able to move forward with her life. Karestan says, “We cannot completely control what happens to us, but what we can control is how we choose to respond. And what we choose makes all the difference.” The Harvard Gazette highlighted Karestan for speaking out on her brutal experiences in an article called “Someone stole Karestan Koenen’s future. She took it back.”

1987. Mr. Dennis Rodano

3 Byron Road, North Caldwell, NJ 07006; rodanod@verizon.net

Ms. Lynne Yellin, 413 Ridgecrest Drive, Chapel Hill, NC 27514; lynneyellin@gmail.com

1988. Alec Schwartz; alec@ateamhomeheroes.com

Danielle DeVita; ddevita27@gmail.com

1989. Mr. Louis Lessig, 2009 Morris Drive, Cherry Hill, NJ 08003; llessig@brownconnery.com

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

Daisy Altamore, Anjali Bhatt Saxena, Judy Ainbinder Glinder, and Bram Zeigler had a minireunion in Los Altos in October 2023. 2

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

JOSHUA LITE '96

Tell us about your work. I am the VP of Promotional Media Strategy at MLB Network where I oversee our Marketing, Social Media, and On-Air promotions teams with the core focus of increasing engagement on the network and continuing to draw younger fans to the game of baseball. Additionally, our work at MLB Network supports the NHL and NHL Network through similar needs, so we get the best of both worlds in baseball and hockey. From Spring Training and Opening Day to the All-Star Game and the World Series along with our offseason efforts, we are intimately involved with all areas of baseball and responsible for bringing fans closer to the game.

Why brand marketing? How did you first become interested in your profession? My earliest memories include being drawn to various brands like Nike and trying to understand what makes them tick, why they are appealing to people, and how they are able to sustain the test of time and evolve based on consumer needs. I was always interested in the storytelling component that makes up the DNA of brands, and it helped to set the course for my career in marketing and advertising.

What is the biggest career challenge you have faced, and what did you learn from it? This is always one of my favorite questions to be asked because in my mind, it is less about particular instances of challenge, but more about finding why the challenge created opportunities for growth. One of the larger efforts I undertook was authoring a new brand identity for Spectrum Reach. This spanned everything from our value proposition, brand language (inclusive of tone and voice) as well as mission statement – all of which ultimately were packaged into new brand guidelines for internal and external use. Why was this a challenge? Well simply put, when one is asked to overhaul what a brand represents, it not only is highly reliant on each word being right but also reliant on how you communicate the change management around the effort. While arduous in the effort, it was incredibly rewarding as I learned to effectively manage both to the C-Suite as well as the broader organization in a clear and concise manner that was also encouraging and universally accepted.

What is your proudest accomplishment? During Game 4 of the 2023 World Series, a commercial that I wrote aired both on television as well as inside the Texas Rangers’ Globe Life Field to support Major League Baseball’s Stand Up To Cancer initiative. This spot was written and produced with the goal of generating awareness of what Stand Up To Cancer does and how it can be supported through donations. The in-stadium airing of the spot was the moment that preceded the incredibly powerful Stand Up moment where the entire crowd takes a 2-minute moment of silence to honor those they’ve lost or those that are fighting cancer. To know that something we created on behalf of MLB Network and SU2C with the intent of a positive impact on fundraising and research was showcased meant more to me than I can truly put into words.

In what ways did MKA prepare you for the path your life has taken? As an MKA lifer, MKA had a demonstrable impact on my life in shaping me as a person as well as a professional. Through forging friendships that are as strong today as they were while in school, to understanding the essential foundational needs to be successful, it is clear to me how instrumental MKA was in getting me to where I am today. The ability to be flexible, build relationships, and be a good listener continues to pay dividends on a daily basis.

“... it is clear to me how instrumental MKA was in getting me to where I am today. The ability to be flexible, build relationships, and be a good listener continues to pay dividends on a daily basis.”

4. 1. 2. 3.

6. 7. 8. 5.

Mr. Luke Sarsfield, 105 Franklin Street, Apt. 4, New York, NY 10013; lasarsfield@gmail.com

Deepest condolences to Joe Fiordaliso and Dana Fiordaliso Martin ’94 on the passing of their father, Joseph Fiordaliso. He passed away on September 6, 2023 at the age of 78.

Congratulations to Luke Sarsfield on his new role as Chief Executive Officer of P10! The Goldman Sachs veteran of 23 years brings deep asset management and financial sector advisory experience to lead the Dallas-based company into its next phase of growth.

1992. Dr. Enrique Neblett; enrique.neblett@gmail.com

Congratulations to Jeff Glasser and the staff of the Los Angeles Times on winning the 2023 Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Reporting. The LA Times was selected as a winner for revealing a secretly recorded conversation among city officials that included racist comments, followed by coverage of the rapidly resulting turmoil and for compiling deeply reported pieces that delved further into the racial issues affecting local politics. Jeff is General Counsel at the publication. As head of the company’s legal department, Glasser handles newsroom counseling, litigation, intellectual property, contract and commercial matters, privacy, compliance, and other legal issues.

