Milton Leadership

Message from the President of the Board and Head of School, October 31, 2017

Message from the President of the Board and Head of School, October 26, 2016

Message from the President of the Board and Head of School, December 2, 2015

Message from the President of the Board, June 30, 2015

Message from the President of the Board, September, 2014

Message from the President of the Board, September, 2013

Message from the President of the Board, August, 2012

Message from the President of the Board, July, 2011

 

Trustees Elected to the Board in 2015

Charles Cheever ’86
Charles Cheever ’86 is co-managing partner at Choate, Hall and Stewart. Charles represents and advises generations of domestic and international families on wealth management, developing legal and trust structures for efficient transfer of wealth, as well as establishing and advising private family foundations. Charles serves as professional trustee for many of his clients. He is a member of the Massachusetts Charitable Society and the John Milton Society for the Blind. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Harvard University and his J.D. from the University of Virginia. At Milton, Charles lived in Forbes House. Since then, he has served Milton in many capacities—as class agent, 1798 Circle chair, Orange and Blue volunteer, reunion committee representative, and as a member of the Head of School Council. Charles lives in Concord, Massachusetts, with his wife, Susan, and two children. 

Douglas Crocker II ’58
Doug Crocker ’58 is a senior advisor for Pearlmark Multifamily Partners; Pearlmark is a real estate investment firm investing in commercial real estate. Prior to this role, Doug was vice chairman of Equity Residential and served as its CEO from 1992 to 2003. Doug is a member of the board of directors of the National Multifamily Housing Council, the Urban Land Institute, the National Apartment Association Education Institute, and the Real Estate Advisory Committee at DePaul University. Doug earned his bachelor’s degree from Harvard University. He has served on Milton’s Head of School Council, and has established, with his wife Cynthia, a scholarship fund to support students in need of financial assistance. Doug and Cynthia live in Delray Beach, Florida.

Tabi Haller-Jorden ’75 
Tabi Haller-Jorden ’75 is president and CEO of The Paradigm Forum GmbH, a global think tank and consultancy focused on inventive communications, proactive branding strategies, and experiential learning techniques that help transform organizations. Previously, Tabi was senior vice president of global learning strategies at Catalyst, responsible for initiatives focused on inclusion and innovation in diverse cultural contexts. She earned her bachelor’s degree at Bryn Mawr College and her master’s in industrial relations at the London School of Economics and Political Science. Tabi is a board member for many and varied organizations and has served Milton in many capacities—as a former class agent and admissions representative, as a bicentennial committee member, and as a member of the Head of School Council. She is also mother to Jurg Haller, Milton Class of 2009. Tabi lives in Zurich, Switzerland.

Bill Knowlton
Bill Knowlton is a partner at Ropes and Gray, a comprehensive legal advisory firm based in Boston. Bill oversees the firm’s health care and life sciences practices, advising academic medical centers and faculty practice plans, hospital systems, pharmaceutical companies, and health care investment firms. He is a member of the American Health Lawyer’s Association; director and clerk of the Kenneth B. Schwartz Center for Compassionate Healthcare; and director and campaign chair for the Community Music Center of Boston. Bill earned his bachelor’s degree at Yale University and his law degree at University of Virginia. He has been an active volunteer for Milton’s parent fund for several years, including as chair. He and his wife, Deborah, have three children; daughter Hannah is in Grade 5 at Milton. The Knowlton family lives in Boston.

Liping Qiu
Liping Qiu is a founding partner and managing director of Milestone Capital Management Limited, a leading private equity firm investing in and supporting entrepreneurs in China’s high-growth industries. Liping’s focus at Milestone Capital is both in deal sourcing and execution, as well as investor and government relations. Prior to founding Milestone Capital in 2002, Liping worked for both Merrill Lynch and Bear Stearns in their direct investments and investment banking divisions in Beijing and Hong Kong. Liping is a director at both LaShou Group, Inc. and Trina Solar Limited. He earned both his bachelor’s and master’s in engineering at the National University of Defense Technology in Changsha, China. Liping’s son Jeffery (Class II) lives in Wolcott House. Liping, his wife Vivian, and their family reside in Beijing, China.

