Board of Trustees

Julie is the senior associate dean at Student and Alumni Affairs and clinical associate professor of global health at NYU's College of Global Public Health. Since 2005 she has served NYU in numerous key roles including as an associate vice provost, associate vice chancellor and dean of students at NYU-Abu Dhabi in its critical, formative first years and as the executive director for Opportunity Programs, where she oversaw $24 million in grants. Prior to NYU, Julie designed and implemented educational programs for high school students in Portland, Oregon. Julie holds a Master of Arts and a Doctorate in Health Education from Teachers College.

Nina has served in a number of capacities for St. Andrew’s including Trustee, Chair of the Governance Committee and Vice President. Her history with St. Andrew’s started with her son, Matt, now an alumnus.

Nina graduated from Tulane University. After Tulane, she worked at the National Park Service and Worlds' Fairs in Knoxville and New Orleans before moving to Cuttyhunk Island to run and eventually own the Allen House Inn and Restaurant. After selling it, she purchased another property on the Island and opened a gift shop and rental property, which she closed in 2010 when she retired from retail. Nina has consulted with different groups on the island and has served on Cuttyhunk’s Finance Committee, School Board and Electric Light Committee. Presently, she is working with the Visitor Center committee to set up a welcome center in the old Coast Guard boathouse.

“St. Andrew’s has been a positive and rewarding experience for our whole family. Matt’s His education at St. Andrew’s was the pivotal life experience that has enabled him to flourish and succeed both in college and the "real" world.”

David has served as treasurer, vice president, and president of the board of trustees and is a devoted and supportive alumnus of St. Andrew's School. He is president and owner of the Whittet-Higgins Company, which he established in 1966, a manufacturer of mechanical power transmission equipment. David received his MBA in 1962 from Harvard University and is a 1956 graduate of Brown University. Since his graduation from St. Andrew’s in 1952, David has given much of his time and talent. He was instrumental in the concept and development of The David A. Brown '52 Science Center, which was named in his honor in September of 2000. David resides in East Providence with his wife Susan.

Head of Burns & Levinson’s Providence office, senior environmental attorney and founding member of the Infrastructure & Public-Private Partnerships (P3) Group, Sean Coffey works with private developers, financial institutions, municipal and state governments and quasi-public agencies on environmental matters and public-private partnership projects.  Sean’s two sons are graduates of St. Andrew’s, James Coffey ‘17 and Damon Coffey ‘20.

Sean served the former Rhode Island Department of Natural Resources as staff counsel and assisted in the development of legislation creating the Department of Environmental management where he served as legal coune=sel and chief legal counsel from 1977 to 1983. He served as a Rhode Island State Senator from Providence’s Second District from 1985 to 1991.  Sean is also past Chair of the Committee on Environmental Law of the Rhode Island Bar Association and Served as Chairman of the Rhode Island P3 Commission.

Sean previously served as board chair of the United Way of Rhode Island and the Providence Preservation Society.  He holds a BSFS in International Relations from Georgetown University and a juris doctorate from Boston University School of Law. 

Joe Farmer is a founding partner of Farmer, First & Vining, CPAs and has more than twenty years of expertise related to the tax needs of closely-held businesses, high net worth individuals and non-profit organizations. He earned his Masters Degree in Taxation from Bryant University in 1990.

Throughout his career, Joe has been very involved in community non-profit organizations, serving on the boards of Bristol County Lions Club, Columbus Credit Union, East Bay Chamber of Commerce, East Bay Community Development Corporation (and related entities), ReFocus RI, and Riverwood Mental Health Services.

At St. Andrew’s, he is a member of the Finance Committee and a member of the Friends of St. Andrew’s. His wife Pam was St. Andrew’s first Spanish teacher and currently serves as the Assistant Director for Alumni Engagement. Joe and Pam live in Bristol, RI and have five children, two of whom are St. Andrew’s students. 

Pam has been a member of the Board of Trustees for 25 years and has served as president of the Board. She is a Board member and the development chair for the Providence Public Library Foundation, and serves on the Board of Trustees and is a founding member of Tap-In, Inc. She has been active at St. John's Church in Barrington, where she has served as senior warden. Mrs. Faulkner is a past president of the Junior League of Rhode Island. She has a granddaughter and grand-niece who are students at St. Andrew’s and she lives in Barrington, RI.

"I have stayed so long on the St. Andrew's Board because I passionately believe in its mission. I have seen up close what the school can do, especially the teachers, for its students. It brings me the greatest joy when I run into a parent and hear, 'St. Andrew's has changed my child's life. I don't know what would have happened if we hadn't found St. Andrew's.'"

Janet S. Fogarty is Vice President and Deputy General Counsel of Textron Inc., a global multi-industry company headquartered in Rhode Island. She manages Textron’s Corporate legal staff and is a member of the enterprise-wide Legal Council. Prior to joining Textron in 2004, Janet was an attorney in private practice in Rhode Island.

