School Committee 2021-22
The School Committee is our governing body, much like a board of directors. It is comprised of individuals dedicated to GFS, including members of the Germantown Monthly Meeting, alumni, current parents, parents of alumni, and current and former faculty. The School Committee sets policies for Germantown Friends School and makes all final decisions regarding guiding principles, long-term direction, and priorities set forth for the school.
Germantown Friends School is grateful for the direction, leadership and philanthropic generosity that the School Committee offers year in and year out.
David Feldman '76, Clerk
Carmen E. Guerra
Mimi McKenzie, Assistant Clerk
Takashi Moriuchi, Treasurer
Zoë Rankin
Dianne E. Reed
Jonathan E. Rhoads '56
Matthew Stitt '05
Anthony Stover
Elizabeth A.W. Williams, Recording Clerk
Hilary Alger is an independent nonprofit fundraising consultant and a senior consultant with Schultz & Williams, a national nonprofit consulting firm headquartered in Philadelphia. Previously Hilary was Director of Development for Pennsylvania Ballet for nine years. Hilary serves on the boards of Pennsylvania Ballet and Target Margin Theater (NYC) and on the board of directors of The Alger Funds, a family of mutual funds. She holds a BA from Yale University. She is the parent of Amelia ‘21.
Carol Baldwin Moody '74 is an industry leader with more than 30 years of domestic and global legal, compliance and management experience in the financial services industry. She is the principal of CAB Moody, LLC, a firm she founded in 2015 to create and implement compliance and risk management programs, as well as to advise insurance companies regarding complex and emerging risks.
A longtime advocate for education, mentoring and economic empowerment, Carol currently serves on the Board of Legal Momentum, the Women’s Legal Defense and Educational Fund, and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. She graduated from GFS in 1974, and is the mother of Jessica, GFS class of '10, and Justin, who was taught science by Head of School Dana Weeks at Saint Ann’s in New York.
Pat Bass was asked to join the staff of GFS more than 40 years ago to develop and oversee what would become the Community Scholars Program. While at GFS, Pat’s many other roles included school nurse, college placement advisor, and advisor to minority students, as well as teaching health and sex education in the Upper School. When Pat was teaching, the AIDS epidemic was rising in prominence. Pat saw that this disease could potentially become an epidemic and would negatively impact people (and particularly women) of color, which led her to return to LaSalle University to get a Master’s degree in Family Counseling. From there, Pat’s career in health advocacy took off; she became Co-Director for the AIDS Activities Coordinating Office in the Philadelphia EMA, then the Director of AIDS Relief, an international health development project. She continues to be a member of CAEAR Coalition, a group that focuses on reauthorization and appropriations for the Cities and Communities receiving Ryan White funding.
Pat serves as President of the Board of Directors of Johnson House Historic Site, one of five designated Underground Railroad Sites in Pennsylvania. She also is a board member at Action Wellness (formerly Action AIDS), and is active in her church where she serves as Ministry Leader for International Ministry.
Jordan Bastien serves as the Vice President, Wealth Advisor for RBC Wealth Management. Jordan specializes in financial planning and investment management for clients seeking market performance coupled with sustainable and social impact.
Maureen Carr is an education law attorney and a mediator. She holds a B.A. in English from Kenyon College, and a J.D. from the Georgetown University Law Center. Maureen has been active for many years in fundraising, alumni association, and class agent work on behalf of Kenyon College. Maureen is the mother of Doulin ’20 and Cara ’24. She and her children are members of Germantown Monthly Meeting.
Michael Cohen '82, parent of Eliza '16, entered GFS in sixth grade, and has served as a Class Agent for more than a decade. He completed his undergraduate work at Northwestern University, and earned a Master’s in City and Regional Planning at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. In 1992, Michael launched Rodman Properties (and its affiliate, RP Management), a real estate company that buys and manages apartment complexes in the eastern portion of the United Sates. Still the president of Rodman Properties, Michael has also served as board president of Mt. Airy USA and has been on the executive committee of both the Allens Lane Art Center and the Community Design Collaborative. Michael is a longtime participant in the Friday morning pick-up basketball game in Scattergood Gym.
Joan Cannady Countryman ’58 has supported GFS students for over 60 years, with a 23-year tenure here at 31 W. Coulter St. as a mathematics teacher, department head, Assistant Head for Academic Planning, and Director of Studies. Her career also included Head of Lincoln School in Providence, Rhode Island, a position she held for 12 years until her retirement in 2005. From August 2006 until March 2007 Joan Countryman was a consultant and Interim Head of the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa. From August 2007 until June 2008 Countryman led the Atlanta Girls’ School in Atlanta, Georgia. Joan's children, Matthew '81 and Rachel '82, also attended GFS.