Luis Viceira
Luis Viceira is the George E. Bates professor and senior associate dean for international development at Harvard Business School. He has been a member of the faculty there since 1998, developing research and teaching in the areas of investment management and capital markets to both graduate students and practitioners. He instructs the Investment Management course of the school’s MBA program and co-chairs the CFA Institute Investment Management Program for asset managers at HBS. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the Universidad Autonoma in Madrid; he earned both his master’s and Ph.D. from Harvard University. Luis is on the academic advisory board of Martingale Asset Management; the research advisory board of Smartleaf Asset Management, and he has served as former trustee and board chair of the Belmont Day School. Luis and his wife, Marta, have two children—Luis (Class I) and Elena (Class IV). The Viceira family lives in Belmont, Massachusetts.

Sylvia Westphal
Sylvia Westphal is the founder of Pinwheel Books, an independent children’s book publisher, and author of two children’s books: Francisco’s Fabulous Friends (2011) and We Are Twins! (2013). Sylvia is an award-winning journalist and a former staff writer for the Wall Street Journal, New Scientist, and the Los Angeles Times. She has also served as a freelance and science writer for the Boston Globe, CNN.com, the New York Times and Smithsonian Magazine. She earned her bachelor’s degree in biology from University of Puerto Rico and her Ph.D. in genetics from Harvard University. Sylvia and her husband, Christoph, have five children at Milton Academy: Eva (Class III), Christian (Grade 7), Lucas (Grade 3), Daniel and Sebastian (both Grade 1). The Westphal family lives in Boston.

Ka-Kay (Kevin) Yip ’83 Joins the Board

In February 2014, Milton trustees elected Kevin Yip ’83 to join the board. Kevin is a devoted Milton volunteer and president of the Milton Association in Hong Kong, which plans events and supports admission and development work. Kevin has more than 23 years of investment banking and equity investment experience in the Asia Pacific region. He is vice chairman and managing partner of NewMargin, which focuses on growth private equity investing in Greater China in the consumer, financial services, resources and clean-tech sectors. He is also a member of General Oriental’s global investment committee and sits on the main board of GO’s holding company. Kevin’s son, Cameron, is in Class III and lives in Goodwin House. Kevin himself lived in Forbes House; he is a graduate of Harvard University, where he was named a John Harvard Scholar.

Ted Wendell ’58 Returns to the Board of Trustees

Edward “Ted” Wendell, Jr. ’58 was elected to the board during the summer of 2013, and he joined the trustees for their meeting on campus last October. Ted is a founding partner and principal of Northern Cross, LLC. During the 1960s, Ted served as a math teacher, head of admissions, and dean of students at Marlboro College, in Marlboro, Vermont. He graduated from Harvard College and earned a master’s degree in mathematics from the University of Washington. Ted served as a Milton trustee from 1974 to 1986 and has been active on reunion committees. Ted and his wife, Mary, have been generous and supportive to many Milton students, particularly to classmates of their children, Liddy ’94, Ellie ’98 and Macky ’01.

Randall Dunn ’83 Elected to the Board of Trustees

Randall Dunn ’83 was elected to the board of trustees this spring. He is head of school at the Latin School of Chicago and previously served as head of the Roeper School in Michigan. Randall returned to campus in January 2013 as the Martin Luther King assembly speaker; he talked with students about how Dr. King’s talent as a facilitator made him an effective leader and agent of change. Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Randall came to Milton through A Better Chance program. At Milton he was a co-head monitor, participated in community service, and was a three-season athlete, setting several track and field records. Randall is co-chair of the National Advisory Board of the Principals’ Center at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Brown University and a master’s degree in education from Harvard University. He and his wife, Elizabeth Hopkins Dunn ’83, live with their two children (Chase and Hunter) in Chicago.

Trustees Elected to the Board in 2013

Peter Kagan ’86 is a managing director at Warburg Pincus, LLC. He has been with Warburg Pincus since 1997 and is the head of the firm’s energy team. Peter serves on the visiting committee of the University of Chicago Law School and the board of directors of Resources for the Future. Peter participated in Milton’s Head of School Council and Ad Council luncheons in recent years. He lived in Wolcott House at Milton, earned his bachelor’s degree at Harvard University, and his J.D. and M.B.A. from the University of Chicago. Peter is eager to maintain the strength of Milton’s residential life program.