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

Robert Anthony Monteyne (Bob), father of Renee

Monteyne Ciccarella ’93, Rosemary Monteyne Bergamasco, and Roberta Monteyne Bergamo ’96, passed away on July 9, 2023.

It is with great sadness we share that Elias Solomon Slyder passed away on October 22, 2023 at the age of 47. Eli died at home unexpectedly, due to complications from underlying medical conditions. His family shares, “his passing leaves behind an Eli-sized hole in many of our lives - and that's a big one! Remembering his humor, his generosity, and his many talents is already easing some of the pain. He was a one-of-a-kind human with a big personality and a big heart who will be deeply missed.” Eli is survived by his mother, Caroline Bartholomew Medina; his sisters, Annabelle Coote and Allegra Haupt ’92 ; his halfsiblings Leah Slyder, Anthony Boyce, Isaac Slyder, and Jacob Slyder; his brothers-in-law, Tom Coote and Ric Haupt; nephews, Liam, Ben, and Theo; and nieces, Zoe and Aria; and many other relatives, friends, and past loves.

Jon Accarrino is the Vice President of Transformation at Capitol Broadcasting Company in Raleigh, NC. The company recently announced the launch of WRAL Archives, which is a revolutionary new platform that will change the way people access and use archival footage. “The detailed AI-powered search capabilities of this platform are incredible. You can search for a specific person saying a specific phrase during a year range and then filter the footage by sentiment and an AI-powered search score,” Jon shared. WRAL Archives is available for a public preview now.

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; lvartan@csglaw.com

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

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

Ms. Sandra Tritt; sandratritt@gmail.com

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

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

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

2001. Congratulations to Giselle Farrell and her husband Cardel on the birth of their second son, Ethan Jones on May 22, 2023. 3

It is with great sadness we share that Ricardo Riethmuller passed away on December 14, 2023. He was 40 years old. He was a charismatic soul who had an undeniable passion for the theater arts. He was a treasured family member, a generous friend, and an inspiring figure

in the theater community. His devotion to his craft and his many talents were valued by his family, friends, and community.

Congratulations to Lindsay Ferstandig on the launch of her new business, Yaysay, an AI-powered discovery-driven shopping app. They just teamed up with TV personality Bethenny Frankel to bring the ultimate thrill of the offprice treasure hunt to your fingertips through their new shopping app.

2002.

Miss Emily Santangelo; emilyannesantangelo@gmail. com

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

Congratulations to Quinn Leslie on her marriage to Joshua Henry in November 2023 in Stamford, CT.

Congratulations to Morgan Fraser Mouchette on receiving Blank Rome’s 2023 Honorable Nathaniel R. Jones Diversity and Inclusion Award. This award is presented annually to a Blank Rome attorney or professional who has demonstrated outstanding leadership in promoting DEI within the firm. Morgan is a partner at Blank Rome. She plays a significant role in developing and implementing DEI strategy and promoting inclusiveness at Blank Rome. She serves as a cabinet member and cochair of the firm’s Diversity & Inclusion Committee, where she discusses DEI activities and events, provides insights on recruiting and retention programs, and communicates firm development.

MORGAN FRASER MOUCHETTE '02

Tell us about your work. I’m a partner at Blank Rome LLP, a fullservice law firm in Manhattan, and I practice in the matrimonial and family law group. I represent high-net-worth individuals, including athletes, artists, business owners, fund managers, and their spouses in prenuptial agreements, matrimonial settlements, and litigations resolving complicated financial, custodial, and related family law issues. While I did not anticipate practicing family law when I went to law school, I find it very rewarding to help people protect the most important things in their lives in the event of divorce: their children and their resources.

Why law? How did you first become interested in your profession? Even when I was attending MKA, I was interested in going to law school as I always liked the idea of actively advocating for people and providing them with advice.

What is the biggest career challenge you have faced and what did you learn from it? Personally, my biggest career challenge so far was the road to making partner at my law firm. I have spent my entire legal career at Blank Rome, and I made partner effective January 2020. There was a lot of sacrifice involved in making that happen, a lot of learning to stretch myself personally and professionally, and developing business development skills. I learned the importance of having an overall career strategy and thinking strategically about personal goals. Regardless of your goals, be they personal or professional, it was helpful to me to think of the efforts you can make in bite-sized pieces over time so that you are prepared when opportunities present themselves.

“MKA provided me with so many different opportunities and taught me to think critically, be courageous, and take risks in a professional context.”

What is your proudest accomplishment in your career thus far? I am most proud of building a practice while being a mom to my six-year-old son, Miles, and partner to my husband, Eric.

In what ways did MKA prepare you for the path your life has taken? MKA gave me such a great foundation, both academically and socially. MKA provided me with so many different opportunities and taught me to think critically, be courageous, and take risks in a professional context. By the time I entered the professional world, I had confidence based on my experiences at MKA along with the academic background to back it up.

9. 10. 11.

12. 13.

