Farewells & New Appointments

Humanities Teacher, former Upper Division Head 1984–2022

It is practically impossible to imagine Park without Alice Perera Lucey ’77, who has decided to leave Park at the end of this academic year. Alice’s deep connection with Park began when she arrived as a four-year-old in the fall of 1966 and continued through her graduation from Grade 9. She returned in 1984 after graduating from college to serve as an apprentice teacher in Grades 1 and 4, and when a spot opened up on the fourth grade team, Alice was able to step in. Following time away when her first of two children was born, she served as a family leave substitute teaching Grade 6, and fell in love with the Upper Division. She has been a member of the Grade 6 team teaching English 34 and Social Studies since 1998. Over the years, she served in Secondary School Counseling, as Upper Division Head, advised students and oversaw Student Council, redesigned the Upper Division advisory program, all while raising two Park alumni. The depth of Alice’s knowledge of Park is unparalleled, and her devotion YEARS to Park’s core values, her colleagues, and her students is even deeper. Reflecting back on her years at Park, the words of former Headmaster Bob Hurlbutt resonate powerfully with Alice. “Bob said, ‘Park is a place, it’s people, and it’s ideas.’ It’s about collegiality, and shared purpose. The privilege of working together to educate children, learning and growing together, is tremendous.”

She remembers, as a young teacher, looking up to senior faculty—mentors like Lucy Robb and Jan Spaulding—and appreciating the example they set. “There was a feeling of learning from each other. It was never static; we were always learning and always working together to sustain the culture.” She reflects, “I have worked with the most amazing people, and I have learned from every one of them.”

Carrying the Park tradition of friendship and community forward herself, Alice reminds us of the best of why we are here and why we do what we do. Alice and her husband will be moving to the Cape, where she has deep family roots, and she looks forward to reading, writing, spending time with family, and to finding opportunities to engage with a new community. We can’t wait to hear about what she’s doing, and look forward to welcoming her back often.

Director of Athletics 1997–2022

Reflecting on his 25 years at Park, Bob Little most values the many opportunities he has had to witness the sheer joy that young athletes experience when they accomplish something—as an individual or as a team. He says. “Educational athletics is really about learning to be a good person through competition. It makes me very proud to know that the referees who come to Park say they love coming here because the kids work so hard and are so well behaved—they’re good sports. That shows how hard our coaches work to teach our students the important stuff!”

Athletics program leader, coach, P.E. teacher, Growth Ed teacher, and academic advisor, Bob has brought extraordinary energy and commitment to Park’s students and teachers, and we are grateful for all the ways he has enhanced the “Go Park!” spirit at 171 Goddard. Joining Park as Director of Athletics in 1997 after stints at Beaver Country Day, UMass Amherst, Drew University and Middlesex School, Bob has been dedicated to building and guiding Park’s after-school athletics program. Under his leadership, Park has sustained and expanded a vibrant athletics program, and continued making it possible for every child who wants to play sports at Park to do so. He has professionalized the athletics program, recruiting coaches, overseeing the addition of a full-time athletic trainer, and implementing the IMPACT concussion baseline testing to support the health and safety of Park student athletes. Over the years, Bob sustained and encouraged the involvement of Park teachers as coaches, enriching the ways students are known, seen, and supported. In addition, he helped launch communitybuilding traditions, including The Larz Anderson Invitational, Shady Hill Day, and Hoopfest.

Having started his professional career as a coach at both the high school and collegiate level, he has lately been reminded of this by his three daughters as they developed into college athletes, and now looks forward to working with older kids again. Please join us in wishing Bob all the best!

