Community Engagement

Members of the EAA’s board are nominated. What inspired you to accept the call?

Exeter was instrumental in shaping my personality, my outlook on life and a curiosity to understand our world and relate to others in a meaningful, caring way. Having the ability to be a contributor to the Academy motivated me to accept the role.

What do you do as an EAA director?

We listen to understand today’s near-term and long-term goals of the Academy’s mission, explore how to effectively message these goals and communicate this to the alumni community. We also hear from alumni about their experiences and discuss what they think would benefit the Academy. It’s this two-way channel or bridge that is super important.

What have the directors focused on this year?

We openly discussed the hard issues the Academy has encountered over the years, the alumni sentiments and how the school is addressing them. In addition, when Principal Rawson announced that this would be his last year, we actively sought the feedback, opinions and guidance of alumni on what attributes and qualities the new principal should have. This was all synthesized and shared with the Principal Search Committee. 

Have there been any unexpected benefits to this role?

There’s the privilege of meeting a lot of different alumni. Normally, I would not pick up the phone and talk to somebody who graduated in the ’70s just to say, “Hey, how was your Exeter experience?” or “What things have really stuck in your mind that could be changed for the better?”

You have a student at the Academy presently. What do you hope that they understand about the alumni community?

I tell my daughter that graduating from Exeter is just the beginning of your Exeter experience. There are many, many more years after Exeter than there are at Exeter. The friendships and the connections are very deep and meaningful. Your Exonian friends will just show up in the best of times and the worst times for you. I remember when I was a student here, Principal Steven Kurtz always said: “Make sure you say hello to everybody on the path. Acknowledge that they’re there. It’s an important gesture of kindness.” That really carried me forth beyond Exeter. I tell my daughter, “Don’t forget that you will always belong, but you should also make sure you put the effort in to make others feel they belong.”

What is Exeter to you?

Exeter was the pinnacle of knowledge and opportunity in a community to cultivate excellence purposely in youth from every quarter.

What’s your favorite place on campus?

The boathouse and rowing on the Squamscott with my crew.

Where was your favorite place to study?

The Lamont room at the top of the library with the rare books collection.

Weth or Elm?

Weth all the way.

If you could invite three people to join you at the Harkness table, who would they be?

Abraham Lincoln, Donald Trump and my mom. All of them have or are currently living through tumultuous times. Harkness, for me, was and continues to be a rare place and time for open, respectful, nonreactionary dialogue. It is designed never to stop exploring facts, assumptions, ideologies, justice and empathy. Students at the Harkness table hear perspectives and experiences from one another, allow space for opinions to be reshaped, and learn how to change and grow in the most informed and effective ways. I included my mom as she is one of the most fearless, strongest individuals I know. She witnessed the destruction of Seoul, rescued her brother from North Korean soldiers and fought for her education amidst extreme gender bias — all  as a teenager. We are a country divided with lives literally in the balance. In these challenging times, we need more Harkness and I  would love to enter a dialogue with these individuals at the table.