SP R ING 2 0 2 6
MILLBROOK’S MISSION In a community where every student is known and needed, Millbrook prepares its students for college and lives of meaning and consequence by instilling the values of respect, integrity, service, stewardship of the natural world, and curiosity.
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Living the Tradition of Non Sibi Sed Cunctis UP FRONT 3 Introduction from Head of School Jonathan Downs ’98
4 Millbrook Moments
MILLBROOK MATTERS
PAGE
80
FEATURES
52 The Distance Between Home and Here
Dona Mion ’27, explores the experiences of Millbrook’s international students. Through a series of interviews, Dona sought to better understand what it means to leave home, build community, and find a sense of belonging at Millbrook—regardless of where a student comes from.
56 By Design
14 Academics 22 Quotables 24 Athletics 34 Arts 46 Student Life
ALUMNI 84 Class Notes 110 In Memoriam ON THE COVERS
Design, at its best, is the curve of a doorway you don’t think twice about, the
SP RI NG 2026
acoustics of a concert hall that simply feel right, the quiet intelligence of a system that seems to know what you need before you ask. In this issue, we explore alumni intentionally designing systems, spaces, and goods across disciplines—from the physical to the environmental to the experiential.
80 From Mission Statement to Measurable Reality While other institutions might measure success by growth in their
enrollment, Millbrook has remained intentionally small. We believe we are the ideal size to fulfill one of our most important promises: that every student will be known and needed. But a few years ago, Dean of Student Engagement and Well-Being J.J. Morrissey began asking a simple question: How do we know if that promise is actually true?
Front and Back Covers: Photos by Melvin Brinson Jr.
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a m ag a z i n e fo r a l u m n i , pa r e n t s and friends of millbrook school
EDITOR
Campaign Manager
Constantine M. Dakolias P’22
Michelle Blayney
Jennifer Migliore
Philip J. Drury P’24, ’26
DESIGN
Advancement Office Manager
Jim Eagen '88, P'24
Proof Design
Cori Bloxsom
Christopher C. Holbrook ’82, P’11, ’12, ’14
CONTRIBUTORS
Director of Advancement Services
Alison J. Marsal ’06
Michelle Blayney, Aaron Case,
Shannon Williams
Gordon S. Pennoyer ’99
Greta Heidrick ’27, Alex Hickey ’26,
Advancement Database Manager
Dona Mion ’27, Kate Rubinstein ’27,
Laura Terry
Jack Stewart ’27
Special Programs Coordinator
PHOTO CONTRIBUTORS
Diane Dalton
Steve Rodgers P’24, ’25 Steven Romick P’26 Gilbert P. Schafer III ’80 Lisa P. Selz P’12, ’17 Paul M. Simons ’83, P’17, ’19
Michelle Blayney, Melvin Brinson Jr.,
James Vitiello P’23
Honors Photo Students, Dana Lucas P’14, ’17,
COMMUNICATIONS OFFICE
Alex Pearson, Jeff Zelevansky, and
Chief Communications Officer
Honorary Trustees:
Jason Zhang ’29
Michelle Blayney
Farnham F. Collins ’53, GP’17
MILLBROOK is published by the Communications
Director of Multimedia Content
William L. Crossman ’74, P’09
Office and Alumni & Development Office of
Alex Pearson
William R. Hettinger ’77, P’01, ’04
Millbrook School for alumni, parents, and friends
Writer/Editor
Bruce B. Huber ’47
of the school. Contents may be reproduced
Aaron Case
William B. McNamara ’75
or reprinted only by permission of the editor.
Multimedia Content Creator
Opinions expressed do not reflect the official
Melvin Brinson Jr.
position of Millbrook School.
Millbrook School
Millbrook School adheres to a long-standing
Meghan Perch
policy of admitting students of any race, color, creed, religion, sexual orientation,
131 Millbrook School Road Millbrook, NY 12545
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Phone: 845-677-8261
Chairman
Website: www.millbrook.org
William L. Menard ’78, P’09, ’12, ’12
Follow Millbrook at your favorite social media sites: Facebook
YouTube
national or ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the
Vice Chairman
basis of race, color, creed, religion, sexual
Paul M. Solomon ’61, P’98
orientation, national or ethnic origin in the
Secretary
administration of its education policies,
Paul Stafford P’16, ’19, ’23 Treasurer
NON DISCRIMINATION
Graphic Designer
admission policies, financial aid program, or other school-administered programs.
John Tuke P’18 Head of School
Jonathan R. Downs ’98
ALUMNI & DEVELOPMENT OFFICE Trevor-Lovejoy Zoo Director of Philanthropy
Nancy Stahl Director of Principal & Major Gifts
Keith Del Valle
Samantha Boardman, MD P’24, ’26 Francisco L. Borges ’70
Millbrook magazine is printed on stock that is manufactured with 10% postconsumer fiber using renewable energy. It is FSC certified.
Thomas Buttacavoli P’26, ’28 Peter Chapman P’11, ’12
Director of Parent Engagement & Leadership Gifts
Mimi Babcock P’06, ’09, ’12 Director of Alumni Engagement
Nicolas Ugarte
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J’nelle N. Agee ’06
ENVIRONMENTAL STATEMENT
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Kelly Macaluso Coles ’86, P’19 Trevor L. Colhoun ’95 Morgan Conrad ’99 Darcie Crystal P’24, ’25
PLEASE RECYCLE THIS MAGAZINE
Introduction from
Head of School Jonathan R. Downs ’98 The most important question a teacher can answer when designing a lesson for a student is simply timeless: Why does this matter? When we do not provide an understanding of a lesson’s usefulness, our well-intended instruction can morph into aimless meanderings that have no resonance with our children. When we do not address “the why,” at best, a child will dutifully pay attention because we are the adults, and they are not. At worst, when we ignore “the why,” we will dim the bright lights of curiosity into confusion and apathy. Most adults with common sense know that the proverbial “because I told you so” does not stand the test of time. In fact, it leads to rebellious and indignant children. So, the design of any lesson worthwhile must contain the magical ingredient of why. You have likely heard Millbrook claim that it is better by design. I assure you there is no pretense here. How we think about design deeply matters. Every aspect of our school, from the design of campus to the nuances of our curriculum is pressuretested, vetted, and constructed with intentionality. We care about the lessons we create, and our teachers relish the moments when students challenge a lesson. “What’s the point,” a student might wonder? “I thought you’d never ask,” Millbrook teachers will universally respond! The content of this magazine broadly illustrates how creation and design remain a part of the fabric of Millbrook’s identity—on and off campus—with current students, faculty, and members of our alumni body. In a world that accepts artificial gathering of information as intelligence, and at a time when the value of education is being placed on a chopping block, I can think of no better skill to highlight and demonstrate than design: the act of creating something intentionally and purposefully. At Millbrook, we hold onto design as a virtue because we believe the skills of creation will lead to more enriched, authentic, intelligent lives for our students and graduates. Please enjoy the stories below. I hope you are motivated by the way Millbrook continues to educate and inspire. In our world today, “thinking” is now as easy as a prompt and the push of a button, so we hold tight to the DNA of Millbrook, living a life of integrity and curiosity. When we create from an authentic place, we inherently understand the why of what we do. So let this be a ringing of the bell… Keep creating! Dare to design! With love and gratitude, • P roud uncle with niece Jaicee Downs ’26
Jonathan Downs ’98 Head of School
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Millbrook Moments
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Bright minds dial in on DNA extraction in biotechnology, one of many electives that let students explore their passions.
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Millbrook Moments
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Many hands make light work—and delicious produce grown just a few steps from the dining hall.
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Millbrook Moments
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Even in the busyness of boarding school life, there’s always time to stop and make music.
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Millbrook Moments
Group projects are better outside.
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Millbrook Moments
At Fall Orientation the first lesson is simple: you don’t do this alone.
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Millbrook Matters AC A D E M I C S , AT H L E T I C S , A R T S , A N D S T U D E N T L I F E
Academics Walk into a classroom at Millbrook, and you might find students designing for real clients, workshopping a screenplay with a Hollywood producer, or preparing for a national math competition. Academics are not confined to classrooms or defined by a single path. They are shaped through choice, strengthened by relationships, and brought to life through real-world application. Millbrook students have been exploring new interdisciplinary courses, learning alongside industry professionals, pushing themselves to national levels of achievement, and creating work that resonates far beyond campus—experiences that together encompass a program designed to prepare them for lives of meaning and consequence in college and long after.
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INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES:
REAL-WORLD LEARNING Boarding schools have long prepared students for college by fostering independence within a supportive structure. At Millbrook, we’ve built on that model by adding greater academic autonomy through our new Interdisciplinary Studies Department. Seeking more options for older students and stronger preparation for college and careers, academic deans invited faculty to propose new courses and gauged student interest to shape the department. Current offerings include Architecture, Introduction to Filmmaking, Introduction to Finance, Honors Philosophy, Psychology, and Model United Nations. “These courses tap into experiences beyond a traditional curriculum and bring in real-world application,” said department head Eve Whitehouse. The department has also reinvigorated faculty by allowing them to teach in areas of personal expertise. In Introduction to Finance, Alberta Guiles draws on her own experience—rising from
From credit and compound interest to simulated investing,
public assistance to becoming a New York City landlord before age
students build practical financial literacy, with plans to compete
30—to guide students in making informed financial decisions.
in The Stock Market Game.
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MILLBROOK MATTERS
Academics
Interdisciplinary courses also help students explore potential career paths. In architecture, students study structural design through campus buildings, including a visit to the Mill with architect John Allee ’86, and apply their learning in AutoCAD. Beyond technical skills, they develop an understanding of design and space. “They begin to understand their own aesthetic and feel a deeper connection to campus,” said instructor Sarah MacWright, who developed the course following her own architectural internship experience during a sabbatical year.
• F ilmmaking guest lecturer William Sherak P’27
Introduction to Filmmaking offers another hands-on experience. Instructor Alex Pearson, Millbrook’s director of multimedia content, created the course to merge his interests in film and teaching. Students analyze films and produce their own work, from music videos to short documentaries. “You can see the shift—from intimidation to excitement—as their ideas take shape,” Pearson said. Other offerings follow a similar model. Honors Philosophy, inspired by French curricula, challenges students to debate existential questions. Psychology examines topics relevant to student life, including technology use and stress. Model UN, formerly a club, is now a credit-bearing course, increasing engagement and participation in conferences at universities like Brown and Dartmouth. “It’s the combination of student choice and passionate teaching,” said Owen Kelley ’17, who co-teaches Model UN. “That’s what makes it work.” The department is already strengthening Millbrook’s mission to prepare students for college and lives of meaning and consequence—expanding opportunities for students while allowing faculty to teach with creativity and purpose. As Head of School Jonathan Downs ’98 noted, “Students are energized by these courses, and faculty are energized by the freedom to • Architect John Allee ’86
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explore beyond traditional boundaries.”
MILLBROOK MATTERS
Academics
Charley Li ’27: PROBLEM-SOLVING AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL One of the year’s standout academic achievements came from Charley Li ’27, who placed in the top 10% of the American Mathematics Competition (AMC). The AMC, a 25-question exam requiring advanced problem-solving in algebra, geometry, calculus, and statistics, serves as a qualifier for the USA Mathematical Olympiad. Charley answered 18 questions correctly, earning a score of 118.5 out of 150 and placing among the nation’s top math students. Approximately 500,000 students take the AMC annually. Only about 1,000 advance to the Olympiad level, and fewer than 100 reach international competition. “There’s always higher-level math behind every question,” said Dr. Timothy Kernan. “You can attempt it with high school knowledge, but it’s extremely challenging.” Charley, along with classmates Rachel Nayman ’26 and Alex Siano ’26, prepared with weekly sessions led by Dr. Kernan. In addition, Charley spent years independently studying past exams and collaborating with peers and mentors. He doesn’t plan to major in math, but his motivation is simple: “I enjoy solving problems I’ve never seen before. There’s a real sense of accomplishment.”
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MILLBROOK MATTERS
Academics
UP CLOSE WITH THE WORK AND THE EXPERTS BEHIND IT At Millbrook, relationships are the foundation of learning—and that includes meaningful connections with professionals who bring their experience into the classroom. Through close interaction, conversation, and mentorship, students gain insight not only into their craft, but into the paths and possibilities that lie ahead.
William Sadler In December, actor William Sadler joined Elaine Lifter’s Honors Theater class for an intimate, conversation-driven
In a small-group setting, students asked questions about his work and the realities of the profession, and Sadler responded with insight shaped by decades of experience.
session that reflected the kind of personal, high-impact
“If I have a secret weapon as an actor, it’s empathy,” he said. “You
learning that defines a Millbrook education.
start with the words, and you say, ‘Well, how would you have to
Sadler, best known for his role as Heywood in The Shawshank Redemption, has built a career across film, television, and Broadway, with credits including The Green Mile, Die Hard 2, and Julius Caesar. Yet what resonated most with students was not his
feel to say that?’” He spoke about the role of lived experience in shaping performance—how a full life deepens an actor’s ability to connect with a character.
résumé, but the way he engaged them—thoughtfully, candidly, and as fellow artists.
“I used to use the roles that I got to learn about myself and about other people,” he said. “Now, there’s sort of this mountain of life that’s built up inside me that I can call on to do the work.” Sadler also emphasized the trust actors must build with one another to create authentic performances. This idea immediately resonated with students, who connected it to their production of Antigone and the vulnerability required on stage.
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William Sherak P’27 In October, Millbrook’s filmmaking students had a similar opportunity to learn directly from a leader in the field. William Sherak P’27, co-CEO of Project X Entertainment, joined Alex Pearson’s Introduction to Filmmaking class for an inside look at how movies get made. Sherak, whose credits include The Night Agent, Scream, Ready or Not, and Nuremberg, shared an early draft of Ready or Not
That perspective, he explained, comes from experience. Early in his career, reading hundreds of scripts helped him develop a clear sense of the stories he wanted to tell. Students, he noted, will develop their own creative instincts over time. He also emphasized collaboration as central to the industry. “I’ve worked with the same directors five, six times… the same writers a dozen times,” he said. “Find a group of people you want to collaborate with. You will make each other better.”
ahead of his visit. Students read the script then watched the film,
Looking ahead, Sherak addressed the rapidly changing landscape
preparing to analyze how a screenplay evolves into a finished
of film and television, pointing to expanding opportunities for
product. That evolution became the focus of the conversation.
emerging creators.
Students quickly noticed major differences between the script
“The path is a little grayer right now, but you will have more
and final film—especially the ending.
options,” he said. “Stories can be told from any point of view
“When that script came in, we loved the idea. But the movie had no
around the globe today.”
hope,” Sherak said. “That’s not a world I enjoy telling stories in.
Students left with a clearer understanding of both the craft and
The genius of my job is that I can say ‘yes’ and ‘no’ to things.”
the industry and a stronger sense of what it takes to bring a story
From there, Sherak broke down the role of a producer—reading
to life. Later, Sherak returned to campus to screen Nuremberg for
dozens of drafts, shaping story direction, and guiding a project
the Millbrook community ahead of its theatrical release.
through years of development.
Across disciplines, these moments reflect how students are
“I can’t watch a movie with no hope 40 times… It’s purely a
known, supported, and challenged by teachers, peers, and
function of what I enjoy doing,” he said. “… When you like a
professionals, helping them connect their passions to the
subject, you’ll put more work in.”
wider world.
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MILLBROOK MATTERS
Academics
Student Photo Places in National Smithsonian Competition A walk across campus makes one thing clear: Millbrook students are serious artists. This year, one student’s work reached a national stage. Ashley Slingluff ’27 was selected as a finalist in the Smithsonian
“I wanted to portray that joy by giving her a lacrosse stick while
Institution’s 2025 Teen Portrait Competition with her photograph
she kept her face straight.”
Lacrosse Royalty chosen as one of just 19 works from more than
Captured during a class trip to Wethersfield Estate & Garden,
1,100 submissions. The piece is on view at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C., through August 30.
intention. Ashley layered clothing to create depth and used
The photograph grew out of an assignment in Experimental
natural light to shape the composition, demonstrating a detailed
Photography, where students reinterpreted Baroque works through a
and thoughtful execution.
contemporary lens. Ashley drew inspiration from Diego Velázquez’s
“Our goal is to install student artwork in every public building,”
Portrait of Saint Rufina, reimagining the composition through her own experience at Millbrook by replacing the palm branch with a lacrosse stick and incorporating dishes from Casertano Hall.
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the portrait highlights both technical precision and creative
shared Ashley’s teacher, Sarah MacWright. “We know the work is that good—it’s worthy of professional care and close attention. In their art, students express their hopes, curiosities,
“I had just started playing JV lacrosse, which was bringing me a
and their problem-solving. Ashley’s photograph shows the best
lot of joy, and my model was one of my teammates,” Ashley said.
of that.”
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MILLBROOK MATTERS
Academics
Lighting the Way Designing for real clients requires balancing technical skill with interpretation, translating ideas into functional form. This spring, architecture and ceramics students collaborated on a cross-disciplinary project to design lamps for faculty. Students began by studying lighting— its history, function, and three primary forms: ambient, accent, and task. They then met with faculty clients to understand their needs and aesthetic preferences. “My goal was to help students learn how to interpret and articulate a client’s vision and to listen carefully,” said architecture teacher Sarah MacWright. Ceramics students created the lamp bases, starting with small models for client approval. Designs ranged from clean geometric forms to abstract structures, each carefully constructed to support the final assembly. Students also developed custom glazes to match client specifications. “In one project, they’re applying chemistry, math, design, and craftsmanship,” said ceramics instructor Owen Moon. Meanwhile, architecture students created scale drawings in AutoCAD. Once the bases were complete, the lamps were assembled and installed in faculty homes and offices. These lamps, like much of the student work across campus, reflect the intentional connection between learning, place, and community. Each piece becomes part of the environment and a lasting reminder of the students who created it.
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MILLBROOK MATTERS
Academics
QUOTABLES Words of wisdom can be heard in every space on campus. Here is some nourishing food for thought served by students, faculty, and distinguished guests this year.
Averell Wood ’26 CHAPEL TALK
“If I could give anyone advice, it would be, ask for help. You are not a burden. You are known and needed. Do not forget that. And if things are not going your way, be the change. You’ll be better for it.”
Blake Frost ’26 CHAPEL TALK
“You matter. Your story matters. And everything that you’ve gone through, both good and bad, matters. When you see someone reach out their hand to you, grasp it and hold it firm.”
Jaicee Downs ’26 CHAPEL TALK
“An A plus, a B minus, a good game, or a bad game won’t change the things that always matter most. What stays with us are the people, the moments, and the joy we find along the way.” 22
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Jonathan Downs ’98 GRANDPARENT’S DAY ADDRESS
“I believe that truly holistic schools have the responsibility of spending as much time preparing our students to be 40 and 50 and 60 as we do preparing them to be 18 to 22.”
Poet Gold MLK SYMPOSIUM
“I’ve always believed that art, no matter what type of artistic medium you’re in, is about service.”
Errol King FRIDAY FORUM
“Take a breath, trust your dream, act with courage, and create with love.” SPRING 2026 •
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Athletics
MUSTANG NATION The Mustangs are on a roll, with a NEPSAC title, regional and national honors, and NCAA Division I commitments.
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Athletics
BOYS VARSITY SOCCER WINS 7TH NEPSAC TITLE Millbrook finished the fall season on a high note, as boys varsity soccer captured the program’s seventh New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC) Class C championship—and its first under Head Coach Scott Ruggles. After a difficult start marked by injuries, the Mustangs went 3-4-2 in their first nine matches before finding their rhythm. They won eight of their final nine games, with eight different players scoring during that stretch to earn the No. 4 seed in the tournament. Following a quarterfinal win over No. 5 Concord Academy, Millbrook knocked off top-seeded Greens Farms Academy, 3-2, before defeating No. 2 Wheeler School, 5-0, in the final. Marcus Paul ’27 scored a hat trick in the championship match, while Oliver Hougland ’26 and Ajak Dau ’26 each added a goal to secure Millbrook’s first NEPSAC title since 2018. Coach Ruggles, who earned his 200th career NEPSAC win in the semifinal, praised the team’s focus and resilience throughout playoff week. “Playoff week tests a team’s mettle, especially when every game is on the road,” he said. “We traveled more than 400 miles in 36 hours and beat the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds to win the title.” Team captain Ross Ezrow ’26 echoed that sentiment. “This team was unbelievably resilient,” he said. “We battled through injuries early, stayed afloat, and hit our stride at the right time. So much of that came down to our coaches, our defense, and our goalkeeper, Paul LaPage.” When the team returned to campus, classmates and teachers welcomed them through a cheering tunnel; it was an exhuberant end to a remarkable run. Coach Ruggles credited the broader Millbrook community, assistant coaches, and seniors for helping sustain the team’s momentum and focus throughout the season.
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MILLBROOK MATTERS
Athletics • A jak Dau ‘26 is off to play soccer for Middlebury College
NETTING NATIONAL RECOGNITION After leading the Mustangs to a NEPSAC championship, Ajak Dau ’26 and Marcus Paul ’27 earned national recognition from Sports Illustrated’s inaugural Prep School All-America Boys Soccer Team. Ajak was named to the third team, and Marcus received honorable mention. “Ajak was very deserving of this honor as he was truly a dominant figure on the field in every game,” said Coach Ruggles. “He was lauded by opposing coaches and players alike as being a great player and intense competitor. Marcus really solidified his spot on the All-America list with his dominance in the last two playoff games. He is an incredible player and overall talent. He scored six of our eight goals in the semifinals and finals, showing his desire to bring a trophy back down School Road.” Ajak also was named NEPSAC Class C Player of the Year and Millbrook’s fall athletic MVP, while Marcus earned All-NEPSAC honors. Ajak will continue his career next year at Middlebury College, while Marcus returns to Millbrook looking to help lead the Mustangs in their pursuit of back-toback championships.
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•M arcus Paul ‘27 will return to lead the Mustangs this fall
MILLBROOK MATTERS
Athletics
JUSTIN MUNOZ MATRILLE BREAKS MUSTANG HOME RUN RECORD After 28 years, there’s a new Mustang home run king. Justin Munoz Matrille swung his way into the Millbrook record books, crushing his 10th career long ball to pass Head of School Jonathan Downs’ ’98 longstanding record. A shot to dead center, the record-tying dinger came in the first inning of a home game against Pomfret—a first inning in which the first four Mustang batters went deep to set a team record. Justin wasted no time in claiming the HR throne, stepping up to the plate in the bottom of the second inning and blasting his record-setting 10th career homer. “Justin is so good and so humble that he probably doesn’t even know that he has broken a record. Let’s not tell him,” Mr. Downs said. “He’s got more to accomplish for Millbrook and beyond!” After crushing moonshots at Millbrook, Justin is taking his talents to Virginia Tech. Playing in the ACC, one of the top baseball conferences in the NCAA, will help him get the attention of pro scouts as he looks to realize his MLB dreams. He’ll be a real asset to the Hokies, as he’s developed a reputation as a natural leader and
selfless team player at Millbrook. No one understands that better than Millbrook Baseball Head Coach Keith Del Valle. “A four-year varsity starter and two-year captain, Justin has been the steady heartbeat of our team,” Mr. Del Valle said. “He has played wherever we have needed him—pitcher, catcher, infield, outfield— always at a high level, and never once asking for recognition. He competes hard, prepares the right way, and plays the game with passion and pride. As a prefect, he holds one of the highest leadership roles on campus, and he carries that responsibility with maturity, humility, and purpose. He makes people around him better, not just with his performance, but with his presence.” Justin truly made his mark at Millbrook, living Non Sibi Sed Cunctis both on and off the field. We’re all excited to see where his talents and leadership ability take him at Virginia Tech and beyond!
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MILLBROOK MATTERS
Athletics
MILLBROOK-POMFRET RIVALRY STAYS STRONG Each fall, Millbrook and Pomfret meet in the Battle of Route 44, when the schools’ volleyball, soccer, field hockey, and crosscountry teams compete for the road-signshaped rivalry trophy. This year, the Mustangs traveled to Pomfret after a spirited week on campus that included themed dress-down days and a Friday pep rally in the Mills Athletic Center. Pomfret was more than ready to defend its title, even while Millbrook delivered strong performances. Boys varsity soccer earned a decisive 8-1 win, and boys cross-country also claimed victory. Pomfret won the remaining matches and was also victorious in the Route 44 Food Fight for the first time. In this contest, each school measures their food waste in the week leading up to the games with the goal of having the greatest reduction. Our loss this year prompted Millbrook’s donation of 44 pounds of food to a Hudson Valley pantry—a meaningful outcome that reflected the spirit of the rivalry. Though the trophy stayed in Connecticut this year, Millbrook’s athletes returned with heads held high. When Millbrook-Pomfret Day returns to Millbrook this fall, the Mustangs will be saddled up and ready to dominate on our home turf.
