Philanthropy Powered by Exeter Women.
The Women’s Leadership Circle is for alumnae-driven philanthropy to impact the quality of education for all students at Exeter, with a special focus on the experiences of girls. This Circle offers Exeter women the opportunity to empower girls to bring their voices to the Harkness table, regardless of financial need.
With gifts of $50,000 or more, Exeter alumnae will be invited into the Circle. Your membership will directly contribute to the success of girls at Exeter through scholarships and flexible-use funds and provide you with opportunities to engage with those students annually.
We hope you will draw inspiration from the women on this page and inspire others through your own involvement.
To learn more about the Women’s Leadership Circle, please contact Linda Felch at 603-777-3558 or lfelch@exeter.edu.
Rebecca Kurth M.D. ‘79; P’17
New York, New York
“My parents believed in me. When I “outgrew” the educational opportunities at our local public school, they offered me Exeter. I was lucky. I applied. I got in. At the academy, I met girls who were a lot like me. They read books and talked about important things like politics, science, the arts, ethics. I found my “people,” my intellectual peers, and I found my voice. A voice that was validated at the Harkness table. A voice I have grown over the years to trust and that other people trust. At Exeter, We need to continue to find, support, nurture and strengthen the voices of girls.”
Kathryn Mongelli ’94
New York, New York
“Exeter’s incredible students and faculty taught me how to learn from others by listening and testing ideas at the Harkness table. It shaped me for the better, and I am excited to support this wonderful experience for others.”
Elizabeth Traxler ’96
New York, New York
“Exeter was a profound moment in my education and helped inspire me to be a leader. The Harkness method allows students to not only master academic fundamentals, but also to challenge their beliefs through exploration, collaboration, and productive discourse. This helped me build courage, compassion and confidence, which are all traits that can be instrumental in both teambuilding and career development. I hope my philanthropy continues to support more women to propel them from a seat at the Harkness Table to be leaders in their respective fields.”
Jane Willis ’87
Boston, Massachusetts
“As a student from a small town, where a fraction of students went to college, my years at Exeter were pivotal to the trajectory of my academic and professional career. Exeter honed my critical thinking skills while introducing me to friends with different viewpoints and backgrounds. I want to support today’s students in their efforts to realize their full potential and make significant contributions in the future.”
Veronica Juarez ’00
West Hollywood, California
“Exeter changed the course of my life — and I’ve come to appreciate over time — the course of future generations of my family. I’m a fifth generation Mexican-American and a first-generation college student, and as long as I am able, I want to give other young, ambitious and deserving students, the opportunity to experience Exeter and change the future of their families lives.”
Cathy Han ’87; P’19, ’22, ’25
Newport Beach, California
“I hope my contribution will allow more girls to have the experience I had and continue to be grateful for today. As I vaccinate Spanish-speaking patients in southern California, they often ask where I learned Spanish. I tell them it was in high school, in large part during three semesters with Sr. Miguel Buisan and living with a family in Cuernavaca as part of an Exeter summer program. I give because I want girls to gain confidence in math and science. I never felt that I was good at math until I had Anja Greer as my teacher in lower year. After her class, I became a math help tutor and eventually a physician. I give because I want girls to form friendships at Exeter that will sustain them as they have me over the last four decades. Finally, I give because I have a 14-year-old daughter who I hope will learn at Exeter that she can do anything.”
Chloe Gavin ’72; P’01
Key Largo, Florida
“For the women of my generation who started coeducation at Exeter, the Exeter experience was life-changing. Going to Exeter in those years stamped us with an identity. Going to Exeter continues to help girls find their voice. I want to help girls today have the same transformative and empowering experience.”
Alex Hess ’86
London, England
“Exeter was one of the most formative educational experiences for me. What led me to choose Exeter from my very first visit; was borne out while I was there and continues to impress me as I reconnect with the school, alumni and old friends; is its diversity. While it can be expressed in statistics as a shorthand, it is much more subtle at Exeter and, for me, manifested itself in real diversity of thought and diversity of voice. I’m thrilled to be part of a group that will support women (and inclusion and diversity more broadly) and their contribution during their time at Exeter and thereafter.”
Miriam Rivera ’82
Atherton, California
“I voted with my feet in 1978 for a better future and more opportunity, not for myself only but for women and people of color, too. I chose to participate in the Women’s Leadership Circle to ‘pay forward’ what I had experienced because of the investment I and others had made in my Exeter education. May the circle be unbroken!”
Tina Henry Bou-Saba ’96
San Francisco, California
“I feel so fortunate to have attended Exeter. I learned how to learn, and I challenged myself in ways that I never could have imagined. Exeter encouraged me to lean in to my own intellectual curiosity, and to take pride in independent thinking. I am honored to be part of this community of women, and to encourage young women to boldly and courageously pursue their dreams.”
Ambika Goel ’00
Singapore
“I grew up in a small town in California with immigrant parents. Exeter taught me that I had the potential to achieve anything. I hope that my support can assist other women in expressing their opinions, reaching for their dreams and creating a future generation of global women leaders.”
Kate Lehman ‘93
New York, New York
“My Exeter experience made me who I am today. I learned to really think, to support my opinions and to respect the perspectives of the amazing people who I had the pleasure of interacting with around the Harkness table, on the river, in my dorm or throughout campus. I am awed by the Exeter graduates I have met throughout the years and believe strongly in the need for gender and other diversity at all ‘tables.’ I am honored to support future female Exonians and to be a part of this community.”