14. 15. 16.

2003. Ms. Judith Ferreira, 819 Clifton Avenue, Newark, NJ 07104-3211; jferreir@pratt.edu

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

2004.

Brendan McCaffrey, 235 West 102nd Street, Apt. 10iNew York, NY 10025; brendan.a.mccaffrey@gmail. com

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

Kate Schrager Augustin has been in Chicago for 15 years and works as the General Manager of The Chopping Block, a recreational cooking school. She got married to Joseph Augustin after 10 years, on August 22, 2021. On March 6, 2023 they welcomed their daughter, Scarlett Joy. She was in a rush, and joined them eight weeks early weighing in at 3lb 13oz. She is happy and healthy! 4

Congratulations to Lauren Sarti Simone and her husband Danny on the birth of their third child, Bennett Daniel Simone, on July 17, 2023. Big sister Cora and big brother Dean are in love with their new baby brother. 5

Congratulations to Jessica Arismendy Crawford and her husband Val Alli on the birth of their third child, Brooklyn Aarya, on August 30, 2023. Big brothers Ashton and Ledger are obsessed with their new sister.

Congratulations to Danielle Ireland-Imhof on being reelected as the County Clerk for Passaic County.

Our thoughts and prayers are with Thomas Beach for the loss of his mother, Cade Stockmeyer Beach, who passed away on November 19, 2023.

A huge congratulations to Ashley Booker on moderating the global PepsiCo event that included the Chairman/CEO, all senior leadership, and their 300K enterprise via broadcast. Ashley has been at PepsiCo for nine years and is currently the Marketing Director of Multicultural Engagement.

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

Mr. Manav Lalwani, 132 Blue Heron Drive, Riverside Court, Secaucus, NJ 070942391; 201-617-5312; manav.lalwani@gmail.com

Congratulations to Jamie Piela and her husband Nick Melfi on the birth of their second son, Trey Raymond Melfi, on August 9, 2023. 6

Congratulations to Nick Galasso and his wife Maddie on the birth of their second child, Palmer Wright, on August 23, 2023. She joins big brother Conrad. 7

Congratulations to Jacqueline Bruno Caroprese and her husband Brandon on the birth of their third child, Raffaella, on October 9, 2023.

Congratulations to Jenna Levy Blum and her husband Noaam on the birth of their first child, Summer Rebecca Blum, born on November 3, 2023. 8

2006. Ms. Natalie Azzoli, nat6888@gmail.com

Ms. Angela McCaffrey, angelamccaffrey@gmail.com

Congratulations to Alana

Sivin on being named to the 2023 City and State’s Power of Diversity: Latino 100 List. The list features political players, business executives, labor leaders, educators, advocates, and other accomplished Latinos who are active in New York City and state politics and government.

Congratulations to Angela McCaffrey and her husband Patrick Clark on the birth of their daughter Rose Maria on October 23, 2023. Baby Rose joins big brother Tommy.

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

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

Mr. Stuart Harwood; stuartmharwood@gmail.com

Congratulations to Thomas Altai and his wife Caroline on the birth of their second child, Thomas John Altai, on July 15, 2023. Baby Tommy joins big sister Lucie. 9

Congratulations to Max Rudnick on his engagement to Gabriella Sacco in Longport, NJ in August 2023. 10

Congratulations to Derek Phillips and his wife Allie on the birth of their second child, Maxwell John, on August 27, 2023. 11

Congratulations to James Ruzich and his wife Amanda on the birth of their second daughter, Ellie, in September 2023. She joins big sister Mariella.

Congratulations to Luke Damiano and his wife Danielle on the birth of their second child, Ryder John, on September 20, 2023. He joins big sister Emersyn Rose.

2008.

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

Congratulations to Darrin Bedol on her engagement to Alan Yedid. 12

Congratulations Francesca Bacardi on marrying Joe Vastola on August 19, 2023. 13

Congratulations to Matthew Cherchio on his marriage to Shannon Odell.

Elise McMullen Bitter was featured on Fox News' Short Questions with Dana Perino

Elise is a New York City-based psychotherapist who shares expert advice for navigating family, relationships, work, home, and more.

In August 2023, Jennifer Crowley competed at the NPC (National Physique Committee) Tennessee State Championships in Bikini and placed 3rd in True Novice and 4th in Novice. She also competed at the NPC/IFBB (International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation) Nashville Fit Show in Bikini and placed 4th in Novice and 6th in Open. Congratulations, Jennifer! 14

Congratulations to Taylor Dougherty and Drew Levy on the birth of their first child, Lennox Alvin Levy on October 3, 2023.

Congratulations to Stuart Hinds on his marriage to Devon Keefe on December 9, 2023 at the Rockhouse Hotel & Spa in Negril, Jamaica.