Joan Countryman recently completed a 12-year term as member of the Board of Managers of Haverford College where she also served as President of the Corporation. She is a member of the Board of Trustees of Sarah Lawrence College, a member of the Board of the Providence Journal Company, and of the Board of Trustees of the Paul Cuffee School, a public charter school in Providence.
Ben Cushman '72 attended GFS from Kindergarten through eighth grade. He spent 30 years in senior executive positions building high-growth consumer businesses, ranging from high tech (Atari) to low tech (Supercuts). Since retiring from the corporate world in 2004, he has served in leadership roles on non-profit boards (board chair, governance chair, development chair, strategic planning leader) primarily with private education and international humanitarian organizations, including Building Markets, International Rescue Committee, World Connect, Hampshire College, Sonoma Academy, 10,000 Degrees and The New School/Lang College.
A seasoned and effective thought leader, general manager and problem solver, with strong results in corporate and non-profit environments, Ben has particular strengths in strategic planning and board development. He also brings deep operational expertise in marketing, sales, operations, capitalization and organizational development, particularly in high change and/or high growth environments.
Marc DiNardo '80 is a GFS “lifer” and the son of Thomas DiNardo ’54. He attended MIT, where he earned Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Aeronautics and Astronautics. As an aerospace engineer, Marc has played a critical role in the design, assembly and launch of many spacecrafts, including the Terra climate research satellite, the Hubble Space Telescope, and other environmental spacecrafts for NASA, and is currently working on the next generation of weather satellites for NASA/NOAA. Marc has been a frequent speaker at GFS to encourage student interest in science and engineering. He is very active in charitable causes and supports his wife, a physician, in global medical work. A native of Germantown, he currently lives in Wyncote.
Moira Clare Duggan was born and raised in Frederick, Maryland. She graduated with high honors from LaSalle College in Philadelphia where she was on the Dean's list every semester. While attending Temple University’s Beasley School of Law at night, she was employed full time as a title examiner, then as a law clerk. After obtaining her law degree, Moira clerked for The Honorable John E. Backenstoe in the Court of Common Pleas of Lehigh County, Pennsylvania.
As a firm believer in the value of education, Moira plays an active role in client education and gives frequent lectures, legal updates and interactive seminars. In her spare time, Moira studies horticulture and enjoys gardening, hiking and camping. She is a volunteer "Big Sister" with the Philadelphia Big Brothers/Big Sisters organization.
Alexandra (Lexa) Victor Edsall is a parent of Lydia ‘23 and Thomas ‘20. Lexa has had a deep career in politics and law, serving in the Office of the Deputy Attorney General and the Office of the Solicitor General at the US Department of Justice; as an associate at Covington & Burling; as a Judicial Clerk to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg at the US Supreme Court; and as Senior Adviser to the General Counsel at the US Department of the Treasury. Lexa earned her BA and law degree from Harvard University and also has a Master of City Planning degree from the University of Pennsylvania. Lexa is a member of the Board of Directors of the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Rosenbach Museum & Library, and recently served on the Board of the Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia.
David Feldman '76 is the Senior Vice President and Regional Director of the National Commercial Services Division of First American Title Insurance Company. A member of the GFS class of 1976, his mother Ellen '48 and his children, Sarah '06 and Michael '10, are also GFS grads. David received his B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania and his J.D. from Boston College Law School.
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Carmen Guerra is an associate professor of medicine, general internist and cancer control researcher at the Perelman School of Medicine of the University of Pennsylvania, whose research focuses on better understanding and overcoming the barriers to accessing cancer screening tests. Carmen is a parent to Carolina '21 and Isabela '19, and has spoken at GFS on the topic of health disparities and medicine and the predicaments of race, class and doctors of color. Carmen received a BA in psychobiology from New York University, a medical degree from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, and a Master of Science of Clinical Epidemiology from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. In addition to serving on School Committee, Carmen has served as a volunteer leader on several boards including serving as the current Board Scientific Officer of the American Cancer Society Board of Directors in 2018 and previous chair of the board at St. Peter’s School.
Mimi McKenzie is the Legal Director at the Public Interest Law Center where she oversees all of the Law Center’s legal work. One of the original Lawyers’ Committees for Civil Rights Under Law, the Law Center uses high-impact legal strategies to advance the civil, social, and economic rights of communities in the Philadelphia region facing discrimination, inequality, and poverty. Mimi began her law career at Dechert LLP where she practiced civil litigation. She also worked as an in-house Counsel for Verizon. Immediately preceding her position at the Law Center, Mimi was a Lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania Law School and also worked as an independent legal consultant. She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and holds a B.S. in Finance from the University of Delaware. Mimi is the parent of four GFS graduates.