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MILLBROOK MATTERS
Athletics
MUSTANGS SIGN WITH NCAA DIVISION I PROGRAMS Athletes thrive at Millbrook, where they benefit from skilled coaching, strong competition, and the opportunity to compete across 13 sports in three seasons. This year, two more Mustangs committed to NCAA Division I programs:
Justin Munoz Matrille Virginia Tech
Tyler Tatelman Sacred Heart University
Baseball
Lacrosse
Keith Del Valle on • Justin Munoz Matrille with Coach Del Valle
Justin Munoz Matrille “There are players who produce, and then there are players who define a program. Justin has done both. His commitment to Virginia Tech speaks to his talent, but what truly separates Justin is who he is every single day at Millbrook. Justin has no ego. He is the first to grab a younger player and walk him through mechanics. He stays after practice to help with drills. He is the teammate others turn to when adversity hits because they know he will listen and bring a positive mindset to the conversation. He loves Millbrook deeply, and that pride shows in how he represents our school and our program. He has set the standard for what leadership should look like here, and that standard will be felt long after he graduates. Players like Justin do not just leave stats behind. They leave a legacy.”
TJ Spahn on
Tyler Tatelman “Tyler is an exceptional person on and off the field. Off the field, he is a leader by example who stays on top of his schoolwork and uses any extra free time to improve his lacrosse game. On the field, he is a dynamic defenseman who uses footwork and positioning to beat his opponents. He has strong stick skills as well, which helped us push the ball in transition this year.”
• Tyler Tatelman with Coach Spahn
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COLLEGE COM
Front row:
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Back row:
Alex Siano, University of Chicago baseball
Jaicee Downs, Trinity College ice hockey
Ajak Dau, Middlebury College soccer
Orion Sartison, Hamilton College lacrosse
Tyler Tatelman, Sacred Heart University lacrosse
Ross Ezrow, Lake Forest College soccer
Abby Roberson, Endicott College ice hockey
Charlie Gershman, Kenyon College baseball
Kevin Fajardo, Felician University baseball
Sophia Sorriento, Swarthmore College lacrosse
Brett Kohut, Hamilton College lacrosse
Georgia MacInnis, Elmira College ice hockey
Dean Repaci, Bates College baseball
• SPRING 2026
MMITMENTS
Back row: Alex Hickey, Case Western Reserve University basketball
Silas Brockway, Occidental College basketball
Harrison Milowitz, Ursinus College baseball
Arlo Reynolds, Brandeis College basketball
Hezi McCoy, Sarah Lawrence College basketball
Ryan Ellison, Millsaps College baseball
Justin Munoz Matrille, Virginia Tech baseball
Marcos Wiscovitch Frontera, Universidad de Puerto Rico basketball
Rhomy Mohamed, Union College baseball
Fransisco Santana, John Jay College basketball
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“Aiden has been a strong leader this season and has consistently commanded the team’s defense.”
“Hezi put on an impressive performance, including a clutch three late in the game.”
MUSTANGS OF THE WEEK
Across every season, Millbrook athletes continue to distinguish themselves through talent, determination, and team-first leadership. This year’s Mustangs of the Week have included standout performers across boys and girls sports—student-athletes recognized for
“Anna was a dominant presence last week.”
everything from clutch goals and dominant defense to fearless racing and tireless work ethic.
“Teddy’s tenacity on the court has been impressive, as he is consistently getting to every ball and choosing his shots to make his opponents as uncomfortable as possible.”
“Tiyara has been strong on defense, bringing consistent energy and grit.” 32
• SPRING 2026
“Maja has demonstrated an impressive work ethic, constantly pushing her teammates to be their very best.”
“Hailey was unstoppable in the net.”
“Harrison showed strong leadership and composure on the mound, setting the tone from the first inning.”
“Lucy’s ability to battle back under pressure and lead by example reflects the poise and competitive spirit of a true captain.”
“Malkin’s goal with just 12 seconds left in OT secured the win for the Mustangs.”
“Sophia’s effort on both ends of the field played an important role in the team’s win.”
“Big congratulations to Meghan for throwing the first no-hitter for the softball program since 2022 and only the second since 2012!”
“Vincent led by example and never complained.”
“Max won handily against a talented Pomfret opponent.” SPRING 2026 •
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Arts Campus is alive with creativity as students performed with aplomb in productions of Antigone and Big Fish. Meanwhile, visual artists brought home major awards and filled the Warner Gallery with beauty.
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• SPRING 2026
MILLBROOK MATTERS
Arts
PERFORMING ARTS Millbrook students have ample opportunities to express themselves on stage throughout the year—from arts nights and literary showcases to the fall play and winter musical. Our thespians did an incredible job putting on the challenging play Antigone in the fall, and then they lit up the theater with the musical Big Fish in the winter.
STUDENTS EXPLORE GREEK TRAGEDY How far would you go to stand up for your beliefs? That’s the question Millbrook’s theater department provoked audiences to ponder through its stirring performance of Antigone. The ancient Greek tragedy was a perfect choice in a year the community focuses on our core value of integrity, and Theater Director Elaine Lifter and Millbrook’s thespians pulled out all the stops to put on a fully engaging show. “It’s different than other musicals and plays we’ve put on so far, or at least in my time,” commented Andrea Taitt ’27, the assistant director of the play. “We kind of lean more toward funny, and with this we just decided, you know what, Greek tragedy. Bam. Sadness, death.” Taking on a somber story heavily reliant on dialog, the tech crew used special effects to produce a vibrant multimedia performance. “There are some technical things that haven’t been done before,” noted stage manager Anna Alphonso ’27, referencing projected images and video footage of protests—and footage of Antigone burying Polynices, shot by the theater crew—on panels hung around the stage. The protest imagery underscores the play’s modern-day relevance through its connection to resistance movements throughout history—a fact the cast and crew studied in a class with Vassar College senior Natalie Buzzell. However, the performance isn’t didactic. “It allows the audience to have this interpretation of what they perceive the play to be about,” explained chorus-member Nya Johnson ’26. The production also moved the actors all over the theater to immerse the audience in the tale and tension. From the opening scene, in which cast members rush the stage waving protest signs, to Creon’s dramatic entrance from behind the audience to the members of the chorus delivering lines from the stairs, seats, and stage, there was nary a dull moment.
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MILLBROOK MATTERS
Arts
Olivia Biller ’27 (Antigone) and Brooke Ness ’27 (Ismene) delivered convincing performances as the story’s grieving sisters. Josiah Guildes ’26 and Blake Frost ’26 took turns portraying a commanding Creon throughout the four-performance run, and Andrew Stambaugh ’26 shone as Creon’s son Haemon. Marvelous Aderibigbe ’26 doubled as Teiresias and a member of the chorus, which also featured Nina Chen ’28, Annie Huang ’28 (who also played Eurydice), Chanya Johnson ’26, and Andrea Taitt ’27. Charlotte Lee ’28 (Teiresias’ attendant), Ellie Myers ’26 (a soldier), and Darvin Gjoni ’29 (a messenger) rounded out the cast of tragic characters. Antigone is required reading for the IIIrd form each year, so much of the cast was already familiar with the content and enjoyed bringing it to life for this year’s freshmen. The reading was moved to coincide with the play, and IIIrd formers watched a National Theater production of the play during the rehearsal process. A true interdisciplinary affair, the thespians also collaborated with ceramics class, which made the chorus masks, and the music production class, which scored some of the play. Performing a centuries-old play is a tall task for any group of actors, much less high school students, but the cast more than rose to the challenge. “Something about the heightened nature of the text made everybody just step up and perform at a level that we don’t usually see on a high school stage,” said Ms. Lifter. “Just because it’s Greek theater, they’ve stepped into it in a way that you don’t usually see with other types of plays.”
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• SPRING 2026
PERFORMING ARTS
BIG FISH: CELEBRATING THE JOYS OF LIFE & RELATIONSHIPS Big Fish is an ideal production for Millbrook thespians, as its story celebrates deep connections and the pursuit of BIG opportunities, themes that define a Millbrook experience.
Senior actors Blake Frost ’26 and Andrew Stambaugh ’26 were phenomenal in the demanding role of the elder Edward Bloom, splitting their time on stage across the performances. Both devoted themselves to the theater during their Millbrook years and brought that experience and growth to this production. While Andrew kicked off opening night on Wednesday, Blake brought down the curtain at Saturday’s performance. They are two of the 22 cast members and 15 crew members who worked on the show for months, and their work paid off. The story takes place in Alabama, and the set was beautifully designed and versatile. A backdrop of water that appeared to reflect on the stage symbolized Edward Bloom’s abundant life, expansive world, and boundless adventures; he would rather not be a “big fish in a small pond” and always needs to be moving forward. The set is designed to move, as Edward moves between adventures and the plot moves forward into the future and back into the past. The crew was actively on stage, rearranging the set in between scenes—no blackouts to hide their movements.
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MILLBROOK MATTERS
Arts This was truly an ensemble cast with moments for many to shine. Emily Brien’s ’27 voice rang brightly and filled the theater as she sang alongside Andrew and Blake in her role as Edward’s wife and the love of his life. Sowol Park ’29 delivered an enticing performance as the witch who showed Edward his future, a “captivating life,” and how he would eventually die, and Olivia Biller ’27 as Jenny Hill shared touching moments with Edward, baring her heart to him and dealing with the disappointment that follows. Charlotte Withers-Clarke ’27 played a sweet, empathetic Josephine Bloom, married to Will Bloom, while at the other end of the spectrum, Nico Morales ’29 was a loud, brash Don Price, playing it safe and always seeming to be bested by Edward. Ella Main ’26 portrayed Don’s hilarious sidekick, Charlotte Lee ’28 played a serious and astute Dr. Bennett, and Sophie Zhou ’26 was a graceful and mesmerizing Girl in the Water, bringing hope to Edward’s future. Josiah Guiles ’26 slayed as the giant Karl, who doesn’t fit in anywhere until he meets Edward, and Angus Watt ’28 was a quirky yet cool werewolf moonlighting as a circus ringmaster, another character trapped by his personal foibles. A terrific ensemble—Linna Du ’26, Nya Johnson ’26, Alex Philipp ’29, Sacha Reed ’29, Elena Shan ’26, Andrea Taitt ’27, Danielle Woodin, ’26, and Tommy Zhang ’29—sang and danced their way into the audience’s heart in scene after scene. In addition to the cast and crew, this production of Big Fish came alive with through the dedication of the show’s director Elaine Lifter, assistant directors Marvelous Aderibigbe ’26 and Ellie Myers ’26, choreographers Zoe Thomas and Angelina Edwards ’26, stage manager Anna Alphonso ’27, set designer David Palmieri, lighting designer Zack Jacobs, and sound designers Nick Olmoz and Kevin Romero ’28. Other crew members worked tirelessly on the set, costumes, and props leading up to opening night: Ella Biondolillo ’29, Jay Gordon ’27, Matthew Shay ’26, Arwen Tang ’28, Sherry Yang ’29, Eleanor Hampton ’28, Minna Guttormsson ’29, and Petra Schwartz ’28. Assistant directors Aderibigbe and Myers shared this, in part, about the show:
“We appreciate the wonderful moments: the hilarious rehearsals (especially with our Edwards and their hospital bed, they’re both genuinely funny individuals), the beautiful set and costumes, and the ensemble’s dedication to ‘yes, and’ through it all! Maybe the real Big Fish was the friends we made along the way.”
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S TA Y C O N N E C T E D with Millbrook You’re only ever a click away from current events, news highlights, thousands of photos, and hundreds of videos. Reconnect with old friends, or share what’s new in your life!
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www.tiktok.com/@millbrookschool SPRING 2026 •
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MILLBROOK MATTERS
Arts
VISUAL ARTS
MILLBROOK WINS BIG AT SCHOLASTIC ART AWARDS Millbrook student artists are dominating at the Scholastic Art Awards. Our incredible creatives scored 54 Gold and Silver Keys
Photo by Estee O’Brien ’26
this year, including two Gold Key portfolios, an American Visions Award Nominee, and a national Silver Medal. At the regional awards, judges review the Gold Key winners and select five American Visions Award Nominees. Estee O’Brien ’26 received one of those five nominations for her photo The Last Flower That Bloomed. The two portfolio winners were Eason Wang ’26 and Nga Ho ’26. According to Photography Instructor Sarah MacWright, portfolio Keys are especially difficult to win, as they require a cohesive body of work and an artist statement. While Millbrook students haven’t had much success submitting portfolios in the past, Eason and Nga persisted and brought home the gold. Eason won his portfolio Key with a series of photos featuring his friends back home in China. Nga submitted a portfolio of her beautiful ceramic pieces. The Gold Key winners were automatically entered into the national Gold and Silver Medals competition, and one Millbrook student, Madison Carpenter ’27, won a national Silver Medal for her printmaking piece, Fall’s Death in Winter’s Breath. Hers was one of 336,000 submissions at the start, and less than one percent of those submissions received national honors. In other words, this is a huge deal. Madison understands the gravity of her achievement and is excited to build on her success. She shared about the inspiration for her submission. “Fall’s Death in Winter’s Breath was inspired by a personal belief I have, which is that sometimes in order to seek new opportunities and find the beauties in life, you must leave things you cared about behind and move forward.”
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• SPRING 2026
Ceramics by Nga Ho ’26
Photo by Eason Wang ’26
Photo by Evelyn Shen ’27
MILLBROOK MATTERS
Arts
Ceramic sculpture by Miles Proctor ’28
Print by Madison Carpenter ’27
Painting by Minna Guttormsson ’29
Photo by Rachel Nayman ’26
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MILLBROOK MATTERS
Arts
WARNER GALLERY EXHIBITIONS At Millbrook, the Warner Gallery is more than an exhibition space; it is an extension of the classroom. And it is a living space—one that shifts with each exhibition, inviting the Millbrook community to pause, look closely, and engage. In totality, the shows reflect a dynamic visual arts program where creativity is practiced, shared, and continually refined.
A Gallery of Their Own On a warm spring evening, the Warner Gallery opened its doors to what we hope will become one of Millbrook’s most anticipated annual traditions: the Honors Art Exhibit. Inside, the space was transformed—walls lined with striking paintings and photographs, pedestals showcasing intricate ceramic work—all created by students in Honors Drawing & Painting, Honors Photography, and Honors Ceramics. But the show began before the doors opened. The day prior, students gathered in the gallery as critics and collaborators. During a dedicated class block, student artists walked the space together, offering thoughtful, constructive feedback on one another’s work. They discussed everything from color and composition to framing and subject, sharpening not only their pieces but their ability to articulate creative decisions.
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• SPRING 2026
Painting by Elena Shan ’26
Just as important, they listened. Each artist shared the story behind their work—the influences, the risks, the moments of uncertainty that shaped the final piece. The session became a reflection of Millbrook’s approach to learning: rigorous, relational, and rooted in dialogue. That preparation carried into opening night. As music filled the gallery and students and faculty gathered, the exhibit took on new life. Artists stood alongside their work, engaging in conversations with peers, teachers, and visitors, as they explained their process and intent. What had been a classroom exercise became a public presentation of skill and creative voice.
Photo by Eason Wang ’26
The work itself reflected a wide range of perspectives. Detailed paintings captured familiar campus scenes alongside moments drawn from life beyond Millbrook. Photographs frequently turned the lens toward the community itself, with classmates serving as subjects and collaborators. Ceramics pieces balanced technical precision with creative expression, each object revealing the hand and vision of its maker. The exhibit looked and felt like a professional gallery, shaped by students who are developing their craft while learning how to present and discuss their work. In this way, it is more than a space to display artwork; it becomes a culmination of relationships, reflection, and creative confidence.
Ceramic sculpture by Mason Serafin ’26
Painting by Abby Ruggles ’26
Photo by Hezi McCoy ‘26
Painting by Jaicee Downs ’26 Painting by Islay MacGowan ’26
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MILLBROOK MATTERS
Arts
WARNER GALLERY EXHIBITIONS
Weathering The spring art exhibition at the Warner Gallery opened just in time to help the community Dani Klebes
weather the final months of a long, hard winter in Millbrook. Featured artists Jeff Joyce, Rebecca Shippee, Rebecca Bird, Connor Fitzsimmons, Susan Stillman, Dani Klebes, Ada Goldfeld, and Millbrook alum Trevor McWilliams ’01 contributed pieces that reflect everyday scenes in beautiful paintings and drawings. “These artists show possibilities of the snow, the ice, and the wet,” shared show curator Kiernan Pazdar. “They transform what’s around them into art, seizing opportunities that arise from careful observation, from being in the world and taking time to record their view for others to see.”
Rebecca Shippee Susan Stillman
Graphic Language Defined by bold colors, mesmerizing patterns, and intricate textures, Graphic Language enticed viewers to return repeatedly to discover new meaning in the work of artists Nick Fagan, Orli Swergold, Sofia Clausse, Kenneth Millington, Amanda Hunter, and Mary Connell. Using an eclectic assortment of materials—from paper pulp and crochet blankets to the more traditional acrylic, ink, and watercolor—they broadened the perspectives of the Millbrook students looking Kenneth Millington
their way for inspiration. “The title is meant to be cheeky, a bit like the artists in the show, who allow themselves to use bright colors, experiment with materials, and delight in unexpected juxtapositions and forms,” explained Pazdar. “Their vivid interpretations of the world serve as a reminder of the infinite possibilities that exist in color, shape, line, form, texture, and space.”
Amanda Hunter
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• SPRING 2026
Mary Connell
MILLBROOK MATTERS
Arts Kiernan Pazdar
Confluence Our art teachers are professional, working artists. And, when summer vacation begins, they get busy doing what they do best: creating beautiful art. By the time school starts, these talented artists have filled the Warner Gallery in the Holbrook Arts Center with pieces for the annual faculty art show. Confluence blended a variety of media and scales. Large oil paintings and photographs were layered with vibrant colors, and equally large but more subtly rendered steel and tile pieces offered messages about self-reflection and love. Finally, small before-and-after photos and ink-on-paper drawings invited viewers to step in close to study the details.
Aaron Case
Jeff Zelevansky
Jeff Zelevansky Kiernan Pazdar
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Student Life Outside of classes, students were busy attending movie premieres and respectfully battling rival dorms during Winter Weekend. They also got serious at Friday Forums and used their free time to serve others.
FRIDAY FORUMS An important Millbrook tradition, Friday Forums bring the whole school together to listen to interesting speakers and watch fascinating performances. This year, a poignant play and talks on a variety of timely topics gave students and faculty much to think about.
What the Constitution Means to Me To open the school year, the Millbrook community
The Intersection of Art, Activism, & Technology
gathered for a forum performance of What the Constitution
The winter Friday Forum featured one of Millbrook’s own—
Means to Me by Heidi Schreck, presented by actors from
entrepreneur Errol King, husband of Dean of DEIB Patrice
the nearby Sharon Playhouse. Deeply personal, the play
King—alongside his colleague Idris Brewster. Together,
explores complex issues through reflections from different
they helped set the stage for the 2026 MLK Symposium,
stages of the author’s life.
sharing how their work has evolved at the intersection of Following the performance,
technology, art, and culture.
students were invited into a spirited,
King traced his path from
interactive debate on the benefits
early interests in video games,
of keeping or abolishing the U.S.
math, and jazz to a career
Constitution, engaging fully with
in coding and innovation.
the arguments. At its conclusion, an
Along the way, he has built
audience member joined the actors
tools to teach coding to
on stage to declare the winner;
young learners, created more
Millbrook’s representative voted to
inclusive spaces in tech at
keep the Constitution. The conversation did not end there. Discussions continued in
like Innergalactic, all with a
classrooms and dorms across campus, reflecting Millbrook’s
focus on expanding access and
commitment to thoughtful dialogue.
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Google, and now leads projects
• SPRING 2026
• E rrol King
inspiring others.
MILLBROOK MATTERS
Student Life “Take a breath, trust your dream, act with courage, and co-create
Speaking candidly, Malek offered students practical ways to recognize
with love,” he told students. “What currently is does not have to be.”
warning signs and establish healthy boundaries—not only around
Equally powerful was the relationship behind the work. King has long
sports betting but other high-risk behaviors as well.
mentored Brewster, founder of Kinfolk Tech, and their collaboration
“For me, to quit has meant changing my routine, finding healthier
has led to projects like Ghostwriter, which combines AI with an
outlets, and stepping away from those environments,” he said.
analog typewriter to respond in the voice of James Baldwin. Together,
The forum provided more than a cautionary tale. It reflected a
they model how mentorship can shape both careers and ideas.
commitment to student well-being—creating space for honest
Brewster encouraged students
conversations, informed decision-making, and the support students
to think critically about their
need to navigate the new challenges they face in our ever-evolving
role in a rapidly evolving world.
online world.
“Explore your own path,” he said. “Activism takes many forms. We all have different roles to play.” The forum offered more than a look at innovative careers—it underscored how learning
Matt Bocci on Trauma and Healing The final Friday Forum of the year was a somber yet uplifting look at trauma, addiction, and healing with author and speaker Matthew Bocci. The first child of a 9/11 victim
is strengthened through
to write a book (Sway) about
relationships, guided by mentors, • I dris Brewster
the ripple effects of the loss he
and driven by a sense of purpose.
experienced on that tragic day, Bocci admonished students to
Saul Malek on Understanding Risks and Making Better Choices
overcome their fear of sharing their struggles. But first, he led by example.
To help students better understand the risks of sports betting,
He told the story of losing his
Millbrook welcomed Saul Malek, a recovering gambling
father when he was just 10 years
addict, to share his personal story. Rather than offering
old and the abuse that followed,
a blanket condemnation of gambling, Malek focused on
by a family member who took
raising awareness and equipping students with a clearer
advantage of his suffering. These experiences led him to a dark time
understanding of how quickly casual habits can escalate.
of addiction to hard drugs and alcohol. Now, almost 11 years sober,
Malek traced his experience from early exposure through fantasy
he’s using that darkness to light the way to recovery for others. “My deepest, darkest days hopefully can become a source of shining light
baseball in middle school to daily
for someone who needs it in their own darkness,” he said.
fantasy leagues in high school,
His goal is to remove the stigma around vulnerability. In any
and eventually to high-stakes
community, there are people dealing with trauma and mental health
betting in college. What began
struggles, and the first step to overcoming these issues is to have
as entertainment grew into a
honest conversations. “I come here tonight to make a connection
cycle that affected his academic
with one of you,” Bocci explained. “If one of you will walk out of this
performance, relationships, and
assembly this evening inspired to speak up and tell your own story—
well-being. It was only after the
grab a friend, a teacher, a coach, a counselor, or a dean, someone
consequences became undeniable
you can trust and confide in and begin sharing your own struggle—
that he sought help through
I personally feel in my heart that I did a good job tonight telling
Gamblers Anonymous.
my story.”
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Harris Hall Heroics Win Winter Weekend Winter Weekend 2026 was one for the ages. There was dancing, there was ping-ponging, there was filmmaking, there was pep rallying—and there was extra anticipation as a snow day delayed the results for a whole week until, during Friday Assembly, the boys of Harris Hall were declared Winter Weekend champions!
Winter Weekend kicked off with a burst of dorm pride as students donned their colors and paraded along the bricks to the Mills Athletic Center. Inside, the energy only grew, reaching near–football-stadium levels as each dorm took the floor for group performances judged by faculty. As always, the routines showcased creativity, cohesion, and spirit—from acrobatic dunks and backflips to a live instrumental rendition of AC/DC’s “Hell’s Bells.” The night continued with the opening rounds of the inter-dorm ping-pong tournament and College Bowl trivia, keeping the momentum going. Friday picked up right where Thursday’s excitement left off. Students gathered in the barn for more ping-pong before a full day of competitions and performances. The dorm video showcase—always a highlight—had the audience laughing with spoofs, fairy tales, whodunits, and cameos from the Class of 2025, all tied to this year’s core value of integrity. In the gym, brother-sister dorm teams faced off in spike ball, with dormmates cheering from the bleachers. The championship match moved to the theater after lunch, where Case/Clark Guest defeated Abbott/Harris. That afternoon’s air band competition—one of the most anticipated events of the weekend— once again brought the community together. Dorms performed choreographed routines to mashups of popular songs, incorporating themes from their videos, along with props and costumes. The result: a high-energy finale that brought the house down. Between acts, the ping-pong championship took center stage, with Burton’s Rhomy Mohamed ’26 facing Harris’s Frankie Lombardo ’26. A late comeback secured the win for Harris. The night wrapped up with pillow polo, whipped cream pie challenges, and the Winter Weekend dance. The pace eased over the final two days. Saturday featured a scavenger hunt for students remaining on campus, while a dorm clean-up—judged for points—brought the competition to a close.
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• SPRING 2026
MILLBROOK MATTERS
Student Life
In Support of the Food of Life Pantry Through their continued commitment to service, Millbrook students and faculty are helping sustain a vital resource for hundreds of local families. and other items. Distributions include fruits and vegetables, eggs, fresh or frozen meat, bread, dairy products, canned and dry goods, toiletries, diapers, and pet food when available. Much of the pantry’s produce is donated by a large farm in Dover Plains, supplying crops such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, cabbage, turnips, and apples that store well through the winter. The operation is highly organized, with proteins and dry goods prepared in advance and volunteers assisting families as cars move through a carefully managed drive-through line. During peak weeks, cars line Leedsville Road, and just before Thanksgiving, the pantry served nearly 1,000 families.