2009. Mr. Brian Purcell; bnpurcell4@gmail.com

SAM WALTER '06

Tell us about your work. I work in marketing for Peloton, which makes interactive fitness equipment and experiences for a community of Members around the world. My role is Head of Product Marketing, and our team defines the marketing strategy for different fitness products (Bikes, Tread, Row, App, etc). We consider what customers to serve, what product to build for them, how to price it, and how to tell its story and ultimately sell it. My typical day involves reviewing customer research, working with product development teams on new products, and planning for future product launches with creative teams or advertising agencies.

Why marketing? How did you first become interested in your profession? Marketing requires a combo of left brain and right brain thinking - being empathetic in understanding different people and their motivations, being analytical in defining a clear problem to solve for them, and being creative in building and launching that solution in an inspiring way. That mix keeps the days fresh and interesting. I first got into marketing during business school and haven’t looked back since.

What is the biggest career challenge you have faced, and what did you learn from it? That’s an easy one! Navigating the pre- to post-COVID era at Peloton has been both the most challenging and the most rewarding chapter of my work experience. The needs and behaviors in fitness changed so rapidly during the past 3.5 years, and trying to create and market products that keep up with those changes is a constant challenge. I’ve learned to stay closely attuned to what customers are asking for and to be flexible and adaptable in my day-to-day work.

What areas of opportunity in your industry excite you the most right now? Excuse the buzzword! But, AI is having a really interesting impact on fitness. For example, when I played lacrosse at MKA, my pre-season gym routine was from a page in Men’s Health magazine! Now with AI technology entering fitness, we’re at the point where I can select specific health or fitness goals, and AI-powered products can analyze my biometric data and then prescribe me personalized advice and routines to meet those goals more effectively. The personal trainer is moving from your gym to your phone.

What is your proudest accomplishment? Maybe this is a sappy answer but there’s no question that it’s my family. My kids, Arlo (2.5 years old) and Grace (10 months) make me excited to get up every day. And I’m incredibly proud of my wife Kelsey, who is launching an acupuncture clinic called Clear Mountain Acupuncture in Upper Montclair this fall. Two babies, and she’s launching a business?! Superwoman.

In what ways did MKA prepare you for the path your life has taken? MKA created a safe environment for me to try, fail, persevere, and ultimately learn. The academic rigor taught me to recognize and solve different types of problems, emphasized clear ways of communicating, and made me comfortable raising my hand to do hard things. Extracurricular activities, particularly sports, taught me leadership skills and the power of teams. Go, Cougars!

“MKA created a safe environment for me to try, fail, persevere… and made me comfortable raising my hand to do hard things.”

Ms. Jane Stanton; janestanton18@gmail.com

Samantha Brazill married Brett Sasala on July 7, 2023 in Brooklyn, NY. 15

Congratulations to Becky Hirsch on her marriage to Rory Houlding in July 2023 in Oxford. 16

Congratulations to Carly Abramson on her engagement to Aaron Albinder in Harvey Cedars, NJ in August 2023. 17

Congratulations to Lindsay Kass on her engagement to Rawson Faux in August 2023.

Congratulations to Brian Purcell on his marriage to Heather Marrison at the Maine Maritime Museum in September 2023.

Congratulations to Shannon Byrne and her husband Gary Shannon on the birth of their first child, Mary Quilty Shannon, on October 2, 2023.

Congratulations to Caroline Clark on her engagement to Richard Kaufmann in November 2023.

Congratulations to Bianca Roses on starting her own public relations company, Roses PR. The one-woman, full-service agency focuses on growing and scaling startups and early-stage brands through the magic of PR and earned media. Roses PR works with brands that are doing GOOD in this world, specifically in the holistic health and wellness, food and consumer tech, sustainability, and social good sectors. Bianca has been leading strategic media relations for consumer tech companies and service-based businesses for over a decade, and her work has led to clients going public, getting acquired, and becoming

household names.

Congratulations to Andrew Stern on the launch of his podcast ONE QUESTION. After years of insightful conversations with CEOs, entrepreneurs, artists, and other fascinating figures, he is now bringing these discussions to you. Join him as he explores the perspectives and strategies of those who shape industries.

2010. Ms. Devon Barrett; 1devonbarrett@gmail.com

Mr. Matthew Palmisano; matt.r.palmisano@gmail.com

Congratulations to Beth Strader on her marriage to Alex Steinwald in October 2023.

2011. Mr. Seth Bynum; seth.bynum1@gmail.com

Ms. Carina Wong; carinamwong@gmail.com

Congraulations on Skylar Zlotnick on her engagement to Jordan Isaacs in August 2023 in Sea Girt. 18

Congratulations to Alumni Council Senior Vice President Stephen Bezer and his wife Alexa on the birth of their first child, Kennedy, in July 2023. 19

Congratulations to Lauren Friezo on her marriage to Jack Andonian on July 29, 2023. 20

Congratulations to Amar Patel on his engagement to Neysha Patel on July 22, 2023. 21

Congratulations to Jack Strain on his engagement to Natalie Frost in August 2023. 22

Congratulations to Patrick Livesey, Jr on his engagement to Kenz Meehan in September 2023 at Beavertail State Park.