Sabrina Kivitz Braham ’91; P’24
Palo Alto, California
“The Harkness table profoundly influenced my intellectual development and helped me to find my own voice. I am honored to be able to support young women ‘from every quarter’ in doing the same.”
Kate Davis ’93
New York, New York
“Exeter taught me to never stop learning [and] that learning was cool. I hope that by supporting Exeter in this way, the school continues to attract and motivate girls to never stop learning, to keep signing up for more and wanting to do more and achieve more, because that is what is actually ‘cool.’”
Jen Larson ’93; P’24
Hillsborough, California
“It never occurred to me to question my place as a female at the Harkness table. In retrospect, I would like to express my gratitude for the women and men who laid the groundwork for coeducation such that my high school experience was not dictated by my gender.”
Catarina Schwab ’92; P’25
San Francisco, California
“Exeter changed my life. From the people I met to the discussions around the Harkness table to the myriad of new experiences — so much of who I am was formed at Exeter. I am honored to support this important initiative and to be a part of this wonderful community of women.”
Kate Tomford ’95
Chicago, Illinois
“Attending Exeter opened my eyes to the potential that every girl has to strive, to compete, to lead, to think independently, to express her opinions, and to advocate for her beliefs. I am awed by the character and accomplishments of women who have graduated from Exeter, and I have no doubt that current and future generations of female Exonians will reach even further.”
Emily Barr ’76
Chicago, Illinois
“My husband and I are strong believers in the power of education to transform individuals, communities, and the world in which we live. My personal experience attending Exeter at the onset of coeducation was both life-changing and inspiring and contributed to the career path I later found myself pursuing. We want to provide that same opportunity for young women who might otherwise not have the financial means to attend Exeter.”
Sarah Beresford ’09
Providence, Rhode Island
“Exeter is unique in its ability to develop leadership capacity in young women, no matter their chosen path. It is my hope that giving to this initiative will afford more women from all backgrounds the privilege to be empowered by the Exeter experience just as I was.”
Renee Edelman ’73
New York, New York
“I am giving to the Exeter Women’s Leadership Circle Scholarship in honor of my parents, Ruth and Dan Edelman, to provide talented young women “from every quarter” the same opportunity I had to express my voice at the Harkness table. I learned at Exeter I could pursue a career and live by Exeter’s values of embracing knowledge and goodness and non sibi.”
Camilla Norman Field ’93; P’24
San Francisco, California
“There are many ways to learn in our world, but none as powerful as when we do so in a diverse community in which voices of all backgrounds have a seat at the table. … I am privileged and honored to be part of this effort to continue our forward progress. In raising my voice of support, I hope to encourage others to join us in this endeavor.”
Betsy Fleming ’86
Charlotte, North Carolina
“I believe deeply in the collective power of women to fuel positive change in the world. As women of Exeter come together across generations, it seems evident that their experiences and contributions at the Academy and far beyond will multiply in positive, transformative impact and community building.”
Jane Griffin Gruber ’96
San Francisco, California
“My parents made huge sacrifices to send us all to Exeter. … My experience changed my life dramatically, and I wouldn’t be where I am today without them or Exeter. … Helping other families give their daughters the Exeter experience is my way of showing gratitude to my parents and the school for the gift I was given. “
Ayanna Lonian ’94
Redondo Beach, California
“The Academy is a wonderful and very special place. It’s important to me that Exeter remain a place that helps young women to flourish academically, to find their voices, to build their confidence, to make lifelong friendships and to see possibilities for what their lives and careers can be like after the Academy.”
Giselle Nelson ’01
Wellesley, Massachusetts
“I have decided to designate the Women’s Leadership Circle Scholarship Fund a personal philanthropic priority because I want to elevate female Exonians to a level of engagement at the Academy that instills a foundation of confidence and education that will take their careers wherever they so choose. I also hope to inspire other alumnae with the capacity to do the same to join me in this mission.”
Nicie Panetta ’84
Manchester, Massachusetts
“Philanthropy is, of course, just one of many ways to give back to Exeter. But as we look boldly to a future in which we welcome young women with an ever-deeper commitment to access, equity and sustainability, I know we can’t do it without the financial support of our alumnae, and I am so proud to join in this effort.”
Erika Mae Rasmussen ’95; P’25
Hong Kong
“Girls at Exeter deserve to dream big. I hope my humble gift will contribute to developing their inner strength and outward confidence. May their aspirations and ambitions know no bounds.”
Katie Procter ’88
Morristown, New Jersey
“I went to college, at Dartmouth and then business school, at Stanford. I think Exeter gave me the confidence to participate in conversations (more than other women) and in the classroom at both Dartmouth and Stanford. The methodology of Harkness requires you to participate, you are not allowed to shrink back – having my voice was incredibly helpful when I joined the world of finance. Only 2% of hedge fund teams are women. I have the confidence to speak up and in an industry that is pretty far from equal for women, I owe a lot of my confidence to Exeter.”
Christine Robson Weaver ’99
San Jose, California
“While we’ve come a long way since my days at Exeter, women are still outnumbered in tech. Many of my greatest friendships with women have been forged in maker spaces, where aesthetics merge with … engineering design. I hope to see many more girls discover, as I have, the joys of bringing ideas to life in your hands.”