Yunli Lou ’87 and her husband, James Kralik, operate Milestone Capital where Yunli serves as managing director. Milestone is a China-focused private equity investment and advisory firm with main offices in Shanghai and Beijing. Yunli also serves as a director of Yuhua Teltech and Dehaier Medical Systems and was an observer of Focus Media. Yunli, Milton’s first graduate from China, is a graduate of Harvard College and was named a John Harvard Scholar. Helping to promote and expand Milton’s profile in Shanghai, Yunli and James have hosted dinners for alumni, parents and students.

Caterina Papoulias-Sakellaris P’17 ’19 has been active at Milton since her daughter Christina ’17 entered in 2004. Formerly, she was vice president for global accounts with Nielsen Marketing Research, a division of Dun & Bradstreet. Caterina serves on the board of Kalinga Power Corporation, a power and energy company in New Delhi, India, and is also a board member of Leadership 100, an endowment fund of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese. She graduated from the University of New Hampshire. Caterina brings experience with K–8 to the board, and she enthusiastically anticipates Christina’s and Peter’s experience in the Upper School.

Dorothy “Dottie” Altman Weber ’60 P’04 served Milton as her class agent for more than two decades. Dottie was Annual Fund Chair from 2002–2004 and helped lead Class I Gift fundraising in 2003–2004.  She is a 1798 fundraising volunteer, and was a chair for her 50th Reunion. Dottie earned the Jackson Bowl in 1975-1976, 1984–1985 and 1989–1990; and in 2004, Milton created the Dorothy Altman Weber ’60 P’04 Award, in honor of her efforts to secure the success of the Annual Fund. To celebrate their daughter Meredith’s graduation in 2004, the Webers dedicated a classroom to honor Jim Connolly of the English department. Dottie completed her undergraduate work at Tufts and earned her doctorate in psychology at Boston University. She is a member of Judge Baker Children’s Center, vice chair of the board of Shakespeare & Company, Inc. and also serves on the board of the Celebrity Series of Boston.

Ronnell Wilson ’93 is an assistant United States attorney in the U. S. Attorney’s Office, Newark, New Jersey. Ronnell came to Milton from North St. Louis, Missouri, through A Better Chance (ABC) and he graduated from Yale and Yale Law School. He lived in Wolcott House and served as head monitor in his Class I year. Ronnell will bring valuable, experiential perspectives on many of Milton’s strategic objectives. Along with Ronnell’s legal background, his deep appreciation for Milton’s impact on students’ lives will enable him to serve the board well.

Trustees Elected to the Board in 2012

Dune Thorne ’94 is a partner at Brown Advisory in Boston. Dune founded the non-profit venture, Invest In Girls (IIG). With Chelsea Mehra ’11, Dune established the Milton pilot of this non-profit that helps girls achieve financial literacy. Dune participates on several boards, including the Harvard Business School Women’s Association, and Boston Women and Finance. Dune graduated from Dartmouth College and earned her M.B.A. at Harvard.

Stuart Mathews P’13 is the president of Metapoint Partners, a private investment firm that acquires and grows small to medium-sized manufacturing companies, enhancing their market values. Stuart graduated from Tufts University and is a trustee of the Park School, where he has been a leader in parent fund raising. Stuart has consistently helped develop and implement fund raising strategies to help set sites for parent participation in supporting Milton. He has been an active Annual Fund volunteer, co-chairing the Parents’ Fund and participating in kickoff and phone-a-thon events. He is passionate about Milton and has a keen eye for developing the case for support. Stuart lives in Waban, Massachusetts, with his wife, Pamela; daughter, Erica ’13; and sons Christopher and Charlie.

Kimberly Steimle ’92 is one of five executive leaders at Suffolk Construction, where she is Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) and Chief People Officer (CPO). Kim is responsible for the overall management of Suffolk’s branding platform, corporate marketing, business development, and community outreach efforts. She also serves on the board of overseers for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Boston and on the executive committee of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce. Kim has long been connected with Milton; her father Edmund Steimle ’65 and sister Erin Steimle ’95 are alumni, and her mother Michaela Steimle has been an English department faculty member since 1982.

Trustees Elected to the Board in 2011

Wendy Nicholson ’86 is managing director of Citigroup’s investment research division and has been rated one of the best analysts in her sector. She has been involved with Milton in recent years as a member of the Head of School’s Council. Wendy completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Pennsylvania and earned her M.B.A. from New York University.