Millbrook volunteers have been traveling to the Food of Life (Comida de Vida) Pantry, based at St. Thomas Episcopal Church on Leedsville Road in Amenia, New York, throughout the school year to help meet a surge in community need. While Millbrook’s relationship with the food pantry dates back many years, there has been a resurgence of student volunteers, particularly this fall and winter. The pantry, managed by Charlie Paley, former owner of Paley’s Farm Market in Sharon, Connecticut, distributes food almost entirely outdoors each Friday afternoon and has seen increased demand in recent months. Millbrook faculty coordinator Kathy Havard has shared that “Rising uncertainty around SNAP benefits, along with USDA cuts affecting state food banks, has strained supplies and increased the number of families seeking assistance. In response, the pantry added a second volunteer shift from 4:00 to 5:30 p.m. on top of their 2:00 to 4:00 shift, allowing operations to continue through closing.” Since mid-November, two Millbrook faculty members and five students have committed to weekly shifts, traveling from campus just after classes end and returning shortly before 6:00 p.m. Volunteers relieve earlier shifts—often staffed by older retirees—and assist with distribution in cold weather conditions. Food of Life operates every Friday from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. in Amenia and from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. in Dover Plains, providing food for approximately nine meals per household each week. The pantry offers prepackaged grocery bags, supplemented with fresh produce
Food of Life is open to anyone in need, with no identification required. The organization relies primarily on individual donors and welcomes both volunteers and financial contributions. Its mission is rooted in the belief that access to healthy food is a universal human right and that a fair, just food system is built through partnership with the community. Recent Millbrook volunteers share this about their experiences:
DONA MION ’27 “I look forward to volunteering at the food pantry again because it has given me a strong sense of purpose and allowed me to directly help people in my community. Seeing how appreciative the families were and knowing that my time made a real difference was very rewarding. The experience also helped me develop teamwork and communication skills while collaborating with other volunteers toward a meaningful, purposeful goal.” LUKAS RIZOS ’28 “The food pantry is a safe space for people to come and get food. Not everyone has the same opportunities that I have, and I will definitely be helping out more. Seeing the smiles on people’s faces when they come through is worth going back over and over again.” ANABELLE SIKLOS ’27 “The food pantry plays a big role for families in our community. Providing them with weekly food supplies gives them more time to focus on other priorities and put themselves first. If the Food of Life Pantry didn’t operate, many families would lose a valuable support system. I am excited to continue volunteering there because it’s taught me that many families are struggling, especially in winter, and that even a small effort goes a long way.”
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MILLBROOK MATTERS
Student Life
Millbrook Gets Early Look at Acclaimed Film Nuremburg Millbrook rolled out the red carpet (literally) for a special early screening of the film Nuremberg in the Chelsea Morrison Theater this fall thanks to current parent William Sherak, who produced the project and walked the red carpet with his daughter, Eloise ’27. Over 200 students joined the filmmaker in the theater, drawn not only by the promise of a movie premiere but also by copious amounts of classic movie theater popcorn, candy, and soda on offer. Based on the book The Nazi and the Psychiatrist, the film revolves around the interactions between psychiatrist Douglas Kelley (Rami Malek) and Nazi leader Hermann Göring (Russell Crowe) during the Nuremberg trials. Despite running well over two hours long and relying heavily on dialog to carry a sobering narrative, Nuremberg kept the audience of high schoolers fully engaged. As the credits began to roll, the crowd burst into spontaneous applause. When the lights came up, Head of School Jonathan Downs ’98 invited Sherak to the stage for a brief question-and-answer session. Downs and several students asked insightful questions about the technical production and general filmmaking process, and Sherak opened up about what it’s like to be behind the scenes on a major motion picture production.
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MILLBROOK MATTERS
Student Life
A Day of Reflection, Service, and Purpose Each year on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the Millbrook community pauses to reflect on a legacy rooted in leadership, responsibility, and the courage to act with integrity. The school’s annual MLK Symposium, led by Dean of DEIB Patrice King and Assistant Dean Tatiana Quintanilla, invites students and faculty to engage thoughtfully with these ideas—considering not only Dr. King’s impact, but how values like integrity and respect take shape in their own lives. The day began in the Chelsea Morrison Theater, where the community gathered to watch a TEDx Talk by a young leader and reflect on their own capacity to lead. In small-group discussions, students considered how they show up for others and what it means to act with purpose. A culminating exercise—writing down labels others have placed on them and discarding them together—offered a simple but powerful reminder of personal agency and growth. From there, students moved into service-based activities by form. In Casertano Hall, IIIrd and IVth formers wrote letters to senior citizens through Letters Against Isolation, extending connection beyond campus. Vth and VIth formers participated in a Smithsonian Transcribe-a-Thon, helping to digitize historical documents and preserve primary sources for broader access. The afternoon shifted to smaller, form-based workshops. Younger students explored global issues through discussion and creative expression with the Youth Arts Group, while Vth formers worked with former Dutchess County Poet Laureate Poet Gold in a poetry session focused on voice and perspective. VIth form students participated in a faculty-led workshop on voting and civic engagement, emphasizing the importance of informed participation. The symposium concluded back in the theater with student-led performances that brought energy and reflection to the day. The Black Student Union presented spoken word, a step performance, and a short skit addressing current events, alongside an interpretive dance. Poet Gold returned to the stage to perform her work, inviting audience participation along the way. Closing the program, Ms. King encouraged the community to carry the day’s themes forward as an ongoing commitment to thoughtful action, respectful dialogue, and the courage to live one’s values.
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This year, Millbrook’s DEIB Leaders developed passion projects, inviting the community to learn from one another and celebrate the many experiences that shape life on campus. These projects included an all-school Shabbat gathering, a hands-on cooking class called Millbrook’s Taste of the World, an Asian and Pacific Islanders art exhibition, and a studentwritten and performed one-act play, The Salon. For her project, Dona Mion ’27, who is from Brazil, explored the experiences of Millbrook’s international students. Through a series of interviews, she sought to better understand what it means to leave home, build community, and find a sense of belonging at Millbrook— regardless of where a student comes from.
The Distance Between
HOME AND HERE By Dona Mion ’27 •C harley Li ’27
At a school that brings together students from across the world,
For Evelyn Shen ’27, the idea of home has expanded in ways she did
diversity is easy to see. It’s in the languages spoken in the dining hall, the
not expect. Before studying abroad, home was inseparable from
traditions celebrated on campus, the different flags spread around
family. Now, distance has forced a redefinition. Surrounded by close
campus. But belonging is harder to measure. It doesn’t show up in
friends and supportive teachers at Millbrook, she has found that
statistics or events. It’s defined not by what’s said out loud, but by what’s
belonging can exist outside of blood ties, and that “home can also
felt, in the difference between being present and actually belonging.
be built through relationships that are not based on blood ... My
Through conversations with students at Millbrook School, it has
experience here proves the idea that friends are the family we choose
become clear that belonging is not a single experience. It is layered,
ourselves.” What once felt fixed has transformed into something more
evolving, and, at many times, uncertain.
expansive, something she can shape, carry, and rediscover in the connections she makes here at Millbrook.
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What does “home” mean now?
Hanna Abecassis ’28 describes a similar shift, but one that unfolded
For international students, arriving at Millbrook doesn’t mean leaving
gradually. For years, Portugal was her only reference point for
home behind, it means learning to carry it in new ways.
home. Millbrook, at first, felt temporary: something to pass through
• SPRING 2026
MILLBROOK MATTERS
Student Life rather than settle into. But over time, familiarity replaced distance. Returning from breaks began to feel different, less like leaving home and more like coming back to it at Millbrook. Still, the distinction remains. “Nothing is ever going to be the same as home, but Millbrook comes as a close second,” Hanna says. Home stays what it is, but that doesn’t mean you can’t find a sense of it somewhere new. For Charley Li ’27, however, home has not shifted in the same way. His sense of identity remains rooted in China, in the culture that continues to define him. “I still believe that my definition of home won’t change. China still has the culture that I identify with, and I appreciate that Chinese heritage that I will be able to bring to make Millbrook School a more diverse place.” While he feels welcomed at Millbrook and values the relationships he has built, those experiences exist alongside his understanding of home, not in place of it. His connection to where he comes from remains constant, even as he adapts to a new environment. At the same time, he sees his presence as part of what makes the community more diverse, bringing his background and traditions into the spaces
•H anna Abecassis ‘28
he’s now a part of. For Selina Hung ’27, home has taken on a quieter, more personal meaning. It is not just tied to geography or family, but to space; a single room that is entirely her own. In that space, she has found a sense of comfort and stability. “At Millbrook, I have a single room where I gain another home, a comfortable and safe space I have only to myself, something that’s limited back at home when I’m constantly surrounded by my family and friends,” Selina explains. Belonging does not always come from culture recognition and events, but in simple gestures and spaces that are a part of day-to-day life. What emerges from these various perspectives isn’t a single definition, but instead something more layered: home is not just one place. It exists in motion, stretched between past and present, memory and experience, what is held onto and what is still being built here at Millbrook.
Do students feel their culture is valued? At Millbrook, culture is not invisible. It is constantly celebrated, shared, and, at times, actively built by the students themselves. For many international students, that recognition is incredibly valuable. Charley, for example, does not just experience cultural appreciation, he contributes to it. Through events such as the World Culture Festival and his creation of a Chinese calligraphy club, he has found ways to bring his background into the broader community. He reflects, “I do feel like my culture and background are valued here… the interest that people • E velyn Shen ‘27
have shown me does make me feel like my culture is appreciated.”
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Student Life Evelyn describes a similar sense of recognition, but what stands out to her
What seems like a small piece of information like that can hold
is not just the events themselves, but what happens within them. Cultural
meaning and connection. It’s not just about learning a random fact,
programming, like AAPI Heritage Month, creates opportunities to share
it’s about realizing how different people’s everyday experiences and
traditions, but it is often the smaller interactions within those events
perspectives can be, and how much there is to understand that you
that leave the strongest impression on her. Conversations, questions, and
might not have considered otherwise.
moments of curiosity make her feel not just included, but like she belongs.
Those kinds of interactions make culture feel less like something
She explains, “Many students have shown genuine curiosity and respect by asking questions and wanting to learn more about where I come from.”
life. At the same time, Annabelle points out that those moments
For Selina, that sense of being valued can come through in moments
don’t always happen as often as they could. It’s easy for people
that feel familiar. The recognition of Lunar New Year at Millbrook,
to stay within groups that feel familiar, where things are more
including time the school sets aside for students to celebrate it,
comfortable and predictable. Reflecting on this, she admits, “I think
reflects something she associates with home. “Inclusivity makes me
a lot of people tend to stick with a group that they immediately can
feel like I belong and that my culture is valued at Millbrook,” she says.
relate to. It makes you feel comfortable.”
From a domestic perspective, these exchanges are equally impactful.
She also emphasizes that there is room for potential beyond that,
Annabelle Pratt ’27 describes how interacting with international
adding that she “would want to see just more of a celebration of
students has exposed her to perspectives she might not have
everyone’s cultures and less divides between people,” suggesting
encountered otherwise. She explains, “The other day I was sharing
that real connection comes when students are willing to step
a room with someone for a zoo trip, and I found out that in their
outside those comfortable spaces, learn from each other, and “try to
culture it is bad luck to sleep across from a mirror. I found that very
integrate other people into their culture… so we can all learn from
interesting, as I had never heard or experienced that before.”
each other, leading to a better school culture.”
• A nnabelle Pratt ’27
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formal, and more like something that shows up in normal, everyday
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Student Life CULTURE AT MILLBROOK ISN’T MISSING—it’s present and often appreciated. But its impact depends on what happens after the events end.
Whether that appreciation carries into daily interactions, into whom people talk to, sit with, and include, ultimately shapes whether those interactions feel meaningful and genuine.
What could be better?
“If people don’t speak up, they will never be seen,” he explains, adding
Even with frequent moments of connection and recognition, one thing
that “the most important thing for international students is to make
is clear: belonging at Millbrook School is still something in progress. For many students, the challenge isn’t whether opportunities exist, it’s how often they happen. While cultural events and programming create meaningful spaces for sharing, they can feel concentrated at
ourselves present on campus and participate more in activities.” His perspective highlights a balance: while communities should be open and welcoming, individuals also play a role in shaping how they are seen and included.
certain points in the year rather than something consistently present.
And yet, despite these challenges, there is also a strong sense of
Evelyn points out that without that regularity, it becomes harder for
reassurance from the general community that defines the Millbrook
students to stay engaged with one another’s experiences. She suggests
experience. Hanna reflects on this in the advice she would give to
that the school could create more consistent, accessible opportunities
future international students, acknowledging the difficulty of leaving
for exchange of culture, expressing that “the school could organize
home while also pointing to the strength of the community: “Don’t
a sharing session similar to temperature checks, so students can
be scared. It is terrifying to come far from home in a place where you
consistently learn from others… It could also be in more entertaining
may or may not know anybody, but in a community like Millbrook,
ways like games during assembly, short videos, or even informational
you will never feel alone.”
pamphlets in the dining hall.” These kinds of approaches, she believes,
Together, these perspectives suggest that belonging at Millbrook
would make cultural learning feel more natural and encourage wider
is not about one single change, but about many small ones, more
participation across the student body in sharing culture.
consistency, more openness, and more willingness from everyone to
At the same time, belonging is shaped just as much by students as it
engage. The foundation is already there. What remains is building on
is by the school’s organization of events. Inclusion doesn’t happen
it in ways that make connection feel not just possible but natural in
automatically, it requires effort, both in creating spaces and in stepping
everyday life.
into them. Charley touches on this from a personal perspective, pointing out that visibility matters just as much as opportunity. • S elina Hung ‘27 (right)
It’s a Work in Progress. At the end of the day, this isn’t really a question of whether Millbrook School is diverse. That part is obvious. What is less obvious is what that diversity actually feels like for the people living it every day. For international students, home doesn’t just disappear when they get here. It changes, it stretches, and it is often something they’re still figuring out. Belonging is something that is built over time, through real interactions, not just events or conversations when it’s convenient. What stood out from these conversations with the international student community is that Millbrook is already doing a lot right. People do care. Students are curious. There are moments where connection feels real and easy. But those moments don’t always happen consistently, and that’s where there’s still room to grow. In the end, belonging isn’t just about inclusion; it’s about integrity: whether the reality of Millbrook matches the community it claims to be.
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BY
DESIGN
DESIGN, at its best, disappears. It is the curve of a doorway you don’t think twice about, the acoustics of a concert hall that simply feel right, the quiet intelligence of a system that seems to know what you need before you ask. In this issue, we explore alumni intentionally designing systems, spaces, and goods across disciplines—from the physical to the environmental to the experiential. We also introduce you to a Millbrook-designed system that takes our “known and needed” mantra to the next level, ensuring that we not only do what we say, but that we constantly strive to do it better.
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ALUMNI/AE
BY DESIGN
Tria Case ’84
DESIGNING CHANGE: The Architecture of Sustainability
When Tria Case ’84 began her career, sustainability was not yet a field—it was an idea waiting to be built. “There were no sustainability or environmental law classes,” she recalls about her time at Brooklyn Law School. “If you wanted to do this work, you had to create it.” Over the past three decades, that is exactly what she has done. As the University Executive Director of Sustainability and Energy Conservation for the City University of New York (CUNY), Tria has helped design one of the most expansive and ambitious sustainability efforts in higher education, spanning 300 buildings, 19 campuses, and nearly 1% of New York City’s total electrical load. Her work rarely results in a visible object. She is not designing buildings or products in the traditional sense. Instead, she designs systems: policies, infrastructure plans, partnerships, energy strategies, and programs that shape how institutions function and how communities adapt to a changing world. It is work that requires imagination, practicality, and patience.
Creating Real Change from Abstract Ideas From her first role after law school—helping New York State implement the Clean Air Act—to her leadership at CUNY, Tria has consistently operated at the intersection of vision and execution. Early on, she helped draft regulations, develop compliance systems, and translate new and complex policies into practical tools for small businesses.
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“We needed to create the forms, the educational materials, all the things that help somebody who has no idea what you’re talking about go through the process of being compliant with a policy they didn’t fully understand,” she explains. The challenge was not simply regulatory compliance. It was communication. How do you take something abstract and make it functional in daily life? How do you help large systems change? That same approach would later define her work at CUNY. When she arrived, she quickly recognized an opportunity. Despite its scale and influence, the university had no comprehensive sustainability program. So, she proposed one. From that moment, she began building from the ground up—developing a centralized sustainability office, securing grants, assembling a team, and establishing initiatives
Each campus presents its own challenges, from limited budgets to urban constraints. Yet the goal remains consistent: to create systems that are both effective and adaptable.
that would touch every corner of the university system.
“We’re trying to figure out how to meet the goals of the city and the state,”
Building Systems at Scale
That balance—between ambition and practicality—is central to
Today, Tria’s work spans everything from renewable energy and
her philosophy. Sustainability, in her view, is not achieved through
she explains, “while working within the realities of what we have.”
emissions reduction to waste management and infrastructure
sweeping gestures, but through thoughtful, incremental progress. She
planning. Her team develops energy master plans for campuses,
calls it “project-based change.”
explores emerging technologies like geothermal systems, and helps
“If you can get everyone to agree on what the change needs to be,”
modernize aging buildings, many of which are more than 50 years old.
she says, “then you can find little ways to work together to move toward it.” Those small projects—whether implementing energy efficiency measures, piloting renewable technologies, or training students for emerging green jobs—create momentum. They also build something just as important: relationships. She has found that “the things you do together create the relationships that help you get there.”
Collaboration in Building Infrastructure At the heart of Tria’s work is collaboration with a wide network of stakeholders: university leadership, city and state agencies, engineers, architects, faculty, and students. It is a process that demands both technical expertise and the ability to bring people together, often working through competing priorities. “You’re not always on the same page,” she acknowledges. “But if you can agree on the goal, you can find ways to move forward.” In many ways, this is where her background in law continues to shape her work. Though she no longer practices in a traditional sense, she relies on the analytical skills she developed in law school— breaking down complex problems, understanding requirements, and identifying pathways to implementation. She is constantly questioning purpose and the right way to bring an idea to life.
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Innovation in Action Over the years, Tria has played a key role in positioning CUNY as a participant in broader city and state sustainability efforts and aligning university initiatives with larger environmental goals. Her work has included developing early solar mapping tools, expanding renewable energy initiatives, and exploring new technologies such as geothermal systems. But for Tria, innovation is not just about technology. It is about accessibility and making it easier for people to do the right thing. This approach has guided her work from the beginning, whether helping small businesses navigate environmental regulations or designing programs that enable campuses to adopt more sustainable practices. It has helped her understand that the most effective programs are usable and understandable.
A Millbrook Foundation While Tria’s career has been shaped by decades of professional experience, she points to Millbrook as a critical starting point. The school’s emphasis on community, stewardship, and service left a lasting impression. Through experiences like caring for animals and participating in community service, she developed a sense of responsibility that continues to guide her work. “It’s not just about me succeeding,” she says. “It’s about me succeeding for the larger community.” That perspective aligns closely with the goals of sustainability itself: to create systems that benefit not just individuals, but society as a whole. Millbrook also fostered her early interest in science and problemsolving, skills that have proven essential in her work with engineers, architects, and policymakers. Today, she sees the same values reflected in the school’s continued commitment to stewardship, from renewable energy initiatives to hands-on learning opportunities for students. “Stewardship is a cornerstone of a Millbrook education,” she says. “It always has been.”
Energy is the Future As sustainability becomes an increasingly urgent global priority, Tria
At CUNY, that means not only improving infrastructure but creating opportunities for students to engage directly with sustainability work through training programs, research initiatives, and hands-on experience.
remains focused on the work ahead. From expanding renewable
Tria has spent her career building a foundation: energy plans,
energy systems to preparing students for careers in the green
partnerships, policies, pathways for students, and the infrastructure
economy, her efforts continue to evolve alongside the field itself.
that allows large institutions to change over time. Decades after
“The jobs of the future are going to require an understanding of
helping shape sustainability efforts before the field fully existed, she is
energy—how it’s used, how it’s managed,” she notes.
still helping design what comes next.
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BY DESIGN
Chris Hill ’92
DESIGNING what you
DON’T SEE Chris Hill ’92: a civil engineer solving complex problems, stewarding natural resources, and building the invisible systems that allow communities to thrive. Most people never think about the grading beneath a parking lot or the stormwater systems hidden under a city block. Chris Hill does. That invisible layer—the infrastructure that keeps buildings stable, streets dry, and communities functioning—is where his work begins. A civil engineer based in Colorado, Chris has spent his career designing the connective tissue of the built environment—translating ideas on paper into systems that shape how people live, move, and interact with the world. “If you have an architectural design for a building,” he explains, “you bring in a civil engineer to connect it to the outside world—utilities, parking, roadways, grading… everything that makes it function.” It’s functional design that is both highly technical and deeply rooted in human experience. It is a profession focused on solving problems but also on anticipating them.
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Fitting 50 Pounds into a Two-Pound Bag After graduating from Georgia Tech with his bachelor’s degree, Chris’s early career took shape in consulting, where he worked on projects across 22 states and two countries, navigating a wide range of regulations, environments, and constraints. From developing recycling centers and gas stations to contributing to major institutional projects, his work required constant adaptation. The job, he says, often comes down to one core challenge: balancing competing demands. “You’re trying to fit 50 pounds into a two-pound bag,” he says. “And
Among his notable projects: contributing to infrastructure at the Center for Disease Control campus and the World of Coca-Cola in Atlanta, building systems for a Shriner’s Hospital in Mexico City, updating floodplain maps for the State of Georgia, and overseeing construction elements of McGregor Square, a major development adjacent to Coors Field in Denver. Even these large-scale projects reflect a broader philosophy: design in engineering is not just about what is built, but how it serves. Much of the work is invisible when it succeeds. Streets don’t flood. Systems function. Life continues uninterrupted, and people never notice the engineering underneath it all.
you’ve got to do it legally.”
Working with Nature, Not Against It
That tension—between vision and feasibility, creativity and constraint—
Today, Chris works in the public sector in Colorado with the City
is where civil engineering relies on excellent design. Every project is
of Aurora’s water and stormwater systems, reviewing designs and
a puzzle: how to meet a client’s goals while honoring environmental
guiding projects from concept through approval. His role has shifted
realities, regulatory frameworks, and long-term impact. One of Chris’s
from creating designs to evaluating and refining them as he helps
largest projects involved supporting the national expansion of Navy
others navigate the same challenges he once faced. At the center of
Federal Credit Union, where he helped evaluate properties, coordinate
that work is water.
design, and navigate permitting across municipalities.
In the American West, water is not just a resource—it is a constraint,
“It was everything from understanding the history of the site to asking:
a negotiation, and a defining factor in how communities grow.
‘Can we build what we want here?’” he says. The work is as much about
Chris’s work involves everything from flood mitigation to water
asking the right questions as it is about finding answers.
rights, requiring a deep understanding of both natural systems and human needs. Water is also limited, and communities in western
From Paper to Place
states like Colorado need systems in place to keep track of it.
One of the most rewarding aspects of Chris’s work is seeing ideas
That reality has led to increasingly sophisticated approaches to design
materialize, seeing what has been laid out on paper come up out of the
and systems that slow, store, and filter water, mimicking natural
ground. Whether it’s an underground stormwater system beneath a
processes while supporting development. In Aurora, that includes
plaza or infrastructure supporting a stadium development, the work
engineered stream corridors that allow water to move naturally while
may not always be visible, but its impact is enduring.
protecting surrounding communities.
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“We’re creating these streams, and it’s a melding of design,
He was a quiet student, more comfortable observing than
technology, and nature,” Chris explains. “We’re balancing growth
participating, more likely to be found at the zoo than in a social
with responsibility, allowing humans to coexist [with the natural
setting. His three-year experience, however, proved formative.
environment] without just paving over everything.”
Working in the zoo required responsibility, problem-solving, and
A Different Kind of Creativity Civil engineering is not always recognized as a creative field, but Chris sees it differently. He describes it as creatively solving problems for the betterment of the public. That responsibility is formalized in the profession itself. Licensed engineers take an oath to prioritize public welfare, and this shapes every decision, from material choices to site design. It also introduces ethical tension. “There are times when a developer wants to do something quickly or cheaply,” he says. “And you have to say no.”
collaboration, even if those lessons came gradually. It also nurtured a deep appreciation for the natural world, a perspective that continues to inform his work today. “Some could not work through their fears, like when having to separate the pythons—eight-foot, nine-foot, and three-foot ball pythons—to feed them. Meanwhile, I’m the type that would take the small rainbow boa and wear her as a bracelet while chopping up food.” Equally important were the moments that challenged him to think differently—whether through classroom debates or teachers who
In that sense, he is a gatekeeper and an advocate protecting
pushed him beyond his comfort zone. Looking back, Chris recognizes
communities, ecosystems, and future outcomes.
that Millbrook offered something he didn’t fully understand at the
A Place to Grow
time: space to grow.
