15 minute read
Our Leadership
LEADERSHIP
New Vision, Continuity
Leadership across the campus community is one of the foundational strengths that sustained Webb during its first 100 years, and which especially served the campus during the disruptions of the pandemic.
Head of Schools Taylor B. Stockdale has welcomed several new leaders to his senior administration team. In addition, the Board of Trustees has named Dr. Theresa Smith to succeed Stockdale when he transitions to head emeritus in July 2023.
“This is an exciting time for Webb,” Stockdale said. “It’s a real testament to Webb’s depth of talent that we are elevating individuals who are already key members of our community. They each bring not only a new perspective and dynamic as we plan for our second 100 years, but they help maintain a continuity of leadership and connection to our core values.”
Dr. Andrew Farke
Director of the Raymond M. Alf Museum of Paleontology
As the new director of the Alf Museum, Dr. Andrew Farke is focusing on expanding engagement with the broader community and strengthening academic programs serving Webb students.
Farke, who holds a Ph.D. in anatomical sciences from Stony Brook University, joined the museum in 2008 as Augustyn Family Curator and added a role as director of research and collections in 2015.
In July, he succeeded longtime museum director Dr. Don Lofgren as the Alf’s fourth director.
Raised on a farm in the fossil-rich plains of South Dakota, Farke became intrigued with fossils in his youth and credits middle school and high school teachers for fanning the flame of his scientific curiosity. He specializes in ceratopsians – horned beasts such as Triceratops and Torosaurus. He applied to the museum because its high school location stirred memories of the educators who inspired him.
Lofgren, whose nearly 30-year tenure as director included securing national accreditation for the Alf Museum, said Farke brings a host of talents to the position as director.
“ Besides being an excellent teacher and role model for Webb students, he’s had a major positive impact on all operations and programs at the museum. Also, he’s internationally known for his paleontological expertise and research. Andy will take the museum to even greater success in educational and scientific endeavors,” Lofgren said.
The museum was informally founded in the late 1930s with a collection of fossils gathered by Webb science teacher Ray Alf and his students. The current museum, built in 1968, is a pillar of the academic program, driving exploration of new knowledge through student-centered research and fossilhunting Peccary Trips.
Its collections house nearly 200,000 specimens while Webb’s curriculum includes a sequence of museum and paleontology research courses that have produced more than 50 research papers in peer-reviewed journals coauthored by students.
Farke said the museum has a two-fold educational role to serve both Webb and the public.
In academics, Farke is continuing to champion the Alf Museum’s focus on experiential learning and student research. In April, he co-authored the Alf Museum’s latest published research paper – with two students as lead authors. This August, he resumed the annual summer Peccary Trip after a pandemic-required hiatus.
“I’m really passionate about the Webb community. We’re here because of the students,” said Farke, who lives on campus with his wife and two sons.
He also would like to expand access to museum studies and research programs as well as explore how issues related to scientific endeavors can be integrated into non-science courses. For example, paleontologists’ purchases of amber may sometimes play a role bolstering conflict in Myanmar. As a result, the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology – on which Farke serves in a leadership role – has banned publication of papers based on Myanmar amber purchases after June 2017.
In its public role, the Alf Museum will focus on community outreach and collaborative programs.
Already, the museum is a destination of choice for thousands of school children. Outreach associates also bring the Alf Museum into the community through pop-up museums that serve as a science education experience for people who may not be able to come to campus.
The Alf Museum also collaborates with college students and scientists at museums across the globe.
As part of that effort, the Alf Museum must continue its work to build, catalog and curate its collection, including digitizing specimens into an online accessible database.
“We are researchers first, creating new scientific knowledge. Because of that, we want our collection to be used – by our students, by outside researchers. At Webb, that entails teaching and being a public scientist. In the community, it means serving as an ambassador, sharing our knowledge and inspiring others to find their spark for discovery,” Farke said.
LEADERSHIP
Bob Fass
Chief Advancement Officer
Bob Fass, Webb’s new chief advancement officer, sees philanthropy as an expression of a donor’s passion and values, an investment in an organization’s mission and meant to positively impact communities and the lives of others.
“ As an advancement professional, I view my role as connecting people’s passion with purpose. It’s exciting work because it not only makes change possible, but it is also deeply meaningful and rewarding for the donor,” Fass said.
Fass, a lifelong resident of Claremont, holds a Bachelor of Arts in theatre arts from Cal State Fullerton and a master’s degree in nonprofit administration from the University of Alabama. Fass worked previously as an executive director of Shakespeare festivals in Fort Worth, Texas and Atlanta, Georgia and was the founding director of a Master of Fine Arts training program in arts administration at Southern Utah University in conjunction with the Utah Shakespeare Festival.
As Webb’s senior director of development for leadership and planned giving, Fass was responsible for securing charitable contributions to support endowed faculty development funds, research funds for the Alf Museum, academic program funds, scholarship funds, capital funds and annual operating support.
