When you step into your kitchen, what do you aspire to do? Master a new cooking technique? Serve food even your pickiest family member will eat with enthusiasm?
Sub-Zero, Wolf, and Cove appliances are meticulously crafted to achieve a higher standard of performance, dependability, and style—so you can raise the bar on every meal you make. Your future kitchen starts with Sub-Zero, Wolf, and Cove, featured at
PRESIDENT’S LETTER
IT'S BEDFORD & NEW CANAAN MAGAZINE'S FIFTH ANNIVERSARY!
My Dad and I acquired the then-16-year-old Bedford Magazine publication in May 2020, and we began to publish the rebranded Bedford & New Canaan Magazine with the September/ October 2020 issue. We’ve quite literally grown the publication to over 200 pages! Even more important, we’ve grown the distribution to include not just all the houses in Bedford and New Canaan, but the most affluent households in Darien and Ridgefield, in Connecticut, and Armonk, Katonah, Mt. Kisco, North Salem, Pleasantville, Pound Ridge, Purchase, South Salem, and Wacabuc, in New York! And we’re most proud that our readers spend an average of over one-hour-twentyminutes devoted to each B&NC issue!
B&NC MAG introduces you to the most interesting people in our area…and, again, that means people in Darien, Ridgefield, Armonk, Katonah, Mt. Kisco, North Salem, Pleasantville, Pound Ridge, Purchase, South Salem, and Wacabuc, and not just Bedford and New Canaan. B&NC MAG gets you in to see the most incredible homes and exposes you to the great cultural institutions and other attractions nearby. And B&NC MAG takes you golfing and skiing and to far away places for luxurious stays in exotic resorts.
coverage generates tremendous interest and results in new volunteers, contributions, and other support from the community. Charitable organizations including The Mather Homestead, The Glass House, Neighbors Link, The Ridgefield Playhouse, Caramoor, Bedford 2030, Planet New Canaan, The New Canaan Mounted Troop, The Boys & Girls Club of Northern Westchester, the Wolf Conservation Center, Endeavor, Habitat for Humanity, BluePath service dogs, Woman2Woman, The Inclusive Initiative, The New Canaan Land Trust, Buxton Gorge Preserve, The Westmoreland Sanctuary, Welcome Baby, and dozens of others.
Most recently, as I was introduced to and awed by the story of our May/June 2025 Cover Feature, Ali Truwit - who lost her leg in a shark attack two days after graduating from Yale, and then won two Paralympic Silver medals a year later - I’ve joined the Board of her Stronger Than You Think Foundation, which provides prosthetics to girls and women in need and supports water safety and the Paralympic movement. And in May, B&NC sponsored an event at Darlington Manor in North Salem to support Stronger Than You Think.
B&NC MAG PUBLISHER
But the best thing we get to do in publishing B&NC MAG is to use our Always Local! Always Positive! publication to be of service to the community! And, again, that means Darien, Ridgefield, Armonk, Katonah, Mt. Kisco, North Salem, Pleasantville, Pound Ridge, Purchase, South Salem, and Wacabuc, and not just Bedford and New Canaan.
In the last five years, we’ve managed to make a real difference for dozens of local charities and charitable causes. Time after time our
And, coming up, on October 25, 2025, we will be bringing 400 lucky B&NC readers in for a private guided tour of Iroki - the Steinhardt estate in Mt. Kisco, complete with a zoo, that was our July/August 2025 Homes Issue Cover Feature. Tickets are $100 each and are available by emailing info@BedfordNewCanaanMag.com, with all proceeds going to benefit Northern Westchester Hospital and Welcome Baby.
In lieu of presents in celebration of our Fifth Anniversary, donations may be made to any of the local charities we feature.
Casey Arden Kaplan
B&NC MAG PRESIDENT
Michael J Kaplan
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Uncompromisingly innovative, precision crafted –and obsessively better built in every way.
In every generation, there are young people who defy expectations, proving that age is no barrier to talent, vision, or impact. Our 18 Under 18 honors scholars, athletes, entrepreneurs, artists, and activists who are already shaping their communities, and going above and beyond.
These are the prodigies, pioneers, and change-makers whose stories remind us that the future is bright. From inventors and scholars to performers and philanthropists, they embody what it means to lead with curiosity, courage, and creativity. Meet the rising stars of the next generation ...lighting the way forward.
HIDDEN IN PLAIN VIEW THE WILLIAM LOUIS-DREYFUS FOUNDATION …MT. KISCO’S MAJOR MUSEUM!
Behind an unassuming Mt. Kisco façade lies a world-class art collection—3,500 works amassed by William Louis-Dreyfus, now fueling education and justice through the Foundation that bears his name. p. 88
A decade in, Sharon Prince’s Grace Farms has become both a beloved local treasure and a global force. With its iconic River Building, vibrant community programs, and bold initiatives, Grace Farms continues to redefine how space, culture, and purpose can change the world.
SHARON PRINCE & GRACE FARMS
LIVING LIKE A VANDERBILT: A NEWPORT ESCAPE
A weekend in Newport delivers coastal beauty, storied mansions, and luxury at The Vanderbilt, an Auberge resort that channels the elegance of America’s Gilded Age elite.
NEW CANAAN CHAMBER MUSIC
Andrew is a concert pianist who has established New Canaan Chamber Music - now celebrating its Fifth Anniversary in New Canaan. p.
See and be seen at the best events in our community!
America runs on companies …And, not surprisingly, the business of companies is big business in and of itself! We introduce you to three corporate leaders - who are each community locals.
KAREN
BRIDBORD
Pound Ridge’s Dr. Karen Bridbord is a Corporate Psychologist who has authored a new playbook for leadership titled The Relationship-Driven Leader, which details how collaboration and connection drive innovation, resilience, and results.
JONATHAN FOSTER
Bedford’s Jonathan Foster has sat on dozens of Boards, steered Fortune 500 deals, and now authored On Board a definitive playbook on modern corporate governance. p.
Your curated guide to what’s happening around town this September and October... here’s what you can’t miss! JOHN GLENN GRAU
New Canaan’s John Glenn Grau, founder of InvestorCom, built the nation’s leading activist proxy firm—guiding shareholder battles, corporate governance shifts, and highstakes contests that define modern Wall Street. p.
Grace Farms Vista TheRidge Playhouseeld
Salem Farm
Wolf Conservation Center Marsh Sanctuary Cross River Reservoir
Katonah Museum of Art
Muscoot Farm Titicus Reservoir Ward Pound Ridge Reservation Lake Waccabuc
Leonard Park
Bedford Village Green King Cone
The Glass House
Caramoor Westmoreland Sanctuary
Jacob Burns Film Center
John Jay Homestead The Bedford Oak
Playhouse
Scott’s Corners
148
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This Nantucket-shingle coastal-chic style home in Hoyt Farm offers two primary suites, a gourmet kitchen, and seamless indoor-outdoor living. Highlights include a saltwater pool, gardens, terraces, fire pit, wine cellar, gym, and screened porch—all designed for luxury, comfort, and multi-generational living in a coveted cul-de-sac setting.
WORLD-CLASS NEUROSCIENCE EXPERTS RIGHT THROUGH THESE DOORS
From a new biplane angiography suite and a designated stroke center at Phelps Hospital, to noninvasive Gamma Knife® radiosurgery at Northern Westchester Hospital, Northwell's world-renowned neurology and neurosurgery teams are well-equipped for the most complex conditions.
It's all part of NY's most awarded health system a vast network where every door leads to extraordinary care, right here in Westchester.
Northwell.edu/Westchester
UNDER 18
In every generation, there are young people who defy expectations, proving that age is no barrier to talent, vision, or impact. Our 18 Under 18 honors scholars, athletes, entrepreneurs, artists, and activists who are already shaping their communities, and going above and beyond.
These are the prodigies, pioneers, and changemakers whose stories remind us that the future is bright. From inventors and scholars to performers and philanthropists, they embody what it means to lead with curiosity, courage, and creativity.
Meet the rising stars of the next generation ...lighting the way forward.
1. MICHAEL TELESCO
2. MINHO CHUNG
3. MIA JACOBSON
4. ZANE TICKOO
5. HUDSON GREENSTEIN
6. AMOOLYA MENON
7. JACK ARONIAN
8. CODY WU
9. SARA STRNAD
10. HENRY GINNEL 11. MOLLIE LUTH
12. JULIET LIPMAN
13. TIMOTHY HARKINS
14. GUS CREECH
15. MARILYN SOMMERVILLE
16. PETER GARRETT
17. HARPER PIERCE
18. GIOVANNI RANIOLA
Age: 15
Hometown: New Canaan
Grade: 11th
School: NCHS
At just 16, Michael Telesco has already discovered a new planetary nebula, built his own telescope rig, and led university-level research searching for the next Earth… and by some funny coincidence, or maybe a stroke of fate, his last name is impossibly close to Telesco[pe].
Michael’s passion began at age 13 during a family trip to rural Florida, where a sky free of light pollution revealed the stars in breathtaking detail. “It was so beautiful and profound—it made me realize how much light pollution there is everywhere else,” he says. When he returned home to New Canaan, Michael bought a star tracker, borrowed his mom’s DSLR, and started photographing the night sky from his own backyard. That spark evolved into a sophisticated astrophotography practice, telescope engineering projects, and hands-on astrophysics research.
Over the past three years, Michael has progressed from a kit lens and a 2” refractor telescope to designing and building custom rigs with advanced imaging sensors, autofocusing systems, and cooled monochrome cameras. He now controls a remote imaging telescope in Texas, giving him access to clear skies unobstructed by urban light. Previously, he used an observatory in Spain, where hours of painstaking imaging led to a remarkable milestone: the discovery of a previously unknown reflection nebula. And later in Texas, Michael discovered a planetary nebula, which is a cloud of gas and dust ejected from a dying star, making him the second-youngest person ever to find one.