Director of Communications 1992–2022

When we think about what makes Park “Park,” few have had as profound a shaping impact on how we know and appreciate Park as Kate LaPine. Over the course of 24 years, Kate has shared Park’s stories, created landmark celebrations, managed Park’s visual identity and branding on campus and beyond, and has done all this with warmth, humor, an inviting spirit of collaboration, and lots of heart. In believing so deeply in Park, she has helped present us at our best. Earlier this spring, Kate decided that it was time for her to devote her heart and energies to her family and to long-wished-for horizons beyond Park. Kate looks forward 24 to returning to the museum sector, where her love of history, creative vision, and passion for education can come together. Kate joined the Park community in 1992 as Assistant Director of Development and served as acting director for six months covering a maternity leave. In 1997, she took a hiatus from Park to feed her passion for global adventure, and traveled from Kathmandu to London on a truck! Following business school, a stint at the Gardner Museum and at Planned Parenthood, she returned to 171 Goddard Avenue as Director of Communications in July 2003 when her daughter was one. She watched her daughter, Clare Wibiralske ’16, and her son, David Wibiralske ’20, grow up at Park.

Kate led the rebranding effort and subsequent redesign and launch of Park’s website in 2019, has produced at least 38 Park Bulletins, over 155 Park Parents, as well as countless invitations, email blasts, and Friday Notes. She has collaborated on most every significant event at Park over 24 years. Her elegant writing, meticulous attention to detail, and creative design eye have elevated Park’s message and visual identity, affirming our collective efforts. Her joyful spirit and infectious laugh have filled the administrative hallway for decades, and she will be truly missed. Given her deep connection to Park and many friendships, we don’t expect this to be “good-bye!”

Director of Admission 2008–2022

Merle Jacobs retires this spring after 14 years as Park’s Director of Admission. For more than a decade, Merle has been the driving force behind creating the vibrant Park community of students and families we so appreciate through her thoughtful, caring attention and welcoming spirit. Working in partnership with Jonathan Prosky, Merle has been the first person to greet Park families, getting to know them and their children and helping them get to know Park. She has worked collaboratively with four Park heads of school and has established strong relationships with colleagues in peer schools and admission consultants, in addition to Park faculty and families. A founding member of the Great Boston Lower School Diversity Consortium, she has led Park’s effort to attract families of color, increasing the number of students of color from 31% to a high of 44%. Working with peer schools, she shepherded the creation of the Common Parent Statement, making it easier for families to apply to multiple schools. Significantly, when the realities of COVID19 fundamentally disrupted the ways in which schools could meet families and evaluate students, she and her team redesigned the entire admission process to be a virtual one, launching new tools and systems while working with a new database and SIS system. During the summer of 2020, Merle and a group of half a dozen directors of admission at peer schools designed the Boston Area Virtual Evaluation (BAVE) to allow for the video assessment of early-childhood applicants. In addition to her role in Admission, Merle is also the proud parent of a Park alum—her daughter Rena LaRusso, Class of 2004, a Park lifer!

Merle looks forward to her retirement and to more time with her family, and we will miss having her as part of ours here at Park. Please join us in thanking Merle for her long service and dedication to Park, and to wishing her well in the journey ahead.14

Director of Development 2011–2022

Bea Sanders leaves The Park School this spring after eleven years as Park’s Director of Development, and has accepted the position of Chief Advancement Officer at St. Mark’s School in Southborough, MA. Throughout her time at Park, Bea has been a transformative leader in the life of the School, and we are grateful for all she has done for Park.

In her work as Director of Development, Bea has grown the culture of philanthropy at Park. She has expanded Park’s capital, principal, and major giving programs. She has built a strong, collegial team of professionals dedicated to the philanthropic advancement of the School.

During her tenure, Bea completed two successful capital campaigns. The first, “Park21,” raised $16 million in support of academic innovation and programs, and in the last four years, Bea structured and launched SPARK, a three-phase building and endowment campaign in support of Park’s Strategic Plan and Campus Master Plan.

Beyond Park, Bea has been a highly regarded member of the greater Boston development community, serving as a leader and mentor to many. Prior to coming to Park, she served for a decade at Noble & Greenough, and before that, at Milton Academy. Park has been fortunate to have a leader of her vision, heart, and deep commitment guiding our Development Office for these many years.

