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New Trustee: Paul Sullivan ’91
Name: Paul Sullivan
WMA Class: 1991
Current hometown: New Canaan, Connecticut
Family: Wife, Laura; daughters Virginia (11), Phoebe (8) and Astrid (3) Two dogs, three cats, a fish or two
Place of employment: The New York Times
Job title: Wealth Matters columnist; also writes the Money Game column in GOLF Magazine
College education and degrees: Trinity College, B.A. (history) University of Chicago, M.A. (history)
Author of two published books “Clutch: Why Some People Excel Under Pressure and Others Don’t” “The Thin Green Line: Money Secrets of the Super Wealthy”
What do you like to do when you are not working? I play as much golf as work and family allows! I belong to a club called Woodway Country Club in Darien, Connecticut, but I’m up for an invite pretty much anywhere, anytime. The only exception is the weekends, which are reserved for family time.
If you could visit one city in the world, where would you go? Tokyo. Early in my career, I was a reporter traveling around Mexico and South America. I know those countries well. I’ve also traveled around Europe and to South Africa. But I’d love to visit Tokyo and begin to learn about Japanese culture.
What’s the most interesting thing about you most people don’t know? I’ve discussed the art of tying a bow tie with three world leaders, including Bill Clinton.
What is one of your greatest memories of WMA? I have so many. WMA was the most formidable four years of my life. There are sports memories— water polo, swimming and golf—and academic memories. I have great memories of sitting on the couches in Rich Hall with my friends. But the memory I always come back to is Don Kelly ribbing me when I’d walk into Old Academy for Spanish class and he was teaching my friends Latin across the hall. He always had something witty to say about my poor choice of languages!
What extracurricular activities did you do in school? Water polo, swimming and golf. I tried lacrosse my first two years (because I thought it was the ultimate prep school sport) but I realized I neither liked hitting people nor getting hit myself. Golf was a much better spring fit.
Which faculty members did you rely on during high school? Mr. Don Nicholson ’79, Mr. Gary Cook, Mr. Charlie D’Avanzo, Ms. Dunreith Kelly and Mr. James Lagomarsino. How did WMA prepare you for your future? Better than I could have ever imagined. I graduated second in my class and was able to more than hold my own academically at Trinity and Chicago. But beyond academics, WMA gave me confidence, which I was lacking coming in in ninth grade, the tools to work at a high level always and lifelong friends.
What’s your lasting impression of WMA? Of a small school that punches above its weight, of faculty members who took an interest in my education and that of my friends.
During your time in high school, if there were one thing you could have changed at WMA, what would it have been? Nothing I can remember. My last year the dress code relaxed a bit. I preferred the traditional blue blazer approach, not because I was an overly formal kid, but because that uniform was a great equalizer of rich and poor kids.
What would you tell someone who knew nothing about WMA? It’s a school with a growth mindset that is always trying to improve on what it delivers to its students.
Why are you interested in joining the Board of Trustees? Without WMA, I wouldn’t be where I am today. I was a financial aid student and WMA literally pulled me out of a bad public school setting and gave me the tools to create a life I never would have imagined.
As a Board of Trustee member, what is your goal? First and foremost, to help wherever I’m needed. But my skills are best suited for communications and development work. “But beyond academics, WMA gave me confidence, which I was lacking coming in in ninth grade, the tools to work at a high level always and lifelong friends.”
— Paul sullivan ’91
• Speaking engagement at WMA