Congratulations to Devika Gadhavi on her engagement to Hersh Patel in September 2023.

Seth Bynum was featured as an ABNY Young Professionals November Spotlight of the Month. Seth is a Senior Project Executive at Genesis Companies. When asked what he is most proud of in his job, he responded, “Every day I hold my chest up high to say that I not only work for an affordable housing developer but a black-owned one at that. That is not too common in the New York City community, and I don’t take it for granted. I think it has played a pivotal role in not just what I do, but how I do it.”

Congratulations to Kevin Goode on his engagement to Amanda Baizan in November 2023 in New York City.

2012. Ms. Casey Holden; casey.musicant@gmail.com

Mr. Ed Rosini; erosini32@gmail.com

Congratulations to Patrick Karole on his engagement to Kelci Smesko in July 2023. 23

Congratulations to Mirsada Abdool Raman on her engagement to Rajeev Dassani in August 2023 in Scotland. 24

Congratulations to Kelly Wallace on her engagement to Lee in August 2023 in Charlotte, VT.

Congratulations to Zachary Friedman on his engagement to Kelsey Geisenheimer in August 2023.

Congratulations to Allison Sweeney on her engagement to Alex Garber in September 2023 in Rhode Island.

Congratulations to Emma Jenkins on her marriage to Chad Moran on September 23, 2023. 25

Congratulations to Greg Froelich on being named to 247Sports 30Under30 list as a top young coach and off-field staffer in college football. Greg is the Special Teams Coordinator/Running Backs Coach at UNC Charlotte. He attended the University of Michigan and was an offensive line and fullback for the Wolverines from 2013-2017. Greg earned two varsity letters and was named to the Big Ten All-Academic Team in both 2017 and 2018.

Congratulations to Jennifer Brunner on her marriage to Kyle Chartier in October 2023.

Congratulations to Alexandra Kelly on her marriage to Armand Quiroz on September 1, 2023 at the Wythe Hotel in Brooklyn, NY.

Congratulations to Casey Musicant Holden and her husband William on the birth of their second child Annie Shea Holden in December 2023.

Congratulations to Craig Schweitzer on his marriage to Macaire Kolchin on December 9, 2023.

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

Mr. Edward Bozik; bozik@me.com

Congratulations to high school sweethearts Kristina Lopez and Jamel Penn on their engagement! 26

JONALYN GAGLIARDI '09

Tell us about your work. I currently serve as the Chief Medical Director at Boston Veterinary Clinic in Charlestown. In this role, my primary responsibilities include overseeing medical operations, ensuring gold-standard patient care, and effectively leading my veterinary team. I am very passionate about soft tissue surgery and dentistry.

Why a veterinarian? How did you first become interested in your profession? For as far back as I can remember, becoming a veterinarian has always been a dream of mine. I’ve always felt a deep connection to helping both animals and people. Moreover, my interest in science and medicine further fueled my aspiration.

What is the biggest career challenge you have faced, and what did you learn from it? One of the most significant career challenges I’ve encountered is managing emotional stress. I came to understand that even the most experienced veterinarian can feel emotionally drained, especially when confronted with heartbreaking cases. It is crucial to prioritize self-care, including maintaining a healthy diet, engaging in regular exercise, practicing relaxation techniques, and taking well-deserved breaks to effectively manage and mitigate stress.

What is your proudest accomplishment? My proudest accomplishment is witnessing the positive impact I have on my patients and their pet parents – whether it's through effective communication, tailored diagnostic and treatment plans, or successful surgical procedures.

In what ways did MKA prepare you for the path your life has taken? MKA has been instrumental in shaping my current journey in numerous ways. It nurtured my passion for learning, which is particularly important in a field like medicine that is constantly evolving. Moreover, MKA instilled in me the values of noble character, purpose, and distinction, inspiring the way I approach my life. I extend my heartfelt gratitude to all my teachers during my time in middle school and high school!

“MKA instilled in me the values of noble character, purpose, and distinction, inspiring the way I approach my life.”

Congratulations to Rob Pannullo on being named as one of the 30 New Voices Under 30 in Sports Business Journal. This fifth class represents the rising generation of sports business leaders, dealmakers, and influencers across the industry. Rob is an Associate at Winston & Strawn LLP and regularly represents the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) in litigation and arbitration matters.

Congratulations to Jon Legregin on his engagement to Hannah Voss in October 2023.

Congratulations to Joseph Weber on his marriage to Jeanne Berberich on July 22, 2023. Joseph and Jeanne both went to Fairfield University where they met freshman year.

Congratulations to Emily Lau on her marriage to Peter Yoon in September 2023. 27

Congratulations to Matt Lane

SEAN STITES ’21, ROB PANNULLO ’13, AND JACK AMIRATA ’23 ATTENDED THE 2023 MLB HOME RUN DERBY AT T-MOBILE PARK IN SEATTLE. BOTH SEAN AND JACK ARE INTERNING WITH THE MLB NETWORK UNDER GREG AMSINGER P’21. ROB IS AN ASSOCIATE AT WINSTON & STRAWN LLP AND REGULARLY REPRESENTS THE MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL PLAYERS ASSOCIATION (MLBPA) IN LITIGATION AND ARBITRATION MATTERS.

on being named the Varsity Head Lacrosse Coach at Don Bosco Prep. Matt was an All-American athlete while at MKA and was a Captain of the Syracuse Men’s Lacrosse team.