Michael has also revived and expanded his school’s Space Club into the NCHS Astronomy and Astrophysics Club, steering it toward true research and outreach. Under his leadership, the club partnered with NASA’s TechRise program to test quantum dots in space, researching their potential to improve astronaut safety. The project earned a research stipend and gave students experience in real-world engineering and data analysis.
His work doesn’t stop at school. Michael co-leads observation nights with the Westport Astronomical Society, presents to local groups on astrophysics and light pollution, and serves as a youth leader for Dark Sky International CT, advocating for reduced light pollution globally. His astrophotography has earned multiple awards, been featured in exhibitions like the Carriage Barn Arts Center, and published in top astronomy outlets.
Currently, Michael’s research focuses on exoplanets, which are planets that orbit a star outside the solar system, analyzing Kepler Space Telescope data for faint planetary transit signals. “Most of the big, bright ones have already been found, so we’re looking for those faint signals - the ones others might overlook,” he says. His goal is to publish in a competitive astrophysics journal before graduating high school.
Despite the late nights spent imaging galaxies near and far, Michael still finds time to share his passion with others. “It’s about the love of the game,” he says. “I want to contribute to the field of science, that in and of itself is a reward.”
With plans to pursue astrophysics in college, focusing on universities with strong observatory access and undergraduate research opportunities, Michael has his eyes set not just on the starsbut on expanding humanity’s understanding of them.
ASTRONOMY’S RISING STAR
MICHAEL TELESCO
Age: 12 Grade: 7th
School: Ridgefield Academy
Before the pandemic, Minho Chung was an ice skater and a red belt in martial arts. ...But when everything closed in 2020, his dad took him to the only place that seemed to be open… the golf course. “It was a bit of a blessing in disguise,” Minho says. “I instantly fell in love with golf!”
At just 12 years old, Minho Chung is already a rising star, with World Championship appearances, elite tournament wins, national television coverage, and major brand sponsorships. He’s ranked 5th globally and 3rd nationally in the Class of 2031 Boys on the Junior Golf Scoreboard, has an official handicap of +1.5, and is one of the champions to watch in junior golf!
When he was only 8 years old, in 2021, Minho tied for 3rd in his first tournament. Weeks later, he earned his first win in the Hudson Valley Local Tour. “That same year I discovered the movie The Short Game on Netflix. It’s a documentary that features a few kids going to the U.S. Kids World Golf Championships, and I was enthralled. I looked up what I had to do to qualify…” Minho smiles. “I first competed in the U.S. Kids New York State Championship when I was 9, and a year later I returned to win the U.S. Kids New York State Championship…and then went on to take second at the New England State Invitational and qualify for the U.S. Kids Golf World Championship in Pinehurst, North Carolina - the pinnacle of junior golf. On my first trip to the World Championship I broke into the top 20 in my division - out of 150 highly accomplished players. And I returned in 2024 and placed 11th out of 150 players.”
Now a seventh grader at Ridgefield Academy, Minho thrives both academically and athletically. “Ridgefield Academy has given me the academic rigor I wanted, but also a supportive environment for my sport,” he says. Minho’s work ethic is legendary. In the summer, he practices at least five or six hours a day. During the school year, he gets over to Centennial Golf Club whenever weather permits, hitting balls until dark. And he’s taken over his family’s living room with indoor simulators and launch monitors that Minho works on all year long.
Minho’s dedication is paying off! In 2024, Minho won six PGA Metropolitan Section Junior Tour events in the Boys 12014 Division, placed third in the Notah Begay III Junior Golf Regional Championship, and helped lead his PGA Jr. League Team to both the Connecticut Sectional and Regional Championships. The team advanced to the 2024 National Car Rental PGA Jr. League 13-and-Under Championship, which was nationally televised on ESPN. “Being on national TV is a surreal moment. Playing with cameras on you makes you think differently and motivates you to perform your best. Hopefully it’s my first time, but not the last,” Minho says.
This summer, Minho won the multi-day 57th MGA/MetLife Boys’ Championship as the youngest player in the field; the win exempts him into next year’s Met Junior Championship.
Minho has secured sponsorships from Callaway and Adidas, earned co-medalist honors at the Boys Championship qualifier at West Hills Country Club, and secured a coveted spot in the upcoming prestigious MGA Carter Cup at Baltusrol Golf Club - an invitational typically dominated by much older players.
While he’s still balancing A+ academics with a near-professional practice schedule, Minho says “I want to see how far I can go in the pro journey of golf.” …Ridgefield Academy might just have the next Tiger Woods!?!
Age: 18
Hometown: Katonah
Grade: College freshmen
School: Greenwich Country Day School → Dartmouth
When it comes to combining brainpower, leadership, and athletic excellence, Mia Jacobson is in a league of her own. A recent graduate of Greenwich Country Day School and incoming freshman at Dartmouth College - her dream school - Mia is charting a course toward a future in Mechanical Engineering with an eye on using technology for social good.
A National Merit Scholar and member of Greenwich Country Day School’s Honor Society - which is selected by faculty from the top 3% of students - Mia spent her high school years solving problems, building prototypes, and leading the charge to make STEM more accessible to everyone. She championed GCDS’s ‘Fems in STEM Club’, turning it into a thriving space for young women to explore science and engineering with confidence. She also led the CSX/Coding Club, and was a senior member of the school’s Computer Science Team, helping them win international programming competitions for three consecutive years.
Mia’s love of logic and problem solving has been hands-on from the start. “Greenwich Country Day School was an amazing place for me to explore my interests and to flourish. The Maker Space is filled with every piece of technology and equipment to learn, tinker and test, and it’s where I spent as much time as I could,” Mia shares. While at Greenwich Country Day School Mia completed an independent study designing a smart dog feeder tracker, built a Holocaust memorial sculpture, learned to weld, and crafted a custom dresser as part of the school’s most advanced MakerX program. She even created a prototype for a trackable golf ball as part of an economics-engineering capstone project, and authored a 15-page thesis on the ethical implications of gene editing. “I like solving problems and want to use that kind of brain for good. Maybe biomedical engineering, something positive for people and the planet,” Mia says.
“This past year, I was able to devote my J-term, where we take a break from classes for the month of January and focus on one topic in depth, to construct my own independent study focused on forest health with the Aspen Center for Environmental Studies. I spent two weeks on the ground in Colorado working on field programs, leading educational programs, and writing code for the online ACES graphic of the forest health index,” Mia shares. “It was amazing to have the opportunity for independent research prior to college, and it was a formative experience within my environmental focus.”
Mia was on Greenwich Country Day School’s Varsity Soccer Team all four years of high school, and Captained the Team both her junior and senior years, earning First Team All-Fairchester, AllState, and All-NEPSAC Honors while leading the team to the Finals as a center midfielder. She also competed with the New York Soccer Club Academy Team five to six nights a week after her high school team’s practice, and represented Team USA at the Maccabi Games, bringing home Gold in 2024! …And she played GCDS Varsity Tennis, Lacrosse, and Squash, as well! …She’s even served several times as a Ball Girl at the US Opens, having had the honor of working the court for the US Open Women’s Finals in 2024.
To boot, Mia launched Greenwich Country Day School’s Outdoors Club, leading trips for hiking, rafting, and even solar eclipse viewing. She served on the Teen Board of her Temple, volunteered on a service trip in Costa Rica, and spent three weeks on a NOLS whitewater canoeing expedition in Utah. Her dedication to community earned her Greenwich Country Day School’s Personal Achievement Award, recognizing academic excellence and personal growth and impact.
INNOVATIVE ENGINEER
ZANE TIKOO
Age: 17
Hometown: New Canaan
Grade:11th School: NCHS
Zane Tickoo is reimagining how communities think about food—and who has access to it. His advocacy journey began with necessity: a childhood marked by 20 life-threatening food allergies forced him to read every label, ask every ingredient, and think critically about what went onto his plate. That early vigilance sparked a lifelong curiosity that became a call to action when, at age 12, a summer farm program opened his eyes to the connection between agriculture, equity, and health.
Zane has since evolved from curious camper to full-fledged food justice warrior, founding two groundbreaking initiatives. His Food Equity Initiative partners with the Green Village Initiative in Bridgeport, teaching preschoolers about nutrition, gardening, and food systems through handson programs built around ‘hex beds’—raised garden beds kids plant and maintain themselves. What started as Zane cold-calling preschools now spans 10 early childhood centers and 30 garden beds, backed by grant funding to scale his impact.
His second project, SEEDS, takes food literacy even further. Through interactive workshops, kids and adults alike explore the journey of a single seed: from strategizing its growth to engaging with the harvest and sampling the fruits of their labor. The program emphasizes cultural diversity in food, with participants drawing favorite meals on paper plates—a collection Zane has now curated from communities worldwide and plans to exhibit publicly.
Zane’s efforts have gained national and global recognition. In 2024, Zane was one of only ten students worldwide to receive the Global Challenge Award at the World Food Prize Global Youth Institute - dubbed the ‘Nobel Prize for Food and Agriculture’. His research on food literacy in Brazil earned him recognition as a Borlaug Scholar from the National Association of Plant Breeders, connecting him to some of the top agricultural innovators in the world. That same year, he delivered a TEDx Talk titled The Power of the Plate urging audiences to rethink what goes on their plates, one meal at a time. He challenges, “Everyone consumes 100,000 plates in their lifetime. One thoughtful choice at a time can change the world.”
Beyond his own programs, Zane interned with the Connecticut Department of Agriculture and helped launch the Zero Hunger Generation platform with the World Food Program USA, expanding youth engagement around hunger awareness and agricultural policy. “I want kids to grow up understanding where their food comes from and how it impacts their communities,” Zane says. “If we start early, food literacy becomes a core value.”
