An independent school in Middletown, DE for students in Preschool through Grade 8

Board of Trustees & Governance

St. Anne's Episcopal School is an independent, private not-for-profit school which is governed by a self-perpetuating board of trustees. Board members are responsible for the financial integrity of the school and for hiring, evaluating and supporting the Head of School. The Head of School is responsible for implementing policies and for running the day-to-day operations of the school.

Trustee meetings are held bi-monthly during the school year. Board Committees which include trustees, administrators, and others who are invited to attend, typically meet on the alternate months. These committees include Enrollment Management, Finance, Major Gifts, Strategic Planning, and the Committee on Trustees. An Executive Committee is comprised of the Head of School, the President of the Board, Vice President, and at least two other representatives of the Trustees.

BOARD OF TRUSTEES DIRECTORY

2023-24

Officers of the Board

Mr. Harry Baetjer -  Harry Baetjer retired from Tower Hill School in June of 2017 where he was a teacher and administrator at the school since 1970. During that time, he served as a Middle School then Upper School history teacher and coach. Harry also was the Dean of Students for the Upper School, Head of Upper School for over twenty years, and Assistant/Associate Head of School. He also served as Head of School from October 2013 until June of 2015, after which he returned to the role of Assistant Head until his retirement. Harry graduated from the Gilman School in Baltimore, MD and received his B.A. in European History from Trinity College in Connecticut and his M.A. from the University of Delaware. He and his wife, Caryl, have three grown children who graduated from Tower Hill and are also proud grandparents.

Emily Kegerreis (P '23, '28) -  Emily grew up in Chestertown, MD and returned to the Delmarva Peninsula in 2017 with her husband, David, and two daughters Hana and Clara.  Emily has lived throughout the US as well as in Spain, Japan and Costa Rica. She spent her early career working in international brand management for Johnson and Johnson before transitioning into higher education, serving as the MBA Program and Admissions Director at Mississippi State University and now as the owner of an admissions consulting firm for prospective MBAs. Emily graduated Summa Cum Laude from Syracuse University and holds an MBA from the Thunderbird School of Graduate Management at Arizona State University.  She served as the St. Anne’s Episcopal School Parents’ Association President from 2020-2021.

Trustees

Dr. Jamie Ahl (P '20, '22, '25) - Dr. Ahl is a Dover based orthodontist who is an enthusiastic contributor to the St. Anne's community. She and her husband Doug are the parents of two alums and a current middle school student. She received her dental degree with honors from the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine and completed her orthodontic residency program at Temple University School of Dentistry. While at Temple, Dr. Ahl earned her certificate in orthodontics and Master of Science in oral biology.

Taylor F. Cameron (P’14, ’16) – Taylor is a Mortgage Loan Officer with PNC Bank with over 20 years of experience in the retail and consumer banking industry.  A 1990 Graduate of St. Andrew’s School, Taylor also holds an AA degree in Business Administration from Cecil College and holds an honors diploma from the Maryland Banking School at University of Maryland in Financial Institution Management.  Prior to working at PNC Bank, Taylor served as a Major Gifts Officer at St. Andrew’s School.  Taylor has served on the St. Andrew’s School Alumni Association Board and The Cecil County Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors.  Taylor and his wife, Shannon, are the parents of Alexandra ’14 and Logan ’16 and enjoy traveling with their family. 

Don Cooney- Don brings more than 35 years’ experience in educational advancement and administration to St. Anne’s. Over those decades he held professional appointments as vice president of the Lancaster Theological Seminary, and associate vice president of Gettysburg, Franklin & Marshall, and Swarthmore colleges. For the past 20 years he has also been a faculty spouse, parent, donor, and/or volunteer with several independent schools, including Lancaster Country Day School (independent K-12; Don’s son, Bryce is a graduate), Holy Child School of Rosemont (Roman Catholic preK-8), Benchmark School (K-8 for students with learning differences), and Media Providence Friends School (Quaker, K-8). In addition to being a donor, Don’s has been connected to St. Anne’s through his daughter, Meghan Ferster, who formerly directed St. Anne’s extended-care program. Among his volunteer services, Don served on the strategic planning council of Holy Child School and is a past member of the Board of Directors of Opera Philadelphia. He currently serves on the Board of Elections for his local election ward. Don and his wife, Dianne, are retired, dote on three grandchildren, and reside in Wallingford, Pennsylvania.