Congratulations to Haley Milowitz on her engagement to Brett Gottsegen. 28

2014.

Ms. Kassandra Fotiadis; kassandra.fotiadis@gmail.com

Congratulations to Emily Sauer on her engagement to Stephen Yenouskas in Japan in August 2023.

Congratulations to Maggie Dancy on her engagement to Ian O’Keefe on November 10, 2023. 29

2015.

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

Congratulations to Isaiah Thompson on his marriage to

Kaitlin Obien on June 30, 2023 at Hartley Botanica in Somis, CA. 30

Congratulations to Kayla Magee on her engagement to Alex Rankie in September 2023.

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

Mr. Charles Rilli; crilli33@gmail.com

Lily Andres; lily.andres@gmail.com

Congratulations to Allyson Heath on her engagement to Ryan Prazak on October 5, 2023.

2017.

Ms. Jenna Donatiello; jdonatiello2021@gmail.com

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

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

Mr. Keenan McAuliffe; keenmac13@gmail.com

Ms. Kerri McGuire; kerri.mcguire11@gmail.com

Benjamin Kubany graduated in May 2023 from NYU Gallatin School of Individualized Study with an undergraduate degree in Architecture and Urban Development studies. Upon graduating, he received Gallatin's 2023 Interdisciplinary Academic Excellence Award in addition to the Founders Day Award for Honors Scholars. In August 2023, Benjamin started a job as an Analyst at James Lima Planning + Development.

In June 2023, the Wake Forest baseball team made a deep run to the Men’s College World Series. MKA Alum Chris Lewis was involved in the team’s success by leading a group of students who crunched the numbers that helped the team excel. Chris was the Director of Analytics for Wake Forest

17. 18. 19.

20. 21.

22. 23. 24.

MADELEINE CARLISLE '14

Tell us about your work. I work for an investigative production team on the newsmagazine show 60 Minutes on CBS News. We produce long-form pieces— roughly 13 minutes each—that usually take several months to report. We work with a range of correspondents on the show, including Cecilia Vega, Bill Whitaker, Scott Pelley, and Anderson Cooper.

Why broadcast news? How did you first become interested in your profession? I began my career as a print reporter writing for The Atlantic and TIME. But after a few years, I realized I missed the collaboration that comes with production. I love shooting in the field with a crew.

What is the biggest career challenge you have faced, and what did you learn from it? Logistical issues are constant when shooting a piece. You have to learn to expect that things will go wrong and trust that your crew will figure out a path forward.

What is your proudest accomplishment in your career thus far? I was recently awarded a GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Print Article for an investigative piece I wrote while at TIME about the rise in harassment of pediatricians who treat transgender youth.

In what ways did MKA prepare you for the path your life has taken? MKA taught me how to write and think critically—two essential skills in journalism.

“MKA taught me how to write and think critically—two essential skills in journalism.”

Baseball for close to four years. He and a team of 22 undergraduate and graduate students used cutting-edge technology to collect and analyze data from practices, games, and biomechanics to help head coach Tom Walter, pitching coach Corey Muscara, and the rest of the staff improve the team’s own weaknesses and target those of their opponents.

Chris graduated from Wake Forest in May 2023 with his Master’s degree and is now the Pitching Development Analyst for the Toronto Blue Jays. He describes his new role as “a hybrid between player development and R&D,” in which he builds development plans for players and statistical tools for further analysis.

2019.

Ms. Michela Bellapianta; michelabella21@gmail.com

Ms. Claire Brown; claiirebrown@gmail.com

Mr. Patrick Morisseau; ptricky24@gmail.com

2020.

Congratulations to Jaycee Brill on being selected as a winner for the Los Angeles Comedy Film and Screenplay Festival with her first submission, a pilot she wrote a year ago. She was also given an Honorable Mention from the Big Apple Film Festival and Screenplay Competition. Jaycee is a senior at New York University studying Comedy, Screenwriting, and Film Production.

2022.

Congratulations to Veronica Gonzalez as being cast as Frida in Frida Libre. As a sophomore at Northwestern University, it is quite an accomplishment to

star in a Virginia Wadsworth Wirtz Center production. Frida Libre is a musical that is inspired by the childhood of legendary Mexican painter Frida Kahlo that explores the meaning of friendship, bravery, and transformation. Veronica shares, “As a sophomore Latina theatre major, I am blessed to represent the community, especially during Hispanic Heritage Month!”