Claire Hughes Johnson ’90 is vice president of the global online sales division of Google. She was a speaker at Google’s 2010 National Economic Impact conference in Washington, D.C. and was a panelist at the 2011 New York Times Small Business Summit. Daughter of the late Guy Hughes (English department), Claire has hosted events for Milton and served on her 20th Reunion committee. Claire graduated from Brown University and earned her M.B.A. from Yale University.

Erick Tseng ’97 is head of mobile products for Facebook since May 2010, after having been a lead product manager at Google for four years. His team at Google launched the Android platform and led development of the Nexus One phone. Erick completed a dual bachelor’s and master’s degree program in computer science and electrical engineering at M.I.T., where he was the president of his class. Erick earned his M.B.A. from Stanford Graduate School of Business, where he was an Arjay Miller Scholar.

Trustees Elected to the Board in 2010

Robert Azeke ’87 is Managing Director of the investment firm Parish Capital Advisors in New York City. Prior to joining Parish Capital, Rob founded Sunday Group after experience in investment banking and private equity on Wall Street. Earlier, he was a principal at Compass Partners LLC, and also a senior officer in the mergers and acquisitions department of Lazard Freres LLC.  After his Milton years, Rob attended the University of North Carolina as a distinguished Morehead Scholar and earned his M.B.A. from the Harvard Business School.

Mark Denneen ’84 of Boston founded Denneen & Company in 1993 — a brand management and growth strategy consultancy with clients across a broad range of industries from chemicals and health care to higher education.  Recently Mark led a valuable ad hoc study with Milton administrators focused on our financial aid structure and strategy, and he is now helping Todd lead a newly-formed council evaluating Milton’s marketing and branding strategy.  Mark is one of four brothers who attended Milton:  Michael ’81, William ’85, and Jeffrey Denneen ’88 bracketed the ’80s at Milton.  He earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in history from Harvard before returning to the Harvard Business School for his M.B.A.

Caroline Hyman of New York City is a Milton parent.  Caroline and Ed Hyman’s daughter, Prudence, graduated in 2000 and their son Curtis will graduate in 2012.  Caroline has served the boards of The Episcopal School in New York City and La Scuola d’Italia Guglielmo Marconi.  She has also been involved with the Brearley, St. David’s and Collegiate schools.  She currently serves on committees at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the New York City Library of the Performing Arts.  She has been an active Milton parent, and has graciously hosted Milton events in New York, including a gathering to introduce and welcome Todd.  Caroline and her husband have been Milton enthusiasts for many years.

Chris McKown is the co-founder of Health Dialog, a leading provider of care management, health care analytics, and decision support.  The firm is a private, wholly owned subsidiary of Bupa, a global health care company. Health Dialog provides population analytics, interactive decision aids, and health care decision programs.  Prior to developing Health Dialog, Chris founded and served as president of Response International Services Corporation, a property and casualty insurance company.  Earlier, Chris was a principal in Booz, Allen & Hamilton’s New York City-based financial services practice.  Chris and his wife, Abigail Johnson, live in Milton; their daughter Julia is a member of the Class of  2013.  Chris has served on a number of boards, including the Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston, WGBH Educational Foundation, and Pine Street Inn.  Chris earned his undergraduate degree from Penn State and his M.B.A. from Harvard University.

Bradley M. Bloom Named President of the Board

On January 31, 2009, the Milton Academy Board of Trustees elected Bradley M. Bloom president of the board, succeeding Franklin W. Hobbs IV ’65.  Brad became involved in Milton Academy nine years ago when his daughter, Elizabeth ’08, entered the fourth grade at the Lower School.  Brad’s son, Ross ’06, joined the seventh grade at the Middle School the following year.  Along with his wife, Terrie F. Bloom, Brad became active immediately in the life of the School.  They both served as members of the Head of School’s Council, and on the Parents’ Fund Special Gifts Committee.  They co-chaired the Class I ’06 Gift Committee, and each year helped Milton reach Annual Fund goals by contacting Milton families.

On January 31, 2009, The Milton Academy Board of Trustees elected Franklin “Fritz” W. Hobbs ’65 trustee emeritus and recognized his leadership as board president from 2002–2009. At the same meeting, the board elected Bradley M. Bloom as the new president.