Chris’s path to engineering was not predetermined. He came to
Mentorship and the Next Generation
boarding school from a day school in Massachusetts, choosing
If civil engineering is about shaping the physical world, mentorship
Millbrook because of a gut feeling that told him it was the right place.
is about shaping the people who will build it next. For Chris, that has become one of the most meaningful aspects of his career. “I like watching younger engineers have that lightbulb moment,” he says. “That realization of ‘Oh, wow. I can actually do this.’” In his current role, he works with a growing team of engineers, helping them navigate complex projects while fostering an environment where questions are encouraged and ideas are valued. He believes it is very important that others can ask “Why?” It’s a philosophy that mirrors Millbrook’s own emphasis on curiosity, relationships, and learning through dialogue.
Designing for What Comes Next Chris describes his career as something of a “jack of all trades,” spanning consulting, government work, and project management. But across that range, he approaches everything thoughtfully, deliberately, and with the consideration of impact. His career has been guided by these simple principles: understand needs and make things work better—for people, for communities, and for the future. In the end, perhaps the best measure of Chris’ success is not what stands out, but what holds everything together.
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BY DESIGN
Jacob Pyne Feinberg ’95
Behind the MUSIC Jacob Pyne Feinberg ’95 wanted to spend more time at Millbrook, so he found ways to stay overnight whenever he could. As a day student in the early 1990s, that meant saying yes to almost everything: theater tech, yearbook, newspaper, athletics, whatever kept him on campus longer. What started as a practical excuse to stay with friends eventually became the foundation of his career. On the upper floor of the Barn during this time in the 90s was the stage and theater space. There, Jacob found himself drawn not to the spotlight, but to the technical side of performance—the cables, the soundboards, the invisible systems shaping what audiences experienced. “That is literally the start of the rest of my life,” he says. “Being tech crew for theater was my entry into it all.”
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Since then, Jacob has spent 26 years touring professionally as a
The scale changes constantly. One night might involve an intimate club
sound engineer, production manager, and tour manager for artists
in Kingston, New York, and the next, an amphitheater holding 15,000
around the world. He has worked with bands on tour, ranging from
people. The logistics are immense: coordinating crews, managing
indie clubs to arenas, traveling constantly between North America,
travel, organizing equipment, overseeing schedules, and solving
Europe, and Asia, designing and managing the sound behind live
problems in real time. No real bosses are holding you accountable in
performances for thousands of fans each night.
real time in the touring world of music. Everyone must be responsible
Every venue behaves differently. Rooms absorb sound differently.
for their job. Everyone has to know what their role is and just do it.
Audiences hear music differently depending on the acoustics, the
Though audiences may never notice the sound engineer standing
crowd, and the choices made behind the scenes. Jacob’s work begins
behind the mixing board, Jacob’s work shapes the emotional
long before the first note is played.
experience of every performance. He describes the satisfaction of
A typical tour day starts with waking up on a tour bus parked outside
a perfect show with almost architectural precision: every element
a venue somewhere across the country after an all-night drive. The
balanced, every detail aligned, every person on the crew functioning
bus is a traveling home for the performers and their crew, with up to
together toward a single outcome. “When it all goes right,” he says,
a dozen bunk beds, comfortable couches and lounge areas, a kitchen,
“there’s a real sense of satisfaction.”
and a bathroom. Jacob and his crew unload trucks full of equipment
That careful balance between technical precision and artistic
and set up sound systems, lights, and backline long before any
expression began developing long before his professional career.
concertgoer arrives. They test every component and he “tunes the
While at Millbrook, Jacob was also a musician, playing bass and
room” so the music feels right for that specific space. “Consistency is how you put on a great show,” he explains. “You’re designing an experience every night.”
becoming immersed in the live music culture of the 1990s. He remembers the rise of Phish and the tape-trading culture surrounding jam bands, where fans recorded live shows and exchanged cassettes to hear different performances. Listening closely to those recordings made him increasingly fascinated not only by the musicians but by the people shaping the sound itself. Jacob carried his interest to the University of Rochester, where he initially pursued electrical engineering alongside a music minor before ultimately shifting fully into music through the Eastman School of Music. There, he worked in the university’s audio-visual department, mixing live performances and gaining hands-on experience that would become the foundation of his career. After college, he moved to New York City with friends and bandmates, balancing corporate AV work at Goldman Sachs with performing music at night. The corporate world never fit comfortably. “It was soul-sucking,” he says bluntly. When an opportunity arose to tour professionally with the band Wheatus shortly before the release of their hit “Teenage Dirtbag,” Jacob took the leap. Within months, he found himself traveling internationally and mixing shows for audiences of 20,000 people. Since then, touring has become both a profession and a lifestyle. Jacob has toured internationally for more than two decades, working across indie rock, singer-songwriter, and alternative music scenes with artists including Father John Misty, Beck, Modest Mouse, and Gillian Welch. Over the years, his role has expanded far beyond
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sound engineering into production management, tour logistics,
Despite decades spent traveling the globe, Jacob remains rooted in
live recording, and the endless problem-solving that keeps shows
the Hudson Valley. He currently lives in Rhinebeck with his family
moving.
and is preparing to move to nearby Ancram in Columbia County. After
The work, however, is about far more than equipment and
traveling from country to country and seeing so much diversity in
soundboards. Over the years, Jacob has become increasingly aware of the human side of touring life—the mental health struggles, substance abuse issues, and emotional strain that can come from
location and culture, he still feels most at home in this part of the world. That perspective, he says, comes directly from his upbringing— and from his mother, whom he credits for changing the course of his
spending months on the road. He speaks candidly about choosing
life by insisting he attend Millbrook.
projects carefully and prioritizing healthier working environments.
Looking back, Jacob remembers Millbrook as a place where
“You spend more time with these people than a lot of their families do,”
participation mattered. Whether he was working backstage, playing
he says. “It becomes beyond business. It becomes friendship.”
music, laying out the newspaper and yearbook, or staying late after
Life on the road also comes with practical challenges. Recently,
rehearsals, he threw himself fully into the life of the school.
Jacob became one of the first touring professionals in the country to
At the time, Jacob probably could not have imagined that staying late
access healthcare benefits through IATSE, the union representing
after school would eventually lead to touring internationally and mixing
theater and stage workers. For years, like many independent touring
performances for audiences around the world. But in some ways, the
professionals, he went without health insurance entirely. Now,
work still feels connected to those nights upstairs in the Barn: solving
he hopes the industry is slowly becoming more sustainable and
problems behind the scenes, helping a room come alive, and building
supportive for younger crews entering the field.
something people can feel even if they never see how it was made.
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BY DESIGN
Wallis Suda ’04
Designing a Life with
Purpose
From Millbrook’s art studios to the global ateliers of Calvin Klein,
A Community That Refines
and now to her own brand, Wallis Suda ’04 has spent her career
Ask Wallis Suda to describe what Millbrook
building beautiful, meaningful things, one trusted relationship at
2012, she shared these thoughts:
a time.
“Millbrook, a place where you learn to live and
gave her, and she doesn’t hesitate. Back in
work together, paved the way for my future,” she reflects. “My way of thinking and day-today problem solving in relationships wouldn’t have been as strong as if I had not lived within such a strong, productive community—a community that does not stifle individuality, but cultivates, challenges, and refines it so that it’s a benefit to both the person and the larger culture in the course of a lifetime.” Today, Wallis says, these words hold more truth than ever. She is the founder of Feronia, a luxury home wellness brand launched in the fall of 2025 and built around the idea that the textiles closest to your body should be beautiful, natural, and designed to support you through every stage of life. Based in Los Angeles with her husband and two young daughters, her career has taken her from the foundries of Laos to the ateliers of Calvin Klein, from the looms of northern France to the family-run mills of the American West.
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But the thread running through all of it—an abiding belief in craft, community, and design in service of human wellbeing—was spun, she will tell you, at Millbrook.
A Connection to Place Wallis grew up on Long Island, a selfdescribed creative who was always painting at home, playing with clay, and building things. She was, by most measures, thriving. She had good friends, earned good grades, and played on a championship softball team, but something about the scale and feel of her public high school left her feeling out of sorts. “I just felt like I was going to an institution,” she recalls. “I remember first period, smelling like the chemicals from the cleaning products in the hallways. I just remember being so bothered by my environment.” It is a detail worth noting: a teenage girl so attuned to her physical surroundings that industrial cleaning solvents gave her heart palpitations. That sensitivity to environment, to how a space feels and what it does to the people inside it, would become the driving force behind her entire career.
suggests. When reflecting on high school,
or building things at home. At Millbrook,
her Millbrook years are what define her
she took Hardy’s class and, as she puts it
educational experience. She remembers her
simply, “fell in love.”
time at Millbrook as being transformative, where she consciously learned what it means to live in a community.
The next step came after she finished her Vth form year when she attended a summer program at Parsons School of Design in
She had grown up in a warm, community-
New York City. She came back to Millbrook
minded household. Her mother, especially,
in the fall of her senior year transformed
was devoted to the local schools, her
and wanting to attend an art school for
garden club, and her neighbors. But it
college. No one in her family had gone
was at Millbrook that the concept of
to art school, and her close friends were
community became something Wallis
applying to traditional academic colleges
could feel and understand for herself. What
and universities. But Mr. Hardy helped
Her father happened to connect with a former
made the difference, she thinks, was the
her put together an art portfolio, and soon
Millbrook faculty member who suggested the
combination of freedom and intimacy the
enough she had applied and was accepted
family take a look at Millbrook. They visited
school offered.
at Parsons. The path from that senior-year
campus, and there was no question that Millbrook was the right place for her.
“It was having autonomy and the challenge of being on your own as a young mind but in
“It was a no-brainer for us—the size, the
this incredible environment, with all these
art studios. I remember seeing some of the
resources. And then parallel to that, tiny
seniors who had their own individual studio
classrooms where you feel safe to explore
spaces. I was just like, how beautiful.”
your ideas and you are truly heard. That was everything. That was my education. That
conversation through Parsons and to the founding of Feronia is not a straight line, but it is certainly a single path.
A Designer’s Journey: Craft, Community, and Making Things Matter
The Gift of Community— and Bill Hardy
And then there was Bill Hardy. Wallis had
and, just as importantly, toward makers.
Wallis attended Millbrook for her final two
always been creative, but she had never,
She was less interested in trend and season
years of high school. She is quick to say
somehow, taken formal art classes, not in
than in the people whose hands produced
that those two years represent something
the way that might have seemed the obvious
things and the knowledge they held. Her
far more substantial than their length
path for someone who was always painting
early work with her sister, Elizabeth, and
was the foundation.”
At Parsons, Wallis gravitated toward textiles
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Article 22—a jewelry brand whose pieces
When Calvin Klein began expanding toward
engineered for breathability, and designed
are cast from aluminum salvaged from
mass-market lines, she recognized the
with a minimalist aesthetic to complement
unexploded ordnance in Laos—crystallized
shift as one that didn’t align with where
how people live. The philosophy is
a design philosophy she had been building
she wanted to head, and she left. She
characteristically Wallis: design meant to
toward: that objects carry meaning, that craft
opened Wallis Suda Studio, consulting
last and beauty that serves a real purpose.
connects to community, and that beauty can
for brands including Carolina Herrera,
exist in service of something larger than itself.
The Reformation, and Billy Cotton at the
In 2014, she joined Calvin Klein’s Home
convergence of fashion, home, and interiors.
Feronia launched in 2025—and as of early 2026, the brand became the first home decor partner of Erewhon, the Los Angeles wellness institution, through their curated Lifestyle Collective. Looking ahead five to ten years, Wallis’s vision is grounded in the same principles she’s carried all along. “I want Feronia to be a recognized home wellness brand across the globe,” she says. “And I think it’s actually possible because of the relationships, the producers, the deep understanding of how these materials work. That’s not something you can rush. It’s been
Division—a small, art-studio-style team within a global company. The work sent her to France, the Himalayas, the Pacific
The consulting work was creatively rich, but she was constantly building someone else’s vision. She began to understand what her
Northwest, and beyond, sourcing for the
own products might look like.
flagship Madison Avenue store’s artisanal Himalayan cashmere blankets, Pendleton
The Brand She Was Always Building Toward
wool, Mennonite quilts, and textiles made
The founding of Feronia begins, unexpectedly,
by weavers who were also rice farmers in the
with a bout of severe pregnancy nausea.
collection that included one-of-a-kind
off-season. Her method was built on trust and introduction. She found that the artisan community was generous in ways that the commercial world often is not.
During her first pregnancy, Wallis was waking in the night drenched in sweat, and she noticed that her beautiful Italian percale sheets, from her Calvin Klein years, were sticking to her skin, trapping heat, and offering no relief. She had spent a decade thinking about textiles. She now began thinking about what textiles could do for the body. She began considering not just how they looked, but how they functioned across the full range of a life: hormonal
Whether it is bomb-metal jewelry cast in Laos, cashmere blankets sourced from a Himalayan weaver, or a cotton-linen bath sheet developed with a sixth-generation Austrian mill, Wallis Suda creates at the intersection of craft and community and with the belief that design, at its best, is an act of care.
vulnerability of new parenthood.
She traces that conviction to Millbrook. To the
Her doctor, who co-founded the wellness
art studios where she first understood what
deepened this thinking, going through everything Wallis was putting on and into her body during pregnancy, everything
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The Thread That Runs Through Everything
shifts, illness, perimenopause, and the
supplement company Perelel Health,
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a lifetime in the making.”
it meant to make something with her hands under the guidance of someone who saw her. To the tiny classrooms where she felt heard. To the larger community that gave her a model
from face wash to bath soap to skincare
for how individuals can support each other.
products. She began to realize that what you
The designer who once walked into Bill
put on your skin really matters. She called a
Hardy’s studio as a junior with no formal
trusted producer—a sixth-generation mill
art training now runs a brand built around
owner in Austria—and began developing
these ideas: that the environment we inhabit
her idea. The result is Feronia: a collection
shapes us, that community sustains us, and
of bedding, bath linens, robes, and baby
that things made with intention and care
textiles made exclusively from natural fibers,
have a life in them that lasts.
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BY DESIGN
Kelsey Reifler ’08
Beyond the Logo As founder and creative director of Brooklyn-based Reifler Studio, Kelsey helps companies define who they are and how they communicate with the world. Her clients range from emerging consumer brands to established companies launching new products and campaigns. The work might involve packaging, advertising, photography, social strategy, or visual identity systems, but the goal is always the same: uncovering the story beneath the surface.
An Artist Finds Her Direction Kelsey arrived at Millbrook already interested in art, but it was here that she began to see creative work as something more than a hobby. One of the most influential figures in that journey was longtime art teacher Bill Hardy. The newly
Kelsey Reifler ’08 designs brands, but her work begins long before choosing colors, fonts, or packaging. When a new client comes to Kelsey looking for a logo, she often starts somewhere entirely different. She will sit and talk with a client, not even
opened Holbrook Arts Center became a second home. As an upperclassman enrolled in Honors Painting, Kelsey was given her own studio space, where she cultivated community with other arts students. The eight or nine students with a
“The way people think they want to present
studio space would spend hours there after
about their business at first, but about them.
themselves isn’t always who they actually
classes, working, talking, and creating.
It’s a process that reflects a lesson she has
are,” she says. “The challenge is finding
Art history classes with Mr. Hardy and local
carried throughout her career: good design
that authentic place and building from
historian and educator David Greenwood
isn’t decoration. It’s discovery.
there.”
expanded her perspective even further.
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Museum visits, conversations with practicing artists, and exposure to creative careers helped her understand that art existed within a larger cultural conversation. When she later enrolled at Elon University and pursued a bachelor’s degree in fine arts, she realized how unusual those experiences had been. None of her peers in college had anywhere near the same opportunities as she had.
associate creative director at The Brooklyn
Although painting remained important,
Brothers, she helped shape storytelling
Kelsey found herself increasingly drawn to
and creative strategy during the launch of
photography, often combining photographs
Lululemon’s rapidly growing men’s business
and painted elements into mixed-media
and Adobe’s Photoshop Express. The work
works. The blend of image-making,
exposed her to large-scale campaigns and
composition, and storytelling would become
global brands, but over time she found
a foundation for her future career.
herself drawn toward a different model.
From Vogue to Global Brands
Building Something Personal
After graduation, Kelsey completed an
Today, Reifler Studio operates much
intensive graphic design program at the
differently than the large agencies where
School of Visual Arts before landing what
Kelsey spent much of her career. Rather
would become her first major professional role: graphic designer at Vogue. The timing
She worked on branded content campaigns
was perfect.
that paired major companies with Vogue’s
Kelsey joined the company as Vogue.com
editorial and creative resources. One day
was emerging as a major digital platform,
she might be helping shape a campaign for
and her combination of visual design
Lord & Taylor and another, collaborating
skills and digital fluency quickly made
with photographers, illustrators, and
her a valuable member of the team.
fashion brands to create custom visual stories. Among her favorite projects was a campaign that combined photography and illustration; it was an approach that echoed the mixed media work she had explored years earlier as a student. After nearly five years at Vogue, Kelsey
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than managing layers of departments and approval processes, she works directly with clients, assembling teams of trusted collaborators when projects require additional expertise. The model allows her to stay close to both the creative work and the people behind it. “I really like being able to choose my clients,” she says. “Working with good people makes a huge difference.” Many of the businesses she works with are startups, entrepreneurs, and growing brands that lack the resources of Fortune 500 companies but possess strong ideas and
moved into the advertising world, working
ambitious goals. Kelsey helps them navigate
as a freelancer and then full-time art
everything from packaging design and
director with agencies that served clients
photography to social strategy and brand
including Revlon, L’Oréal, Adobe, LEGO, and
positioning. Her role often extends beyond
Lululemon. As a senior art director and then
aesthetics. Sometimes a client arrives asking
ALUMNI/AE
for a new logo. By the end of the discovery process, they realize what they really need is a new strategy. “Design isn’t just about how something looks,” she says. “It’s about understanding what problem you’re trying to solve.”
Looking Beyond the Obvious One of Kelsey’s most distinctive creative habits is deliberately looking outside a client’s industry for inspiration. If she’s designing for a zoo, she avoids studying other zoos. If she’s working with a spirits company, she may find ideas in fashion, architecture, or restaurants. She avoids looking too closely at what’s already out there to avoid creating something too similar. Instead, inspiration comes from everyday observation: a color on a construction sign, a restaurant menu, a piece of packaging, or simply walking through Brooklyn and paying attention. She recognizes that her design philosophy has similarities to the
educational approach she experienced at
identity designed by Kelsey, including the
Millbrook—one that encouraged curiosity,
logo, packaging, hangtags, and illustrations.
exploration, and connections between
The brand continues to build a following and
seemingly unrelated ideas.
just launched its newest expanded collection
Today, that mindset fuels work that is both
earlier this year.
strategic and creative, helping clients stand
Kelsey’s work offers an important reminder
apart in crowded markets while remaining
that design is not confined to buildings,
true to themselves. One of those clients is
products, or physical spaces. Sometimes it
her sister, Paige, Millbrook Class of 2014.
begins with a conversation, a question, or a
Paige left Millbrook before graduating and
fresh perspective. And sometimes, the most
successfully launched a modeling career.
important thing a designer creates is clarity.
In 2024, she collaborated with MOTHER
For Kelsey, that process starts by listening
Denim to create “The Reifler” collection of
carefully, looking broadly, and helping
jeans, which sold out within a week’s time,
others discover who they really are before
perhaps thanks to the campaign’s brand
deciding how they should be seen.
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BY DESIGN Diego Todeschini ’14 and Lucy Todeschini ’15
Parallel Paths, Shared Roots High in the Valpolicella hills above Verona, where rows of vines trace the contours of the land, siblings Diego ’14 and Lucy Todeschini ’15 are building something that did not exist before—not exactly.
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That approach—thoughtful, curious, and grounded in community—began, in many ways, at Millbrook.
From Venezuela to the Hudson Valley Diego and Lucy did not take a typical
The 25-acre vineyard has been in their
working on projects across two continents.
family since the late 1960s when their
Lucy splits her time between Verona and
path to the Hudson Valley. Their roots
grandfather purchased the land in Mezzane
New York, where she works as an interior
are Portuguese and Italian, their parents
di Sotto, his ancestral hometown. For
designer with a growing roster of high-profile
the children of European migrants who
decades, his estate produced wine the
residential clients. Here, she also built the
settled in Venezuela, where they were
artisanal way. It has always been known for
entire visual identity of the Palmonte wine
raised. By their teenage years, daily life
the uncommon quality of its terroir, but
brand from scratch. Together, they are doing
had become increasingly constrained
never branded and never scaled, as he sold
“two full-time jobs each.”
by safety concerns. Their parents made a difficult decision to send them to
only to local restaurants and neighbors.
What they are creating is not just a wine,
Today, Diego and Lucy are bringing their
but a system. Not just a cellar, but a space
grandfather’s vision to life in Palmonte wines.
shaped by intention. Not just a brand, but
Diego is based full-time in Italy, tending
an identity that reflects who they are and
the decision clear.
boarding school in the United States. They applied to just two schools. One visit made
the vines, running the cellar, and managing
where they come from. It is a life built
“Millbrook was the first one we visited,”
production with a small team of enologists
carefully, collaboratively, and with a deep
Diego recalls. “I remember the tour
and agronomists. He is also a filmmaker,
respect for what came before.
being super positive—that made all the
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difference. What sticks with me was how
in the Valpolicella region. When Lucy and
open and receptive everybody was. We were
Diego visited comparable boutique wineries
immediately so at home.” They arrived as teenagers in a new country, speaking English but not yet fluently, far from their family. What could have been disorienting instead became formative. That sense of belonging, of being known and welcomed, left a lasting impression. Today, it shapes how they run their winery: the way they host guests, the way they collaborate with their small team, the way they think about building something within a community.
Designing the Cellar When the Todeschinis returned to Italy after college, they inherited land, but not a finished operation. The existing cellar, built years earlier by their grandfather, needed to be completely reimagined, and Lucy took the lead in its design. To do it, she had to learn not only the language of design, but the technical demands of winemaking: airflow systems, safety codes, equipment specifications, production workflows. Every decision had
for reference early in the project, they found almost none with any meaningful design investment at all. Their cellar’s distinction has already been recognized. Last year, Lucy converted an office space on the vineyard property into a guest suite, and the resulting design won an award from the American Society of Interior Designers. It was, she says, the moment her New York interior design practice began to take off in earnest. Corvina, Corvinone, and Rondinella,
Crafting Something Alive If Lucy shapes the space, Diego shapes the product. He manages the grapevines, overseeing everything from harvest
alongside Cabernet, Merlot, Garganega, and Chardonnay. For now, they are focused on red wines: Valpolicella Superiore and, the crown of the lineup, Amarone.
to fermentation to aging. The wines—
Amarone is not a casual wine. The finest
Valpolicella Superiore, Amarone, and new
grapes of the harvest are hand-picked,
experimental blends—are produced through a
then dry-aged for a month to six weeks
process that blends tradition with innovation.
to concentrate their sugars before
The Todeschini vineyard sits within the
fermentation. After that, the wine ages
DOC Valpolicella Classico Superiore
for three years. Diego manages this
designation—one of the most respected
process with their team of enologists and
appellations in the Veneto—and their
agronomists, navigating a blend of old and
fields hold the region’s traditional grapes:
new that directly mirrors his grandfather’s
to serve both aesthetic and practical ends. The concept she developed—what she describes as neoclassical industrial—draws
LEARNING TO SEE DIFFERENTLY
on Verona’s architectural history while
For Lucy, Millbrook was a place of discovery—less about what she
embracing the reality that this is a working
already knew, and more about what she didn’t yet know she loved.
production space. Even the fermentation
“What I really appreciated about my experience at Millbrook was that it opened a lot of doors for
vats reflect that philosophy: custom-built in
me,” she says. “I got to experiment with things I never thought I would like.”
elliptical forms that echo the ancient Arena di Verona while maximizing efficiency. It took three years to bring the space to
Photography, which she took almost by accident, became a lasting passion. Squash, a sport she had never encountered, led to varsity competition and a role as captain in her VIth form year. All that she explored helped her discover more about herself and led to amazing relationships with
life, and it was completed just in time for
friends and faculty.
the winery’s first official harvest. Finishing
That process of trying, adjusting, and refining is at the heart of Lucy’s career today as an interior
touches like lighting and surface details
designer, where each project requires balancing vision with constraint, creativity with function.
are being added gradually as wine sales
At the vineyard, that same mindset guided her through an entirely new challenge: designing a
generate the cash flow to complete them.
working winery from the ground up.
The result is something genuinely unusual
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philosophy: the winery uses some of the most advanced equipment in the Valpolicella region, while every vine is still tended individually by hand. The fermentation and aging process involves vitrified cement vats—a method used in the region for generations—along with selective time in wooden barrels and an ongoing experiment with clay amphora aging. This last process allows a controlled micro-oxygenation that can yield markedly different flavor profiles. Diego approaches the whole enterprise as both a scientist and an artist.
At Millbrook, both siblings were immersed
The process was meticulous. Label designs
in a culture that values the natural world not
alone took months, balancing elegance
as a backdrop but as a responsibility. Years
with the precise regulatory requirements
later, that value is embedded in how they
of European wine production. Their newest
farm, how they produce, and how they think
release, an IGT blend called the Green
about the long-term future of the land they
Dog, represents their first step beyond
now manage.