Takashi Moriuchi is a co-founder and Managing Director of Estancia Capital Management, a private equity firm providing growth and buy-out capital to small and middle market companies in the financial services sector. As a member of Estancia’s Investment Committee, he is primarily responsible for leading the sourcing and execution of the firm’s investment activities and subsequent monitoring and value creation initiatives of its portfolio companies.
Takashi recently served on the board of The Philadelphia School, where he was also on the finance and diversity sub-committees. Additionally, he was a member of the Assets Committee at Moorestown Friends School, where he attended school for many years. He received his BA from the University of Pennsylvania. His son and daughter attend GFS and are in the classes of 2021 and 2024, respectively.
Zoë Rankin is the founder and lead consultant for Balanced Education Strategy. Prior to consulting, Zoë was the Managing Director of External Impact at KIPP Philadelphia where she led a team to raise $2.5M annually, managed strategic communications, and served as the board liaison. Prior to her work in Philadelphia, Zoë worked at the U.S. Department of Education as a political appointee during the Obama Administration. At the Department of Education, Zoë served as Deputy Chief of Staff in the Office of Communications and Outreach, and supported the Chief of Staff to the Secretary of Education. Zoë also held roles at Uncommon Schools and Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools; and she began her career as a sixth grade language arts teacher in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Zoë has a Masters in Education Leadership from the Broad Center for the Management of School Systems, and a BA in Sociology from Cornell University. She lives in Philadelphia, PA with her husband and son.
Dianne Reed is a Principal at reedǀgroup LLC, a marketing research and management consulting firm based in Philadelphia. She previously served as executive director of three nonprofit organizations, as a senior manager at KPMG and as budget director of the City of Philadelphia. She serves as a member of the finance committee of Friends Life Care and the Cosmopolitan Club, and as chair of the finance committee of Friends Center City. Dianne holds a doctorate from Stanford University and a Masters of Government Administration from the Fels Center, University of Pennsylvania. Her children, Elizabeth '97 and Brian '95, graduated from GFS.
Jonathan “Jack” Rhoads '56 is a surgeon at York Hospital in York, PA. He is a graduate of Haverford College and Harvard Medical School, and was an attending surgeon at multiple hospitals in Philadelphia before landing at York Hospital in 1985. Jack was president of the GFS Alumni Association from 1978-80, and previously served on the School Committee from 1978-79 and 1999-2008. He is a member of the American Medical Association, the American College of Surgeons, the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (since 1977) and the York County Medical Society, as well as numerous other organizations. Jack currently resides in York.
Matthew Stitt '05 is leader in public finance, currently serving as a director at PFM Group Consulting LLC. He leads equitable recovery and strategic financial initiatives nationally for the company’s Management and Budget Consulting team. Prior to joining PFM, Matt served as the chief financial officer for the City Council of Philadelphia since 2016, leading the annual review of the City’s multi-billion dollar operating and capital budgets and strategic plans, as well as advising on all fiscal matters related to proposed legislation and key initiatives. Matt instructs at the Fels Institute of Government at the University of Pennsylvania as an adjunct lecturer. He also serves as a board member on the Haverford College Board of Managers as a Young Alumni Associate, as well as the Greater Philadelphia YMCA Board of Directors.
Anthony Stover has been working as the Community Relations Manager at the Philadelphia Ronald McDonald House since 1999. His work profoundly speaks to his faith, and that faith is centered in spirituality. Anthony Stover was first introduced to the Germantown Monthly Meeting after his daughter was enrolled at GFS more than 20 years ago. He has been a member of GMM ever since. He is also a founding member of the Ujima Friends Peace Center, which was formed a few years ago.
Elizabeth A.W. Williams is a seasoned business executive whose career spanned journalism, marketing, and communications. Before retirement in 2019, Liz served as acting chief marketing and communications officer at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Previously, Liz was SVP and chief communications officer of Independence Blue Cross and served for four years at The Pew Charitable Trusts. She began her career as a reporter and editor. In 1977, she joined The Philadelphia Inquirer and in 1992, she became VP of marketing for the Inquirer and The Philadelphia Daily News, in charge of brand strategy, advertising, creative services, promotion, and research.
Liz has served on the boards of the American Cancer Society, the United Way, and the Wilma Theater. She also helped guide communications for the capital campaign to build the first new Quaker meetinghouse in Philadelphia in nearly 100 years, which opened in 2013 in Chestnut Hill. Her son Charles '07 is a GFS graduate.