Chief Financial and Operating Officer
Know Your Pelicans
What are your impressions of Packer so far? Our students? Your colleagues?
The kids are all great! They come off as super bright, engaged, talented, polite… The talent and enthusiasm in our student entertainment world has been eye-opening so far. A lot of the time, there are students who are rehearsing for music and drama in the hallway outside my office, and I always find it really impressive listening to them.
The adults have been incredibly welcoming to me, and their determination to do the right thing by our kids is really obvious. In general, I appreciate the "no-nonsense" approach of everyone I have met so far.
What is your official role at Packer and what does it mean? What do you do every day?
As Chief Financial and Operating Officer of Packer, I'm responsible for overseeing the administration teams that look after our finances, information technology, facilities, auxiliary programs (like summer camp and after-school), and our amazing food service.
Why did you choose to work at Packer?
The wide range of different areas my team covers pretty much guarantees that every day will be at least a little different than the one before. That's exciting for me. Plus, the opportunity to work as a CFOO at a dynamic, historic school like Packer was much too good to pass up.
Where did you go to school?
As a New York kid growing up in Peter Cooper Village, I attended Friends Seminary from Kindergarten through 8th grade; then moved on to Stuyvesant High School; then majored in Economics at Harvard College. While I did not pursue a graduate degree, I am a Certified Financial Analyst, which is sort of an MBA for investment folks.
What are the strengths of your department?
I'm really lucky to be working with a team of dedicated, experienced professionals, who come in every day with the goal of providing a stable platform as we educate our students. I'm grateful to each member of my team for their patience with me as I learn the ropes!
What work have you done prior to joining Packer?
My first job out of college was trading foreign exchange — back when the Euro didn't exist yet, and there were lots of currencies to trade! Over my career, I've held finance roles at banks and investment management firms. My objective is to apply what I learned in those jobs to help Packer achieve its mission.
What's one thing most people at Packer would not know about you?
Early in my career, I had the opportunity to live in London for six years, which was a lot of fun. The city itself was great, and weekend trips to Europe were easy! My son was born there, so he has a UK passport alongside his US one.
What do you love to do when you're not working at Packer?
I've always been a big lover of live music, and have pretty eclectic tastes. With the possible exception of Polka, (just kidding — no offense to Polka lovers!) there really isn't a type of music I don't like. And nothing beats seeing it performed live — from a tiny jazz club to a big stadium.