Despite his global agenda, Zane remains grounded. He’s a top student at New Canaan High School, fluent in Latin - earning a Seal of Biliteracy, a Princeton Alumni Association Book Award recipient, and a standout volleyball and basketball player ...and he loves to cook!
HUDSON GREENSTEIN
Age: 11
Hometown: Armonk
Grade: 7th
School: H.C. Crittenden
Middle School
Hudson Greenstein is already a seasoned entrepreneur! He identified an underserved market, built strategic partnerships, and is creating meaningful social impact. The seventh-grader from Armonk has built Yalla - which is Yiddish for ‘let’s go!’ - into a profitable business that’s bringing communities together and donating thousands to charity.
The idea for Yalla was born from a craving. During the week of Passover, Jews avoid leavened bread, and Hudson was longing for some good pizza…and missing hanging out with his friends having pizza at his favorite local pizzeria, Nick’s Pizza, in Armonk. His family tried making matzah pizza at home, but “it was never really that good”, Hudson says. So he approached Anthony, the owner of Nick’s Pizza, with a proposal: ‘put matzah pizza on the menu - at least during the holiday’. Anthony was interested and told Hudson to check back the following year, and Hudson persisted, checking back the following year with a more developed pitch.
From the start, Hudson treated Yalla like a real business. The name captures the business’s energetic, community-focused spirit. He created a logo and merchandise, marketed on Instagram, and even attracted Streit’s Matzo as a sponsor and the exclusive matzah partner.
Pizzerias use all their own ingredients, except they swap in matzah meal for pizza dough. Yalla does the community outreach, education, and marketing to ensure a long line of customers to buy-up the tasty and Kosher Style offering. Hudson has donated thousands of dollars to causes close to his heart, including funding medical equipment for United Hatzallah, supporting families in Israel who have lost loved ones in the war being waged since October 7, and to his local synagogue.
Yalla has already added a second cooperating pizzeria in Merrick, Long Island, called Frankie’s Pizza, and Hudson is seeking further expansion opportunities. What’s more, Yalla is already developing a frozen packaged matzah pizza, testing matzah nachos, and debuting a new dessert called ‘Matzoli’, which is deep-fried matzah dusted with sugar. “We’re aiming to bring matzah pizza and other original matzah products into homes across the country,” Hudson declares. “I want to use matzah to bring people together!”
Hudson was most recently invited to serve his matzah pizza at a Passover dinner at the James Beard award-winning Zahav restaurant in Philadelphia, and Yalla has already received positive coverage in The New York Times, USA Today, Fox News, and Bon Appetit Magazine.
And alongside his entrepreneurial hustle, Hudson plays golf competitively in the Tamarack PGA Junior League and dreams of a college golf career, performs in theater and music, and even does some modeling for companies including Denny’s and Lester’s.
UNLEAVENED, BUT
ALREADY
FULLY BAKED
AMOOLYA MENON
Age: 16
Hometown: Mount Kisco
Grade: 11th
School: Fox Lane High School
Amoolya Menon has already paddled her name into the world of competitive table tennis, earning a spot on the U17 Girls U.S. National Team and ranking among the top 50 players globally for her age group - all while balancing high school life! …Her sights are now set on the 2028 Olympics!
Amoolya first picked up a paddle at eight years old, but it wasn’t until a summer trip to India, where she trained for hours each day and watched professionals play, that she realized her calling. “I’d never had that much fun doing something,” she recalls. “By the end of that year, I knew I wanted to play professionally and in the Olympics.”
Her home base became the Westchester Table Tennis Center in Pleasantville, one of North America’s largest table tennis academies, run by New York Times crossword editor Will Shortz. There, Amoolya has trained nearly every day under Kokou Fanny, the six-time National Champion of Togo and an Olympian, combining 2.5-hour weekday sessions with 5 to 6-hour weekend practices, strength training, cardio, and even work with a sports psychologist to sharpen her mental edge.
The results speak for themselves. In 2024, she placed ninth at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Louisiana, a performance that solidified her goal of competing on the world’s biggest stage. She also became a World Table Tennis Youth Contender Girls U17 Champion, Won the under-15 mixed doubles at the U.S. Open, and in early 2025 brought home Gold at the under-16 Laval Open in Montreal and multiple Bronze medals at the Southeast Regional Championships.
But Amoolya’s competitive fire is balanced by remarkable integrity. At her very first U.S. Open quarterfinals in 2018, in a very high-stakes match, an umpire mistakenly awarded her a point. Amoolya stopped the match to correct the call - even though it meant giving up an advantage. “I always try to do the right thing, on or off the court,” she says.
Beyond table tennis, Amoolya is a second-degree black belt in karate, an accomplished cellist, and a committed volunteer with PingPongParkinson, a nonprofit using racquet sports to help those with Parkinson’s disease. She also manages the social media for Fox Lane High’s Robotics Club and plans to launch a table tennis club at school this year.
Academics are just as important as athletics for Amoolya. She loves English, Writing, and International Relations, and aspires to become a litigator. “In my house, education always comes first. Knowledge is power!” Amoolya proclaims.
Even an injury this past spring didn’t slow her down… as she’s already back on the table, training for the U.S. Open Championships in Las Vegas this December.
For Amoolya, the dream to represent the U.S. at the Olympics is all about honoring the sacrifices of her parents, her coach, and the community that has supported her every step of the way. Amoolya exclaims, “It would mean so much, not just for me, but for everyone who believed in me. It’s my village… and I’m playing for them too!”
Age: 16
Hometown: North Salem
Grade: 11th School: St. Luke’s
Jack Aronian has combined his passion as an ornithologist with his talent as a storyteller and has already become an effective videographer and documentarian, including as one of the country’s most compelling young voices on zoonotic disease awareness.
Jack’s grandfather, a surgeon at Weill Cornell Hospital in Manhattan, was legendary for having built a nest box for a Peregrine Falcon that stayed at the Hospital for fifteen years and hatched twenty chicks from that nest - and was actually known around the Hospital, and New York, as ‘The Birdman’, even earning coverage from the New York Times and New York Post. …That family history awakened Jack’s love of birds from a young age, and paired with Jack’s STEM-curiosity and instinct for tinkering, Jack started incubating ducks in his kitchen, then raising parrots, and then…a lot of birdwatching!
“I really learned how to use the camera and implement special effects just for fun, but once I knew how to use these tools I realized that I had the power to tell a story - and knew that could be broadcast at a wider and more impactful scale,” Jack shares. He now co-leads St. Luke’s Video Club, called Eye of the Storm, and produces content for the school’s many extracurriculars.
When Jack became aware of the threat of zoonotic diseases - and specifically H5N1, commonly known as the avian flu - he realized that he could use the combination of his unique skillsets to raise awareness and make a difference. Over the past year, Jack has directed, produced, filmed, and edited a 30-minute documentary, sponsored by a Youth Service America Hershey Heartwarming grant to raise public awareness about the threat of the avian flu and what people can do to play their part. The film has been screened at many bird sanctuaries, at educational events, and is available online as well.
For the past three summers Jack interned at a local farm in North Salem to gain a better agricultural understanding, and focused particularly on the large flock of chickens.
Jack has also founded Documentaries4Difference, available at docs4diff.com - a production platform with the mission of creating compelling video content to spotlight important causes. He’s already collaborated with organizations like Filling in the Blanks, US Chess, and Audubon, using his editing skills to create emotionally resonant, high-impact video content.
On the side, Jack is also a 4x St. Luke’s Chess Champion, and alongside his sister, Laurel, won the Mixed Doubles Championship in the NY State competition.
From field research to film festivals, Jack’s work has earned recognition from the New York Times Coming of Age Learning Contest, Scholastic Arts & Writing Awards, Skipping Stones Youth Honor Awards, and the Chess Journalists of America. But for Jack, accolades are secondary. “Storytelling is how we inspire change,” he says. “If I can connect someone to birds, or to any other important cause, through video…that’s when science becomes real!”
CODY WU
Age: 11
Hometown: Darien
Grade: 6th
School: Long Ridge School → St. Lukes
Cody Wu started playing chess at seven years old, after having found an old chess set tucked away in a cabinet while on a family vacation. He asked his dad to show him how to play… and Cody more than took to the game!
He began playing competitively by playing a tournament at the DIG Chess Center in Weston. “The coaches said I was pretty good - and that it might be worth continuing down the competitive path!” Cody relays. “I played my first big tournament about three years ago, when I was eight, and since then I haven’t stopped going for it.”
Cody is the top-rated elementary school chess player in Connecticut and boasts a U.S. Chess Federation rating of 1843, with a peak rating of 1884. “My next goal is to qualify as a ‘National Master’, which requires a rating of 2200. I think I can get there, but no matter what happens I will always love chess. It is my passion!” Cody proclaims.
Cody is among the top 3.5% of all scholastic K-12 players nationwide and among the top 7% of all players -including adults- nationwide. In addition to scholastic tournaments, Cody regularly competes against adults in games that last for several hours.
Cody recently won his first First Place title at the Connecticut State Tournament! He spends many weekends traveling near and far to participate in chess tournaments, and has recently traveled to Philadelphia, Florida and Wisconsin to compete. He typically spends five to seven hours a week practicing at home, and regularly works with a coach who is a ‘FIDE Master’.
“I’m always looking for ways to improve my game and get better. I love that it’s a complicated game that can always be evolved, and that it can be played with anyone. I compete against people of all ages. I love the possibilities, different strategies, and the different places chess takes me and people that chess allows me to meet!” Cody declares.
Cody just graduated from The Long Ridge School, where he also excelled at math and in art. Cody’s dad, Aric, shares, “Long Ridge School was inredibyly supportive and nurturing for me in every way, but especially in fostering my love of chess and accomodating my chess schedule,” Cody says.
CHESS CHAMPION
Age: 17
Hometown: Katonah
Grade: 12th
School: Harvey School
In just two short years of tinkering with gears and circuits, Sara Strnad has zoomed to the forefront of the robotics world. A senior at the Harvey School, Sara has transformed from a curious beginner to a national-level competitor, wowing judges and peers alike with her technical chops, creative designs, and relentless drive.