Bea looks forward to the challenges of her new role, and is excited to return to working at the secondary school level. She looks forward to getting to know a new school community with a strong boarding component, and to building a fundraising program centered around alumni of all ages and geographic regions.

Bea leaves behind an exceptional team ready to sustain and further the philanthropic foundation she created. Please join us in thanking her for all her efforts have made possible here at Park.

Eric Chapman, Park’s Assistant Head of School for Academics and Program, has been selected to serve as the next Head of School at Pine Cobble School in Williamstown, Massachusetts, effective July 1, 2022. While a loss for Park, it’s a wonderful opportunity for Eric, who has proven himself to be a thoughtful and steadfast educational leader.

From curricular and instructional review to faculty recruitment to the essential planning that has supported Park’s response to COVID19, Eric has been a valued partner in driving Park’s journey forward. We are grateful for his partnership, and are excited for his next chapter. Please join us in congratulating Eric, and thanking him for all his hard work over these last three years at Park.

Lower Division Head

In January 2022, Tina Fox accepted the role of Lower Division Head, having served as Interim Lower Division Head since July 1, 2021. A proven leader as Assistant Lower Division Head at Park, Tina has been an exemplary partner—steady, hands-on, and resourceful in the face of the challenges this year continues to present, and insightful and visionary about the opportunities and potential Park’s Lower Division has to offer.

A passionate educator with 19 years of elementary classroom experience in Grades K through 2 at peer schools, including Belmont Day School and The Chestnut Hill School, Tina is a graduate of Bowdoin College and earned her master’s degree in Early Childhood Education from Wheelock College. Since joining Park as Assistant Lower Division Head in 2019, she has been a proven leader and a student-centric educator whose passion for educational excellence is defined by the interdependence of academic challenge, socialemotional learning, and diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Tina is a collaborative and dedicated team builder whose positive spirit has helped ensure that Park’s Lower Division truly is a place of joyful learning. You see her everywhere—from welcoming our youngest students at morning carpool to supporting on-campus testing protocols to serving as a replacement teacher and leading Admission tours. The parent of two Park students (Miles, Grade 3, and Olivia, Grade 5), Tina is a deeply dedicated member of our community who truly embraces Park’s core values.

Please join us in congratulating Tina on her appointment!

Director of Enrollment Management

Matt Kessler has been named Director of Enrollment Management. Beginning July 1, 2022, Matt will leave his post as Co-Director of Secondary School Counseling and will begin the work of developing Park’s enrollment management systems and strategy, overseeing admission, retention, financial aid, and secondary school counseling functions. Matt will join Park’s senior administrative team.

At Park, Matt has a proven record of building effective systems and relationships across the school. He has revolutionized and simplified the complex secondary school application and recommendation process while also providing strong support to Park’s admission, financial aid, and retention efforts. A graduate of Boston University, Matt earned a Certificate in Leadership in Enrollment Management from USC, and will complete his M.S. in Education and School Leadership at UPenn in July 2022. Matt began his career in education as a member of the admission and placement team at The Steppingstone Foundation, which develops and implements programs that prepare underserved schoolchildren for educational opportunities, and advanced to the role of Director of The Steppingstone Academy. He provided strategic vision and supervision for the selective admission process, developed new initiatives to highlight the benefits of independent PreK–8 schools, increased applicants by 24% within one year, and dramatically increased opportunities for families to access and use the information and support they needed to advance their children’s educational paths. Throughout his career, Matt has approached admission work with an attention to detail, commitment to equity, and a nuanced understanding of data. Over the course of his interviews, he spoke movingly of his own path through independent schools, recognizing his exceptional privilege and also the challenges of belonging he encountered as a recipient of financial aid throughout his educational journey. For Matt, the value of belonging to a community where you are known and know who you are is bedrock to his personal ethos. We know these values are fundamental to our students’ and families’ experience from their initial inquiry through graduation, and look forward to the many ways in which Matt’s leadership will help us better embody our aspirations. His passion for this work and love for our School will blend to establish the next chapter for how we welcome, retain, and send off Park students and families.