Congratulations to Ben Sherman on being accepted into the prestigious Birthright Israel Excel 2024 cohort. He was selected as 1 of only 40 U.S. college students to be placed with a 10-week internship and engage with the top tech and business leaders from around the world. For ten years, Excel has been an exclusive business fellowship where participants are regarded as the brightest and most promising young Jewish business leaders. By joining Excel, Ben will become part of a forward-thinking community of 1200 alumni, 20+ of whom are Forbes 30 under 30, 25+ startup founders, and hundreds who work in finance, consulting, and tech.

2023.

Congratulations to Cassie Polanskyj ’22 and Charlie Kenrick on winning first place in the Fall 2023 Crowe National Case Competition. The competition offers students the opportunity to solve real-world problems while showcasing their skills and working with their peers.

Cassie and Charlie's case focused on Artificial Intelligence and its rapid development, leading to AI’s ability to facilitate fraud and criminal activity. They argued the risks and challenges associated with AI, and they provided solutions for companies to use AI to their

advantage, implementing it in the very security systems in place to prevent AI Fraud. Cassie is a sophomore at Villanova University and Charlie is a freshman at Colgate University.

Throughout New Jersey, you can find MKA graduates making their mark. We caught up with four former Cougars spanning the years who are making an impact in their respective areas of expertise and who now work in the same highly-regarded law firm.

LEE VARTAN ’96, GEMMA GIANTOMASI DIACO ’98, FRANK GIANTOMASI ’03, AND DOM LEONE ’12

Tell us about your work at Chiesa Shahinian & Giantomasi PC. Lee: I am part of the firm's White-Collar Criminal Defense and Investigations practice. My work includes representing companies and individuals under criminal and civil regulatory investigation by federal and state prosecutors throughout the country. I am also involved in the firm's cannabis practice. During my time in state government, I played a part in developing New Jersey’s medical marijuana regulations. So, in private practice, would-be entrants to New Jersey’s legalized market come to me for legal and strategic advice.

Gemma: I work in the firm's real estate department and am the practice group leader. We have a 40-lawyer department that handles all aspects of real estate in New Jersey and nationwide. Our practice focuses on acquisitions, sales, lending, borrowing, and leasing, as well as all aspects of land use in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut, and redevelopment in New Jersey. Our department also handles solar and other renewable energy matters, condominium formation and development, and liquor licensing, which is a very hot topic right now. We are a full-service department in New Jersey and nationwide.

Dom: I am part of the CSG Law Corporate & Securities Group. We handle all aspects of corporate transactions focusing on mergers and acquisitions and corporate governance. Our clients vary in size from small family-owned businesses to Fortune 500 corporations that operate nationwide across a diverse range of industries. We work collectively with other CSG practice groups over the course of a transaction toward success.

Frank: I am a partner here at the firm in the litigation group. While I represent a wide spectrum of clients in varying capacities, my focus is on white-collar criminal defense and commercial litigation matters. I also oversee all of the firm’s landlord-tenant and rent control matters, and we saw a sharp increase in this type of work during and after the pandemic. While we typically represent large-scale developers and property owners, we also represent commercial, industrial, and non-residential tenants.

Why law? How did you first become interested in your profession?

Gemma: I never considered anything other than law. My father is a partner of the firm and law was a part of the everyday conversation in our house. He made it look really fun and exciting. Being a litigator or someone who goes to court is not something that ever really appealed to me. I can be shy and I speak fast. So, for me, the opportunity to be a deal lawyer and to help clients buy and sell property was very appealing.

When I first started practicing in New Jersey, a large part of my practice involved real estate transactions and development in Newark. Since I was born and raised in Newark, to be able to help members of the Newark community in smaller neighborhoods and then in connection with the redevelopment of downtown Newark was wonderful. Seeing the impact that real estate was having on the community and the state overall is so positive. The

“MKA fosters students to try new things and be involved in everything… It just makes you a bigger and better person, which has better prepared me for life and dealing with people from all different walks of life.”

Gemma Giantomasi Diaco ’98

physical nature of real estate law was always very appealing to me. To be able to go with my father on a ride, by a building that we worked on, or now to take my kids on rides, to pass developments that we work on has always been very exciting and interesting to me.

Dom: I became interested in law during my time at MKA and gained exposure to the legal profession through the MKA internship program. My interest in the law continued during my undergraduate years as a Chemical Biology major where I began to focus my interest on intellectual property law. I learned about intellectual property law and was exposed to various legal and business aspects of emerging companies during our class visits to biotechnology companies. I was intrigued by the corporate side of these emerging companies and, specifically, the interplay between corporate and intellectual property law, which ultimately led to my decision to attend law school.

What is the biggest career challenge you have faced and what did you learn from it?

Lee: The biggest career challenge is just the shift going from prosecutor to defense attorney. Previously, I was on the other side at the US Attorney's Office in New Jersey, and then also at the state attorney general's office. When you are a prosecutor, you have two huge advantages. One, you have all of these resources, and you have all of the time to investigate a case before you ever decide to bring any charges. The other big advantage that you have is you have no client. Your only client is the federal government or the state. If you don't prevail, you go back to the office and prosecute the next case.