He is currently leading Webb’s centennial campaign – The Next 100 – an effort to raise $100 million to strengthen Webb for its second century of serving students. The campaign focuses on fostering innovation and unbounded thinking through programmatic and general operating support; opening Webb to the world by building endowment so Webb can continue to recruit, retain and support the best students, staff and faculty; and transforming Webb’s campus home by consistently investing in mission-critical capital projects and infrastructure.
“I’ve inherited an abundance of good fortune in the people surrounding me and the generosity of the Webb community,” Fass said. “Webb is an extraordinary place to do advancement work because the people care so deeply about the mission and about each other. I’ve prepared for this opportunity by working under two great leaders, Taylor Stockdale and Susan Nelson, and alongside faculty and staff colleagues who are quite literally the best in the business. Our leadership volunteers on the Webb Board, the Alf Museum Board, the Alumni Council and the Affiliates are powerful forces that keep us moving in the right direction and provide a foundation of support to ground us in everything we do.”
In addition to his work in advancement, Fass has spent this past year working as a regulatory monitor with Webb’s Medical Advisory Board, ensuring the health and safety of students and staff during the pandemic. He has also enjoyed temporary assignments as a guest faculty member, an advisor, a chapel speaker and an admission interviewer.
Fass lives in Claremont with his wife, Kristen, and their two children, Riley ’23 and Ryan. In November 2020, he was elected to serve a four-year term as a governing board member of the Claremont Unified School District. He previously served for three years as board president of the Claremont Educational Foundation and is a current board member of Claremont After-School Programs, Inc. He has also represented Webb as a member of the Claremont Chamber of Commerce and as a board member of the Los Angeles Council of Charitable Gift Planners.
Dr. Theresa Smith
Incoming Head of Schools (2023)
Webb’s Board of Trustees has named Associate Head of Schools Dr. Theresa Smith to succeed Taylor B. Stockdale in July 2023.
In her 10 years at Webb, Smith has guided a transformative reimagining of the curriculum, championed equity in hiring and strengthened Webb’s role as a national thought leader in independent school education.
“ Theresa Smith is far and away the best person to deliver the vision and innovation that Webb will need in the future and to build on Taylor Stockdale’s legacy of leadership as Webb moves into our second century of serving students,” Board of Trustees Chair Sanjay Dholakia ’87, P ’21 said.
Smith holds a Bachelor of Arts in history with a minor in Spanish from UC Berkeley, a Master of Arts in history from UC San Diego and a Ph.D. in history from UC San Diego with focuses in early modern European history, modern European history and colonial Latin American history.
She started her career as a visiting assistant professor at Claremont McKenna College before joining Oakwood School in North Hollywood in 2002. She rose to director of winter immersion programs before joining Webb as director of academic affairs in 2011. She became assistant head of schools in 2017 and associate head of schools in 2020.
When the pandemic hit, Smith’s leadership enabled Webb to shift quickly to remote instruction while maintaining academic rigor and addressing the significant student social and emotional needs related to the pandemic’s forced isolation.
The effort included collaborating with Webb’s Medical Advisory Board and campus team to develop novel instructional models for 2020-21 that were sensitive to the critical time differences for students across the globe, restructuring programs to ensure full inclusion for all in academics and campus life.
She also led planning to return students safely to campus under hybrid learning conditions in spring 2021.
“ I’m deeply honored by the Board of Trustees’ selection,” Smith said. “Webb is not only the center of my teaching vocation, but my home. I am committed wholeheartedly to our mission to transform students’ lives. I look forward to the guidance I will receive over the next two years from Taylor and the Board of Trustees as I prepare for this new role.”
Over the next two years, Stockdale will continue to lead Webb as the campus celebrates its centennial as Smith prepares to assume the executive post. After 2023, Stockdale will support the Webb community as head emeritus.
“One of the best things I’ve done as head of schools is hire Theresa Smith, and it has been a true privilege and pleasure to mentor her as she has grown into an exceptional leader,” Stockdale said. “Her depth of skills, commitment to Webb’s values and focus on creating an engaging, dynamic and relevant student experience will position Webb for even greater success in the future.”
Learn more about Webb’s leadership team at www.webb.org.
LEADERSHIP
John Choi
Director of Equity
The Importance of Belonging
While DEI topics took on a prominent role in academic and community discussions during this last year, the focus is not a new one for Webb or for me.
Over the years, the acronyms and terminology have changed – and I suspect they will continue to do so – but no matter what terms we use, the core tenets have always focused on creating an open, inclusive community where all are respected for who they are.
In a recent conversation with rising senior Nick Lee, I had a chance to reflect on what DEI topics mean for Webb.
Essentially, it boils down to whether everyone in our Webb community feels equally seen, heard and valued. Does everyone feel they can bring their 100% authentic self with all their many identities here?
Recent alumni and students have commented about how they came to appreciate the diversity of Webb during their time here, a sense of belonging they felt that isn’t always replicated in other settings.
