Board of Trustees

Julie Avina serves as Senior Associate Dean for Student and Alumni Affairs and Clinical Associate Professor of Global Health at NYU's College of Global Public Health. Since joining NYU in 2005, she has held a number of senior leadership roles, including Associate Vice Provost, Associate Vice Chancellor, and Dean of Students at NYU Abu Dhabi during its critical formative years. Avina also served as Executive Director of Opportunity Programs, where she oversaw $24 million in grant funding.

Prior to joining NYU, Avina designed and implemented educational programs for high school students in Portland, Oregon. She holds a Master of Arts and a Doctorate in Health Education from Teachers College.

Nina Brodeur has served St. Andrew's in a number of leadership capacities, including as a Trustee, Chair of the Governance Committee, and Vice President. Her connection to St. Andrew's began with her son, Matt '09.

A graduate of Tulane University, Brodeur began her career with the National Park Service and later worked with the World's Fairs in Knoxville and New Orleans. She subsequently moved to Cuttyhunk Island, where she managed and eventually owned the Allen House Inn and Restaurant. After selling the inn, she purchased another property on the island and opened a gift shop and rental business, which she operated until retiring from retail in 2010.

Brodeur has remained deeply engaged in the Cuttyhunk community, consulting with local organizations and serving on the Finance Committee, School Board, and Electric Light Committee. She currently serves on the Visitor Center Committee, helping to establish a welcome center in the historic Coast Guard boathouse.

Reflecting on her family's experience at St. Andrew's, Brodeur says, "St. Andrew's has been a positive and rewarding experience for our whole family. Matt’s education at St. Andrew's was the pivotal life experience that enabled him to flourish and succeed both in college and in the 'real' world."

David Brown '52 has served St. Andrew's School in a number of leadership roles, including Treasurer, Vice President, and President of the Board of Trustees. A devoted and supportive alumnus, Brown has remained deeply engaged with the school since graduating in 1952.

Brown is President and Owner of the Whittet-Higgins Company, which he founded in 1966. The company manufactures mechanical power transmission equipment. He graduated from Brown University in 1956 and earned an MBA from Harvard University in 1962.

Throughout his long association with St. Andrew's, Brown has generously contributed his time, leadership, and expertise to the school. He played an instrumental role in the concept and development of the David A. Brown '52 Science Center, which was named in his honor in September 2000.

Brown resides in East Providence with his wife, Susan.

Pamela "Pam" Faulkner has served on the St. Andrew's School Board of Trustees for 25 years, including as President of the Board. Faulkner currently serves on the Board of the Providence Public Library Foundation, where she is also Development Chair, and on the Board of Trustees of Tap-In, Inc., a community organization of which she is a founding member. She has also been actively involved with St. John's Church in Barrington, where she served as Senior Warden, and is a past President of the Junior League of Rhode Island.

Faulkner's connection to St. Andrew's is also personal, her granddaughter and grandniece are current students. She lives in Barrington, Rhode Island.

Reflecting on her longstanding commitment to St. Andrew's, Faulkner says, "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.'"

Anton "Tony" Giedt became involved with St. Andrew's, when his daughter, Courtney '15, joined the school as a sophomore after the family moved to Rhode Island from Massachusetts.

Giedt has been deeply engaged in public education and community service. From 2004 to 2012, he served as a member and Chair of the Manchester-Essex Regional School District School Committee in Massachusetts. He joined the St. Andrew’s Board of Trustees in 2015.

Giedt is an attorney with more than 35 years of experience across the government, private, and nonprofit sectors. He currently serves as Principal of APG Counsel, where he provides mediation and legal counsel services. From 2016 to 2017, he served as Assistant General Counsel for IGT Global Solutions Corporation in Providence, Rhode Island. Prior to that, Giedt spent more than three decades with the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts, retiring in 2014 after serving as an Assistant United States Attorney and Senior Litigation Counsel. In that role, he represented the United States in civil litigation and prosecuted federal criminal matters.

Giedt earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Economics from the University of California, San Diego, and his law degree from American University Washington College of Law in Washington, D.C. He and his wife, Nancy Gagliano, divide their time among New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Florida. They have a son, Jason, who resides in Rhode Island.

Soohuen Ham '99 is an Associate at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP, where he leverages his federal regulatory and enforcement experience to advise clients on compliance matters under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA).

After graduating from St. Andrew's, Ham attended Rutgers University and, following graduation, served five years in the U.S. Navy. He earned law degrees from St. John's University School of Law and Georgetown University Law Center.

Ham and his partner, Josephine, live in San Francisco, California, with their rescue Shar Pei mix, Bella. Outside of his professional work, Ham enjoys smoking various different cuts of meat, a hobby he has developed in recent years.

John Harker is the former President of Matrix Incorporated in East Providence, Rhode Island, a manufacturing company specializing in close-tolerance injection-molded components. He has been a longtime leader and supporter of St. Andrew's, serving on the Board of Trustees for 25 years, including as Board President. In 2020, Harker returned to the Board for a second time.

Harker is an active volunteer and community leader, supporting nonprofit organizations throughout Rhode Island, including Hattie Ide Chaffee and We Make RI.

Harker lives in Barrington, Rhode Island, with his wife of 43 years, Betsy. Together, they have two children and five grandchildren. In his free time, Harker enjoys tennis, golf, and fishing.

Peter Holden joined the St. Andrew's community in 2015, when his daughter, Victoria '22, entered the school in sixth grade.

Holden currently serves as Associate Dean for Administration and Finance for the College of Natural Sciences at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Prior to joining UMass Amherst, he held a number of leadership positions at Brown University and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, where he specialized in the planning, design, construction, and operation of biomedical research and educational facilities.

Holden has also been actively involved in higher education and professional service. From 2008 to 2018, he served as Vice Chair of the Industry Advisory Board for Roger Williams University's Construction Management Program.

Holden earned a Bachelor of Science in Construction Management from Roger Williams University and an MBA from Bryant University. He and his wife, Andrea, reside in the Pioneer Valley area of Massachusetts and have two daughters, Grace and Victoria.