Damany Fisher (P '28, '30) - Beginning his career in education, Damany started at the college level teaching history in California and then moved to the East Coast to take a position on the faculty at Philip’s Andover. In addition to these two very different teaching opportunities, Damany has taught in a correctional facility, expanding his perspective on the power of education.

These varied educational pursuits led him to consult with different academic institutions. Currently, Damany is a Consulting Manager for Accenture in Philadelphia where he focuses on technology and the future of AI. He is also interested in project-based learning and helping our children access the best education possible. 

Damany lives on the St. Andrew’s campus, where his wife is on the faculty and serves as Dean of Inclusion and Belonging. He and his family moved to Middletown in 2022. 

Dr. Lindsey Heller - (P '27, '29) - As the daughter of Hick Rowland, one of the founding members of St. Anne’s, Lindsey has felt a connection to St. Anne’s since the beginning. She was born in New Castle, Delaware, and attended Wilmington Friends School through 8th grade before transferring to St. Timothy’s School, an all-girls boarding school in Maryland. Lindsey achieved a B.A. in biology/biochemistry from Colby College, an M.S. in Zoology from Miami University of Ohio, and a D.V.M. from St. George’s University. She now practices as a small animal veterinarian at Red Lion Veterinary Hospital in New Castle. She and her husband, John, have 2 Herons, Anise (5th)
and Finnegan (3rd), who have happily attended St. Anne’s since preschool.

Allaire (Lairsey) Hummel- Allaire Hummel (Lairsey)  is a property manager and real estate investor who splits her time between her family's farm in Chesapeake City, MD and the Florida Keys. Her family has a long history with St. Anne's as her mother, Caroline Prickett, was on the founding committee for the School. Lairsey graduated from the University of Mary Washington with a degree in business and, alongside her husband Dan, manages 'Great House Farm', along with several equestrian and Airbnb businesses.  Lairsey and Dan are the parents of Abigail and Topher, both graduates of St. Andrews School.

Diahann Johnson (P '06, '13) - Diahann has been a friend of St. Anne’s since its founding: her two daughters graduated from St. Anne’s in the early years and Diahann served on the faculty for a year while she was on sabbatical from St. Andrew’s. Earning degrees  at Oberlin College, University of Paris and University of Delaware, Diahann is a Master Modern language teacher, currently teaching French in the Appoquinimink School district after teaching French and chairing the Modern Language Department at St. Andrew’s for 29 years, where she also coordinated school trips and led diversity, equity and inclusion programs in the school and in the community. As her husband Anthony ends his final year on the board, we are thrilled that Diahann is ready to take her place at our table.

Libby Lakeman ('08) - Libby is a proud graduate of St. Anne’s Class of 2007 and St. Andrew’s Class of 2012, and Lake Forest College’s Class of 2016. She holds a bachelors degree in both History and German. For the past five years, she has worked for Bryn Mawr College and is currently the Senior Assistant Director of Admissions, overseeing all visits and event inquiries. She currently lives in Philadelphia.

Stephen Ovadje (P '26, '30) - Stephen Ovadje has a passion for leveraging technology to solve Africa's problems; he is the co-founder and CEO of AcadaPlus, an automation and analytics platform that offers school communities intuitive tools, dashboards, and insights to monitor and drive student performance. 

He joined Dovaheights Dialysis Center, November 2020 as Finance Director, bringing with him, his wealth of experience in strategy development and finance to the organization. He is also Finance Director/CFO at Dovaheights Energy Limited, a sister organization to Dovaheights: Dialysis Center Limited. 

He is the Executive Director of Acquisitions and Customer Marketing Strategy for Chase Sapphire, JP Morgan Chase's premier credit card brand. Prior to joining Chase, Stephen served as a Senior Director at Marlette Funding, a marketplace lender based in Wilmington, DE. At Marlette, he was responsible for strategic planning, expense management, and reporting and analytics for the Finance organization. He also led the customer acquisition teams responsible for lead generation across digital and offline channels. Prior to Marlette Funding, Stephen spent 2+ years in Strategy/Management Consulting at Deloitte where his experience spanned pricing and profitability management, M&A strategy, business process outsourcing, and business model transformation. He also spent four years at Barclaycard US, a division of Barclays, where he led Marketing Analytics for the Travel & Entertainment portfolio. 