“It’s the closest thing to alchemy. It’s not
tradition—a signal of where they might go next.
like being a chemist where you have one
Building a Brand, Together
Their approach to market is equally
substance and another substance and you
Beyond the vineyard and the cellar, there
intentional. Rather than competing locally
mix them and it’s all static. You’re dealing
is another layer to what they have built: the
in Italy, they have focused on building a
with something that is evolving. It’s alive.”
brand itself. Every detail—labels, website,
presence in New York, where Lucy has
The vineyard is certified under one of
packaging—was designed in-house.
spent the past decade developing her
Europe’s highest sustainability standards,
“We wanted everything to reflect who we
design career. The strategy reflects both
and the soil is carefully managed. That sense
are,” Lucy says. “We both have an artistic
practicality and perspective: understanding
of working with, rather than against, nature
background, and we wanted to use that
where their story resonates most strongly
reflects a deeper philosophy
sensitivity.”
and building from there.
What They Carry Forward
FILMMAKING: ANOTHER PROFESSIONAL PATH
Ask Diego and Lucy what they took from
For Diego, Millbrook opened a different door: it was the first place in his
the same ideas:
life where he encountered other people who cared about filmmaking. In Venezuela, he had always been alone in that passion. He also found ceramics at Millbrook and learned to play the drums. He performed in instrumental ensemble, stood up at assemblies, appeared in theater productions. He cites public speaking and the many experiences of having to show up and speak as one of the most practically useful things Millbrook gave him. Today, while the winery demands constant attention, it is not Diego’s only pursuit. Running
Millbrook, and their answers come back to Curiosity, in the willingness to try something unfamiliar and to follow it where it leads. Respect, in the way they build relationships, whether with collaborators, clients, or guests at the vineyard.
alongside the vineyard is a career in filmmaking, following a degree in film from Bard College.
Stewardship, in their care for the land and
His projects have screened internationally, including at festivals in London, New York, and Tokyo.
the living systems they depend on.
In 2021, Diego received the Best Director award at the London Independent Film Festival for his short film titled Savages! One of his short films was also selected for a streaming platform run by RAI, the Italian state broadcaster, and he currently has five to six scripts in development. He is also editing a film shot in New York in the summer of 2024.
And perhaps most of all, a belief in the value of doing things thoughtfully. Of choosing small and intentional over large and generic. Of building something that reflects who you are and is meant to last.
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BY DESIGN
Isabella Buccellati ’16
Designing
THE DIGITAL WORLD
For The Human Experience Isabella Buccellati ’16 operates in a space where layered designs are perhaps least visible yet most pervasive: the digital experiences that shape how we interact with the world every day.
While she simplifies her job description
listening, and learning how real people solve
when she tells people what she does, “I
real problems. That experience now informs
design websites and apps,” her work is
how she designs AI systems intended to
far more complex. And, what she designs,
assist users in similar ways.
many would argue, is increasingly essential.
“I would take in the empathy from one, our
After graduating from Millbrook, Isabella
service agents, and try to bridge it to the
went on to Syracuse University, where
other,” she explains.
she studied front-end web development
It’s a telling phrase—bridge it to the
before finding her way to the design side
other—because much of her work lives in
of technology. That pivot—from building
that tension between human and machine.
systems to shaping how people experience
The goal is not to replace human interaction
them—set the course for her career. Today,
but to thoughtfully design when and
she works at Expedia Group as a user
how technology can enhance it. Simple
experience (UX) designer, helping to
transactional tasks, like canceling a trip
define how millions of travelers interact with
or comparing options and pricing, can be
platforms like Expedia, Hotels.com, and Vrbo.
At its core, Isabella’s work now begins not
handled efficiently by AI. More complex,
In recent years, her work has moved to
with technology, but with people. Early in
nuanced situations and questions still
the forefront of one of the most rapidly
her time at Expedia, she worked closely
benefit from a human touch. Her work in
evolving areas in tech: conversational AI.
with customer service agents, observing,
designing that balance is intentional.
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Today, Isabella is part of a team building the foundation for what she describes as a more integrated, intelligent travel experience—one where multiple tools, from search to comparison to Q&A, eventually converge into a single, personalized “agent” capable of guiding users through the entire journey of exploring, discovering, and booking travel. Her real design challenge isn’t just functionality—it’s feeling. “We are really focused on how we show up as a personification of the brand to the user,” Isabella says. In other words: what does it feel like to interact with Expedia? That question shapes everything, from the
pandemic, that this is where she would be
refined through a lot of testing and trial
tone of an AI response to the structure of a
today, working for Expedia, first in Seattle
and error. That willingness to iterate—to
user interface. It also introduces a layer of
and now in Brooklyn. The path to this work
learn by doing, to adjust course, to keep
responsibility that goes beyond aesthetics
was not linear. In college she explored
improving—is what defines design thinking.
broadly—programming languages, data,
Looking ahead, Isabella sees her path
security—before realizing that design
evolving toward leadership, with the hope of
offered something the more technical tracks
one day shaping design strategy at a broader
or usability. In a world where technology increasingly anticipates our needs, design must also account for trust. “We don’t want it to be overly prescriptive…
did not. If offered her a way to combine
level. She is also deeply committed to
or creepy,” she notes. “We want it to be a
problem-solving with creativity and human
expanding access and representation in the
delightful, trustworthy experience.”
connection. That instinct—to explore, to
tech world, continuing her involvement with
That might mean giving users insight into
pivot, to find alignment through experience
organizations like Women Who Code. She will
how their data is used or the ability to edit
and connection with others—feels distinctly
be presenting at their tech summit in June. It
their own preferences. It means designing
Millbrook.
is another layer of intentionality; it is design
AI that feels helpful and transparent
As a student, Isabella immersed herself in
rather than intrusive and opaque. Often, it means knowing when and how not to draw
the arts, stepping outside her comfort zone
Perhaps that is the throughline connecting
through music, theater, and playwriting. She
Isabella’s work to the broader theme of
attention to the technology at all.
also served as a prefect, gaining confidence
this issue. Whether designing a building,
Some of the most effective AI, she points out, is the kind you don’t even notice—like a streaming platform quietly tailoring the images you see based on your habits and preferences. This is design at its most subtle: shaping behavior, guiding decisions,
in leadership and communication skills,
a soundscape, or a digital interface, the
which she now uses daily in cross-functional
most impactful work begins with a simple
team meetings that include engineers,
question: How will this serve others?
researchers, and product managers. Her
At Millbrook, that question is often
and creating coherence behind the scenes.
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not just of systems, but of communities.
work today requires constant collaboration
framed as being “known and needed.” In
and iteration. As a designer, she proposes
Isabella’s world, it translates into designing
solutions, engineers test feasibility,
systems that understand users, without
Isabella did not know when she graduated
researchers gather feedback, and the cycle
overwhelming them, and support them in
from college in 2020, amidst the COVID
repeats. Nothing is static; everything is
ways that feel natural, even invisible.
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BY DESIGN
Skylar Mahaffey ’19
THE SHAPE of HOME Skylar Mahaffey ’19 did not expect to end up in construction. She studied finance, imagined a future in banking or financial planning, and spent her college years moving between Florida, Wisconsin, and remote coursework during the upheaval of the pandemic. Today, however, she manages projects for Richard E. McCue, Inc., a high-end custom home builder in Connecticut, helping oversee everything from multimillion-dollar estates to small-scale renovations. In many ways, the work feels surprisingly aligned with the education she received at Millbrook. For Skylar, design and custom building is not simply about aesthetics. It is about relationships, problem-solving, communication, and creating spaces that reflect how people want to live. Every project begins with listening: to architects, subcontractors, clients, designers, inspectors, and suppliers. Her role is part manager, part translator, part negotiator, and part conductor. “At the end of the day,” she says, “I call myself a glorified ringmaster.” The company she works for specializes in luxury custom homes throughout northwestern Connecticut and nearby parts of New York. Projects can take years to complete and often involve highly specific requests, imported materials, and complex logistical coordination.
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One recent project in Salisbury includes a
college-level writing courses and realizing
family compound designed for a couple in
how much more prepared she felt than
their seventies, complete with space for
many of her peers. “We had already
their six children and ten grandchildren.
been writing long research papers and
What she enjoys most is watching a
learning how to really think critically,”
project evolve from concept to completion.
she says. “Millbrook absolutely gave us
“Knowing what’s behind every wall, how
that foundation.”
much work it took to get there, and then
Outside the classroom, Skylar valued
seeing the finished photographs at the end—
Millbrook’s balance of structure and
that’s my favorite part.”
independence.
That appreciation for process—and for
Dorm life taught her a great deal about
doing things thoughtfully—was shaped in
herself, helped her realize what she needed
part by her Millbrook experience. Skylar
personally, and gave her a trial run for
arrived at Millbrook as a IVth former after
college. Although she began as a boarding
attending public school locally. She quickly
student and reaped many benefits from
recognized the difference in the academic
the experience, she and her twin sister,
environment. Today she looks back proudly
Summer, eventually transitioned to being
at her Millbrook education, including
day students, easily commuting to their
the variety of classes, the teachers, and
home in Amenia, New York. They saw it as
the expectations, all which prepared her
having had the best of both worlds during
Skylar’s self-awareness would prove
well for college. She remembers entering
their three Millbrook years.
useful during an unconventional college experience. She attended the University of Tampa before COVID disrupted campus life. After struggling with overcrowded classes and shifting learning environments, she transferred into Penn State’s online World Campus program and discovered that she genuinely loved remote learning. Discussion-based and collaborative, the online program allowed her to meet people from all over the world. She graduated with a finance degree, initially imagining a future in banking, accounting, or financial planning. But after an internship in cybersecurity sales left her feeling unfulfilled, she reconsidered her path. Unable to find the right postgraduation role during a difficult job market, she spoke with her grandfather, who owns the construction company where she now works. Going to work with him was meant to be a short-term Plan B; instead, it became her future.
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Now, going on three years into the role, Skylar oversees projects, manages clients, coordinates subcontractors, and helps modernize systems and workflows within the company. She credits Millbrook and years of waitressing during and post-college with preparing her for the interpersonal side of the work. “Waitressing taught me how to talk to anyone,” she says. “You learn how to redirect difficult conversations, stay calm under pressure, and read people quickly. I use those skills every single day.” Those communication skills have also helped her navigate the realities of being a young woman in a traditionally male industry. She had low expectations when she started, thinking she would constantly have to prove herself. Instead, most subcontractors and clients have treated her with respect, particularly once they understand her knowledge of the projects and her ability to problem-solve. There have been moments—particularly with older architects or engineers—when she sensed skepticism tied to her age or gender, but she has learned to respond with confidence rather than confrontation.
Yet, the human element remains at the
ambitions: designing and building her
center of it all. The company maintains
own home, traveling more extensively,
relationships with many clients long after
and someday seeing one of her projects
projects are complete, helping with ongoing
published in Architectural Digest. Her
That constant learning is part of what
maintenance and future renovations. Over
grandfather’s work was published for
keeps the work exciting. Every day is
time, professional relationships often
the first time when he was about 37 or 38
different. One morning may involve solving
become genuine friendships.
“You learn something new every day in construction,” she says. “Nobody knows everything.”
a supply chain delay for imported tile from Italy; another may mean coordinating a renovation, troubleshooting a heating issue, or walking a job site with clients and
“That’s what makes our company unique,” Skylar says. “We’re not just building houses. We’re taking care of people.”
years old. She hopes to achieve that same milestone by the age of 30. For someone who once imagined an entirely different career path, Skylar has found herself designing something
architects. The work demands flexibility,
Looking ahead, she hopes to continue
perhaps even more meaningful than she
decisiveness, and the ability to manage
growing within the company, eventually
expected: not simply homes, but a life
many moving pieces simultaneously. It’s a
taking over the business from her
and career built around creativity, trust,
true balancing act.
grandfather. She also has personal
craftsmanship, and connection.
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From Mission Statement to Measurable Reality A new model designed for student engagement and well-being Millbrook has long resisted the pressures that push many independent schools toward growth. While other institutions might measure success by growth in their enrollment, Millbrook has remained intentionally small. At roughly 335 students, we believe we are the ideal size to fulfill one of our most important promises: that every student will be known and needed. But a few years ago, Dean of Student Engagement and Well-Being J.J. Morrissey began asking a simple question:
How do we know if that promise is actually true?
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“We’ve always believed we were doing this well,” Morrissey says.
concerns, academic challenges, mental health issues, and student
“People felt it. Alumni talk about it. Families talk about it. But how
crises. Another 20% of the student body are high achievers, naturally
could we measure it?”
embedded in relationships with adults through leadership roles,
That question has evolved into one of the most ambitious student-support initiatives in Millbrook’s history—a school-owned, comprehensive system that combines student engagement data, relationship mapping, and behavioral indicators to help faculty understand the experience of every student on campus. This data dashboard, currently known as M-PULSE—Millbrook’s Profile to Understand Learning, Support, and Engagement—represents a fundamental shift in how schools might think about moving students from doing okay to thriving. “Doing okay should not be a standard. We should be striving to make sure every student has the opportunity to thrive here,” says Morrissey. “Not just the students who are struggling and not just the students who
athletics, and advanced coursework. The vast middle 60% of students—the quiet contributors, the solid performers, the ones who may never appear on an agenda or become the focus of a faculty meeting—began to occupy more of Morrissey’s thinking. He transitioned into a newly created role of dean of student engagement and well-being in 2024, with the charge of not simply responding to student needs but understanding them proactively. Rather than waiting for problems to emerge, could faculty identify students who felt disconnected before things grew worse? Could we create a system that ensured every student—not just the loudest, highest-achieving, or most visibly struggling—was seen through and through?
are already excelling. Every student.”
Measuring What Matters
The Students in the Middle
Over the past several years, Millbrook has quietly built an ecosystem
The idea for this data dashboard grew out of frustrations Morrissey
designed to answer those questions. The system combines multiple
encountered over years in student life roles at several different
streams of information that historically lived in separate offices:
schools and as Millbrook’s dean of students since 2020. Like most
academic engagement, student-life engagement, relationship
deans, much of his work focused on responding to the immediate
mapping, and behavioral data. Morrissey consolidates the data to
needs of about 20% of the student population, including disciplinary
create a holistic and actionable picture of a student’s experience.
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The Wellington Education Index is a platform Millbrook adapted
feel across four distinct areas of school life: dorm life, afternoon
as a student feedback instrument. Students log in and self-report
programs (including athletics and athletic alternatives), advisory,
how they feel in each of their classes using a simple two-axis graph:
and the school community more broadly. A student who places
one axis ranging from hate to love, the other from unchallenged to
themselves in the “unknown and unneeded” quadrant in any of
challenged. A dot dropped in the upper-right quadrant signals genuine
these areas is registering something powerful: they feel invisible in
engagement. A dot in the lower left signals boredom or disconnection.
that space. That signal is noted and can be shared with the adults
Teachers can then view the aggregate results for their classes and
best positioned to respond.
reflect on what they reveal.
CONNECT THE DOTS The interwoven connectedness of the Millbrook community is represented by circles (students) and squares (faculty and staff). The larger the circle and more centered on the graph, the better the connections.
Connect the Dots is Millbrook’s relationship-mapping program built from scratch. Now in its sixth year, every adult on campus who works with students is periodically asked to identify students with whom they feel they have a close relationship. Students, in turn, are asked to identify adults “who get them,” who they can go to for help because they have a meaningful relationship with them. The resulting network map reveals which students are richly connected to adults at the school and which are more isolated. The correlation with academic performance has proven striking: the more faculty connections a student has, the higher their GPA. In many ways, Connect the Dots provides a visual representation of something Millbrook has always valued: the power of authentic relationships between students and adults. The difference now is that those relationships can be measured, studied, and strengthened intentionally. Infractions Data provides another objective behavioral measure that tracks students’ disciplinary history. In the dashboard, infractions serve as a corroborating data point: students with elevated infractions consistently show lower academic engagement and are more likely to report feeling invisible in community life. The data doesn’t simply confirm what intuition already suggests—it makes the pattern visible and actionable.
From Instinct to Evidence For generations, Millbrook’s culture has depended on close relationships, caring adults, and a deeply personal approach to education. M-PULSE does not replace those traditions. It strengthens them. Rather than relying solely on intuition, faculty have real evidence. The data also offers accountability, measuring how well we are doing at what we say we do.
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The purpose is as simple as its design: awareness. The data allows
“We have always said that we know and need every student,” Morrissey
faculty to identify students who may be quietly disengaging long before
explains. “Now kids tell us if they feel that way—or if they don’t. And
those concerns appear in grades, attendance, or disciplinary records.
that’s the power of this program.”
Student Life Engagement is an extension of the Wellington
The system has already begun reshaping how Millbrook
framework. Students self-report how known and needed they
faculty discuss students. Where faculty meetings once focused
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Millbrook’s vision for the program extends further still with grant funding currently being pursued, including a proposal to the Edward E. Ford Foundation’s Educational Leadership Grant. Morrissey is leading the charge toward establishing an Institute for Student Engagement and Well-Being and building a proprietary platform that will consolidate all four data streams into a single, seamless ecosystem. The goal is to eliminate the friction of multiple logins and forms, increase participation rates, and make the program more easily replicable. If successful, the initiative could position Millbrook as a national leader in an area that is becoming increasingly urgent for schools everywhere. Yet for Morrissey, the ambition remains grounded in a much simpler mission. As schools navigate rising concerns about student anxiety, isolation, and disconnection, he believes the antidote will be found in predominantly on logistics and announcements, Morrissey has been working to carve out space for what he calls more student-centered conversation: talking about students who have identified themselves as invisible in the community and asking faculty to be intentional about making contact. Each year, Morrissey also meets individually with every advisor on campus to review dashboard data for each of their advisees. The goal is that every student at Millbrook will be discussed in depth as often
relationships. The dashboard exists to support those relationships— not replace them. After all, the goal is not a better dataset. The goal is a better student experience. “We can keep assuming students feel known and needed,” Morrissey says. “Or we can hold ourselves accountable for it.” At Millbrook, that accountability is becoming part of the culture itself. And for a school that has always believed in the power of human connection, that may be the most important innovation of all.
as possible—not just flagged if something goes wrong.
A National Conversation & the Future What began as an internal initiative is increasingly becoming part of a larger conversation about student well-being. Millbrook has presented its work at regional and national conferences, drawing interest from educators seeking new ways to support students. Schools including The Haverford School in Pennsylvania and St. Paul’s School in New Hampshire have begun piloting versions of Millbrook’s dashboard and engagement framework, and both have reported enthusiastic early results. Several other independent schools are expected to move forward with adoption. The project has also attracted the attention of the University of Pennsylvania’s Master of Applied Positive Psychology program. Graduate students there recently partnered with Millbrook to explore ways positive psychology principles can strengthen interventions and help schools move students from merely functioning to flourishing. The collaboration aligns naturally with the program’s central goal: understanding not simply how students avoid failure, but how they achieve well-being, purpose, and growth.
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Class Notes Class of 1950 Michael Walker had a long successful career as a neurosurgeon and researcher at the National Institutes of Health. He recently shared one highlight: performing
the importance of his skill and care. Today, Michael and his wife of 71 years, Kate, enjoy time together and keeping up with family, including their six grandchildren.
brain surgery on a senior NASA official.
Class of 1952
The surgery enabled him to return to work
Hugh Van Dusen worked in the publishing world for over 60 years. Hugh has two daughters, one who is a lawyer living in Portland, Oregon, and another who works in publishing and lives in Brooklyn. Both are married.
and contribute to the Viking mission that launched on August 20, 1975, and touched down on Mars on July 20, 1976. Dr. Walker received a personal thank-you letter and framed photo from the mission, recognizing
Class of 1956 70th Reunion Dr. Edward Eisener, DVM has been at the forefront of veterinary dentistry, serving as a Diplomate of the American Veterinarian Dental College (AVDC) and AVDC-certified zoo and wildlife dentist for 56 years before retiring in 2020. His early years working on a ranch inspired him to pursue veterinary medicine. He went on to attend Cornell after Millbrook and enrolled in Cornell’s veterinary program. He’s since returned to the vet school to give talks and lectures. He also played polo at Cornell. Although he didn’t know much about the sport at the time, he knew how to ride horses thanks to his ranch experience.
Class of 1958 Peter Jackson recently moved from his longtime home to a retirement community, where he is active and enjoying the social environment. The loss of his wife, Judy, took a huge emotional toll last year, but Peter remains busy and energetic. He is especially proud of his daughter, Catherine, who holds senior leadership roles at Salisbury University, where she also teaches and serves on the university’s AI task force.
Class of 1959
Class of 1947 After 71 years, the nonprofit organization founded by Oakleigh Thorne, Thorne Nature Experience (formerly Thorne Ecological Institute), now owns its own land and buildings in Lafayette, Colorado, a suburb of Boulder. The organization includes Thorne’s Nature Preschool, Nature Center Programs, summer camps, and a federal bird banding station.
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Jim Cochran is living in an independent community within Cathedral Village in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. There he plays the piano, performing weekly for the elderly residents in their nursing home wing. His music is warmly received and clearly a meaningful part of life there. Jim enjoys the artistic culture of the community, which was founded with ties to church choirs and draws many singers and performers both as entertainers and as residents.
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Class Notes Class of 1959 Dr. Campbell “Mort” Davis currently splits his time between Lopez Island (in Washington state), where he built his home 30 years ago, and New Zealand. After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania and then Thomas Jefferson University (medical school), Mort moved west to settle down and work. He has been practicing psychiatry for over 58 years, primarily working with individuals in the correctional system. He is also passionate about environmental stewardship and has been involved with the San Juan Preservation Trust for over a decade. Learning recently that Larry Eppenbach ’60 is a neighbor on Lopez Island, he was happy to connect with him for lunch.
Class of 1963 Ben Pomeroy played basketball at William & Mary College, leading the conference in rebounds, and has remained in Virginia since. He coached high school basketball for a time before moving into a career in insurance. Now back to an educational setting, he is once again coaching, this time with girls tennis. Ben recently remarried a number of years after his first wife passed away. He stays active, hiking and playing golf and enjoying his six grandkids.
Class of 1966 60th Reunion
Class of 1959 Steve Twining continues to live in Los Angeles and regularly enjoys cheering on his grandchildren from the sidelines of their soccer games. He was especially moved by the rededication of the Trevor-Lovejoy Zoo last spring in honor of his classmate, Dr. Tom Lovejoy ’59, a tribute he had long hoped to see come to fruition.
Class of 1960 Larry Eppenbach lives full-time on Lopez Island off the coast of Washington state. Following a long career in finance, he moved into a role with the Alaska State Treasury. He’s now working with Washington State Ferries in support of their conversion from diesel to electric, and he stays active as a leader in his local community, supporting environment-friendly organizations like the Lopez Community Land Trust.
Doug Emerick has lived on Orcas Island in Washington state with his wife, Pam, for more than 20 years. After initial studies in college, including Temple and the University of Miami, Doug pursued a career in education and found his calling as a special education teacher, a role he embraced with great passion before eventually moving into administration with the Bainbridge Island School District. Reflecting on his own time at Millbrook, Doug shares his gratitude for Mr. Pulling—who held his father, Alan Emerick ’40, in high regard. Today, Doug and Pam are deeply engaged in their island community and share a belief in the power of education to shape lives.
Class of 1968 Class of 1966 Ray Oneglia Jr. paid a visit to Millbrook when he was in the area last fall. Ray is a third-generation owner of O&G Industries, a large multi-national construction company based out of Torrington, Connecticut. His company has done work for many boarding schools, including Millbrook, Hotchkiss, Salisbury, and Choate.
Dorian Dale is living in Hawai’i and looking to emulate there New York’s Suffolk County’s Reclaim Our Water Initiative. Though it is the nation’s 25th wealthiest county, 72% of residents do not treat their wastewater. That is being reversed with a science-based program and dedicated sales tax that will provide $4 billion over the coming decades. A recent issue of Hawaii Business Magazine details how Hawaii’s current program was modeled on Suffolk County’s wastewater program and the role Dorian played.
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Class Notes Class of 1976
Despite experiencing significant personal
to take the Series 7 exam, which launched his
50th Reunion
hardships and health challenges throughout
career transition. Lyle has two sons, one in real
his life, Mark says he remains grateful,
Recently reflecting on his years at Millbrook,
estate and one in architecture.
resilient, and positive, crediting Millbrook
Mark Hergenrother shared that the
with helping instill the perspective and
lessons he learned in community service,
strength that continue to guide him today.
Class of 1984
compassion, and respect for others shaped
Since 1987, Lyle Schiavone has been running
Frank Neville is currently serving as
his financial firm in Williamsburg. A graduate
president of Millsaps College, a small
both his personal and professional life. Over the years, he has carried forward
of Pace University, he began his career working
liberal arts college in Jackson, Mississippi,
Millbrook’s emphasis on caring for others,
in fleet operations for the NY Transit Authority,
a role he began about a year and a half ago.
often helping those facing challenges
commuting from Philadelphia. Millbrook
Previously, he was senior vice president
without expecting recognition in return.
friends working in finance encouraged him
of strategic initiatives and chief of staff
Class of 1977 Caroline “Kitty” Kittredge settled into her (hopefully) forever home last year in a quintessential little New England village and loves it. She is keeping busy with renovations, including a new basement and playroom/entertainment area, which she will tackle next. She spends time with her youngest daughter, who lives in an adjacent town, and visits her other daughter in Vermont. After retiring five years ago, Kitty has been enjoying her free time to read, draw, paint birds and wildlife, walk with her dog, Buck, and vacation in mid-coast Maine often and regularly.