Now, I deal with individuals who've been charged with very serious crimes. Some of them, from my perspective, shouldn’t be charged or I truly believe are innocent. It's an incredible fight to vindicate them. If you are unsuccessful, you are looking at someone going to jail. You're looking at having to talk to a husband, or a wife, or children about what comes next now that their loved one is facing prison or has gone to prison. So, it is stressful in a way that it wasn't when I was a prosecutor. Now, I'm sitting across from real people who you can't help but grow fond of and develop a relationship and bond with because you're

really in the trenches fighting for their freedom. If it doesn't go well, that weighs on you. The job is incredibly rewarding if everything connects in the way that you hope. And it can be incredibly demoralizing if it doesn't because you're carrying the weight of someone's liberty interest on your shoulders.

Dom: The biggest challenge I have faced is navigating a career path in the legal profession. Prior to attending law school, my knowledge and exposure to the legal profession was very limited. I spent many hours trying to gain an understanding of the different legal fields, types of employment, and career trajectories. I have learned that it is important to stay connected with your community and build a network. A lot of the information I have gained about the legal profession came from connections I developed with people in my community and experienced attorneys in my network, some of whom I connected with through the MKA Alumni platform.

Frank: The biggest career challenge is making sure you’re meeting client’s expectations and delivering the best work product possible. Clients have a lot of options when choosing who to pick as their lawyer, and to me having a client choose you means they are putting their faith in you and depending on you. The challenge is making sure that you meet or exceed those expectations and deliver the best result.

What advice would you give to MKA young alumni who want to pursue the same career path?

Gemma: I would encourage anyone who is considering going into the legal profession to really spend some time talking to and shadowing practicing lawyers and to spend as much time as possible within a law firm. Every area of the practice law is different, and you don't realize how service-oriented the job is until you sit in the chair of a lawyer for a day. There is a great opportunity for the MKA alumni community to take advantage of connecting, networking, and learning from CSG lawyers to see if becoming a lawyer is the right move for them.

Lee: I encourage students, whether they're in school now or recent grads, to reach out and take advantage of the alumni network. Find alumni who are lawyers and connect with them. There are so many different ways that you can be a lawyer, and you don't know what you're getting yourself into unless you speak to practitioners directly. By asking questions and learning about lawyers’ day-to-day, you’ll get a better understanding of what it means to be a lawyer.

Dom: I think anyone still attending MKA should use the MKA internship program as an opportunity to gain exposure to the legal field. For recent graduates of MKA, I would encourage connecting with attorneys and networking. The MKA Alumni Network is a great starting point and you would be surprised how many people are more than willing to take time out of their day to have a conversation and connect.

What is your proudest accomplishment in your career thus far?

Lee: Probably the two sides of the same coin. The first day I got to stand up in court on behalf of the United States was certainly a proud day for me. And then on the flip side, the first time I was able to stand up in court and walk out of there with my client's case dismissed was incredible.

Dom: I would have to say advising emerging companies in successful corporate transactions and helping fulfill their business purpose. Many startups and emerging companies look for guidance and rely on our expertise to help grow their business. Founders tend to spend countless hours on their business, and there is a sense of accomplishment that comes with helping them achieve their goals.

Frank: My proudest accomplishment is when I have a repeat client. Since I also do criminal defense work, you obviously don’t want them to be a repeat customer in a bad way, but it's an honor and a privilege to see a matter through for a client from beginning to end and then have them come back to you for a new project in the future.

In what ways did MKA prepare you for the path your life has taken?

Lee: MKA encouraged exploration and was a warm and welcoming environment. The rigorous academic program prepared me for college and law school. To this day, I am still friends with so many people from high school, and I believe that is because of the environment fostered by MKA faculty and staff.

Gemma: Attending MKA opened my eyes to a new world. All the different opportunities at MKA provided a unique learning environment. Everyone had the freedom to be who they wanted to be. MKA fosters students to try new things and be involved in everything. This shaped my life. I now try to live my life that way, to be someone who does everything and doesn't just focus on one area. It just makes you a bigger and better person, which has better prepared me for life and dealing with people from all different walks of life.

Dom: MKA instilled fundamental core values that I rely on every day. The academically challenging environment and supportive community helped foster my growth and positively shaped my life. I value the experiences I had at MKA and look to give back to the students and alumni through my participation on the Alumni Council.

Frank: The alumni network is tremendous. You never know when you’re going to be working with a fellow alumnus. As a lawyer, I have worked with MKA alumni as co-counsel, collaborated with MKA colleagues that are now involved in government, and sometimes even butted heads with them on opposite sides of a business deal or prosecution. Having shared the MKA experience is always a great way to connect.

Your support of The MKA Fund allows us to provide experiences like these for our students across each campus as well as our alumni community.

Make a todaygift

TOGETHER, WE WILL CONTINUE TO HELP OUR STUDENTS RECOGNIZE THEIR TALENTS AND SOAR BEYOND THE HORIZON OF POSSIBILITIES.