Janet received a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and a B.A. in economics from Boston College. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Providence Performing Arts Center and is the proud mother of two boys, one of whom is a 2014 St. Andrew’s graduate. 

Soohuen is an Associate at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP, where he leverages his federal regulatory and enforcement experience to advise his clients with the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) compliance issues.

After St. Andrew’s, Soohuen attended Rutgers University and soon after graduation, served in the U.S. Navy for 5 years.  Soohuen then obtained his law degrees from St. John’s University School of Law and Georgetown University Law Center.  He and his partner, Josephine, live in San Francisco, CA with their rescue Shar Pei-mix, Bella.  In his spare time, Soohuen enjoys smoking various cuts of meat, which he picked up in the last few years.

John is the former President of Matrix Incorporated in East Providence, Rhode Island, a manufacturing company specializing in close tolerance injection molded components. He is a former Board President at St. Andrew’s who served as a member for 25 years. In 2020 he re-joined the Board for a second time. He is an active volunteer for non-profits in the state including Hattie Ide Chaffee and We Make RI. John lives in Barrington, Rhode Island, with his wife of 38 years, Betsy. Together, they have two children and three grandchildren. His hobbies include tennis, golf and fishing.

Peter joined the St Andrew's family in 2015 when his daughter, Victoria ‘22 entered St. Andrew's in the sixth grade. Peter has previously served as the vice-chairperson to the Industry Advisory Board of Roger Williams University’s Construction Management Program from 2008 to 2018. He currently serves as the associate dean for administration and finance for the College of Natural Sciences at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Prior to that, he has served in multiple leadership roles at Brown University and the FDA, specializing in the design, construction of, and operations of biomedical research and educational facilities. Peter graduated from Roger Williams University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Construction Management and he received his MBA from Bryant University. Peter and his wife, Andrea, reside in the Pioneer Valley area of Massachusetts and have two daughters Grace and Victoria.

Tim is in his 13th year as Head of School at Pingree School in South Hamilton, MA, where he lives with his wife Jen and their four children. Prior to Pingree, Tim was a teacher, coach, and administrator at Springside Chestnut Hill School in Philadelphia and Hampton Roads Academy in Virginia. Both Tim and Jen are working artists and Tim continues to teach drawing and painting at Pingree. Tim has served as a trustee and volunteer for many boards and professional organizations, including the Association of Independent Schools in New England (AISNE), Tower School, Montserrat College of Art, and Bowdoin College Museum of Art. Tim earned his BA from Bowdoin, MFA from Maryland Institute College of Art, and Ed.D. from the University of Pennsylvania.

Mike is a Distinguished Military Graduate of Providence College's ROTC Class of 1997. He has served our country in many ways including being deployed to the Republic of Germany and  Kosovo. In February of 2002, after joining the Rhode Island Army National Guard, he was appointed Commander of the 173rd Infantry Detachment Long Range Surveillance who was mobilized in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom III followed by a deployment with Special Operations Detachment Global (SOD-G) in support of Operation Enduring Freedom Caribbean and Central America. In 2010, he graduated with Distinction from the U.S. Naval War College with a Master of Arts in National Security and Strategic Studies. In 2013, LTC Manning mobilized and deployed in the capacity of Senior Special Operations Advisor to the Afghan Ministry of Defense. He has also served as an Assistant Professor of Military Science at Providence College, State Partnership Program Coordinator, Legislative Liaison, Operations Officer for Special Operations Detachment Global, Secretary of the General Staff and presently serves as the Commander of the RI Army National Guard’s Recruiting & Retention Battalion.

Mike received an honorary doctorate from his Alma Mater, Providence College, and presented the commencement address that year. LTC Manning is a former Peer-to-Peer Committee Chairperson for the Veterans Task Force of Rhode Island and Board Member for the Providence College Alumni Board. He previously served as the Head Coach for the Wickford Middle School Girls Soccer Team and as a longstanding coach with the Ocean State Soccer Club in North Kingstown, RI. He is a former member of the track team at Providence College and was a member of the Rhode Island National Guard Marathon Team. LTC Manning resides in Hingham MA and is the proud father of three children, Michael ‘17, Jack, and Shannon.

Sara Shea McConnell is the commissioner for the City of Providence Park Commission and former board president for Sophia Academy. She graduated from Providence College with a bachelor of arts and received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Rhode Island College. Shea McConnell has served on the Dorcas Place Adult & Family Literacy Board of Directors and as Diversity Committee chair and vice-chair for the Gordon School Board of Trustees. She has also been a Democratic National Convention delegate in 1996 and 2004. Currently, she resides in Providence with her husband Jack and they are the parents of Catherine, Margaret, and John '15.

Cyd’s family connections to St. Andrew’s run deep: her father, Leonard Anderson recruited young men from South Providence to attend in the 70’s and 80’s, she attended high school there, and her son recently completed St. Andrew’s middle school. Cyd is an accomplished communications and policy expert holding a Master’s in Education from Harvard and Masters in City Planning from MIT. She is currently the Chief of Staff at the Collective PAC, a group formed to address the underrepresentation of African Americans in public office.