Visually, our Price Dining Hall celebrates our diversity with a wide range of flags representing the different countries from which our students originate. The display now includes Gay Pride, Transgender and Pan-African flags, which help to celebrate the diversity of narratives we possess as a community.
We took some important steps during 2020-21, including a community read of How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi, affinity group gatherings, attendance at student conferences and discussions with our DEI consultant, the Glasgow Group. In the coming year, we will review the results of those conversations and launch new efforts. Possibilities include building strong student affinity spaces, holding more conversations about identity and inclusion, conducting another community book read and hosting a student diversity leadership conference for area schools.
Our goal is to ensure all our students feel represented in numbers, voices and curriculum, that they enjoy a true sense of belonging that comes from seeing Webb as their home away from home. Is their story a part of the Webb story?
In our conversation, Nick shared his view as a student on what DEI means at Webb.
“To me, DEI at Webb is a pretty simple concept – it’s just that every Webb student feels safe, represented and valued in their unique identity. Beyond this, I hope everyone leaves Webb not only aware of DEI and what it means, but also how they can be part of sustained change.”
Nick shared that he grew in awareness about his identity as a student at Webb.
“I wasn’t very in touch with my own Korean culture and heritage and what it meant to be an Asian-American. But since learning at Webb, developing a sense of my own personal identity and how I exist in different spaces, I’ve become passionate about making sure that every student feels respected and included here.”
Thanks, Nick, for sharing that perspective.
John Choi became The Webb Schools’ director of equity in July, underscoring a campus commitment to ensuring diversity among students, staff and faculty, all aspects of the program and an open, inclusive community. Choi joined Webb in 2018 as a member of the science faculty. He was appointed in September 2020 to the role of coordinator of diversity, equity & inclusion.
Scan to watch a video of John Choi and Nick Lee’s chat on YouTube. Scan to access an in-depth Q and A with John Choi at webb.org.
LEADERSHIP Faculty Assume New Leadership Roles
As Webb begins the 2021-22 academic year, we will welcome new, returning and current faculty members as they take on leadership roles.
Dr. Elizabeth Cantwell, Chair of English and Humanities Dr. Elizabeth Cantwell, who has returned to Webb after a year away due to the pandemic, will take on the role of chair of English and Humanities. Cantwell has a Bachelor of Arts in English from Yale and a Ph.D. in literature & creative writing from USC. She is the author of several works of poetry, including Nights I Let The Tiger Get You and Premonitions. Cantwell will work alongside Chair of History & Humanities Jessica Fisher to guide the department.
Joseph Vincent, International Student Adviser Joseph Vincent holds a Bachelor of Arts in Chinese language & literature from Reed College and a Master of Arts in Chinese literature from National Taiwan University. Before coming to Webb in 2019, he worked as a program director for Where There Be Dragons, where he designed and facilitated experiential education programs in multiple countries. Vincent speaks Chinese and Spanish fluently and will be spending the summer brushing up his French at Middlebury College as a recipient of the Davis Fellowship for Peace. He will bring his expertise and care to supporting international students, mentoring our international student liaisons and helping to build an intentional community at Webb.
Nika Haleftiras, Webb School of California Dorm Head Nika Haleftiras has a Bachelor of Science in biology from Caltech and is working on her Master of Arts in biology as part of the Global Field Program at Miami University. In addition to loving basketball and being an amazing coach, Haleftiras is also a stellar cook and baker. James Huerta, Student Government Advisor James Huerta earned a Bachelor of Arts in film & media studies from UC Irvine, a Master of Arts in teaching from USC and is currently exploring issues of equity in education as part of a doctorate program at Claremont Graduate University. He has coached soccer and supervises Webb’s community service program. Huerta has made a big impact since he joined Webb in 2018 – in the classroom, on the athletic field and in advancing diversity work.
Malick Mbengue, Dr. Ardina Greco BIPOC Residential Advisors As part of Webb’s efforts to ensure a fully inclusive community, the schools have added a new position to the residential program focused on meeting the needs of our Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) students. The BIPOC residential advisor will serve as a dorm head as well as play this larger role.
Malick Mbengue has a Bachelor of Arts in modern languages from the University of Dakar in Senegal and a Master of Arts in French from the University of Louisville in Kentucky. Since he joined Webb in 2018, Mbengue’s presence has been felt throughout campus, in the French classroom, on the soccer field and through his work supporting the Empowering Student Voices Initiative and the Black Student Union.
Dr. Ardina Greco is co-head of the Vivian Webb School’s Jones Dormitory. She has a Bachelor of Fine Arts in interdisciplinary art from the San Francisco Art Institute and an Ed.D. from Teachers College at Columbia University. She is currently participating in a series of backpacking trips for artists/artist teachers in collaboration with artist Christina Mesiti for the Emplacement Society. Greco has shared her gifts as an arts educator, advisor, gardener and community builder since moving into the Jones dorm head home in 2015.
