Our New Faculty

KELSEY BUCKLEY - SCIENCE DEPARTMENT

Kelsey graduated from Wheaton College in 2018 majoring in environmental science, with minors in animal behavior and journalism. While at Wheaton Kelsey was a four-year starter on the women’s fi eld hockey team, captained the team and earned academic and league honors. She also played club ice hockey, acting as president her senior season. Highlights from Wheaton include studying abroad in Townsville, Australia, and traveling to Costa Rica and Belize for a tropical fi eld biology course. After college, Kelsey completed an AmeriCorps year with New England Science and Sailing in New London, Connecticut. During her service year she had her fi rst classroom experience, assisting in local classrooms and providing STEM after school programming that focused on getting underserved student groups out on the water. Her favorite moments from her service year included teaching students to sail and providing swim lessons to middle school students. While in New London she began taking classes to earn an M.A.T. degree. After AmeriCorps she went on to complete school placements as an intern and student teacher in southern Connecticut. At Portsmouth Abbey, Kelsey is teaching marine biology and biology. She is also coaching Varsity Field Hockey and JV Ice Hockey. Kelsey is an assistant Houseparent in St. Benet’s House.

PETER CAHILL - CLASSICS DEPARTMENT

Peter comes to the Abbey from his hometown of Dorchester, MA. The son of two Boston Public School teachers, Peter has been surrounded by teachers and coaches his entire life; he has always appreciated the diligence and commitment that goes into the profession. Having just graduated from Williams College in the spring of ‘21 with a degree in classics, Peter joined the Classics Department at Portsmouth Abbey, teaching Latin 1 as well as an introductory English course. Prior to attending Williams College, Peter was a Roxbury Latin student, an all-boys prep school in Boston where he played football, hockey and baseball. He graduated in 2015 and spent the following year as a post-graduate at Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter, NH. There he also played football, hockey and baseball for the Big Red. He then went on to play quarterback and safety for the football team at Williams.

Peter’s year at Exeter gave him a unique perspective into House life here at the Abbey, where he is an assistant Houseparent in St. Aelred’s House. He is also an assistant on the Varsity Football coaching staff as well as head coach of our JV Boys’ Ice Hockey team.

Outside of school, Peter is passionate about community service and started his own non-profi t charity foundation in Boston with two of his best friends, called the “Dot Pot Foundation.” For the past six years, he has organized a charity street hockey tournament called the “Dot Pot” that raises money for local causes and has created a scholarship fund for young student-athletes in his hometown of Dorchester, MA.

Peter is excited to be working with motivated young adults both in the classroom and on the playing fi elds here at Portsmouth Abbey.

GERSENDE CHANFRAU - MODERN LANGUAGE DEPARTMENT

Gersende grew up in Paris, France. She graduated from Universite Paris-IX Dauphine and received a Master’s degree in management and education. She then started her career as head of school of Mod’Spe, a business school specialized in fashion and textiles. In 2007 Gersende moved to Rhode Island where she started teaching French at the Alliance Francaise de Providence, then at University of Rhode Island. She taught French at Providence College and Rhode Island College where she also was the director of the study abroad program. Gersende loves teaching all aspects of the French language and especially cultural differences in the francophone world. She enjoys playing tennis in her spare time, and racquet sports in general. “I like to laugh and make fun of myself, and I like to explore and go on hikes with my two daughters and my two energetic dogs!” she says.

JESSICA DE GREE - ENGLISH DEPARTMENT

Jessica teaches literature at Portsmouth Abbey. Previously, she taught high school Spanish at a charter school in Boston and high school Spanish in Phoenix, where she also taught fifth-grade ELA and history. A double major in English and Spanish from Hillsdale College in Michigan, Jessica grew up in Southern California with her loving parents and six siblings. Upon graduating from Hillsdale, where she also played D2 basketball, Jessica worked as an RA and assisted President Larry P. Arnn as a ghost writer. Jessica moved to Spain to play semi-professionally for a basketball team in Tarragona, where she also taught ESL to children in grades 1-10. After an ACL tear took her out of professional sports, she started teaching and coaching stateside. In her free time, Jessica enjoys playing doubles beach volleyball, running or exploring in quaint towns.

JULIA DELLARUSSO - ATHLETICS DEPARTMENT

Julia grew up in Darien, CT before graduating from Canterbury School in 2017. While at Canterbury School, she helped the field hockey team to the Western New England Championship in both 2014 and 2015, as well as winning the New England Championship in 2016. In addition to field hockey, she also played lacrosse and ice hockey. Julia then went on to earn a B.A. in Communications with a Minor in Exercise Science from St. Lawrence University where she was a member of the Field Hockey team. Julia spent her summers interning alongside top trainers at Prentiss Hockey Performance in Stamford, CT and coached FC United Field Hockey Club in Greenwich, CT. In addition to being Assistant Athletic Director, Julia coaches Varsity Field Hockey, Girls’ Varsity Ice Hockey, and Girls’ Varsity Lacrosse. She is also an assistant Houseparent in Manor House.

STEPHANIE EARP ’02 - OFFICE OF DEVELOPMENT & ALUMNI AFFAIRS

Stephanie is a ‘02 graduate of Portsmouth Abbey. After graduation she went on to receive a BA from Bates College and an MBA from the University of Rhode Island. During an internship in business school she found herself drawn to the world of nonprofits. After receiving her degree, Stephanie volunteered with local organizations addressing issues ranging from truancy reduction to ovarian cancer awareness. These experiences ultimately led her to pursue a career in the advancement profession. Having attended and benefitted from independent schools in her own life, Stephanie recognizes their importance. She has also come to learn that the health of independent schools relies heavily on the vital need for philanthropy. As the senior development officer, Stephanie enjoys witnessing firsthand how the results of successful fundraising can positively impact Portsmouth Abbey’s students, faculty, and programs. When Stephanie is not working she enjoys spending time with her husband, Thomas ‘97, their identical twin boys, Max and Leo, and a three-year-old daughter, Paloma.