After St. Andrew’s, Demetris attended Syracuse University. At Syracuse, he led their basketball team in scoring for the Big East Conference and off the court, he graduated with a (BA) in Speech Communication. Demetris was the first Saint to get selected in the NBA draft. After playing a couple of years in the NBA, he took his basketball talents to Europe where he would play another eleven years in countries like Italy, Russia, Greece, France and Croatia. In recent years he has pursued communication opportunities as an inspirational speaker and has worked in broadcasting, podcasting and sales. Demetris now lives in the Syracuse area with his wife and two beautiful daughters and recently was hired to be a part of the basketball coaching staff at his Alma mater.

Karen Pelczarski has more than 35 years of experience litigating complex business issues concentrating on mediations and appeals. For several consecutive years, she has been recognized as one of the top 250 women in litigation in the United States, as Rhode Island "Lawyer of the Year" in various litigation areas, and her law firm has been consistently named a "Tier 1" best law firm by US News and World Report. Many of her cases have involved family-owned businesses and closely held corporations. She is known for providing practical guidance to individual and corporate clients, and for achieving favorable results that are closely tailored to her clients’ goals and needs.

Karen received her Bachelor's degree with honors in music and economics from Wellesley College and her law degree from Boston College Law School. She is engaged in the local community and is involved in many local non-profits including Sophia Academy and the Rhode Island Philharmonic and Music School. Karen joined the St. Andrew’s Board of Trustees in 2013 and is now rejoining the Board after a short time away. She splits her time between Tiverton, RI and Jupiter, FL, spending time on the water with her husband Rich.

James is a senior vice president at Van Liew Trust Company, where he has worked since 2018 as a portfolio manager and trust officer. Previously, he worked at Ironwood Investment Management in Boston following almost a decade with Fidelity Investments and several years as a structured finance analyst at Deloitte & Touche in New York City. Prior to his investment career, Mr. Powell served as an infantry officer for nine years in the United States Army. He earned his MBA from the University of Rochester and a BS degree from St. Lawrence University. James is currently the treasurer and a trustee at St. Michael’s Country Day School in Newport, RI. He has served on several non-profit boards, including Quest Montessori School in Narragansett, RI, and St. Columba’s Chapel in Middletown, RI. James and his wife live in Portsmouth, RI, and are the parents of three adult children.

Fred is managing and founding partner at Van Liew Trust Company. He was elected to the Board of Trustees shortly after his daughter Elizabeth '84 graduated from St. Andrew's and is a past president of the Board. Prior to establishing the Van Liew Trust Company, he served for 24 years at Rhode Island Hospital Trust, where he held a number of roles. He is active in many charitable, yachting, and civic organizations. He earned his bachelor of arts from Brown University.

"Whatever the reason for a child to be at St. Andrew's, seeing so many transformations from a struggle to a success, and being so close to the process, continues to excite me. Thanks to St. Andrew's, our children and grandchildren have a resource to help them develop to their potential."

Al’s career spanned 50 years at Hasbro, Inc., including serving as CEO from 2003 through 2008 and as chairman of the publicly traded company from 2008 to 2015. He is currently the independent chairman of Iron Mountain, Inc., a global business dedicated to storing, protecting, and managing information and assets. He is a former member of the board of CVS Health, FGX International, Bacou USA, and Old Stone Corporation. He served as chairman of Lifespan, Inc., and was on the board of Bradley Hospital. He is vice chair of the URI Foundation & Alumni Engagement Board of Directors and serves on the URI College of Business Dean’s Advisory Council. Al’s grandson graduated from St. Andrew’s in 2014 and another grandson is a current sophomore.

RoseMarie is currently the Director of Diversity, Equity, and Belonging at Tabor Academy, where she serves as a member of the Senior Leadership Team. With a focus on independent day and boarding schools, RoseMarie is one of the inaugural credentialed members of the professional learning program, The Foundations of Care and Practice put out by The Association of Boarding Schools (TABS), which provides educators with ongoing practical insights and expertise to support and care for boarding school students.

RoseMarie brings with her more than thirty years of experience in management across the fields of educational marketing, global education, and communications. Her background includes work in both corporate and nonprofit sectors in Employee Engagement, Policy Development, and Marketing Strategy.

She has been involved in more than 20 years of programming with the Connecticut Association of Independent Schools (CAIS), the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), and currently the Association of Independent Schools of New England (AISNE).

Before joining Tabor, RoseMarie worked at the Kent School in Kent, Connecticut and for the Foreign Policy Association in New York. She splits her time between Massachusetts and Connecticut with her husband, Lew, and their two children, Gwendolyn and Jack '23.

Margot Wolf has been involved with St. Andrew’s School since 1984 and has served the Board of Trustees since 1998. She presently serves on the Facilities Committee and resides in Barrington, RI.