Class of 1974 In the fall of 2025, Marion Percy spent some time on campus with her granddaughter as they visited the Trevor-Lovejoy Zoo. She also enjoyed meeting Everett and Leeann Sands, sponsors of the Gotham Football Club, last fall and watching Gotham FC defeat the Portland Thorns 3-0 in an exciting match. “I haven’t had so much soccer fun since my Millbrook school days!”
Class of 1976 Trigg Waller says, “Hello friends, just an update on life. I retired from 40+ years as an architectural lighting designer three years ago. Ellen and I have picked up our things and moved from Chicago to Charleston, South Carolina, Mount Pleasant, specifically, where we spend the colder months. We, however, are still very connected to the city with our clubs and organizations. We find ourselves in the city enough to feel comfortable complaining about it to our great friends there. During warmer months we drop anchor in Harbor Springs, Michigan, Wequetonsing specifically, where I will work on boat projects till the end of days. Best to all out there.”
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Class of 1977 Guyton Thorne spent 25 years in the cybersecurity world, building an international career that took him all over the globe. He worked with companies in the U.S., Germany, Russia, Israel, and Canada, gaining a wide range of perspectives along the way. It was fast-paced, demanding work that required precision and adaptability— skills he still relies on today. In 2023, Guyton retired from cybersecurity to focus on two long-time passions: fishing and skiing. He now owns and runs a small fishing lure business in the Northeastern United States, where everything he designs is tested with real-world anglers in mind. Guyton is sponsored by Johnson Outdoors (Old Town, Minn Kota, Humminbird Electronics) and Duncan Lewis (St. Croix Rods, Seviin Reels). In the winter, he lives to ski and is part of the Völkl, Marker, and Dalbello pro team. Guyton lives in Manchester-By-The-Sea, Massachusetts, with his wife, Pamela, several pets, boats, old jeeps, and motorcycles. He invites friends and classmates to “Come see us and catch some fish!”
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Class Notes at Georgia Tech and earlier worked at Thunderbird School of Global Management and George Mason University. Before entering higher education administration, Frank spent 15 years as a U.S. Foreign Service officer, living and working in Taipei, Chengdu, Guatemala City, and Beijing, where he managed crises and large-scale diplomatic operations. A multi-sport athlete at Millbrook, Frank played both basketball and baseball and still plays in a men’s baseball league today, including tournaments in Florida. His son, Nick, played baseball at Notre Dame and later founded a baseball development company that provides training and analytics tools for young athletes. Frank also has two daughters, Hanna and Maya.
Class of 1985 David Kline is currently working for Stroud Water Research Center in Avondale, Pennsylvania. The center includes three divisions: scientific research, restoration/ mitigation, and education, and David heads up their education team. Their goal is to advance knowledge and stewardship of freshwater systems through global research, education, and watershed restoration, and they work closely with organizations like the Cary Institute in Millbrook. David also runs an Ultimate Frisbee group, which began during the COVID pandemic as a family-friendly, safe, and active outlet for kids. After Millbrook, Jean Wilmerding attended Kenyon College, where she
played soccer before pursuing a career in early childhood education. She worked as a public-school classroom teacher and also spent time at Brooks School before relocating from Boston to Philadelphia in 2018.
Class of 1993 AJ Elder continues to run his photography business, Best Frame Forward, and has established clients across corporate, political, media, and theater sectors. AJ also serves as principal photographer for the Albany Times Union and works extensively with regional theater companies on a sliding-scale or pro-bono as a meaningful way to give back to his community.
Class of 1983 Melody Gowen recently shared that her last visit to Millbrook was during the admissions process for her son, who ultimately chose to attend a day school in Washington. Now retired after a rewarding career as a teacher, Melody lives in Seattle, where she settled after college and has remained ever since. She and her husband have two children: a daughter and a son (who recently graduated from the University of Oregon). She stays in touch with Oliver Davis in the Seattle area and would be happy to connect with other Millbrook alums.
Class of 1983 Sallie Shatz splits her time between Salt Lake City, Utah, and Aspen, Colorado. Still working as a photographer and a writer, she has two photo exhibits in the spring of 2026 in Burlington, Vermont. Since 1992, she has served on Mountain Rescue Aspen (with a seven-year hiatus at one point). In the 60-year history of Mountain Rescue Aspen, she is still the only female training officer for the team. She has also served as a rescue leader for the team. Currently, she is on the Board of Trustees of the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art, the Advisory Board for the School of the Arts at the University of Vermont, and the Advisory Board of UtahPresents, the University of Utah’s curated performing arts center. She is also the president of a 300-acre HOA in Colorado, co-lead of wildfire mitigation, and a volunteer for the League of Women Voters Utah. Her goal in life is to spend as much time outside as possible, enjoying the beauty of the natural world. Sallie invites those who are in Salt Lake City or Aspen to drop her a line!
Class of 1993 Courtney (Ferenz) Vassalo lives in Middleburg, Virginia, with her husband and two Frenchies. Professionally, she works with kids who have selective mutism and social anxiety. She uses evidence-based treatments to help children build confidence and find their voice while partnering closely with parents and school staff to ensure kids feel supported at home and in the classroom. Her work is focused on getting children, who often feel misunderstood, the support they need to connect and be seen.
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Class Notes Class of 1997 Cedrick Noel’s diagnoses of a major heart defect led to open heart surgery during his time at Millbrook. That experience
Cedrick lives in Woodstock, Georgia, with his
available spots. During his tenure, the school
wife, Kendra, and three young children. He
has experienced significant growth alongside
remains active in hockey and volunteers with
the rapid expansion of Dubai’s expat
his church, deeply motivated by his faith.
community, which Craig notes may present future opportunities for boarding schools.
fueled his passion for medicine. Following medical school, he launched his career as a chiropractor and brain rehabilitation
Class of 1999
This year, Craig and his family will return to their home in West Virginia, near Pittsburgh.
expert, currently treating patients from
Craig Tredenick is completing eight years
He will take on a new role as director of
all over the world. His method is gravity-
as director of admissions and advancement at
membership at E3n, the leading association
based and focuses on retraining the brain’s
the American School of Dubai, where he has
for independent school admissions in the
function. He is also an inventor of at-home
helped grow applications from 800 to more
U.S. (formerly the Enrollment Management
care products for spinal and brain health.
than 2,000 annually for approximately 100
Association, which oversees ERB and SSAT).
Class of 1997
Class of 1997
Dominic Bergeron wrote, produced, and released a new movie, My Stepmother Is a Witch (Ma Belle-Mère Est Une Sorcière). It premiered at the Schlingel International Film Festival for Children and Young Audiences on September 30, 2025, and was released in theaters on October 10.
Joerg Fiebiger was back in the U.S. after a hiatus of close to 10 years and brought his family to campus last August. He is currently the head of compliance for Audi Germany.
Class of 1999
Class of 1999 Lock Baker is currently living in Malibu, California. For many years, he had been fabricating and selling custom motorcycles. His focus is now on different motorized vehicles: airplanes. Lock is taking flight lessons at a local airport and using a hangar there as a personal workshop.
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Winn Jewett is a software developer and the CEO and co-founder of BoardSpot, a nonprofit board management technology company. He created the platform to help organizations streamline board service and communication and increase engagement. In addition to this work, he is serving on the board of the Rocky Mountain Field Institute, a non-profit dedicated to the conservation and stewardship of public lands in Southern Colorado. Winn lives in Colorado Springs with his wife and two young children.
Class of 2000 After the difficult loss of his father, Rocco Commisso, Giuseppe Commisso is leading the way in the family businesses. On January 16, 2026, Giuseppe was appointed president of Italian soccer club ACF Fiorentina, having served the team for many years in other important roles. Shortly thereafter, Mediacom announced that Giuseppe was named executive chairman, continuing his leadership across the company’s operations and strategic direction.
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Class Notes Class of 2004 Matt Rubin founded Boston Social in 2010, offering adult recreational sports, including basketball, volleyball, dodgeball, and pickleball. After growing the company to 100+ employees, he sold the business in 2019 and then returned post-sale to lead its tech modernization. He rebuilt and improved the company’s app to better support social efforts and relaunched in 2021, fueling significant growth. Today, he continues to develop new ventures, including Arammu and Red Rabbit Games. Arammu is a relationship app that serves more than 10,000 couples and is backed by the health and psychology community. Red Rabbit Games is focused on small gaming shops, providing 12-month acceleration, business models, HR, accounting, and mentorship. Matt’s goal is to help studios survive the first two game releases and reach their third, typically where they become profitable.
Class of 2005 Steve Giannone is living in San Francisco, where he is a real estate agent with Sotheby’s,
Class of 2003
• Leland Smith at the Army & Navy Club in Washington, DC.
Leland Smith is currently serving as director of International Economics and Global Supply Chains on the National Security Council at the White House, where he leads a team of five. His work is intense with long hours and a lot of sacrifice, but he is honored to serve in this position. His primary responsibility is identifying critical raw earth minerals, ensuring the U.S. supply chains remain stable. After Millbrook, Leland attended West Point and then Georgetown, where he earned his law degree. He now lives in Arlington, Virginia, with his wife and two kids.
Class of 2004 Charlie Hettinger lives in Tampa, Florida, and is currently developing a historic cigar factory in Ybor City into loft apartments. A devoted family man, he and his wife enjoy taking their children on road trips.
Class of 2005 Katie (Coby) Hughes stopped by campus with her three adorable boys in tow!
having surpassed $100M in sales. After college, Steve spent time in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, before before transitioning into real estate. Steve’s wife, Brittany, is an interior designer, and they have one child, with another on the way. Fun fact: Steve won a national lacrosse championship his freshman year at the University of Virigina alongside current Millbrook faculty member JJ Morrissey! Andrew Williamson completed a deployment to Australia as the executive officer of Marine Rotational Force - Darwin (2200+ person MAGTF). Andrew is currently back in Miramar and slated to move to MCAS Yuma, Arizona, to take command of VMFA-211 in May of 2027.
Class of 2006 J’nelle Agee produced a virtual book launch for Oprah Daily via a livestream with Gayle King and authors Jonathan Haidt and Catherine Price. Haidt and Price are authors of The Amazing Generation, a book that helps children develop healthy relationships with digital technology. J’nelle also helped coordinate special guests who joined the discussion, including Amy Schumer, Tinx, and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
Class of 2007 Arthur Anthony ran the Boston Marathon and raised $13,682 and counting for the Next Step Fund. He is currently working in real estate for The Agency RE in Manhattan.
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Class Notes Alumni Profile
ANDREW HUGHES ’10 Andrew Hughes ’10 has found himself at the intersection of energy innovation, sustainability, and entrepreneurship as vice president of business development for Scale Microgrids, a rapidly growing company focused on resilient, distributed energy systems. Based in Pleasant Valley, New York, Andrew leads business development efforts across much of the Northeast and Midwest, helping commercial and industrial clients reduce energy costs and improve reliability through combinations of solar power, battery storage, and microgrid technology. helps oversee projects that allow businesses to generate and manage their own power more efficiently. Unlike traditional backup generators, many of the company’s systems operate continuously, using batteries, solar arrays, and intelligent controls to reduce strain on the electrical grid while providing reliable power during outages. Andrew describes the energy sector as both enormous and surprisingly interconnected. “It’s a huge area to work in,” he shared, “but once you’re in it, it becomes a small world.” He particularly enjoys the constant evolution of the industry, where changes in technology, regulation, and economics require creative problem-solving and adaptability. He also sees a major educational component to the work, especially as battery storage projects sometimes face public skepticism or misunderstanding. Helping customers and communities better understand renewable energy infrastructure has become an important part of his role. In a full-circle moment, Andrew and his wife relocated from the New York City area back to the Hudson Valley in 2024, settling near Millbrook After graduating from Millbrook in 2010, Andrew attended George
shortly before the birth of their daughter, Rosie. Although he admits
Washington University and initially explored work in finance and
he once thought he would never return to rural living after growing up
investment banking. Those early jobs touched on energy markets, and
in New York City, he now appreciates the quieter pace of life, historic
one year out of college, he joined a leadership development program at
character, and natural beauty of the area. The family enjoys exploring
Exelon, one of the country’s largest utility companies. While spending
the outdoors, and Andrew recently returned to the Trevor-Lovejoy Zoo
three years in the program, moving between Baltimore and Chicago, he
with his daughter, reflecting on his own experiences as a IIIrd form
discovered a fascination with energy markets and infrastructure. What
“zooie” and the unique culture of responsibility and stewardship that
began as an interest in economics and commodity pricing evolved into
defined his Millbrook years.
a long-term career in renewable energy and battery storage. Andrew
Andrew remains closely connected to several Millbrook classmates
credits those early experiences analyzing electricity, gas, and power markets with shaping the direction of his career. Eager for a faster-moving and more entrepreneurial environment that
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and has expressed interest in becoming more involved with the school and its alumni programs, particularly around sustainability and energy education. He hopes to help current students and young alumni better
would allow him to grow, Andrew eventually left the corporate utility
understand the many career opportunities within the evolving energy
world to join a battery storage startup in New York City. There, he
sector. “The energy world is one of those industries people don’t
helped commercialize emerging battery technologies and build out the
always know how to break into,” he explained. “If I can help people
company’s sales efforts before transitioning into energy development
understand what types of roles exist or where to start looking, that
work, where he found his true niche. Today at Scale Microgrids, Andrew
feels worthwhile.”
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ALUMNI/AE
Class Notes Class of 2007 AJ Links helped to cast the upcoming movie Trash Mountain, staring Caleb Hearon, Zooey Deschanel, Kyle Marvin, and Jaboukie Young-White. Pardis Zahedi and her husband, Matt, welcomed their second child, Griff, in January. He was born during Winter Storm Fern in Rhinebeck, New York, even though their home is in the Virgin Islands. The family is currently living in St. Croix, where Pardis continues to work for the National Park Service, and Matt works for the Nature Conservancy.
Class of 2009
mental health care for veterans, active-
with his knowledge of construction
duty service members, and their families.
operations. In 2022, he returned to
At CVN, AJ was responsible for evaluating
Pennsylvania to join his family’s company,
and sourcing real estate to be acquired and
P.L. Walman LLC, a construction business,
refashioned as hospitals and clinics within
where he has focused on bringing operational
the network, blending his finance experience
efficiencies and integrating new technology.
Class of 2008 After many adventures around the world, Devin Hardy is happily settled (for now) in Boulder, Colorado, in a three-year graduate program in clinical mental health counseling at Naropa University. When not in classes or studying, she works with families and young children at an occupational therapy clinic. Otherwise, she spends as much time as possible outdoors, in her yard gardening or in the mountains trail running and when there’s snow, riding/skiing/hiking. She loves where she is and yet dreams of landing back on the East Coast someday.
Allison Smith recently relocated to New York City after six years in Napa Valley, where she worked in wine marketing. Now living on the Upper East Side, she is enjoying being closer to family, including her sister, Isabelle. In addition to foundation work, Allison is a talented commission artist specializing in pets and wildlife. She looks forward to visiting campus soon, hopefully for a volleyball game in the fall to cheer on sister Isabelle’s niece, Soniya, Millbrook Class of 2027!
Class of 2012 Holden Jaffe released his third album, Chasing the Chimera, on November 7, 2025. In December, he delivered a surprise performance with the Jonas Brothers, collaborating on his song “How to Live.”
Class of 2012
Class of 2013
Chloe Gbai received two Academy Award nominations for her documentary work at Netflix. The Perfect Neighbor was nominated for Best Documentary Feature, and All the Empty Rooms was nominated and won for Best Documentary Short Film!
Dana Foote released a new album, Swallow the Knife, on August 22, 2025. In January, she joined The Last Dinner Party on their tour of Australia and New Zealand, performing across six stages from Perth to Auckland.
Class of 2013
Class of 2014 AJ Wallace began his professional career working with Steven Cohen’s hedge fund, Point72, before transitioning to work in Stamford, Connecticut, with the Cohen Veterans Network (CVN), founded by in 2015 with a $275 million commitment to
Lena Hardy is happy in her new position at Partners for Climate Action, based in Hudson, New York. Lena continues to paint and sculpt, working primarily with handmade raw materials and found objects, while also devoting time to her two horses, Holden and Gus. Lena’s professional path has been multifaceted leading up to her current role: from artist fabricator to manager of horse farms to a client relations manager at STAIR, a fine art and antiques auction house.
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Class Notes Alumni Profile
ELLIE MUCKSTADT ’18 Ellie Muckstadt did not drift into architecture. She chose it early and then worked relentlessly to earn a spot at one of the top architecture programs in the country. So she made a decision that required both confidence and courage: she enrolled in the three-year Master of Architecture program at Washington University in St. Louis. She arrived feeling prepared—and quickly realized she wasn’t. Many of her classmates came from accredited, technically rigorous undergraduate programs. Many already spoke fluently about construction and building systems. Ellie understood there would be a heavy lift ahead. Studio courses were nine credits each and weighed substantially in the grading system. Expectations were high, critiques were intense, and the pace was unrelenting, so much so that Ellie recalls averaging just four hours of sleep per night during those three years.
“It was a lot of sleepless nights. A lot of all-nighters.” The program demanded mastery of far more than design aesthetics. She studied environmental systems—HVAC, ventilation, fire safety, lighting, electrical distribution—and learned how a building’s orientation affects energy performance. She dove into structural analysis, calculating loads and understanding how materials like “I knew from a young age that it was what I wanted to do,” she says.
concrete, steel, and wood behave under stress, and she learned a
Her mother worked in architecture as a designer and project manager,
variety of software programs that went well beyond AutoCAD.
so Ellie grew up around drawings and job sites. As a child, she sketched imaginary floor plans on her Etch A Sketch, long before she understood what a load-bearing wall was. By the time she arrived at Millbrook, her interest had matured into intent. She sought out courses at Millbrook, like Design Thinking with Dr. LaCosse, and pushed herself artistically, laying a creative foundation to build on.
of the program. One semester she designed a greenhouse; another focused on an artist residency and exhibition space. One particularly favorite studio centered on international housing, one of Washington University’s signature strengths. She studied the architecture of Barcelona with a talented architect from Spain, examining how culture
At Hobart and William Smith Colleges, she pursued an architecture
shapes home spaces. The experience taught her that human behavior
major alongside minors in art history and environmental studies. The
must inform architecture.
setting for the undergraduate program—studios in an old house with tons of character—felt fitting and inspiring. The curriculum gave her a
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Just as in her undergraduate years, studio time remained the heart
“You’re building for a specific group of people, so you must
broad understanding of the built environment: Renaissance proportion,
determine how what you build will benefit them the most.”
modernist clarity, deconstructivist experimentation. Studio projects
For her final culminating project, Ellie tackled transitional housing
challenged her to design food and education centers and explore the
in St. Louis, responding to the city’s visible homelessness crisis.
relationship between landscape and structure.
The project required extensive research into the unhoused crisis, social
Her undergraduate program was deeply grounded in theory and
services, and reintegration. Architecture, she realized, could not be
history. Technical training, including systems, structures, environmental
separated from empathy. It required understanding not just square
performance, was lighter. She used AutoCAD and experimented with
footage, but human need. By the time she graduated in May, she had
Adobe programs, but only at a surface level. She recognized a potential gap,
endured three demanding years and emerged technically stronger,
and if she wanted to become a licensed architect, she would need more.
more confident, and certain she had chosen the right path.
• SPRING 2026
“I love it, so I can’t imagine myself doing anything else.” After allowing herself a couple of months to rest, Ellie joined a fourperson high-end residential architecture firm in St. Louis. As a firstyear professional, she is not standing in dramatic shells of buildings contemplating grand design gestures. Instead, her days are defined by precision, documentation, coordination, and learning. She prepares construction documents for permit submissions, often revising drawings many multiple times to satisfy municipal requirements. Each city section and neighborhood in St. Louis has its own rules, like setback limits, height restrictions, and historic preservation guidelines. Her work requires fluency in both creativity and regulation. A south-facing storefront may need carefully angled awnings to protect interiors from harsh sunlight. A historic district may prohibit altering a façade. Structural decisions must align with code. Every drawing carries responsibility.
“It varies greatly across the city. When you’re designing, you also have to think about the very specific structure you’re designing or the plot of land you’re building on.”
responsibilities with each team. The experience reflects an important truth about early-career architecture: growth happens by doing. Every project, whether glamorous or routine, builds competence. Looking ahead, Ellie’s next milestone is licensure. The path requires
Technology now anchors much of her daily workflow. She uses
roughly 3,700 documented hours across specific experience categories
AutoCAD to draft detailed plans and elevations. For 3D modeling and
and six examinations.
visualization, she works in programs such as Rhino and SketchUp.
It is another demanding chapter but one she is approaching
Rendering tools like Enscape help translate technical drawings into
thoughtfully and, with her graduate degree in hand, she is finally able
near-photorealistic images that clients can understand.
to experience St. Louis beyond studio walls. “Now, I actually have
Since it is difficult for many clients to visualize a finished product
time to explore and see new things and appreciate the place,” she
from plans, software allows her team to “make it look pretty real,”
says. In the long term, cities like Chicago—with their rich architectural
giving clients confidence before construction begins. She also uses
legacies—appeal to her. But wherever she builds her career, her
Photoshop and InDesign to assemble polished presentations—visual
foundation is firm.
storytelling is a key skill in her work.
Ellie’s story is about persistence and determination—of long nights
Recently, after a tornado damaged parts of St. Louis, Ellie began leading the interior redesign of a local office building. Selecting furnishings, coordinating with vendors, and communicating with subcontractors has expanded her professional skill set as she juggles
and early mornings, of calculations, code compliance, and careful detailing. Architecture, as she begins to practice it, is not abstract. It is specific, regulated, environmental, and deeply human. And it is exactly where she wants to be.
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Class Notes Class of 2015
Class of 2014 Sheldon Freeman joined DeVos Urban Leadership Initiative
Cate MacKenzie earned an M. Ed in Independent School Leadership from Vanderbilt University in June 2025. Cate is in her second year at Westminster School, serving as the fourth form dean, teaching French, and coaching varsity field hockey.
(DVULI) in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in May 2025 as their communications manager. DVULI is a faith-based leadership development program serving urban youth. Through his own initiative, 47shoes, and in partnership with Brookelyn Elias Promise, he helped distribute over 60 pairs of shoes in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Sheldon also continues his creative development in the world of sports. A recent voiceover for Bleacher Report for the NHL playoffs adds to his body of work narrating videos for the NBA, NFL, and MLB.
Class of 2021
Class of 2016
5th Reunion
Danny Mitchell attended Washington and Lee as a student-athlete, majoring in accounting and playing basketball. After graduating, he utilized their strong finance network to land his first professional position. He started as an investment analyst at a large bank and has since moved to a smaller fund, Matrix Family Office, in New York, where the work-life balance is better.
Will Weiskopf graduated from Elon with a degree in Sport Management and is now working at DraftKings in Boston.
Class of 2022 Tracy He is currently finishing her degree at Emory University and interning at an investment banking firm in the city, where she will be transitioning into a full-time role post-graduation in the fast-paced environment of the finance world. Her younger sister Charlotte He ’29 is currently a IIIrd former at Millbrook. Tracy is dating Millbrook alum Eric Wang ’23, who currently attends the University of Michigan. They both enjoy fostering dogs and are actively doing so in Atlanta. Eric plans to relocate to Atlanta after graduation.
Class of 2017 Will Conte completed his MBA at Stanford Graduate School of Business and graduated this May. He describes the experience as both challenging and rewarding, with a particular interest in M&A and company valuation. After graduation, Will looks forward to returning to New York, where he is exploring a range of professional opportunities, including potential investments and an early-stage consumer venture.
Class of 2024 Abigail Danso will be joining the Hudson Valley Crusaders for the 2026 season as both a player and an intern. The organization is a semi-professional team dedicated to elevating women’s soccer by providing a platform for high-level competition while empowering female athletes through mentorship and development opportunities. She is grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the mission and looking forward to working with the team this season.
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Class of 2019
Class of 2018 Corley DeTuro and Tiffany Hatfield reunited on campus last fall. Corley was excited to start a new job in Washington, D.C., and visited Tiffany, who lives locally in Dutchess County, before making her way down to the capital.
Ousseni Bouda was awarded the Andrew Bedard Spirit of the Game/Humanitarian of the Year by his MLS team, the San Jose Earthquakes. After scoring five goals in the first 14 games of the 2026 season, Ousseni inked a contract extension that will keep him on the Earthquakes through the 2027 season. Bouda is topping the dribbling rankings in Major League Soccer, 2nd at the end of May after Georgi Minoungou from the Colorado Rapids. It was also announced in March that he was called up to represent Burkina Faso during the international window. At the international level, Ousseni has earned 14 caps for Burkina Faso and scored two goals.
ALUMNI/AE
Class Notes
Class of 2021 Class of 2019 Suwaibatu Mohammed ’19 signed with Omonia Nicosia FC for the 2025-2026 season, helping the team win the 2025 Cypriot Women’s Super Cup. In May, she returned to the U.S., signing with Vermont Wild FC to compete at the highest level of amateur football in the Women’s Premier Soccer League (WPSL).