Sara’s interest was piqued during her sophomore year with an introductory robotics class at the Harvey School. She quickly mastered simple builds, often staying after class to pursue independent projects. One of her early creations was a scaled-down version of Home Depot’s high-shelf retrieval machine - complete with a ping pong ball shooter attachment just for fun.
Sara went on to join Harvey’s competitive robotics team, called Hard Wired 6277C, as a builder - a role that demands translating ideas into reality through prototyping, testing, and constant refining. In her debut competition season, she built three different robots, each tailored to evolving rules and challenges. The results spoke for themselves as she earned one Tournament Championship, a Finalist title, two Design Awards, an Innovation Award, and a coveted Create Award at the Speedway Signature Event - a national competition with more than 100 teams. A strong performance at the New York State Championship earned her a ticket to the World Championships in Dallas, where she competed against elite teams from across the globe, expanding both her technical skillset and her vision for what’s possible.
Sara was invited to present her robotics work at Google Headquarters, inspiring middle schoolers with her knowledge and enthusiasm.
“It’s something I do every day, and love doing it!” Sara exclaims. …And while robotics may be a constant occupation, Sara also maintains a stellar 4.28 GPA, served as Class Co-Representative on the Student Council, and thrived in AP Physics - a class that allowed her to connect classroom concepts to her robotics work. She’s also an All-League Varsity Volleyball player, helping her team reach the Conference Semifinals, and somehow also finds time to work at the Pottery Factory in Mt. Kisco, and to volunteer with Neighbors Link in Mt. Kisco, supporting children from immigrant families.
Sara’s drive and curiosity are fueling big dreams… She plans to major in Mechanical Engineering and continue exploring the intersection of technology and creativity in her college studies. …There’s no telling what Sara Strnad - or a robot she builds - might do!
MECHANICAL MASTERMIND
HENRY GINNEL
Age: 18
Hometown: Bedford
Grade: 12th School: Rippowam Cisqua School
→ Brunswick School
Henry is a skillful sailor…with the wind at his back!
“I started when I was 11 years old, in a little one person Opti boat in Amagansett, going down the beach and coming back, just focusing on the basics,” Henry recalls. “In that first summer I graduated to a more aerodynamic Sunfish, and later 420s and Lasers, and went from knowing nothing…to racing. I was hooked!”
“Every year I would do more and more to learn, and one of the big reasons I chose Brunswick was because it has a sailing team,” Henry explains. …And Henry not only made the Brunswick Sailing Team, but as a freshman he was one of six on the starting roster. That year the team placed in the top teams in Fairfield County, sending them to the New England regatta, held at MIT, which they won! The Brunswick Team then placed a Brunswick-best 4th, out of 626 high school sailing teams nationally, in the Team Race National Championship in Minnetonka, Minnesota. In the 2023 season, Henry won the award of Most Improved Member of the team. “One of the senior Skippers on the team whose Crew had graduated took me under his wing and taught me the ropes. He was instrumental to my sailing career. We worked together through that season, and winning the New England regatta as a freshmen was incredibly rewarding. As I’ve gotten older on the team, that mentorship is something I’ve tried to pay forward,” Henry says about his participation at Brunswick.
Henry’s sophomore year, again on the starting lineup, the team placed 1st in Connecticut in both Fleet and Team Racing, and again qualified for Nationals.
And in the 2025 season, as a junior, the Brunswick team finished 1st in Connecticut again, and 4th in New England.
Henry practices three days a week during the off season and six or seven days a week in season, which starts in February. “We’re sailing with our dry suits, hats and gloves on… and I’m always so excited to be getting back out on the water,” Henry grins.
Henry keeps-up during the summer by competing in a weekly Sunfish race, and crewing on Sundays on a four-person J70, and training as much as he can in a 420.
As a senior, Henry will take the helm as the Team Captain, and he hopes to lead the team back to Nationals once again.
Henry intends to sail in college at the highest level possible, and dreams of racing on an America’s Cup boat across the ocean.
Outside of sailing, Henry is very focused on his academics. “I started my academic career at Rippowam Cisqua School, which is where I really grew up, and they fostered such a love for learning in me. I’ve been at Brunswick since 6th grade and not only has the school been an incredible place for me as a sailor, but as a student.” He’s particularly interested in Comparative History, likes Spanish, and participates in Brunswick’s Model U.N. Team. He is also a member of the Brunswick Wrestling Team.
SUPREME SAILOR
MOLLIE LUTH
Age: 16
Hometown: Darien
Grade:11th School: Brewster Academy
Mollie Luth understands that some of life’s greatest challenges can become the most powerful catalysts for change. The Brewster Academy junior, who struggles with dyslexia, has transformed her learning differences into a mission to advocate for neurodivergent students and address global inequities.
Mollie’s journey hasn’t been easy. At Winward School, where she attended middle and elementary school, daily tutoring sessions during lunch meant sacrificing time with friends. “It was hard for me,” she recalls. “The work was intense, required real commitment at a young age, and there wasn’t a lot of room for my social life.” But those struggles shaped her perspective on education and empathy.
When she arrived at Brewster Academy, Mollie found more than just academic support. Through the Brewster Academy’s Instructional Support program, Mollie discovered her calling as an advocate. She joined the Neurodiversity Alliance, a group focused on improving learning outcomes for students with learning differences, and spearheaded a groundbreaking seminar bringing together teachers from each grade level to better understand how to teach neurodivergent learners. “When you have a learning disability, you get stuck,” she explains. “You’re trying to learn and process, but you face a wall. I need to climb over that wall, and the teachers can help me do that… I want to make sure teachers have the tools and understanding to not only help me, but all students.”
Mollie’s advocacy has sparked meaningful dialogue about the unique needs of neurodivergent learners and she looks forward to leading the Neurodiversity Alliance at Brewster… “I felt like I was alone and drowning in my education, but bringing people together and sharing our experiences has been really helpful for me,” she says. The experience has even drawn her toward a career in teaching, “I think I could make a big difference in young people’s lives, and help to instill a love of learning by bringing my own experience to teaching.”
But Mollie’s impact extends far beyond Brewster’s campus. Over the past year Mollie became involved with the Nambale Magnet School in western Kenya, which serves impoverished children. Determined to give these students recreational opportunities she values - being a three-sport athlete in soccer, hockey, and lacrosse - Mollie and three friends in Darien organized fundraising efforts, including babysitting, bake sales, and weeding neighbors’ gardens, that raised $10,000 to build a basketball court at the school.
…Mollie had a chance to visit the Nambale Magnet School this summer, spend time with the children, and see where the basketball court will be built this year. She was moved by the joy and kindness of the students who had ‘absolutely nothing’ but were still ‘smiling so much’.
At home in Connecticut, Mollie volunteers at New Covenant House, a soup kitchen in Stamford, preparing and serving meals for homeless individuals on weekends. “It doesn’t take a lot of effort, but with every interaction with our clients at NCH, I know I am making a big difference in people’s lives,” she says.
MOLLIE
JULIET LIPMAN
Age: 17
Hometown: Katonah
Grade: 12th School: Rippowam Cisqua
→ Ethical Culture Fieldston School
For Juliet Lipman, social justice isn’t an extracurricular… it’s a calling deeply rooted in her family history. Growing up surrounded by reminders of her ancestors - both Holocaust survivors and enslaved people - Juliet developed a sharp awareness of inequity and a strong desire to leave the world better than she’s found it. “I feel so profoundly lucky for the opportunities I have,” she says. “That means I have a responsibility to give back.”
That conviction has inspired work spanning multiple issues and communities. At age 14, Juliet connected with organizations like Sal’s Shoes and Bundles of Joy, which provides essentials like clothing, school supplies, and hygiene needs to mothers and children in need. As well as securing large donations of unused shoes and helping to expand the scope of the program, Juliet launched a shoe and essentials boutique for underserved students at Mount Kisco Elementary School. The store allows kids to ‘shop’ donated items without stigma, a simple but powerful concept that’s now a permanent part of the school. Juliet’s advocacy also extends to criminal justice reform. Troubled by wrongful convictions and systemic inequities, she founded the Innocence Project Advocacy Club at her school, mobilizing hundreds of calls to the Governor’s office and hosting powerful campus conversations, including one featuring Gary Benloss, an innocent man who spent twenty-one years in prison. “I had become interested in the story of Marcellus Williams who was on death row for something he hadn’t done… I was calling the Governor’s office dozens of times a day to advocate. Mr. Williams was ultimately put to death - and then I realized if I could get hundreds of people to make calls, it might make a difference for the next wrongfully convicted or innocent person,” Juliet says.
…And Juliet’s activism hasn’t stopped there… Through her interview and photography project, called ‘Framed to Freedom’, Juliet has documented the lives of prison exonerees to humanize their stories and expand awareness. She has already been invited to speak at Columbia University’s Center for Justice to encourage other schools to start their own advocacy chapter.
After October 7, Juliet drew on her unique identity as a Black Jewish student to help mend fractures on campus, reviving the school’s Black Jewish Alliance. The group quickly became a safe space for difficult but necessary conversations, fostering dialogue and understanding at a time of heightened tension. Juliet pairs her humanitarian drive with a passion for equitable health care. During the summer between her sophomore and junior year, and again this summer between her junior and senior year, Juliet has been able to shadow a neurosurgeon at NYU Langone, and even contribute to a published study on aneurysm clipping. She has also participated in Georgetown University’s pre-medical summer program, training in blood draws, birth simulations, and trauma response.
Juliet is committed to bridging medicine and social justice to eliminate barriers to quality healthcare. She envisions a career in public health that will unite her passion for medicine with her commitment to social change, aiming to improve lives and promote equity on a broader scale.
