Phillips Exeter Academy is governed by a dedicated group of alumni volunteers who bring diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and a deep commitment to the school’s mission. The Trustees provide strategic oversight of the school, ensuring strong leadership, sound financial stewardship, and responsible management of campus resources to uphold Exeter’s tradition of excellence and leadership in secondary education.
Currently, there are 21 trustees. The group consists of the principal, who is appointed by the Trustees and serves as a member for the duration of their tenure; 17 term trustees, who serve one or two five-year appointments; and the president and two vice presidents of the Exeter Alumni Association (EAA), who are elected by that association’s directors. These EAA-elected trustees serve one or two terms of two years.
Term trustees are chosen for their passion for Exeter’s mission, belief in education’s transformative power and dedication to shaping the school’s future. While many generously support Exeter philanthropically, financial capacity is not a selection criterion. Collectively, the Trustees bring a breadth of leadership, governance expertise and specialized professional knowledge. Their diverse backgrounds and perspectives strengthen the Trustees’ collective decision-making, thereby sustaining and advancing Exeter for generations to come.
Jeffrey N. “Jeff” Bannon ’77
New York City
Trustee since 2026
EAA Vice President
Committees: Diversity, Equity & Inclusion; Education & Student Life; Institutional Advancement
Education: B.A., Dartmouth College
Occupation: Founder, CEO, and President of BusinessTalk, Inc.
Bradford “Brad” Briner ’95; P’25
Chapel Hill, North Carolina & New York City
Trustee since 2023
Committees: Audit & Risk; Finance, Investment (Chair); Executive
Education: B.A., University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill; MBA, Harvard Business School
Occupation: Treasurer, State of North Carolina
Samuel “Sam” Brown ’92
Beverly Hills, California
Trustee since 2024
Committees: Institutional Advancement
Education: A.B., Harvard University
Occupation: President of Film & Television Production, STX Entertainment
Suzi Kwon Cohen ’88
New York City
Vice President of the Trustees
Trustee since 2017
Committees: Governance & Nominations; Investment; Executive
Education: B.A., Brown University; MBA, Stanford Business School
Occupation: Investor and capital allocator, former Chief Investment Officer
Jennifer Karlen Elliott
Exeter, New Hampshire
Trustee since 2026
Principal
Education: B.A., Dartmouth College; M.Ed., Lesley College
Occupation: Principal, Phillips Exeter Academy
Elizabeth A. “Betsy” Fleming ’86
Charlotte, North Carolina
Trustee since 2020
Committees: Finance; Institutional Advancement; Executive
Education: A.B., Harvard University; M.A., Royal College of Art; Ph.D., Yale University
Ira D. Helfand, M.D. ’67
Leeds, Massachusetts
Trustee since 2020
Committees: Buildings & Grounds; Diversity, Equity & Inclusion; Education & Student Life
Education: A.B., Harvard University; M.D., Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Occupation: Physician/Co-owner and Manager, Family Care Medical Center
Paulina L. Jerez ’91; P’21
St. Davids, Pennsylvania
Trustee since 2021
Committees: Audit & Risk (chair); Diversity, Equity & Inclusion; Education & Student Life; Governance & Nominations; Executive
Education: B.A., Johns Hopkins University; MBA and J.D., American University
Occupation: Senior Counsel, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
Giles K. “Gil” Kemp ’68
Orlando, Florida & Assé-le-Boisne, France
Trustee since 2021
Committees: Buildings & Grounds; Institutional Advancement
Education: B.A., Swarthmore College; MBA, Harvard Business School
Zemin “Will” Li ’90; P’25, P’28
Hong Kong and Boston
Trustee since 2026
Committees: Finance; Education & Student Life; Institutional Advancement; Investment
Education: A.B., Harvard University; MBA, Stanford University
Occupation: Founder and Chief Investment Officer, Ocean Arete Limited
Eric A. Logan ’92
Cleveland, Ohio
Trustee since 2021
Committees: Building & Grounds; Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (chair); Institutional Advancement
Education: B.A., Stanford University; MBA, Weatherhead School of Management, Case Western Reserve University
Occupation: Principal, KPMG Strategy
Cia Buckley Marakovits ’83
New York City
Trustee since 2019
Committees: Audit & Risk; Building & Grounds (chair); Diversity, Equity & Inclusion; Investment
Education: B.A., Lafayette College; MBA, Columbia University
Occupation: CIO, Partner and Managing Director, Dune Real Estate Partners
Christine M. Robson Weaver ’99
San Jose, California
Trustee since 2023
Committees: Finance; Education & Student Life (chair); Governance & Nominations
Education: B.S., M.S., Massachusetts Institute of Technology; PhD, University of California-Berkeley
Occupation: Head of Product, Google Search Quality
Genisha Saverimuthu ’02
San Francisco
Trustee since 2024
Committees: Audit & Risk; Education & Student Life; Governance & Nominations
Education: B.S., Georgetown University; MBA, Columbia University
Occupation: Head of Product Strategy & Operations, Google
Michael J. “Mike” Schmidtberger ’78
New York City
Trustee since 2022
Committees: Audit & Risk (ex officio); Finance (chair); Governance & Nominations; Executive
Education: B.A, Columbia College.; J.D., Columbia University School of Law
Occupation: Partner and Chairman of Norm Law LLP
Marshall A. Smith ’87
New York City
Trustee since 2026
Committees: Buildings & Grounds; Finance; Institutional Advancement
Education: B.A, Amherst College.; J.D., Georgetown University Law Center
Occupation: Partner and Chair of the Investment Banking Division, Goldman Sachs
Rhoda K. Tamakloe ’01
Sandy Hook, Connecticut
Trustee since 2024
EAA President
Committees: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion; Institutional Advancement
Education: B.A., Wesleyan University; M.S. Ed., Purdue University Global
Occupation: Senior Manager, PwC Charitable Foundation
Belinda A. Tate ’90
Indianapolis
Trustee since 2023
Committees: Finance; Equity, Diversity and Inclusion; Education & Student Life; Institutional Advancement
Education: B.A., Yale University; M.A., Wake Forest University
Occupation: Museum Director, Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields
Seisei Tatebe-Goddu ’01
New York City
Trustee since 2026
EAA Vice President
Committees: Audit & Risk; Buildings & Grounds; Institutional Advancement
Education: B.A., McGill University; M.A., Columbia University
Occupation: Founder and CEO, Tandem Consulting Group
Kristyn A. (McLeod) Van Ostern ’96
Concord, New Hampshire
President of the Trustees
Trustee since 2017
Committees: Executive (Chair)
Education: B.A., Connecticut College; MBA, Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College
Occupation: Strategy and finance consultant; Co-founder of Wash Street
Janney Wilson ’83
Wellesley Hills, Massachusetts
Trustee since 2018
Committees: Buildings & Grounds; Finance; Governance & Nominations (chair); Executive
Education: B.A., Yale University; MBA, Harvard Business School