Dr. Rhae Riegel (P''30) - Dr. Riegel grew up in Kankakee, Illinois and attended Lafayette College, graduating with a Bachelor's of Science in Biology. She then attended the University of Pennsylvania, School of Dental Medicine, where she completed both dental school as well as residency in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. During her residency, Dr. Riegel also. completed medical school at the University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine. Dr. Riegel has been practicing in Delaware since 2017 with full staff privileges at Kent General Hospital. In her spare time, Dr. Riegel enjoys spending time. with her husband and young son Jack. 

Dr. Vijay Viswanathan (P '30)- Vijay has been a part of the St. Anne’s community since 2016, with two children currently attending the school. Vijay graduated from Emory University with majors in biology and history, followed by medical school at Texas A&M University. After medical school, Vijay completed his residency in Radiology at Harlem Hospital/Columbia University, and a fellowship in Neuroradiology at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Harvard University. Vijay is a partner with Kent Diagnostic Radiology Associates, serving central and southern Delaware. Vijay resides in Middletown with his wife Sowmya, daughter Sandhya ('26), and son Keshav ('28).

Phil Walsh (P '27, '27, '24) - Phil and his wife Mindy are the parents of three St. Anne's students: Brian (6th grade); and twins, Eleanor and Andrew (3rd grade). He graduated from the College of William & Mary (Classical Studies) and received his AM and PhD from Brown University (Comparative Literature). For eight years he taught at Washington College in Chestertown, MD. His book, Brill's Companion to the Reception of Aristophanes, was published in 2016. He is currently the Chair of the Department of Classics at St. Andrew's School, where he teaches Latin and ancient Greek at all levels, as well as sections of history and English.

Michael Whittaker (P ‘18, ‘20, ‘25)- Michael W. Whittaker's practice focuses on advising companies in business and corporate transactions, including M&A, private equity, venture capital and joint ventures. His clients range from large, multinational enterprises to entrepreneurs looking to form their first company. Mike has helped form hundreds of Delaware companies and can advise clients on all stages of a company's life cycle, from inception, through fund raising and operations, to winding up and dissolution. 

In addition, Mike routinely provides advice regarding the formation, operation, and dissolution of Delaware entities, including corporations, limited liability companies, statutory trusts, partnerships, and special purpose entities, and their use in complex business and commercial transactions. Mike also regularly acts as Delaware counsel to banks. 

Mike is a member of the Delaware State Bar Association committee responsible for drafting revisions to the Delaware Limited Liability Company Act, the Delaware Revised Uniform Limited Partnership Act, and the Delaware Revised Partnership Act, and is a past president of the Commercial Law Section of the Delaware State Bar Association. 

Brad Hirsh - Brad lives in Chestertown and works at the Sultana Educational Foundation in Chestertown and has helped facilitate St. Anne’s kayaking trips. A native of Chestertown, Brad is a graduate of St. Andrew’s School and Bard College, where he earned a degree in Literature. With 15+ years of teaching, counseling, and coaching young adults, Brad is a highly effective leader and engaging educator in his field. Prior to SEF Brad worked as a Staff Naturalist/ Trip Leader for Echo Hill Outdoor School, a classroom teacher at The Swain School in Allentown, PA and oversaw the development of the school’s outdoor education curriculum. Brad shared that he left one of his schools because he no longer believed in what they were doing. By contrast, his visits and consultation with Barry and Matt on outdoor education stirred up his passion for good schools with a meaningful purpose living out their mission. He expressed a real faith in St. Anne’s, so much, he said, that friends who live in Chestertown followed up on his lead and now have their children enrolled at St. Anne’s. Matt is interested in serving on the Education Committee and the Advancement Committee.

Melissa Davis (P '30) - 

Erica Wolf - Erica is a St. Anne’s parent of students in PK and 1st grade. She also has a 2 year old who she hopes will follow her brother at St. Anne’s. A lifelong resident of the State of Delaware, Erica attended Red Lion School and Middletown High School, followed by the University of Delaware, majoring in political science with a focus on public law. She earned minors in philosophy, business administration, leadership, and legal studies. In college, Erica was a resident assistant and won resident assistant of the year. Erica attended Widener University School of Law (now known as the Delaware Law School) where she was active in the Student Bar Association. While in law school, Erica interned for the Honorable Jan R. Jurden in Delaware Superior Court. Currently, Erica is the owner and managing attorney of Wolfe & Associates. Erica focuses her practice in residential real estate, estate planning, and estate distribution. Erica assists clients through every step of the residential and commercial purchase and refinance process, including the review of all contracts, mortgage documents, title commitments, and surveys. Erica handles a wide range of estate and trust matters, including drafting wills, trusts, special needs trusts, powers of attorney, and advanced health care directive documents. She also assists clients in estate, trust, and guardianship administration. Erica devotes a substantial portion of her time to estate planning, with a focus on asset distribution while minimizing potential tax liability on asset transfers. Moreover, Erica is an adjunct professor at Delaware Tech teaching Real Estate Law to pre-law and paralegal students. 