Even while taking on such heavy topics, Juliet brings joy and humor to everything she does. “These are serious issues,” she says, “but laughter and kindness are part of the answer, too.”
COMPASSIONATE
TIMOTHY HARKINS
Age: 15
Hometown: Katonah
Grade: 10th School: The Hawthorn School
Most teenagers don’t spend their free time in libraries… but fifteen-year-old Tim Harkins works in one! Tim manages the Katonah Village Library’s 3D printing center, training patrons of all ages, and keeping the machines running. He’s not just a user of the technology, he’s the person trusted to teach it, repair it, and imagine what it can do next.
Tim’s journey started with curiosity. “I wanted a 3D printer, but my mom wouldn’t get one,” he recalls. Instead, he discovered one at the library and quickly mastered it, often repairing the machines when they broke. Library leadership began to ask his opinion on program strategy and equipment needs. His skills were so strong that when the library received a grant for upgraded equipment, staff didn’t hire an outside expert… they hired Tim, then just 14, to run the program.
Today, Tim’s one-on-one training sessions fill-up fast. He works with six-year-olds designing video game trinkets, teens learning engineering concepts, and retirees crafting custom housewares. He’s even created summer programs that teach design principles and end with students building their own projects, from bookmarks to piggy banks. “Introducing people to new technology and seeing them get excited about making something themselves… it’s just awesome!” Tim declares.
And then there’s his other library-famous talent…maple walnut fudge. Tim is an avid cook, known for pickles, homemade hot sauce, and a fudge recipe so beloved that it sparked an inter-library fudge exchange. “I’m probably the only 15-year-old whose closest friends are librarians in their 50s,” he laughs. “They share recipes and gardening tips, and I share pickles and hot sauce.”
Outside the library, Tim is equally driven. He’s a competitive diver, an avid gardener, and a homesteader - raising a thriving flock of chickens and hatching his own chicks. He used his 3D printing skills to design and print a chicken feeder. He’s also a chess club member, a classics reader, and deeply committed to his Catholic faith. “When I look back someday, I want people to remember me as a good friend, helpful, and faithful,” Tim says. A recent graduate of The Hawthorn School in Bedford, Tim credits its screen-free environment for fostering his love of the outdoors, building, and growing.
For the future, Tim wants to expand his technical expertise through advanced math and engineering classes while growing the library’s 3D printing program and his homesteading efforts… starting with upgrades to his chicken coop this spring.
Age: 17
Hometown: Katonah
Grade:12th
School: The Masters School
Gus Creech is already a Journalist. As the anchor and executive producer of Tower Broadcast News at The Masters School, Gus has turned a classroom elective into a serious pursuit of truth-telling, delivering award-winning stories that capture both campus life and broader community issues. His work earned him two Best of Student Newspapers Online journalism awards and the coveted Private School Journalism Association’s Journalist Junior of the Year title, thanks in part to an ambitious, unbiased feature on a controversial local development project known as ‘Protect the Knoll’.
After seeing protest signs on his daily drive, Gus dug deeper… interviewing residents, activists, and even the developer’s legal team, in order to cover every perspective. The resulting 5.5-minute broadcast, unusually long for student journalism, became a model of balanced reporting and earned regional recognition. “It was the first piece where I felt like a real journalist,” Gus says. “It taught me how powerful storytelling can be when you include every voice.”
Beyond the newsroom, Gus. is also an Intern with the Bedford Open Spaces and Acquisitions Committee, filming trails and interviewing hikers to highlight why open spaces matter - and why they must be protected. A Katonah resident since age seven, Gus developed a deep love for his region’s fields, woods, and rural character. “Access to the outdoors is something I don’t take for granted,” he says.
…And then there’s Gus’s other, more unexpected, interest in…Butchery. For the past two summers, Gus has apprenticed at the renowned Blue Hill at Stone Barns, learning to break down lamb, beef, pork, and poultry, and making “thousands of pounds of sausage” in the process. “Working with my hands gives me the same satisfaction as journalism,” Gus says. “In news, you gather parts of a story and combine them into something people can consume and enjoy… at Blue Hill, I’m doing the same thing, but with food. And I’m particularly interested in sustainable agriculture.”
At The Master School Gus is the Captain of the Varsity Squash Team and a Member of the Varsity Baseball Team, and is also a member of Gold Key, giving campus tours to prospective students.
Age: 16
Hometown: South Salem Grade: 11th School: King School
Some teens read books…Marilyn Sommerville builds movements around them!
Marilyn founded the Stamford chapter of Turning Pages, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing childhood and community literacy. She has organized countless book drives and volunteered at free-book fairs, delivering thousands of books to underserved families across Westchester and Fairfield counties.
Through the King School’s Connections Club, Marilyn has also partnered with numerous local organizations to help families in need, with a particular focus on uplifting children.
Marilyn is also a decorated equestrian. In 2023, she earned Individual Bronze at the USHJA Zone Jumper Championships, followed by Team Bronze and Individual Silver in 2024, and qualified for prestigious Finals in both Equitation and Jumpers in 2025. Her love of horses has led to Marilyn’s volunteer work in the animal welfare space, and this year she is the President of King’s Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, coordinating annual adoption events and advocating for animal welfare.
Marilyn is also a rising star in debate, winning multiple team awards throughout the Connecticut Debate Association and qualifying for State Finals in her first year competing.
And Marilyn is an accomplished artist, using mostly watercolor and colored pencils as her mediums, and sometimes experimenting in encaustic mediums like melted wax on wood. Her paintings gained national attention when they were published in The Chronicle of the Horse in both 2023 and 2024. She’s also been featured in the National Art Honor Society Juried Exhibition and in the National Arts Program Exhibition, and was honored with the Artistic Excellence Award at the 2025 Junior Artists Competition. She also serves as Chair of Awards and Ceremonies for the National Art Honor Society at King School, using her creativity to support causes like the Memory Project.
Academically, Marilyn is a King Scholar, the highest level academic award the school presents, requiring an unweighted GPA between 3.86 and 4.0. She has represented her school at the Girls Advancing in STEM Conference, presented at the King Science Fair, and was accepted into the competitive ASPIRE research program, where she’ll conduct independent veterinary science research.
Marilyn believes she wants to pursue a career in science, but with her track record of community leadership, championship riding, and award-winning creativity, Marilyn Sommerville’s story is just beginning.
Age: 17
Hometown: Darien
Grade: 12th
School: Greens Farms Academy
Peter is just exceptional.
Academically, he’s a Greens Farms Academy standout. With a 4.3 GPA - the highest possible at Greens Farms Academy - he has earned the Head of School Distinction every year of high school and maintains high honors across a rigorous course load, including AP Mandarin, BC Calculus, and Physics Mechanics.
Athletically, he’s a star lacrosse player. A defender since growing up in Darien - a community where lacrosse culture runs deep - by freshman year at Greens Farms he was already a varsity starter. Last season, as Greens Farms Team Captain, Peter demonstrated leadership mentoring younger teammates and helping to instill a winning culture. As a highlight to the season, Peter intercepted a pass to secure a one-goal victory against rival Rye Country Day School and, for his defensive prowess throughout the year he earned FAA Second Team All-League recognition and his coach’s Best Defender award.
And when he’s not defending his net, he’s commanding a stage. As the lead singer and multiinstrumentalist for Greens Farms’ rock band, Peter brings the same energy and charisma to music that he does to sports. From Pink Floyd’s Time at Coffeehouse to a heavy-metal-infused warmup playlist before games, Peter lives for the power of sound. “I love performing,” he says, noting how joining an acappella group early in high school gave him the confidence to share his voice.
“Whether I’m singing, playing keyboard, or experimenting with jazz fusion, I love the feeling of bringing people together with music.”
Peter also Captains Greens Farms’ Robotics Club and, in whatever spare time is left, builds video games and writes poetry as a creative outlet and a means of personal growth.
“Whether it’s shutting down elite attackers on the lacrosse field, hitting impossible notes in rehearsal, solving complex coding problems, or tackling the challenging course work at Greens Farms…I really try to lean fully into every pursuit,” Peter says. “I want to keep learning, keep improving, and keep contributing. I’d like to play NCAA Lacrosse, and whatever else happens, I’ll always be into music.”
HARPER PIERCE
Age: 12
Hometown: New Canaan
Grade:7th School: Saxe Middle School
At just 12 years old, Harper Pierce is already a rising star in musical theater. The 7th grader at Saxe Middle School embodies the rare ‘triple threat’ combination of singing, dancing, and acting talent that has opened doors to some of the industry’s most prestigious stages.
Harper’s impressive resume reads like that of a seasoned performer. She has graced the iconic Radio City Music Hall stage as a front line dancer in The Christmas Spectacular opening for The Rockettes for three consecutive years. Her athletic precision has also taken her to major sporting venues, where she’s performed hip hop and jazz routines at halftime shows for the NY Jets at MetLife Stadium, Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center, NJ Devils at Prudential Center, and the Harlem Globetrotters at Madison Square Garden.
The young performer’s theatrical range shines through her diverse role portfolio. From playing young Cosette in New Canaan High School’s production of Les Misérables to starring as Annie in The Studio for Performing Arts’ production at the Powerhouse Theater, Harper demonstrates remarkable versatility. Her breakthrough into television came with her role as young Adam Friedland’s childhood friend Erica in the opening sketch for Rob Schneider on the Adam Friedland Show, appearing alongside Drea Matteo.
Harper’s dedication to her craft is evident in her rigorous training schedule. She commits 18 to 20 hours weekly to honing her skills through voice lessons, acting classes, dance training, auditions, and rehearsals, traveling to NYC three times a week while also training locally. This commitment has earned her multiple Double Platinum 1st place overall titles at top national dance competitions including Showstoppers, Turn it up, Starpower, Backstage, KAR, and Star Alliance.