Please join us in congratulating Matt and welcoming him into his new role.

Director of Development

Shannon O’Leary has been named Park’s new Director of Development, effective July 1, 2022. Shannon joined the Park community in 2017, and currently serves as Director of Leadership & Capital Giving. In July, she will begin the work of overseeing and guiding Park’s wider Development programming and strategy, overseeing alumni relations; annual fund; capital, leadership, and major giving programs; and cultivating the culture of philanthropy at The Park School. Shannon will join Park’s senior administrative team.

A graduate of Wheaton College with a B.A. in Political Science, Shannon came to Park after seven years’ development experience in independent schools. In her current role, she has effectively guided the growth of Park’s leadership giving programs and stewarded our capital giving efforts. Through her partnership with School leadership and trustees, she has been instrumental in designing, launching, and executing every element of The SPARK Campaign, Park’s largestever capital campaign, with funding priorities totaling $30M+ across three phases. Beyond her essential leadership in fundraising, Shannon has also dedicated herself to Park’s spirit of community and core values. She led the conception, planning, and execution of Celebrate Park in October 2021, the event that brought 400 members of the community together in celebration of the 50th anniversary of our coming to 171 Goddard Avenue. She is a founding member of Park’s Development Anti-racism Task Force, a collaborative partnership with the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Department, and guided the crafting of the Inclusivity Promise upon which The SPARK Campaign is built. Her commitment and deep understanding of Park’s deeper values and mission is foundational to her understanding of what the culture of philanthropy can and should be at Park.

Fundraising, at the core, is an act of community-building. Shannon’s broad and long-standing relationships with Park parents, alumni, faculty, staff, and friends have helped her to come to know what makes Park, Park—and she knows there is no place exactly like Park. She deeply appreciates the connective thread that runs throughout the community: Park people care deeply about their School. She looks forward to connecting these people with one another, in support of Park’s institutional goals. Please join us in congratulating Shannon and welcoming her into her new role.

Director of Athletics

Carl Geneus has been named Director of Athletics, effective July 1, 2022. Carl joins Park from the

Noble and Greenough School, where he has served since 2019 as Middle School Athletic Director and lead scheduler. In this role, he has enjoyed leading an athletics program that provides students the opportunity to develop skills, build connections, and learn to be part of a team, while also supporting coaches and evaluating programs. Carl earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical

Engineering from Boston University, but while working in the engineering field, he volunteered as a basketball coach in Hyde Park and discovered that his true passion was for coaching and working with students in athletics.

After teaching physical education at the Advent School, he earned his M.A. in Sports Leadership at Northeastern.

He gained hands-on experience managing the day-today responsibilities of an athletics department while serving as interim athletics director at the Academy of the Pacific Rim in Hyde Park, and subsequently served as a physical education teacher and camp director at

Belmont Day School, while also coaching women’s basketball at Simmons College. At Nobles, he has served as a middle school advisor and assisted with middle school DEI Programming. Over the course of his career, he served as a faculty advisor for affinity groups and clubs, an eighth-grade capstone mentor, a health and wellness teacher, a member on hiring committees, and co-chaired the New Faculty

Orientation Committee. A member of the Massachusetts

Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance, the Women’s Basketball Coach’s Association, and the Society of Health and Physical Educators, he has participated in the National SEED Project, the NAIS

People of Color Conference, and the NAIS People of

Color Conference Leadership Institute for Educators of Color. In considering his own educational philosophy,

Carl is committed to helping guide students in their journey through methods that foster creativity, build self-confidence, and create a joy to explore individual interests. He aspires to give each student a feeling of empowerment, determination, self-worth, and respect for others—qualities they will carry with them for the rest of their lives. Please join us in welcoming Carl to Park!