Kara Yorston - Kara is the parent of three children at St. Anne’s and an older daughter in the public school. A former delivery room nurse now working from home for her husband's business and running the farm and family. She dreams of opening a U-Pick flower farm and flower truck, and she is working on these plans. Her husband Adam sits on many for-profit boards and runs the family business which provides signage to companies across the country. Kara keeps the numbers and does the payroll. She said to Barry and Matt that the only regret they have made when it comes to St. Anne’s is that they didn’t get their children here sooner. Kara is an ardent supporter of our school. She fell in love with St. Anne’s the minute she walked in the door, especially the outdoor education focus and the approach to learning. Kara was deeply involved in the public school parent booster club where she served as president until she moved her children to St. Anne’s. She is interested in Enrollment and Marketing and Strategic Planning.

Ex Officio

Mr. Barry L. Davis, Head of School at St. Anne’s (ex officio)  Mr. Davis arrived to St. Anne’s  in July 2019 from Greensboro Day School in Greensboro, North Carolina, where he is the Middle School Director. With 38 years of experience as an educator, Mr. Davis has helped young people to reach their potential as an administrator, teacher, and coach at schools including Brooklyn Friends School (New York), Flint Hill School (Virginia), the Metropolitan Learning Center, Inter District Magnet School for Global and International Studies and Technology (Connecticut), Worcester Academy (Massachusetts), Eastern Connecticut State University, St. Lawrence University (New York), and University of Dallas (Texas).   Mr. Davis earned his B.S. in Physical Education at St. Lawrence University. Two years later he earned an M.Ed. in Educational Counseling and Human Development. These degrees were followed by a second M.Ed. in Educational Leadership and School Administration and Supervision from Central Connecticut State University.

 The Rt. Rev. Kevin S. Brown, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Delaware (ex officio) - Bishop Kevin Brown grew up in Asheville, North Carolina, and studied mathematics and psychology at Duke University. He completed his master of business administration at the University of West Florida while in the U.S. Air Force, worked in finance and marketing at FedEx, and launched an investment firm, before gaining a master of divinity from the General Theological Seminary in New York City. Before his election as the Bishop of Delaware, he served as rector at Holy Comforter in Charlotte, North Carolina, where he led the merger of separate English and Spanish preschools into a single groundbreaking school focused on bilingual education and dedicated to access for low-income and immigrant families. He previously served as rector of Grace Episcopal Church in Paris, Tennessee. Bishop Brown and his wife, Caroline, an accomplished artist, relocated and now live in Wilmington.  They have two college-age daughters. The Episcopal Diocese of Delaware encompasses the three counties of Delaware and includes 9,300 congregants and 34 worshipping communities.  Bishop Brown was appointed Vice Chair to the Task Force on Theology of Money (General Convention Resolution 2018-A061) and also serves on the Board of Trustees of General Theological Seminary.

Joy McGrath-  Joy is a graduate ('92) of and fifth head of school at St. Andrews School. She previously was a faculty member at St. Andrew’s from 1999 to 2007, serving as director of advancement, a dorm parent, and English teacher, among other assignments. Prior to returning to St. Andrew’s in 2021, Ms. McGrath served as the chief of staff to the president of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. A graduate of Harvard and Radcliffe Colleges, Ms. McGrath is a native of Delaware. She and her husband, Ty Jones ’92, live on St. Andrew’s campus.

Trustee Emeritus

Katherine Gahagan- Kitten has four sons and 12 grandchildren (two of whom attended St. Andrew’s, graduating in 2010 and 2011) and one great-grandchild. Kitten was educated at Wilmington schools, St. Anne’s School in Charlottesville, Va., and Wellesley College. She has been active in numerous volunteer organizations, including Planned Parenthood, the Taft School, Brandywine Conservancy, Children’s Beach House, Chichester duPont Foundation, and the founding of St. Anne’s Episcopal School in Middletown, Del. She enjoys keeping up with her scattered grandchildren and hosting their gatherings.

Caroline duPont Prickett​​​​​​​

Gretchen Hurtt

Gordon Brownlee