With six years of professional experience already under her belt, Harper is represented by a bicoastal management agency and has appeared in commercials for major brands including Sandals Resorts and Fox Kids News. Her recent callback to the final round for the title role in Annie at Madison Square Garden with Whoopi Goldberg demonstrates she’s competing at the highest levels of the industry.
“I love Musical Theater and performing! It’s so much fun! I couldn’t imagine doing anything else!” Harper says of her passion.
GIOVANNI RANIOLA
Age: 14
Hometown: Bedford Corners
Grade: 9th
School: Fox Lane High School
At just 14, Giovanni Raniola has done what most seasoned software developers only dream of… he’s built a website that’s attracted over three million users and runs on code he wrote himself.
Giovanni is the creator of Void Network, a browser-based gaming platform that allows people to access popular online games anywhere - even behind school firewalls.
Giovanni’s fascination with technology started early. In elementary school, he was already tinkering with servers and code, creating ‘secret folders’ full of games for friends. By age 13, that curiosity evolved into a mission: build a safe, virus-free alternative to the sketchy, malware-ridden bypass sites students often used to circumvent school restrictions. “I wanted a site where kids could play games without the risk of getting hacked,” Giovanni explains.
Using YouTube tutorials, AI tools like Claude, and his own relentless trial-and-error approach, Giovanni taught himself to code by examining websites line by line, learning what each function did, and rebuilding features from scratch. His technical skill combined with entrepreneurial instincts quickly set Void Network apart. The platform now features a curated library of kid-friendly games, 24/7 moderation, and a Discord-based support system complete with AI monitoring bots - coded by Giovanni himself - to handle service tickets and user safety.
And it’s not just students taking notice. Giovanni has received partnership requests and successfully monetized the platform, all while staying anonymous online to ward off hacking attempts. He even created a ‘Hall of Clowns’ to call out those who try to misuse the platform, blending humor with a clear message about online integrity.
School administrators, unsurprisingly, tried to shut down Void Network when it began spreading rapidly through student circles. Yet even teachers have privately praised Giovanni for creating a safer alternative to typical bypass sites and for building an entrepreneurial endeavor at such a young age.
When he’s not coding late into the night, Giovanni volunteers his IT skills for local organizations, including the Pound Ridge Working Moms Group and the Pound Ridge Community Church. He’s also experimenting with a new ChatGPT alternative and additional AI projects, using Void Network as a testing ground for innovations.
Giovanni plans to dive into business courses when he enters Fox Lane High School this fall, aiming to merge his technical talent with entrepreneurial savvy. “I’m always inventing and trying new things,” he says. “If I have an idea, I code it immediately.”
Wise beyond his years, Giovanni is smart, funny, and cool under pressure; traits that have helped him thrive in the competitive, sometimes cutthroat world of coding and gaming. And with his combination of technical genius, entrepreneurial mindset, and ability to stay grounded, one thing is certain: Giovanni Raniola is just getting started.
CODED FOR SUCCESS
THRIVE HERE, THEN EVERYWHERE.
The ideal high school should o er programs tailored to each student’s unique learning style, interests, strengths, and challenges. It should prepare those students to craft a life of meaning and purpose. Its teachers should inspire joy, curiosity, and a love of learning. That’s exactly what you’ll find at Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire.
Our campus is directly on the shores of Lake Winnipesaukee, so students can walk to town center, with its ice cream stands, galleries, cafes, and gift shops. Our unique team-centered approach to learning includes the chance to explore the world through immersive study abroad experiences. Brewster welcomes and celebrates diverse ideas and cultures, so students feel safe pushing themselves to new levels of achievement.
LEARN MORE ABOUT BREWSTER ACADEMY
80 Academy Drive
Wolfeboro, N.H. 03894
(603) 569-1600
brewsteracademy.org
CELEBRATING CHILDHOOD, PREPARING FOR THE FUTURE
Specializing in early education, age 2–grade 5
Inquiry-based, experiential learning
Individualized instruction
Low student to teacher ratios
Nestled in North Stamford, just steps from Bedford, Pound Ridge, New Canaan, and Greenwich
LongRidgeSchool.org
478 Erskine Road, Stamford, CT 06903
203.322.7693 | Admissions@LongRidgeSchool.org
“Being at SLS gave Ali the gift of becoming more. She was seen, understood, and encouraged—not just by her advisors, but by so many faculty and staff who truly knew her. They helped her believe she could think deeper, audition for the part, become a Literary Scholar, run for student council, and try something new. Because of those relationships, she’s graduating as the brave, confident, insightful, and compassionate person she is today.”
St. Luke’s School is a secular (non-religious) day school for grades 5-12 serving over 40 towns in Connecticut and New York. DiscoverYour Potential at SLS.
Cultivating
(203) 801-4833 | admissions@stlukesct.org | www.stlukesct.org | 377 North Wilton Road, New Canaan, CT 06840
Independent school for PreK through Grade 9
Now accepting applications for the 2026-27 school year. Visit our New Learning Lab during our Open House on October 17. RSVP today to admissions@rcsny.org
Rippowam Cisqua School www.rcsny.org | (914) 244-1205 | admissions@rcsny.org 439 Cantitoe Street, Bedford, NY 10506
The DeFilippo family of Bedford: Liz ‘93, Ryan ‘22, Ali ‘25, and Peter
Starts With Understanding
Dyslexia • Executive Function (ADHD) • NVLD
When school doesn’t work for your child, it affects everything. At Winston Prep, we build an education around your child- their strengths, their challenges, their potential. Our individualized, skills-centered approach leads to lasting success in life and learning for neurodivergent students. visit winstonprep.edu to learn more
CONNECTICUT CAMPUS
drive hours to the best slopes. So why not take a short drive to Hickory & Tweed in Armonk to choose the best ski and snowboard equipment and fashions.
u Save 15% on ski and snowboard leasing equipment: Get first dibs on our best gear for the entire family, now thru Sept. 30. No deposit required.
u Make an appointment for ski leasing or equipment fitting: Visit www.hickoryandtweed.com and take your pick of appointments. Walk-ins are welcome, but when you have an appointment, you can avoid wait times.
u Check out our ski apparel and fashions: Choose from Amundsen, Bogner, Helly Hansen, Kjus, Obermeyer, Parajumper, Patagonia, Reima, Rossignol, Spyder & more.
There’s an art collection in Mt. Kisco that seems somehow hidden in plain view! …It’s housed in a non-descript industrial building on the corner of Kisco Avenue and Hubbels Drive, right around the corner from Target! Impressive sculptures around the building, including works by Nicola Hicks, Paige Pedri, Alison Wilding, and Raymond Mason, are just a small hint of the thousands of treasures that lie within!
HIDDEN IN PLAIN VIEW THE WILLIAM LOUIS-DREYFUS FOUNDATION
…Mt. Kisco’s
Major Museum!
‘The Crowd’ Raymond Mason (1922-2010) is best known for his polychrome reliefs and monumental sculptures that incorporate landscapes, figures and crowds to convey a wide range of human emotion and experience within individual works. Mason’s work is represented in prestigious public and private collections, including at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, DC, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in Manhattan, the Tate Gallery in London, and the Centre Pompidou in Paris.
WILLIAM LOUIS-DREYFUS
William Louis-Dreyfus was born in France in 1932 and moved to America at the age of eight. He was the scion of the family that founded the Louis Dreyfus Group in 1851 when his great-grandfather Léopold Louis-Dreyfus delivered grain from Alsace in France to the markets in Basel, Switzerland. After attending Duke University and Duke Law School, he practiced law with the white-shoe firm of Dewey Ballantine in Manhattan before joining the family business. As Chief Executive Officer of the diversified Louis Dreyfus Group for 35 years, William built the company into one of the world’s leading commodity merchants with headquarters in New York and Paris.
William was a writer, and maybe more specifically a poet. He taught poetry at schools in Harlem and for many years was President of the Poetry Society of America. Letters Written and Not Sent, a book of his poems, was published in 2019.
.…And he was a voracious art collector!
Until his death at the age of 84 in 2016, William lived in Mt. Kisco, on the spectacular property he acquired in 1972 on Croton Lake Road.
The property has since been renovated and is now owned by Dominique Bluhdorn, and was featured in the 2023 Homes Issue of Bedford & New Canaan Magazineavailable online.
William had three daughters - one of whom is Julia Louis-Dreyfus of Seinfeld and Veep fame. Before his death William allocated the artwork his daughters wanted to his estate, another part of his collection that included a lot of his most valuable and most saleable pieces, including works by Giacometti and Kandinsky, to a trust meant to transfer wealth to his heirs and beneficiaries, and then the remainder of his vast art collection to The William Louis-Dreyfus Foundation.
…With a most interesting twist…being that, while the Foundation’s collection was to be housed and displayed in the industrial building on the corner of Kisco Avenue and Hubbels Drive in Mt. Kisco, the Foundation’s ultimate mission and purpose was to eventually sell the entire collection…with all proceeds going to one of William’s favorite charities, Harlem Children’s Zone.
Jeffrey Gilman, who was a banker before joining Louis Dreyfus and becoming William’s right-hand man, now runs both the Family Trust and the Foundation. “William purchased his country home in Mt. Kisco in 1972 and was in love with the area,” Gilman recounts. “He retired as Chairman of the Louis Dreyfus Group in 2006, and bought this building in 2009 in order to centralize the various deposits of art he had displayed, and stored, all over the United States and in Europe.”
“William was larger than life. Truly a renaissance man. He had boundless energy and there was no boundary to his intellectual curiosity or his zest for life,” Gilman observes.
“I worked closely and traveled with him for over 20 years before he retired – when he was still working he would put in a full day and spend nights involved, somehow, in the visual arts. He sponsored a team that played in the Harlem Little League and even umped some games - dressed in white trousers and a blue jacket - and seemed to take great pleasure in doing it.