Trustees Offer Tribute to Franklin W. Hobbs IV ’65, Who Championed Science, Athletics, Student Life, and Faculty Compensation

Trustee Emeritus, January 31, 2009
President, April 2002 to January 2009
Member of the Board of Trustees since 1990

On January 31, 2009, the Milton Academy Board of Trustees expressed their gratitude for the loyal and vigorous service of Franklin W. Hobbs ’65, a member of the board since 1990, and president since 2002. Fritz Hobbs’ unwavering commitment to the pursuit of excellence has enhanced Milton’s strength and distinction over the last 18 years. Fritz advanced those characteristic attributes of a Milton education that are shared and valued by generations of alumni, as well as today’s students, faculty and parents: intellectual excitement and challenge; numerous opportunities for personal growth; relationships with diverse and remarkable faculty mentors and classmates.

Trustees Elected to the Board in 2008

Bob Cunha ’83 P’15 ’19
Bob Cunha is a principal at Market Metrics, a market research firm whose clients are leading providers of financial services.  He began his career at Monitor Group, a strategy consulting firm based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he worked with senior managers in the fields of finance, industrial equipment, and telecommunications. Bob subsequently joined BellSouth in Atlanta and served in several capacities, including president of BellSouth Products. He later became president of Artisan Network, a venture-backed Internet firm, and served as executive director of Cape Range Wireless, a publicly traded telecommunications equipment supplier.

A graduate of Harvard University, Bob also attended the University of Western Australia in Perth, where he studied sociology under a Rotary Fellowship.

Bob and his wife, Kathy, have two children, Margaret (Maggie) ’15 and Charles (Charlie) ’19.  Bob chaired the Annual Fund and was an extraordinarily successful solicitor for large Annual Fund gifts and six-figure capital gifts.  As part of the K-12 Fundraising Committee, Bob helped secure commitments from parents and focus those gifts on the K–12 School.

Elisabeth (Lisa) Donohue ’83
A graduate of Brown University, Lisa Donohue is president of the Truth & Design Group at MediaVest Worldwide, a division of the Starcom MediaVest Group. One of the largest brand communications groups, Starcom MediaVest Group encompasses an integrated network of over 5,800 contact architects specializing in media management, internet and digital communications, response media, entertainment marketing, sports sponsorships, event marketing and multicultural media. Lisa has been honored with several top industry awards including Chicago Magazine Association’s prestigious Vanguard Award; she has also twice won both Media Week’s “Plan of the Year” and the Cannes Media Lion.

A resident of New York, Lisa has been an active and effective volunteer for Milton. She is a member of the Head of School’s Council. Lisa chaired her 25th Reunion Committee and she also established an endowed fund that supports a female student who demonstrates academic and athletic excellence.

Erika Mobley ’86 was elected as a member of the Board of Trustees in April 2008. Active in global business development initiatives at Apple, Inc., Erika recently moved back to California from Australia, having just completed an international assignment as senior product marketing manager, iTunes for Australia and New Zealand. In her work with Apple, RealNetworks, Amazon.com and Palm, Erika has had extensive experience in legal matters, global business strategy and deal-making, international law, global product marketing, strategic branding, anti-piracy and copyright law enforcement in the music industry, from the traditional through the digital era.

Erika is a graduate of Yale University and Georgetown University Law Center. A member of Milton’s Head of School Council, Erika has also served as a class agent and a reunion committee member, and has faithfully attended many San Francisco Milton events. She lives with her husband, Andrew Speight, and their children, Colin and Avery, in Brisbane, California.

V-Nee Yeh ’77, one of the first students to enroll at Milton from Hong Kong, was elected to the Board of Trustees in April 2008. V-Nee is the founder and director of Cheetah Investment Management Limited. Cheetah is a Hong Kong-based investment advisory firm that specializes in absolute return strategies and hedge funds. With extensive experience in corporate finance—including roles with the Lazard Group in London, Hong Kong and New York—V-Nee has held positions on the Listing Committee of The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited and on China’s CSRC Listing Committee.  According to Cheetah’s Web site, V-Nee is a “pioneer in applying value investing in Asia, having been a co-founder of one of the largest value fund managers in Hong Kong.”

V-Nee is a graduate of Williams College and Columbia University’s School of Law. He is an active volunteer for Milton’s admissions efforts in Hong Kong and in 2007 established the Yeh Family Scholarship Fund, which assists students from Greater China. He and his wife, Mira, have one daughter, Nadya.