Shak Mohammed was traded from Orlando City SC to Nashville SC, where he continues to grow as a MLS player. In his debut game for Nashville, Shak slotted in a goal to help beat Atlanta United 2-0. His was a celebration worthy of tears!
Class of 2025 Francis Bonsu, New York’s 2025 Gatorade Player of the Year, completed his first season as a member of the UCLA men’s soccer team. He helped the Bruins win the Big Ten Tournament.
Class of 2022 Stephen Peschel III just graduated cum laude from Franklin University in Lugano, Switzerland, with a BSc in environmental science and a minor in French. Stephen will remain in Switzerland to attend the University of Bern to pursue a two-year MSc in climatic and earth sciences.
Class of 2021 Lauren Jones majored in psychology and studio art at Connecticut College, graduated in May 2025, and moved to Copenhagen because she enjoyed her study abroad there so much. She is currently exploring the idea of continuing her education in Denmark while looking for professional opportunities in a creative or visual field like ceramics, design, or marketing. She is also working in a ceramics studio and hopes to start her own business.
Class of 2025
Class of 2023 Charlie Lehner ran into fellow 2023 classmate Rogan Fauci at the Amman Airport as both were being evacuated from Jordan due to the IsraelIran conflict.
Amadou Fall put together a great first year on the Lincoln University men’s basketball team. His defensive prowess earned him a Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Defensive Player of the Week award for the second week of January 2026. Soon after, he made history by blocking eight shots on January 21, the most blocks in a game for a Lions player since the team joined the CIAA in 2008.
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Class Notes
PAST MEETS PRESENT
SILO SPOTLIGHTS This year, Millbrook students have been reaching across generations to interview alumni whose paths have taken them far while their experiences remain rooted in the values first nurtured here. Originally shared in the pages of The Silo during the 2025-2026 school year, these student-written profiles capture conversations about purpose, challenge, curiosity, and impact. They tell the stories of graduates who are living Millbrook’s mission in thoughtful, tangible ways—building careers, serving communities, and pursuing bold ideas around the world. In these exchanges, past and present connect, and the Millbrook story continues to unfold in really magical ways.
STUDENT CONTRIBUTORS
Greta Heidrick ’27
Alex Hickey ’26
Kate Rubinstein ’27
MARIAH LAVITT ’10:
A Journey of Grit and Growth By Greta Heidrick ’27 Mariah is currently a product line manager at Corning, a more than 170-year-old company that specializes in glass and ceramics for everyday technology such as smartphones. She works in their Gorilla Glass Solutions division, specializing in consumer electronics like laptops and e-notebooks. As a IIIrd former at Millbrook, Mariah spent much of her free time at the Trevor Zoo. Helping zoo staff with various projects provided her with a sense of belonging on campus. It also inspired a lifelong interest in environmental science and passion for conservation work. In her words, “I’d always been an animal lover, but the zoo helped me understand why that mattered on a broader level… Millbrook gave me a sense of being part of something bigger than myself.” Mariah went on to pursue a degree in Natural Resources at Cornell University.
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Jack Stewart ’27
ALUMNI/AE
Class Notes After graduating from college, Mariah found it challenging to pick a career. “When you have the opportunity to pursue almost anything, it’s hard to know where to start.” She describes her professional path as a “circuitous one,” joking that “résumés requiring some kind of diagram to adequately follow might be genetic.” She was a science teacher and paralegal before deciding to attend law school. After her first year at Brooklyn Law, she faced “what felt like an existential crossroads.”
But one day in the fall of 2022, she “got inexplicably sick. Within six
“Midway through [my life] I realized I’d been choosing paths I knew would make other people proud. And then, when I inevitably failed, I could say I never really wanted it anyway. The missing piece was acknowledging that I have agency in my choices. I finally decided to take ownership—even if that meant falling on my face.”
to broaden the possibilities I see for myself. Becoming physically
Following this realization, Mariah joined a startup where she discovered her love for product innovation and brand strategy. She completed her MBA at Cornell Johnson Graduate School of Management in 2022. Mariah then joined Johnson & Johnson as a Global Strategic Marketing Manager, focused on the development of orthopedic medical devices that utilize AI and robotics.
Mariah’s advice to Millbrook students as they pursue their future
months I rapidly went from running marathons to using a walker. I was housebound for about a year and a half while working full-time. After an incredibly lonely and scary 18 months, I was finally diagnosed with an autoimmune disease. I have what’s called a dynamic disability: some days I walk fine; other days I need a cane or a rollator. My service dog, Hickory, has been a huge part of giving me the confidence disabled changed everything, particularly how I think about design and usability. Nothing about my life is what I envisioned, but it has unraveled in an incredibly beautiful way. Ironically enough, that is the silver lining.” career paths is: “You’ll become many iterations of yourself—and that’s okay. Goals and needs change…Life will have so many unplanned chapters: some challenging, some triumphant, all temporary. Embrace that fluidity. Who you are is malleable, and that’s exciting.”
EMILY STRAUS ’13:
From Millbrook to Man Cereal By Jack Stewart ’27 For Emily, Millbrook
After starting out in advertising, Emily made a leap of faith, moving
was about more than
to Los Angeles “on a whim” to pursue work in health and wellness.
just academics. She remembers the strong bond of her cross-country
She joined Dr. Squatch, a natural men’s personal care brand that recently sold to Unilever for $1.5 billion, as their eighth employee and first marketing hire. “Most of my big career growth and development happened at that job,” she says. It was also where she
team, the fun of JV ice
met her future co-founder.
hockey under Coach
Together, they started Man Cereal, a functional, high-protein,
Allen (who was also her
low-sugar cereal fortified with creatine (a functional ingredient
dorm parent), and the
with benefits for strength, recovery, and brain power). The cereal
lessons learned in anthropology and English classes that, in her words, “set me up really well for college.” Those experiences carried her to Tulane, where she majored in communications and international development, and later into a career that blended creativity, entrepreneurship, and health.
was designed to stand out in a market dominated by sugary, kidfocused brands and boring “healthy” brands targeted to women. According to Emily, “We just kept joking, ‘there’s no man cereal,’ and the name stuck.” “It makes you laugh, and that’s what we wanted to go for. We’re serious about the product, serious about nutrition, and not serious about really anything else.”
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Class Notes Man Cereal’s plain packaging is deliberately disruptive. Emily says, “We wanted it to go against everything that is cereal, no bright colors, no cartoon characters, no tricks. What you see is what you get.” Each serving contains 2.5 grams of creatine, enough to get all the benefits without sacrificing taste, and 15-16 grams of high-quality protein. Flavors include salted fudge, fruity, and the surprising fan-favorite maple bacon. Having launched direct-to-consumer in late 2025, Emily reflects that her Millbrook friendships, resilience, and critical thinking skills were foundational to her entrepreneurial path. You can learn more about Man Cereal at www.eatmancereal.com.
LUCY PAPACHRISTOU ’14:
Where Curiosity Leads By Kate Rubinstein ’27 For most Millbrook students, free time in the school day means grabbing food at the snack bar and hanging out with friends in the Barn. But for Lucy Papachristou ’14, those quiet moments at Millbrook were spent reading and researching history and current events in the Schoolhouse library. Lucy’s innate curiosity and drive to understand the world around her kicked off her career as an international journalist, where she has traveled from the bustling streets of London to the political protests of Tbilisi, Georgia. Now a professional journalist for Reuters, one of the largest news organizations in the world, Lucy’s journey highlights how the lessons learned here on School Road can carry you into a truly impactful life.
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Lucy joined the Millbrook community in her junior year, looking for a change from the fast-pace of her home in New York City. Although she had the choice to go to other boarding schools, Lucy notes that she “...chose Millbrook because its community felt charming, and it turned out to be exactly the right place.” During her time here at Millbrook, she was a regular in the library for both studying and for her community service, and she even started a comedic newspaper called “The Yolk.” When she wasn’t at the library cozying up by the fireplace and reading a good book, Lucy could be found exploring the outdoors surrounding campus, on the rink with her JV hockey team, or pushing herself on the softball field. In the classroom, Lucy thrived thanks to the small, personalized environment Millbrook provided. She recalls a Chinese class where she was one of only two students and states, “That level of attention was incredibly rare and meaningful,” going so far as to say that the teaching at Millbrook was exceptional. Lucy’s ability to thrive in boarding school not only aided her transition to college but also spurred her along on her path to becoming an international journalist. After graduating in 2014, Lucy attended Carleton College, where she decided, after tackling Mandarin, to study Russian as a new challenge. Little did she know that her fascination with the Millbrook library’s collection of Eastern European literature would eventually land her a job reporting on European conflicts. While she didn’t always know that she wanted to be a journalist, Lucy’s love of writing and curiosity about the world led her to the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism. Her big break came in 2022, when Russia invaded Ukraine, and her Russian skills helped her land a job at the Reuters Moscow Bureau. Currently, Lucy lives and works in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia. While she is part of the Moscow Bureau, she works remotely from
ALUMNI/AE
Class Notes Georgia to cover the South Caucasus, a region that includes Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. There, she monitors official Russian press conferences, writes breaking news stories, and spends weeks developing longer feature stories that can take months to develop. In addition, being on the ground allows her to contact and build trust with politicians, protestors, or other journalists firsthand. Even though it is a topic not widely covered in major news sources, Lucy explained that “Georgia is going through one of the most serious political crises of its post-Soviet history,” as she described the place as a “fascinating place to report” due to its culture and historical complexity. Interestingly, the journalists there face increasing pressure from the government as the Kavelashvili presidency attempts to curb dissent. Looking back, Lucy says that Millbrook was the perfect training ground for her career. Moving to a new school halfway through high school forced her to step out of her comfort zone and build relationships from scratch. She says that these essential skills are something she uses every day in her job, especially as she interviews strangers for her articles. In addition, Lucy says that “Millbrook also fostered my curiosity about the world. That mindset, being interested, observant, and engaged, has been essential in my work.”
Even as she reports on international crises thousands of miles away from campus, Lucy remains connected to her Millbrook roots. Her advice to current students is: “Stay curious, embrace the unique opportunities Millbrook offers, and don’t be afraid to take a path that may lead you far away from home.”
DAVID BOTTENBERG ’16:
Turning Passion Into Purpose By Alex Hickey ’26 Division I basketball players are as rare as they come, but a Division I player who maintains straight A’s all the way through college—that is rare indeed. Meet David Bottenberg ’16, a Millbrook alum who spent two years here lighting up the NEPSAC courts and earning the opportunity to continue playing basketball at South Carolina State, a historically Black university, on a full scholarship. There, David spent four years working tirelessly on the court while still dominating off the court and in the classroom as a biology major. At his college graduation in 2020, he was awarded the President James E. Clark Academic Excellence Award and a gift of $5,000 for maintaining a 4.0 GPA throughout his tenure at the university.
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Although his time at Millbrook was not perfect, he attributes his successful approach to college work to his time spent here: “I honestly think Millbrook’s academic rigor, like mandatory study hall, built those habits. College felt easier because of it.” In an interview with South Carolina State after graduation, David honored the support of his family—particularly his mother and girlfriend—as the source of his continued success. “My mom would give the clothes off her back to help me. She is the reason I’m in the position I’m in. She came from Nigeria. Seeing how she was able to come to America, overcome challenges, and start a family is inspirational.” About his then girlfriend and now fiancée, a fellow SCS graduate who encouraged him to overcome all obstacles, he shared, “There were many times I stressed out, especially during my last semester, but my girlfriend urged me to stay focused.” After college, David spent a few years playing professional basketball in Armenia, Spain, and Portugal. While being overseas was sometimes lonely due to the distance from loved ones, he felt that overall it was an amazing experience. Ultimately, he was ready to pursue a professional life outside of sports and moved to North Carolina in 2023, where he is now studying information science in graduate school at the University of North Carolina. David has pivoted from his
initial interest in attending medical school to focusing on software development and the broader tech world—particularly where it intersects with medicine. Building on his biology background, he’s exploring fields like medical technology and bioinformatics, areas where data, coding, and scientific knowledge come together to solve healthcare challenges. And he is still earning straight As! David’s advice to Millbrook students is to branch out and try anything and everything; he wishes he had done more of that when he was a student here. His time at Millbrook revolved mostly around basketball, and he could have gotten involved in or tried more things such as photography or the zoo. He offers this advice to current students: “Try new things—even if they don’t seem ‘cool.’ You’ll thank yourself later, and it will definitely give you a leg up when you’re heading into college. High school is the best time to explore before college and life gets more complicated.” As a very successful student-athlete in college, here is what he had to say to current Millbrook student-athletes getting ready to play at the next level: “Enjoy every moment—it goes fast. But stay disciplined. Time management is everything. You’ll have 5 a.m. practices, weights, classes—it’s a lot. Sometimes that means skipping a hangout or party to finish your work. It’s all about balance and sacrifice.”
ALEX CHALK ’16
A Life in Focus: from Microscope to Molecular Editing By Greta Heidrick ’27 At Millbrook, Alex Chalk ’16 had a diverse number of interests. From biology to photography to theater, Alex did it all. In terms of after-school activities, he participated in cross-country—and yes, he was a zooie! Alex loves science and credits Millbrook for allowing him to pursue that passion. He mentioned that, “One of the best academic strengths of Millbrook is biology, because you’ve got the zoo, the woods, and the marsh. I feel like the biology classes were just naturally really, really good.”
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ALUMNI/AE
Class Notes The resources Millbrook has are extraordinary and certainly beneficial for fostering a love of science. Alex reflects that: “To this day, I remember looking down the microscope at marsh water and seeing the little copepod swimming with its babies on its back… that was very eye-opening for me.” After Millbrook, Alex attended Hamilton College, where he was drawn to the school’s open curriculum. During college, he debated whether he wanted to study film or pursue his love of science. He chose science. With his interest in microbiology and genetics, Alex decided to study gene editing. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Alex worked in New York City, teaching after school programs to high school students. During this time, he was looking for direction with what he should pursue. He began to think about gene editing and the importance of it in the future of solving diseases such as cancer. “With a gene editing tool, you can go in and change the actual genetic DNA level of what the cells do, which is really exciting but raises many ethical and practical safety questions.” Gene editing does have moral implications because tools such as CRISPR-Cas9 often make mistakes within the genetic code, causing diseases or harmful genetic mutations. Alex chooses to grapple with those ethical concerns by knowing that he wants to help create the most effective tools for tracking gene editing outcomes. After his time in New York, Alex returned to school to get his master’s degree at University College London (UCL), which has a fantastic gene editing program affiliated with the Great Ormond Street Hospital, a highly regarded pediatric medical institution known for helping to solve rare genetic diseases. Alex spent a few years working in UCL after he completed his degree. Now, he is a PhD student at Cambridge University studying gene editing. What is unique about the degree is that Alex is spending half of his time working at AstraZeneca, a global pharmaceutical company, helping them to develop their own gene therapies. Alex recently published a paper that introduces a new method of assessing gene editing to offer a clearer picture of the gene therapy’s outcome, detailing where the editing occurs, where unintended editing takes place, and the evolution of the changes as science
therapies for cancer have seen real momentum, meaning traditional
progresses. Alex also believes strongly in communication. He says that
chemotherapy will not be the only option for patients. Alex’s overall
the best way to demonstrate your knowledge is by speaking clearly. He
advice to Millbrook students is, “If you’re motivated by enthusiasm
notes that in academia, “There is a weird culture… of forgetting that
for a subject, not simply your grade, things become so easy.”
not everyone in the room knows what you’re talking about.”
Alex Chalk is a scientist who will continue to develop powerful gene
In the next 5-10 years, Alex predicts gene editing will become a more common form of medical treatment. For example, CAR-T
therapies that will change lives. Millbrook is proud to call him an alum and is excited for his future endeavors.
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Class Notes
STU MARTIN ’19:
Where Science Meets Strategy By Greta Heidrick ’27 Stu Martin is a consultant who works tirelessly to gain investment for crucial healthcare innovation. His passion for science started at Millbrook with physics and biology classes, where he felt consistently supported by teachers who provided solid infrastructure, while he also had a natural inclination for economics and finance. Aside from his academic interests, he was an avid athlete, and his favorite extracurriculars were baseball and hockey. At Millbrook, he wasn’t mapping out a career in biotech. He was focused on hockey, baseball, and figuring out what genuinely interested him. Stu went on to attend St. Lawrence University, where he discovered his love of psychology. With the hands-on approach at St. Lawrence, Stu was able to study a wide variety of clinical psychology topics, while doing science-heavy lab procedures at the same time. It was during college that he realized he wanted to pursue both economics and science, so after graduating he went on to Trinity College in Dublin to pursue a combined degree in entrepreneurship, science, and human health. He explained, “The first half of the program was heavy science labs, a lot of pharmacology and drug development science, a lot of nitty gritty science stuff, and then the second half of the program was, okay, how do you turn science innovation into a viable business framework?” Trinity provided the opportunity to engage in a summer internship, which Stu completed in 2023 with Transition Bio, a biotech startup focusing on novel drug discovery in bio-molecular condensates. There, he worked closely with the company’s CBO and CFO on competitor analyses, accounting, and business strategy. It was the experience that confirmed his desire to continue translating science into business. As he was about to complete his master’s degree, he joined TiliaHealth FlexCo in the spring of 2025 as a consultant. TiliaHealth creates psychiatric assessments “using immersive, game-like experience, paving the way for personalized treatment plans.” Stu elaborated on their flagship product: “They are developing phone games that measure not just how you’re feeling but also the psychological processes within our brains that produce certain
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outcomes. If someone has trouble getting up in the morning, this game won’t tell them that because, of course, they already know that. Instead, it could tell someone why that’s happening and what biological process might be driving it.” In the research space, this is what’s known as a biomarker, and in the field of psychiatry, biomarkers have lagged in innovation. Stu hopes TiliaHealth can be the ones who change that. Understanding how much more he could learn if he was to work in two very different areas of healthcare innovation, Stu added a second job, returning to Transition Bio as a consultant in November 2025. The company focuses on research related to dementia, cancers, and other diseases driven by unstructured proteins. Stu helps the internal science team navigate the complex business implications of their progress so promising research can continue to be funded and forward moving. “The founders have developed an incredible drug discovery screening technology involving machine learning,” he explained, “that can greatly accelerate our understanding and ability to drug proteins that have forever been ‘undruggable.’ His role often involves translating scientific progress into business models or business development initiatives. “Scientists are very smart, much smarter than me,” Stu said. “It is my goal to make sure those
ALUMNI/AE
Class Notes scientists can translate their work into words that business people can understand.” When discussing the future of AI in healthcare, Stu believes machine learning could dramatically speed up drug development and improve how researchers predict patient outcomes. “AI is going to eventually be able to replicate what a human might experience in any given condition with any given parameters – be it environmental, pharmacological, genetic, or otherwise,” he said. “That’s where I see the value both in research and consumer health.”
Stu wants to stay in biopharma and continue to be a part of science innovations. He said, “I would rather force myself to learn something I am truly passionate about and to be put in tough situations than pursue something else just because it’s more stable.” His current advice for a Millbrook student interested in science or business is to explore all paths and find what interests you, so you can absorb as much knowledge as possible. “Try everything… choose your passion and explore what you’re excited to go to class for.”
DOMINIC PELOSI ’19:
From Millbrook to Mushrooms By Jack Stewart ’27 For Dominic Pelosi ’19, the path from Millbrook to life in New York City’s farmers markets has been full of unexpected turns. At Colby College, he discovered American Studies almost by chance, through a class on gentrification. What stayed with him was the way the major invited students to be critical of the stories communities tell about themselves. That perspective quickly became central to how he viewed the world, and, eventually, how he thought about food.
The seeds of that curiosity were planted at Millbrook. Whether jumping into the swamp on opening day, caring for animals in the zoo, or working in the school’s orchard, Dominic learned early on that hard work could also be joyful when shared with friends. He remembers planting apple trees and watching an arborist graft branches to grow new varieties, and it was moments like these that sparked his fascination with how people shape the natural world. Those lessons in patience, teamwork, and curiosity would carry him far beyond campus. After graduation, Dominic followed his curiosity abroad. He spent time on a farm outside Siena, Italy, raising pigs with a group of fellow agriculture enthusiasts. Living and working together, he was able to observe and experience the deep ties between Italian cuisine and native crops. The contrast with U.S. monocultures sharpened his sense of how culture, ecology, and food are interwoven. Back home, Dominic stumbled into mushrooms. “They grow yearround, and once I started cultivating them, I was amazed,” he says. Today, he is based in Brooklyn, overseeing farmers markets across the city for a farm that produces pioppino, lion’s mane, oyster varieties, maitake, and more. Beyond food, he’s fascinated by the potential of mushrooms as sustainable building materials. Outside of work, Dominic volunteers with the Civilian Farmers Coalition, helping farmers with undocumented staff prepare for ICE raids. For him, the future of food is not just about abundance but about fairness and dignity. “Food is more than nourishment—it is a bridge that links cultures, sustains communities, and honors those who grow it.”
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Class Notes Multiple Classes
Peter Smith ’65, Mimi (Anthony) Cushing ’08, and Bob Anthony ’65 enjoyed a get together in New York City at the end of 2025.
Sam Mills ’65 was on campus and reconnected with his great-niece Wiley Reuss ’27 and her mom, Jennifer McSweeney.
Gordon Pennoyer ’99, Tad O’Had ’99, and Jonathan Downs ’98 reconnected in Kansas City this spring. After setting the record for most franchise and Kansas City professional hockey wins by a head coach last season with the Kansas City Mavericks, Tad made his ECHL All-Star coaching debut this year.
Rufus Wainwright ’91 has been busy and on the road. Some highlights include performing with his siblings on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in December, making music for Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, and performing a benefit concert for the Dutchess County Democratic Party late last summer at “OUT for Dutchess Presents” at The Stissing Center in Pine Plains, New York. Chris Drago ’92, who won re-election in November as a Dutchess County legislator, helped coordinate the concert, which raised $53,000.
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Left to right: Loukas Zoumas ’97, Mary Zoumas ’98, Maureen Stellato, Paul Stellato, and daughters Katie Stellato ’04 and Lauren Hodges. On May 17, 2026, a small group of Millbrook alums attended the retirement reception of Millbrook’s former dean of faculty Paul Stellato, as he retired from his role as head of school at Friends Academy on Long Island. Loukas ’97 and Mary Zoumas’s ’98 children are currently enrolled there, and they remember Paul fondly, especially his positive impact on students and faculty alike.
ALUMNI/AE
Class Notes Engagements Cameron Holbrook ’11 is engaged to Jill Pelentay. They will wed on November 7, 2026, in Los Alamos, California. Jill is from Pasadena, and they currently live in Los Angeles, where Cameron is an editor at BeatPort.
Arthur Anthony ’07 was engaged to Rachel Urban in October 2025, shortly after celebrating the fourth anniversary of their first date. The wedding will take place September 19, 2026, in New York City.
Baki Bawa ’14 is engaged to Margaret Strauss. Their wedding will take place in Suffern, New York, on July 18, 2026.
Cate MacKenzie ’15 is engaged to former Millbrook School faculty member Ben Harff. Both Cate and Ben are on the faculty at Westminster School in Simsbury, Connecticut. An August wedding is planned.
Danny Mitchell ’16 and his partner, Zoey, were engaged on the beach in Water Mill, New York, in front of their families on June 13, 2025.
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Class Notes Weddings William Dudley ’58 and his wife, Diane, celebrated their nuptials on February 15, 2025, in New Vernon, New Jersey. Sophie Vallely ’07 and Adam Slater were married on September 13, 2025, in Bolton Landing, New York. Parker Holbrook ’14 married Amanda Granath on October 18, 2025. Parker is a director at Wealth Partner’s Capital Group, and Amanda is a senior public relations manager at Omnicom. They live in New York City.
Meredith Pratt ’10 married Tyler O’Connell on June 14, 2025, in Charleston, South Carolina. Many Millbrook friends and family members were there to celebrate, including fellow 2010 classmates Jane (Pfeffer) DeVore, Alexandra (Duhoski) Pugach, and Nikeyu Callaway Augustine; sisters Victoria Pratt ’06 and Morgan (Pratt) Arvisais ’00; cousin Antonia Butwell ’13; and former Millbrook faculty Liz (Duhoski) Morrison and Rick and Cindy McWilliams.
Amanda Goddard ’09 married Nils Vanderlip on December 6, 2025, at St. Barnabas Episcopal Church in Greenwich, Connecticut, a setting steeped in family history. The bride’s parents, Ashley King Goddard and Preston Lane Goddard ’74, exchanged vows there in 1988. Following the ceremony, the newlyweds recessed to “Wild Thing” by the Troggs and made their getaway in a vintage 1960s Rolls-Royce. Guests then gathered at a nearby private club where the groom—musician and VHS Collection band member—brought the house down with a surprise performance of “Waiting on the Summer.” After cake, a choreographed first dance to Michael Jackson’s “The Way You Make Me Feel,” and a stop at a beloved local dive bar (with the bride’s 89-year-old grandmother in tow), the couple flew off to Antigua to begin their honeymoon.