THOMAS FOOTE - DEPARTMENT OF MATHEMATICS

Thomas lived the first 10 years of his life on boarding school campuses, as his parents taught at the Peddie School and the Garrison Forest School. Their example, and the experience of helping his four younger siblings with their schoolwork, encouraged Thomas to teach. Thomas graduated from Amherst College in 2009 with a degree in economics. While at Amherst, he played lacrosse, was a Newman Club officer, and worked with the UMass football team. Thomas completed Columbia University’s Klingenstein Summer Program in 2012 and earned a Master of Arts in Liberal Studies with a concentration in mathematics from Wesleyan University in 2018. Before coming to Portsmouth Abbey, Thomas worked at Boston Collegiate Charter School, Suffield Academy, and Thayer Academy. He taught math, history and English, and he wrote for the Suffield alumni magazine and website. In addition to teaching mathematics and history, Thomas is an assistant Boys’ Lacrosse and Football coach. He was named the Western New England Lacrosse Division II Head Coach of the Year in 2018 when his Suffield team won the WNESSLA DII Championship, and the team was honored with the League Sportsmanship Award in both 2017 and 2019. In nine years as an assistant football coach, he helped Suffield to eight bowl appearances and four New England titles. Thomas lives on campus with his wife, Katie, and their son, Robbie, and he is an affiliate in St. Aelred’s House.

KIMBERLY KALKUS - MODERN LANGUAGE DEPARTMENT

Kim Kalkus comes back to teach at Portsmouth Abbey after more than three decades guiding students in their journey to proficiency in Spanish, mainly in independent high schools. She has also taught, coached and guided students in Colorado, New Jersey, Miami and the Czech Republic. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Spanish Language and Literature from U.N.H. Plymouth and a master’s from S.U.N.Y Binghamton. She has studied in Madrid and Salamanca, Spain. Kim has an affinity for cooking, reading, Spanish art and music, paddleboarding, snowshoeing, hiking, swimming, gardening, community outreach and choral singing. She loves to see and hear the excitement of students acquiring another language, from the first steps to those getting excited about short stories in Spanish and exploring through improvisational theater.

Kim is married to Olen, who heads Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart in Miami. They have three children and two grandchildren.

DEANNA LLOYD - OFFICE OF COLLEGE COUNSELING

Deanna, our College Counseling Office Coordinator, is originally from Western Massachusetts but fell in love with the state of Rhode Island while earning her B.A. in communications and media studies at Roger Williams University, in Bristol, RI. While at Roger Williams, Deanna was a member of the Rotaract club where she volunteered her time to fulfill a variety of community service projects around town. Deanna also worked in the undergraduate admissions office and served briefly as a tour guide for the university. She now resides in Bristol, RI, where she enjoys watching the sunsets at Colt State Park. One of her favorite hobbies includes cooking, and she hopes to enjoy a meal prepared by Guy Fieri and Gordon Ramsey at least once in her life.

DARE ODEYINGBO - OFFICE OF STUDY SKILLS

Hailing from Dallas, Texas, Dare graduated from Vanderbilt University in 2019 majoring in Medicine, Health, and Society with a concentration in Health in Human Services. While at Vanderbilt he played four years on the Vanderbilt football team and captained the team his senior year. After College and spending a short time in the NFL, Dare transitioned into the workforce and started his career in health insurance, but with the coming of the pandemic decided to begin a career in Decentralized Clinical trials and Clinical Trial Regulations. He views this industry as the gateway to expanded medical care to underserved populations as it will reduce the cost of Clinical trials and thus allow medications for more rare diseases to make it past the clinical trials stage. At Portsmouth Abbey, Dare is working with students on study-skills improvement and coaching Varsity Football, Conditioning, and Track and Field.

CAROLINE VILLAREAL ’17 - OFFICE OF ADMISSION

Caroline grew up in Portsmouth, RI where she attended Portsmouth Abbey School, graduating in 2017. She received her undergraduate degree from Saint Anselm College in Manchester, NH, in 2021, having majored in business and marketing. Caroline was recruited and played on the Varsity Women’s Lacrosse team all four years at St. A’s. Caroline is excited to be back at Portsmouth Abbey as an assistant director of admission. She lives in Manor House as an affiliate to the dorm and is the assistant coach for the Varsity Girls’ Lacrosse team.

RYAN WALKER - DEPARTMENT OF VISUAL ARTS

Ryan Walker graduated from College of Charleston in 2013 with a degree in studio art. He took the award for ‘Best Painting’ at the Young Contemporaries Student Show his graduating year. To further his education, he then enrolled in the Schuler School of Fine Arts in Baltimore, MD. There he was taught the techniques of the old Flemish and Italian Masters in sculpture, watercolor, oil painting and charcoal. Ryan has enjoyed a successful career as a professional artist for the past six years with representation in multiple fine art galleries. In high school Ryan was an accomplished athlete who played football, basketball, baseball and golf. He helped lead his baseball team to a state championship in 2008. He then continued with collegiate baseball in Charleston. “I come from a family of educators and I’m passionate about sharing my love for art with others. I believe anyone can develop an appreciation for art, and my goal is to help our students connect with techniques and media that will inspire and motivate them.”

SUSAN WATHEN - INFIRMARY

Susan Wathen is a registered nurse and educational counselor with more than thirty years of experience; her work in nursing and counseling has always focused on children and education. Before joining the Abbey, Susan worked in Mexico City for three years as a guidance counselor. Susan has received degrees from Northeastern University, Salem State College, and University of New Hampshire.