He liked baseball, and was a Mets fan…because ‘they’re the good guys’. He had a keen sense of justice and civil rights, and used his philanthropy in support of just causes. In 2012, for instance, he took out a full-page ad in the New York Times calling for all millionaires to join the fight against voter suppression. …And the way he set up The William Louis-Dreyfus Foundation to benefit Harlem Children’s Zone is testimony to his hallmark commitment to education and scholarship being the key to equality and ending generational poverty. As Julia Louis-Dreyfus has said, ‘My father was never shy about what he believed in and more than anything he believed in art and justice. That he has found this way to marry those two beliefs is a sweet miracle for him’.”
“The Foundation is open to the public but by appointment only,” Gilman continues. “We encourage anyone interested in seeing the collection to check our website at WLDFoundation.org and schedule a visit. We are eager to share the collection with a wider audience and welcome schools and community groups. We’re especially pleased to host Open Houses often attended by many of the artists in the collection. William donated over 4,000 works to the Foundation, and I’d estimate we’ve thus far sold less than 20 percent of the original grant. While we remain true to the mission of ultimately selling all the works, we are mindful that the carefully managed and orderly sale and distribution of them will yield higher valuesto the benefit of each involved artist or artist’s estate and Harlem Children’s Zone.”
Mary Anne Costello, a long-time executive with the Louis Dreyfus Group and friend of William’s, is Co-Curator of the Foundation’s collection and the resident reference on all things William.
“Trying his own hand at being an artist, William took just one class, with Tara Geer, and had the clearcut feeling that he didn’t have the manual dexterity to be a great painter. But, as a collector, William had a dexterity which came to be known as his ‘generosity of eye’. He was considered to be eclectic, if not contrarian. He was fascinated with how artists made their artwork, and would always ask rhetorically ‘How do they do it?’. He most loved discussing technique when he met with an artist,” Costello recalls.
PHOTO:
GLORIA BAKER
WILLIAM LOUIS-DREYFUS
Costello continues, “One artist who William particularly loved discussing technique with is Stanley Lewis, an American-born painter who got his bachelor’s degree at Wesleyan and a Masters of Fine Arts from Yale, who’s now about 84, and still going strong in Leeds, Massachusetts, where he lives and works. Though classically trained, Lewis utilizes a novel technique - while always painting ‘plein air’ - of ripping and repositioning and relayering the pieces of paper and fabric he’s painting on with a heavy application of paint to give his scene the depth and character he’s witnessing.”
William Louis-Dreyfus wrote about Stanley Lewis:
“Perhaps the most rewarding aspect of a good painting is that it makes you wonder and examine how it got that way. Stanley is very much in that line of work. Discussion with him, whatever the subject, is always inquiring into that question. He doesn’t often examine the excellence of his own work except sometimes to describe the mechanics of his cutting and joining, after which a lawn chair or a white coffee mug somewhat suddenly appears.”
‘THE LAKE IN CENTRAL PARK’ STONE ROBERTS. ALWAYS EAGER TO PARTICIPATE, WILLIAM SCOUTED SEVERAL LOCATIONS FOR THIS PAINTING WITH ROBERTS. HE ONCE WROTE
“I
“While William started-out collecting some of the better known modern and contemporary artists, including Kandinsky, Giacometti, Dubu et, and Oldenburg among others, by the time he retired he’d become totally engrossed in finding less-well-known artists.
His single criteria was that he personally found the art interesting. He met with every single artist, almost always visited the artist’s studio, and was usually interested in purchasing as many pieces as the artists would sell him! He selected every piece himself, and he never worked with outside advisors or agents,” Costello details.
“Judith Carlin is a good example of an extremely talented artist - who just happens to live in Westchester,who captured William’s curiosity,” Costello says. “William saw a large mask of a donkey, made of papier-mâché, used by the character Nick Bottom in a summer production of A Midsummer’s Night Dream, and inquired about the artist.”
AT A RECENT OPEN HOUSE, A
OF
“He wrote me a letter asking if he could come to my studio to see anything else that I’d done,” Judith recalls. “I’d been a painter most of my life, but I’d started experimenting with papier-mâché. I had a few of my characters, done in papier-mâché, all sitting around in my studio like a group of odd strangers put together in a public place. When William came to my studio, he acquired the few characters I had…and encouraged me to make more. …I felt honored to be recognized by him. I felt like I had a patron…and a purpose.” And, over the years following, William visited with Judith about once a year and acquired several more of her works. “I still have a few of my characters hanging out at my studio,” Judith smiles. “They remind me of William. He made me feel like a better me…I think he had that effect on a lot of people. I’m really proud to have my works exhibited at the Foundation …and almost hope, oddly, that my works never sell.”
‘HOTEL DES ROCHES NOIRES’ JEAN-BAPTISTE SÉCHERET. CAPTURING THE LIGHT, TIME OF DAY AND WEATHER IN TROUVILLE, FRANCE, SÉCHERET RECALLS PAINTINGS BY CLAUDE MONET. THIS WORK IS ON LOAN FROM THE FOUNDATION TO THE MUSÉE MARMOTTAN-MONET IN PARIS FOR A SPECIAL EXHIBITION FROM OCTOBER 2025 TO MARCH 2026.
JUDITH CARLIN AND A COUPLE OF HER CHARACTERS
SPEAKER PLAYING SOME
WILLIAM’S FAVORITE MUSIC - RAY CHARLES, ABBEY LINCOLN, AND SOME OTHER JAZZ ARTISTS WAS PLACED BEHIND CARLIN’S SWINGTIME, MAN WITH THE CLARINET.
Christina Kee, a graduate of the New York Studio School who worked as Graham Nickson’s Studio Assistant before joining the Foundation in 2014, is Co-Curator at the Foundation, and an expert on the collection, and modern art generally.
Of course I’m partial to our collection of Graham Nickson,” Kee admits.
“He was widely recognized during his lifetime as a truly original figurative painter and master of capturing light and color. But I’ve always found his images to be… simply beautiful. They’re as sensual as they are surreal. His use of color, depicting sunrises and sunsets and human figures in geometric poses, is iconic. We’ve sold a few, but still have more than 50 Nickson watercolors and paintings, and always have several of them out on display.”
Graham Nickson, who moved from the U.K. to New York in 1976, and was the longstanding Dean of the New York Studio School of Drawing, Painting and Sculpture, died in January 2025. His works are exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the National Gallery of Art, and the Museum of Modern Art, among numerous other prestigious museums and collections.
Elizabeth Marwell, whose family has deep connections in the community, is the Foundation’s Associate Tour Coordinator and is a heartfelt and enthusiastic promoter of the collection.
“What might be the most unique and intriguing aspect of William’s collecting was his fascination with what is now put under the broad category of ‘self-taught’ or ‘untrained’ art,” Marwell explains. “William delved in with an unabashedly singleminded passion to collect artists whose pure talent and authenticity he treasured, from those connected to the tradition of Art Brut in Europe to now prominent figures of American art like Bill Traylor, Thornton Dial and Nellie Mae Rowe.
A Truly unique and intriguing collection!
Kee adds, “One of the so-called ‘outsider’ artists William recognized was James Castle. Castle did not read or write, but had his own precise language to describe the life and people around him. Except for several years at a school for the deaf, Castle spent his life at his family homes in rural Idaho and then Boise. He made ink using soot from the wood stove, mixed with saliva, and applied it with tools of his own making, including sharpened sticks and other found objects. His drawings sensitively depict interiors,
buildings, animals and people, all based on the architecture and landscapes of the places where he lived and visited.” The author Allan Gurganus has called Castle’s work ‘among the greatest diaries ever kept’
Castle is now considered an American master and his work is represented in major museums and collections including the Whitney Museum of American Art and the American Folk Art Museum in New York, the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington D.C., the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the High Museum in Atlanta, and the Yale University Art Gallery.
And Costello contributes, “William loved collecting in depth and liked being a patron. He was the largest owner of Bill Traylor with about 130 of the 1,200 works Traylor produced in his lifetime, and a similar fan of Leonardo Cremonini, John Moore, John Newman, JeanBaptiste Sécheret and others. Early on, he collected Dubuffet - one of the most famous self-taught artists of the 20th century - and although Dubuffet was famously anti-social, William pursued a correspondence with himas he did with many of the artists whose work he admired and collected.”
100 BEDFORD & NEW CANAAN
AN ARRAY OF WORKS BY JAMES CASTLE
THE GOAT, BILL TRAYLOR
The Foundation’s galleries include a large room fit with sliding panels that allow for the storage and display of thousands of works. It’s a treasure trove that warrants any art enthusiast’s exploration.
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ULLA JOHNSON | REPEAT CASHMERE | MARIE OLIVER | MELISSA NEPTON A
It’s been ten years since Sharon Prince established Grace Farms on an 80 acre property in the Northwest corner of New Canaan… and ten years later Grace Farms has proven itself to be a revolutionary cultural institution providing unique bene ts to its surrounding communities and innovative solutions for the world.
Sharon Prince Grace Farms
Sharon Prince’s dad was an Electrical Engineer who had to move the family around a lot to accommodate his job, so Sharon grew up in ten different States and attended more than a dozen different schools before graduating from high school. “My mom, who came from a family with five generations of pediatricians, instilled the ethos in her four children, that you must ‘bloom where you are planted’,” Sharon recalls. “I put myself through college and earned an MBA at the University of Tulsa, where I worked as a Graduate Assistant with Dr. Robert Hisrich in the new Entrepreneurial Studies Department, which was transformational for me.”
“The other transformative thing about the University of Tulsa, for me, was that I met Bob there,” Sharon says, with a big smile, about her husband, Bob Prince. “We’d both landed jobs at Bridgewater, so we moved to Ridgefield. Later I become the North American President of 66° North, an Icelandic outerwear gear company that I’d discovered on a trip to Iceland. Bob stayed with Bridgewater and is now the Co-Chief Investment Officer.”