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Class Notes Weddings
Kelly Spector ’15 married Corey Layton on November 8, 2025, in St. Barth. They hosted an unforgettable three-day weekend in one of their favorite places, surrounded by the people they love!They even celebrated fellow Class of 2015 graduate Harrison Bluestone’s birthday!
Amber Koenigsberger ’13 married Cameron Dogan on September 20, 2025.
Kevin Drevitch ’18 married Monique Cormier on December 20, 2025, at Harrington Farm in Princeton, Massachusetts. Alex Sheehy ’17 was one of his groomsmen.
Faculty News
Nick Morley ’13 married Bailey Outerbridge at the Coral Beach & Tennis Club in Bermuda on September 6, 2025.
Dance instructor Zoe Thomas married Henry Yavorski in Verona, Italy on October 25, 2025. They spent much time in Italy due to Henry’s work with Ferrari, and Zoe previously taught dance and worked for a choreographer in Italy. They chose to share their other little world with their family and friends.
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Class Notes Births
Collin Norton ’04 and his wife, Kierra, welcomed a baby girl, Madeline “Linnie” Meadow Norton, on February 4, 2026.
Nick Imbelli ’03 and his wife, Elise, welcomed their second daughter, Avery Collins Imbelli, on December 31, 2025. Avery joins big sister Emma.
Peter Turcik ’05 and his wife, Kel Lee, welcomed their baby, Rowan James Turcik, on April 10, 2025.
Leland Smith ’03 and his wife, Sophie, welcomed their second child, Charles Clement Smith, on May 30, 2025.
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Lauren Roxborough ’07 and her husband, Max Desmarais, welcomed a baby girl, Celeste Aline Ann Desmarais, on July 6, 2025.
ALUMNI/AE
Class Notes Births
Eliza (Chapman) Pecchia ’12 and Craig Pecchia ’00 welcomed a son, Oliver Gino Pecchia, on November 18, 2025.
Pardis Zahedi ’07 and her husband, Matthew Davies, welcomed their second child, Griff Elis Davies, on January 26, 2026. Griff joins big sister Ffion.
Casey Murray ’14 and Dylan Cronin ’12 welcomed a baby boy, Quinn Keesler Murray Cronin, on February 21, 2026.
Lindsey Menard ’09 and her husband, Scott Weiss, welcomed a baby boy, Wyatt Emerson Menard Weiss, on October 20, 2025.
AJ Wallace ’14 and his wife, Alexandra, welcomed their baby boy, Joe-Paul, on December 25, 2025.
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Class Notes
In Memoriam We offer our most heartfelt condolences to the families of all Millbrook alumni, parents, past parents, faculty, and friends who have passed away recently.
A LU M N I
He will be remembered for his adventurous
Andrew “Drew” Carey, Jr. ’51 died
1948
life, devotion to family and friends, and
on May 1, 2025, surrounded by love and
enduring love of wilderness and discovery.
family in his mountain home in Central
Gordon Lamb ’48 passed away peacefully on August 14, 2025, one day after his 95th birthday. A graduate of Princeton University, Gordon lived a life marked by adventure, service, and deep intellectual curiosity. A U.S. Navy fighter pilot, accomplished geologist, Wall Street executive, philanthropist, and award-winning aviator, he pursued his many passions with energy and enthusiasm throughout his life. Gordon’s love of the outdoors, aviation, sailing, fly-fishing, and natural history shaped both his personal and professional life, while his devotion to family and friendship remained at the center of it all. He will be remembered for his warmth, humor, remarkable storytelling, and enduring spirit of curiosity and exploration.
Oregon. After Millbrook, Drew earned his
1951
and his PhD in zoology-marine ecology
Dr. John “Mac” DuBose ’51 of
from Yale in 1961. After graduate school,
Hillsborough, North Carolina, passed away after a remarkable life of service, medicine, and outdoor pursuits. After attending Millbrook School through his Vth form year, he graduated from Chapel Hill High School in 1951 before earning degrees from the University of North Carolina and Johns Hopkins Medical School. A decorated Army surgeon who served in Vietnam and received the Bronze Star, Dr. DuBose went on to found Kinston Surgical Associates and became known for his compassionate care and dedication to his patients. Outside of medicine, he was an avid hunter, fisherman, and nationally recognized retriever field trial competitor. He will be remembered for
1950 Robert “Bob” Workum ’50 passed away peacefully on September 13, 2025, at the age of 93. A graduate of Dartmouth College and the University of Wyoming, he led a life defined by adventure, intellect, and deep curiosity about the natural world. A pioneering petroleum geologist, he spent decades exploring the Arctic and the Canadian Rockies, earning respect for his expertise, generosity, and passion for what he affectionately called “rockology.” Beyond his professional accomplishments, Bob was an avid outdoorsman, musician, fisherman, skier, cyclist, and storyteller whose calm spirit and sense of humor left a lasting impression on all who knew him.
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bachelor’s degree in biology from Princeton
his generosity, adventurous spirit, devotion to family, and deep love of the outdoors.
Drew accepted a professorial position at Oregon State University, where he taught from 1961-1987, retiring as a professor emeritus. An expert in marine ecology, he led research expeditions to the Arctic and conducted pioneering studies of deep-ocean ecosystems in the Pacific and Arctic Oceans, publishing 40 papers on his research. In retirement, he remained deeply engaged in environmental stewardship, volunteering and conducting research on water quality in Chatham, Massachusetts. An avid sailor, traveler, conservationist, and lifelong learner, Drew was known for his generosity, curiosity, and commitment to both science and community. He is survived by his children, Todd Loring Carey and Arianne Carey Burnham, their families, and an extended family he cherished.
ALUMNI/AE
Class Notes George Jarvis ’51 passed away peacefully
from Cornell University Medical College,
his son, Tyler; two grandsons; his brothers,
on June 13, 2025, at the age of 93. After
he served as an Army physician during
Hampton and Charles; and extended family
attending Millbrook and college in New
the Vietnam War before building a
members. He will be remembered for his
York, he served as a pilot instructor in
distinguished career as a surgeon and
curiosity, wit, and enduring devotion to family and friends.
the U.S. Air Force before embarking on a
mentor in New York City and Dallas. In
varied career as a farmer, entrepreneur, and
retirement, he devoted himself to hospice
businessman. Over the years, he developed
volunteering, the arts, woodworking,
successful farming operations in Arizona
writing, and community service. He is
and California, cultivating crops ranging
survived by his wife, Paula, three sons, and
from lettuce and cotton to avocados
their families. Clay will be remembered
and citrus. He also owned a hobby shop
for his compassion, intellect, and lifelong
specializing in model airplanes and rockets.
belief that healing requires both science
George was predeceased by his wife of 56
and humanity.
years, Nancy, and is survived by his four children: Jennifer Krokey, Eliot Bertha, Jay Jarvis, and John Jarvis.
Reverend Fergus Cochran ’52 passed away peacefully on September 27, 2024, at the age of 90. A graduate of Hobart College and Princeton Theological Seminary, Fergus devoted his life to ministry, service, and community. For more than 30 years, he
1954
served as pastor of the United Presbyterian
William “Bill” Murck ’54 passed away
Church in Shushan, New York, where
peacefully on May 11, 2025, at the age
he became a beloved spiritual leader
of 89. After attending Millbrook School,
known for his compassion, wisdom, and
he continued his education at Brown
unwavering kindness. A veteran of the U.S.
University and later earned a law degree
Army during the Korean War, Fergus also
from The Catholic University of America.
found joy in golf, hiking, and the outdoors
A proud U.S. Army veteran, William built
throughout his life. He will be remembered
a distinguished career as an attorney
for his gentle spirit, deep faith, and the
specializing in export trading and
lasting impact he made on generations of
business law, earning a reputation for his
parishioners, friends, and family.
integrity, intellect, and sound judgment. He is survived by his wife, Aileen; his sons,
1952
1953
William and Patrick (Millbrook Class of 1994); daughter-in-law, Jennifer; and grandchildren, Nicole and Kellen.
Dr. Henry Clay
Carl Harris Sewell ’53 passed away on July
Alexander ’52
14, 2025, at the age of 90. After attending
passed away
Millbrook, he studied at Yale and graduated
peacefully on
from the University of Virginia before
1955
January 15, 2026. A
serving two tours in the United States
Francis Tracy Henderson Jr. ’55 passed
physician, teacher,
Marine Corps. He was known for his sharp
away peacefully on September 28, 2025, at
veteran, artist,
intellect, unwavering loyalty, and wide-
the age of 88. After attending Millbrook,
and writer, Clay
ranging interests, which included Formula
he graduated from Harvard, earning a
lived a life defined by service, curiosity,
1 racing, sailing, jazz, industrial design, and
master’s degree in Middle Eastern Studies,
and creativity. After studying English
lifelong learning. Carl was predeceased by
before embarking on a distinguished career
at Yale and earning his medical degree
his wife of nearly 50 years and is survived by
in banking and portfolio management.
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Class Notes Renowned for his professionalism and
Known for his storytelling, civic
Allen “Al” Hubbard III ’57 passed away
discretion, he served prominent clients,
involvement, and deep love of community,
peacefully on November 17, 2024. After
including members of European royal
Sam shared his knowledge generously
graduating from Millbrook, he attended
families. Tracy was also a devoted patron
through speeches, tours, writing, and
Colby College, where he met his wife of 63
of the arts, helping found the Pittsburgh
public service. He will be remembered
years, Rosemary. Al enjoyed a distinguished
Glass Center and supporting chamber
for his warmth, curiosity, humor, and
career as a petroleum geologist in Louisiana
music and First Nations artists. He was
dedication to preserving the stories and
and later as an environmental geologist in
predeceased by his wife of 63 years, Kathie
spirit of the places he loved.
North Carolina, where he worked to address industrial pollution and educate others
Henderson, and their son, Matthew. He is survived by his son, Geoffrey; his daughter, Ellen; his grandson, Andrew; and his sister, Jessica Smith.
1956 Sumner “Sam” Webber ’56 passed away on December 1, 2025, at the age of 89. After graduating from Millbrook and then Middlebury College, Sam devoted his life to education, public service, and the preservation of local history. Following his service as a captain in the U.S. Army Reserves, he returned to his hometown of Hallowell, Maine, where he became a beloved history teacher at Hall-Dale High School for 33 years and served for decades as the city historian.
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about climate change. A devoted community
1957
volunteer, he served with the Lincolnton Paul Abbott ’57
Rotary Club, Christian Ministries, Habitat
passed away on
for Humanity, local arts organizations, and
June 4, 2026,
numerous other civic causes. Known for his
at the age of
kindness, optimism, and generosity, Al was
86. Raised on
also a natural athlete who enjoyed cycling,
Millbrook’s
running, music, and the outdoors. He is
campus as the
survived by his wife, Rosemary; children
son of longtime
Phillip, Michael, and Rachel; grandchildren
faculty member
Bennett and Reid; and many extended
Nathaniel
family members and friends.
Abbott and his wife, Clara, Paul graduated cum laude from Millbrook before earning degrees
1958
from Kenyon College and Harvard
George David Carey ’58 passed away
University. Inspired by his own boarding
peacefully in June 2025 at the age of 84.
school experience, he devoted 49 years to
After attending Millbrook, he earned
South Kent School, where he served as a
an A.B. from Columbia University and a
beloved science teacher, dean of students,
J.D. from Fordham School of Law before
advisor, coach, college counselor, business
settling in Boise, Idaho, where he built
manager, and senior master. Generations of
a distinguished career in public service.
students remembered him for his wisdom,
He served as a prosecuting attorney
compassion, and unwavering commitment
and later as a justice of Idaho’s Fourth
to education.
Judicial District, continuing his work as a
Paul is survived by his wife, Terese;
senior district judge and private mediator
his daughters, Kate Abbott and Ruth
following his retirement. Admired for his
Greenberg; six grandchildren and
kindness, patience, and empathy, David
one great-grandson; his sister, Betsy
was devoted to his wife of 56 years, Jean,
Elkins; and brother Don Abbott ’59,
and to his family. He is survived by Jean,
Millbrook’s seventh headmaster. He will
their four children, nine grandchildren,
be remembered as a consummate boarding
and extended family members. He will be
school educator whose life embodied
remembered for his integrity, warmth, and
Millbrook’s motto, Non Sibi Sed Cunctis—
lifelong love of history, classical music,
“Not for oneself but for all.”
trains, and literature.
ALUMNI/AE
Class Notes John Knutson ’58 passed away on December 26, 2025, at the age of 85. The son of longtime Millbrook faculty member Frederick Knutson, John excelled as a student, earning degrees from Yale University, Stanford University, and Harvard Business School. A formative experience in the Peace Corps took him to Bolivia, where he taught electrical engineering and helped establish the country’s first university computer system. He went on to a distinguished 33-year career with Chrysler Corporation, including leadership roles in Detroit and Mexico City, ultimately serving as vice president of product development finance. In retirement, he continued to support educational and nonprofit organizations as a consultant for the Executive Service Corps and fundraiser for the Latin American Scholarship Program of American Universities. As a board member of Wheelock College for 10 years, he participated in the successful merger of the school with Boston University. John’s passion in life was singing. He sang with a beautiful tenor voice at Millbrook, in the Yale Glee Club, and in many other choirs over the years. He is survived by his wife of 57 years, Judy; his children, Christina and Carl; six grandchildren; and many extended family members and friends.
1959
and a varsity football player. After
Schmidlapp ’05. A graduate of Kenyon
graduating from Hamilton College and
College, Larry lived a life defined by service,
Syracuse University College of Law, John
leadership, and devotion to community. A
built a career in corporate law in Rochester,
veteran of Army Intelligence during the
New York, before transitioning to real
Vietnam War, he later enjoyed a long career
estate in Boulder, Colorado. He and his wife
in municipal bond sales while remaining
ultimately retired in Carlsbad, California,
deeply involved in civic and environmental
to be closer to family. He is survived by
organizations on Long Island’s North Shore.
Jamie, his wife of nearly 60 years, their
Larry often credited Millbrook School with
four children, and seven grandchildren.
instilling in him a lifelong commitment to
He will be remembered for his quiet
community service, a principle reflected
leadership, conscientious character, and
in his many years as Mayor of Centre
lifelong devotion to his family.
Island and his work with numerous local organizations. He will be remembered for his warmth, humor, generosity, and
1962
enduring love of family, friends, and the
James “Jim” Powell ’62 passed away
waters of Oyster Bay Harbor.
peacefully at home in December 2025 at the age of 81. After attending Millbrook, where he played hockey, served as photography editor of the school newspaper, and was active with the Trevor Zoo, he graduated from the University of Chicago and built a distinguished career as a writer, historian, and senior fellow at the Cato Institute. Over five decades, he authored numerous books and hundreds of articles exploring history, economics, and individual liberty. Jim is survived by his wife, Marisa, their children, Justin and Kristin, and extended family.
• L arry, right, with son Jake ’08 and Robert Anthony ’65 on Fisher’s Island in 2023
He will be remembered for his intellectual curiosity, thoughtful writing, and lifelong commitment to the ideals of freedom.
Christopher “Chris” Webber Jr. ’63 passed away on February 12, 2026, at the age of 81. After graduating from Millbrook,
1963
he attended Middlebury College, where he
Lawrence “Larry” Schmidlapp ’63
earning a law degree from the University
studied music and played hockey, before
John “Rusty” Bolane (Bolognino) ’59
passed away peacefully on August 16,
of Maine. Chris returned to Vermont to
passed away on January 3, 2026, at the
2025, at the age of 80. Larry was a devoted
practice law alongside his father and
age of 85, following complications from
Millbrook alumnus with deep family ties to
brother, continuing a family tradition that
Parkinson’s disease. A respected student
Millbrook, including his brother Carl ’61,
spanned five generations. Deeply engaged
leader at Millbrook, he served as vice
brother Allan ’65 (deceased), son Jake ’08,
in his community, he helped establish
president of the Student Council, a dorm
nephews Jeff Miller ’88 and Allan
Rutland’s first indoor hockey rink and
prefect, editor of the Tamarack yearbook,
Schmidlapp ’98, and niece Victoria
develop its youth hockey program.
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Class Notes A gifted musician, accomplished fly
He enthusiastically cheered on his children,
Fred will be remembered for his
fisherman, and avid pilot, Chris found joy
grandchildren, and the Cornell Big Red in
intelligence, humor, adventurous spirit, and
in the outdoors and in composing music
hockey and lacrosse. He will be remembered
wholehearted devotion to family, friends,
for family and friends. He is survived by his
for his warmth, storytelling, intellectual
and the natural world.
wife of 50 years, Constance “Coco” Webber;
curiosity, and enthusiastic support of family
his sons, Christopher and Peter; four
and friends.
grandchildren; and his sister, Mary Munroe.
1968 Clinton “Clint” Smullyan ’68 passed away on October 23, 2025, at the age of 75. After graduating from Millbrook, Clint earned his bachelor’s degree at Brown University. Clint went on to become a visionary real estate developer, philanthropist, and
1965 Frederick “Fred” Bird ’65 passed away on
Mosbacher Properties Group shortly after
October 26, 2025. Fred lived a life defined
college and spent more than five decades
by curiosity, public service, journalism, and
building a nationally respected real estate
a lifelong passion for birds. After moving
investment firm. Deeply engaged in world
to the Pacific Northwest in 1969, he built
affairs, Clint supported organizations
a distinguished career as a journalist and
dedicated to fact-based analysis, free
later as a communications leader and public
societies, and countering disinformation,
servant in Washington State government.
including serving as a founding board
At Millbrook, Fred spent four years on the
member of the Jamestown Foundation.
1964
Bird Committee, helping shape a passion
He was also a passionate collector of rare
Ralph “Rob” Poole ’64 passed away
that would remain central throughout his
books and a devoted supporter of libraries
life. He later became the founding president
and literary institutions. Clint will be
of the Washington Ornithological Society
remembered for his intellect, generosity,
and inspired countless others through his
loyalty, and enduring commitment to
enthusiasm for birding and conservation.
knowledge, public service, and friendship.
peacefully on December 29, 2025. Rob was known for his adventurous spirit, deep love of the outdoors, and commitment to serving others. After graduating from Kenyon College and serving as a U.S. Army officer in Vietnam, he returned to the Finger
1981
Lakes region, where he owned and operated
Andrew Williams ’81 passed away on August 22, 2025, at the age of 62 after suffering the rare effects of an autoimmune disorder. After attending Millbrook, he earned a PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Hawaii
Bellwood Farm, widely known for its sweet corn and stewardship of the land. Rob also devoted many years to civic life through service on the Geneva town planning board and as a founder of Geneva Youth Hockey. In later life, his extensive knowledge was called upon to give talks on the Town of Geneva’s agricultural and architectural past.
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lifelong advocate for democratic institutions and informed public policy. He founded
• SPRING 2026
ALUMNI/AE
Class Notes at Mānoa, cultivating an extended ‘ohana
Kara graduated from Kenyon in 1992,
in Hawai’i, before relocating with his family
earning a bachelor’s degree in religious
to Portland, Maine, in 2013 and eventually
studies. She was inducted into the college’s
settling just north in the town of Falmouth.
Athletic Hall of Fame in 2002.
He became a respected leader in healthcare
Kara began her doctorate studies in clinical psychology at the Wright Institute in Berkeley, California, in 1995. In 2002, she completed her post-doctoral fellowship at Children’s Hospital Oakland, where she provided crisis management and psychotherapy for children and families dealing with issues of grief and loss, trauma, and terminal illnesses. She subsequently maintained a private practice in Oakland and San Francisco, working in a variety of clinical settings, including youth and family services, schools, graduate clinics, and college counseling centers.
informatics and served as director of the Center for Advanced Healthcare Research Informatics at Tufts Clinical and Translational Science Institute, assistant professor at Tufts University School of Medicine, and professor of practice at Northeastern University. Remembered for his intellectual curiosity, generosity, and love of learning, music, and travel, Andrew is survived by his wife, Christinne LeeWilliams; his daughter, Pema; his father, Robert; his brother, David; and extended family. His contributions to healthcare research and education leave a lasting legacy.
1988 Kara (Berghold) Passaro ’88 died on June 21, 2024, in San Francisco, California, following a courageous fight against breast cancer. At Millbrook, Kara distinguished herself as an extraordinary cross-country athlete and inspiring teammate, breaking several cross-country records each season. In addition to running, Kara contributed to the school community as an agile basketball and lacrosse player, a pianist
All who knew her will remember her generous spirit, kindness, and radiant smile. Kara will be greatly missed by her husband, Robert, and their children, Bruno and Temma; her mother, Joanne Berghold, brothers Mark and David, and many extended family members.
1995 Kiyati Grant Brown ’95 passed away on April 27, 2026, at the age of 49. Born in Victoria, Cameroon, Kiyati spent his early childhood in Zambia before moving to the United States. A gifted student, he earned a scholarship to Millbrook School, where his academic success paved the way to Hamilton College. He graduated from Hamilton with a degree in politics and Southeast Asian studies. Kiyati built a distinguished career in business development and financial technology, holding leadership roles in the electronic payments and banking industries before launching his own business. Colleagues admired his intelligence, entrepreneurial spirit, and ability to forge meaningful relationships. A devoted husband, father, son, and brother, Kiyati’s greatest pride was his family. He was a lifelong learner with a deep curiosity about the world, an avid reader, and a passionate seeker of spiritual understanding. Friends and family remember him for his thoughtful nature, intellectual curiosity, and commitment to exploring life’s deeper questions. Kiyati is survived by his wife, Ashley; his sons, Gabriel, Orion, and Zain; his stepson, Trey Washington; his parents, three siblings, and many extended family members and friends.
with Millbrook’s jazz band, and a senior prefect in Guest House. Kara continued to run cross-country at Kenyon and was the North Coast Athletic Conference’s individual champion in 1990 and the region’s Runner of the Year after winning the Great Lakes Regional title. In her final two seasons, Kara qualified for the NCAA Championship, becoming the first All-American cross-country runner at Kenyon and the first two-time, female All-American runner in the NCAC.
SPRING 2026 •
115
ALUMNI/AE
Class Notes 1996
FRIENDS
Michael Norton ’96 passed away on
Lorinda P. de Roulet passed away on
December 13, 2025, at the age of 48. Born
October 26, 2025, at the age of 95. A
in Framingham, Massachusetts, Michael
lifelong philanthropist and community
attended Millbrook for a postgraduate year
leader, Mrs. de Roulet was also a cherished
before continuing his education at Radford
friend of Millbrook School through her
University, where he played Division I
granddaughter, Alex Bullock Olsen ’00.
friendships within the Millbrook community, and his influence extended far beyond the classroom and playing fields. He will be remembered for his joyful spirit, generosity, and enduring devotion to education, mentorship, and family.
lacrosse and earned a degree from the
Following Alex’s passing, she played an
College of Business and Economics.
instrumental role in establishing a zoo
for 59 years, passed away in December
A devoted father to his daughter, Emma,
internship in Alex’s name, creating a lasting
2024 after a long struggle with Alzheimer’s
legacy to support learning at the Trevor-
and Lewy body dementia. Gail was a
Lovejoy Zoo. Beyond her many civic and
well-known psychoanalyst and longtime
cultural commitments, Mrs. de Roulet will
supporter of Millbrook School. She is
be remembered for her generosity, grace,
survived by Tom, their two children,
and enduring dedication to education,
William (born 1966) and Danielle Reed
community, and opportunity for future
Baty (born 1969), and a granddaughter,
generations.
Julie Baty (born 2002).
he especially treasured coaching her lacrosse and soccer teams. He was also an avid sportsman who loved lacrosse, hockey, boating, grilling, and sharing good food and wine with family and friends. Throughout a successful career in the pharmaceutical industry, most recently with BeOne Medicines, Michael earned the respect and admiration of colleagues and friends alike. He is survived by his daughter, Emma; his fiancée, Diane DiCarlo; his parents, siblings, and many extended family members and friends. His warmth, resilience, and enduring kindness will be deeply missed by all who knew him.
116
Pete and his wife, Ann, formed lifelong
• SPRING 2026
Gail S. Reed, wife of Thomas Reed ’60
Peter Kashatus
Patricia Pulling Sands, daughter of
passed away
Millbrook School Founding Headmaster
peacefully on
Edward Pulling and his wife, Lucy, passed
February 3 at
away peacefully at the age of 92. Raised on
the age of 79. A
campus in the earliest days of the school,
beloved educator
Patricia shared a lifelong connection to
and mentor,
Millbrook and remained a devoted friend
Pete served the
and loyal supporter throughout her life.
Millbrook School
She carried forward her family’s deep belief
community from 1968–1980 as a math
in community, education, and service,
teacher, dorm parent, coach, and athletic
and her warmth and generosity touched
director. He led Millbrook football to an
generations of students, faculty, and
undefeated 1973 season and was known
alumni. Her enduring bond with Millbrook
by generations of students and colleagues
reflected not only her family’s legacy, but
for his sincerity, kindness, and deep
also her own steadfast commitment to the
commitment to young people.
spirit and values of Millbrook School.
SHARE YOUR STORY.
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Interested? Email Michelle Blayney at mblayney@millbrook.org to learn more or volunteer for a future spotlight.
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