“At 36, I had a major health scare and kind of defied all odds coming out okay after a brain surgery… and, after facing mortality, I’ve appreciated every day since. …And, even as a young girl - and maybe because we moved around so much - I’ve always been very aware of inequity, and particularly in education. …I abhor injustice in all its forms and feel wired to do as much as I can to advance good in the world.”
“Three children and years later, we moved from Ridgefield to New Canaan” Sharon chronicles.
“When we first set out to build Grace Farms, I went to the Town and asked them what New Canaan needed most to adequately serve the community... and they told me New Canaan needed a performing arts center, fields, courts, and open outdoor spaces. So we set out to combine all of those things into one place that could also function as the platform for Grace Farms Foundation.”
“I’m so committed to what we’re doing and what we’ve accomplished here in our rst ten years at Grace Farms… that I thought now might be a good time to share how we’ve turned an aspirational vision into a reality.”
Sharon Prince Grace Farms
“I wanted to build a hopeful place,”
Sharon recounts. “I envisioned Grace Farms not just as a destination, but as a catalyst to advance good in the world, a place rooted in beauty, nature, and architecture. The 80 acre property was slated to become a residential subdivision, but I was committed to preserving the land and creating open space where beauty, community, and purpose could converge. A place that would have far-reaching impact.”
“I believe that architecture can be a driver of new outcomes,” Sharon reflects. “We’re in a town that was the hotbed of midcentury modern architecture - and that provided context for the design. I believe that space communicates. What can space do? Can you embed values into space? Can it be generative? …Even more important, we wanted the building to be intertwined with the landscape - both blending in, and still making a statement. …But it really wasn’t until we brought the award-winning architectural firm SANAA on board that the vision became what Grace Farms is today,” Sharon shares.
The sinuous River Building
snakes down a slope on the property, and serves to connect the property’s five glass volumes like organs of a working body. It stands in absolute harmony with the surrounding hills and meadows. Sharon personally oversaw the entire project, and was known for regularly walking the roof of the building in a hardhat during the construction phase.
Sharon Prince Grace Farms
The Sanctuary
is an indoor amphitheater with seating for 700, perfectly engineered acoustics, and a giant glass wall offering an eastern-facing panoramic view of the property’s open fields as backdrop to the performance stage.
Sharon’s daughter, Chelsea Thatcher, who is the Founding Creative Director and Chief Strategic Officer at Grace Farms, has established a regular offering of world-renowned musical performances at the Sanctuary, including the pivotal achievement of hosting the London Philharmonic Orchestra in 2024. And Grace Farms will host Yo-Yo Ma in 2026.
The Commons
is a 6,900 square foot dining hall and gathering space. “We grow as much fresh seasonal food here as possible and incorporate that into the menu. If the Library is the peaceful respite, the Commons is the heart of an active community - creating a space to gather and connect and share ideas. …Food is a common denominator,” Sharon expounds. “We have an elevated and yet incredibly approachable menu, that’s healthy, and absolutely delicious.”
Incredibly, the pricing is about 20 to 30% below the average lunch bill in the area.
The Court
The Pavilion
is home to all things tea, and is where Frank Kwei can be found hosting regular tea tastings and demonstrations. An original member of the Grace Farms team, Frank is a zen influence on site. He’s a sommelier for tea, who presents an exquisite and informed tea service, elevating the entire notion of tea to another level. Not just something to be unconsciously consumed, but something to be savored and studied.
is a multi-purpose recreational and performance space, equipped for large groups of people. The mezzanine provides space for board games, studying, and seats for spectators, while the Court plays host to everything from pickup basketball games to special exhibitions. “It was really important for us to provide a space that would best serve the community,” Sharon says. “And while we love hosting all kinds of pick-up and organized basketball games and other activities, we try to give first priority to those that usually get last dibs. …We work with organizations like STAR and ABILIS that provide services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families, to give first dibs to everyone in these organizations to use the Court.”
The Outdoors
houses a carefully curated collection of books that speak to the organization’s key initiatives: nature, arts, justice, community, and faith.
The campus offers all kinds of community programming, from planting workshops to book groups for young children.
Sharon Prince Grace Farms
Grace Farms is open to the public six days a week - Tuesday-Saturday 10am - 5pm and Sunday from Noon to 5pm. The property has a mile of meandering walking trails and offers guided and meditative walks throughout the year. Everyone is welcome to walk the grounds, enjoy the Library, play in the Court, and use the Commons. “Grace Farms is here for the community! Without the activation of people… it’s just a beautiful building. If you’re a regular, we are glad that you are part of the fabric of Grace Farms… and if you’ve never been here - let this be your invitation to join us and discover, in any way you’d like - even if you just come and enjoy the nature, and leave here a little bit kinder, or calmer - it’s a meaningful contribution to creating grace and peace in the world.”
“But, even more important than our benefit to the local community as a physical and programming resource, Grace Farms is, first and foremost, a humanitarian institution,” Sharon proclaims.
It is, by design, unlike anything else. A place deliberately untethered from any preexisting model. A space intended for gathering and the dynamic exchange of ideas. …All in service of fostering grace and peace in the world.”
Turning to the elephant in the room... Sharon explains, “though faith is a pillar of my personal values and an initiative at Grace Farms, Grace Farms is not a religious institution. Since before we opened, we partnered with the Yale Center for Faith & Culture to help establish the framework and programming of our faith initiative - to explore the nature of flourishing and purposeful life.
The unaffiliated Grace Community Church operated in our Sanctuary for several years and has moved on to a new venue. I get that having the name ‘Grace’ in both of our names was a bit confusing. But Grace Farms is not a church... and we welcome everyone - people of all faiths, or no faith - to Grace Farms.”
“As soon as Grace Farms opened, we immediately began convening thought-leadership gatherings to address pressing humanitarian issues,” Sharon recounts. “We are an incubator for global change. We’ve hosted Nobel Peace Prize-winner Dr. Denis Mukwege, human rights activists Grace Forrest and Nasreen Sheikh, U.S. Poet Laureate Joy Harjo, and the United Nations. The organization abides by the, maybe benevolently ambitious, notion that new perspectives lead to new outcomes, and aims to facilitate opportunities for new outcomes to arise out of the shared gathering spaces as well as the spaces for introspection and intellectual enrichment. Some see the world as it is... we imagine what can be, gather a diverse team and partners, and put our commitments into action.”
Sharon Prince Grace Farms
Sharon Prince
Grace Farms
During Covid, Grace Farms became a humanitarian hub, distributing more than 2 million pieces of PPE to first responders. It also provided food assistance which it continues to do today. Since 2020, Grace Farms has provided more than 151,000 healthy meals to those in need.
“Another of Grace Farms’ most important initiatives is
DESIGN FOR FREEDOM
which is a collaboration of industry leaders focused on eliminating forced labor in the building materials supply chain,” Sharon reports. “I’d been awakened to modern slavery 25 years ago and it left a lingering and profound impression. In 2017, I was on an American Institute of Architects jury evaluating projects around the world. I asked where the materials that made up the buildings came from and if they were made with fair labor. I was met with silence. This led me to launch Design for Freedom.”
We began focusing on human trafficking legislation and ethical supply chains in the food and clothing industries,” Sharon relays of Design for Freedom’s history. “Next, we took on shelter.”
“The issue of modern slavery is monumental. More than 28 million people globally are presently living in forced labor conditions. The construction sector is the industrialized sector at the highest risk of forced and child labor.
…We don’t have thirty years to fix this crisis like it took for the green building movement to take hold. …And, because there are a lot of people that have a vested interest in the status quo, no part of this is easy.
…But we simply can’t be okay with the fact that forced labor subsidizes the construction industry with a slavery discount.”
Design For Freedom now includes government leaders, major architecture firms, top engineering companies, and leading universities. The initiative has produced toolkits, hosted global summits, and created pilot projects to model ethical supply chains. Recently, Grace Farms partnered with a tech startup to integrate a Design for Freedom filter into an AI-powered materials sourcing platform - a tangible tool for change. As Sharon says, “If you’re not asking the question ‘Was this made with fair labor?’...you’re being complicit. It doesn’t matter if you’re at Home Depot or working with a high-end architect. Everyone can ask the question. Everyone can be part of this. Raising awareness in the industry allows for informed conversations to take place, and a groundswell of support from consumers will eventually force the industry to move in the right direction from the bottom up as well. Grace Farms has been the facilitator of and location for many of those discussions.”
Managing to interject a light anecdote into even the darkest of topics, Sharon adds, “This year, Grace Farms hosted our fourth annual Design For Freedom Summit, bringing together builders, architects, and industry leaders from all over the world, as well as more than 75 students from over 25 different universities, in order to set explicit steps forward. For our first Summit in 2022, I had not yet decided on a keynote speaker. And then the former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra’ad al Hussein, visited Grace Farms. While touring the property, we reached the Court and he spotted the ping pong table, and started talking about how good he was. ‘Winner takes all’, I said. If I won, he’d have to keynote our Summit. …I’m fairly sure I only won because he was laughing too hard to play!”
Sharon does turn to a little boasting when she’s talking about her son-in-law, Adam Thatcher, who co-founded and is the CEO of the Grace Farms Tea & Coffee Company - a certified B corporation - which gives 100% of profits to Design for Freedom. “Having studied the tax advantaged model of Newman’s Own at NYU Stern’s Business School, Adam implemented a similarly circular philanthropic model in establishing Grace Farms Tea & Coffee. We procure ethically sourced ingredients and materials, and have a particular focus on supporting femalefarmers and women-led co-ops. …And Grace Farms Tea & Coffee is now available at Whole Foods and many corporate offices nationwide.”
Grace Farms Tea & Coffee will open a kiosk at the JP Morgan Chase headquarters in New York City this October!
Sharon Prince Grace Farms
Sharon
Prince Grace Farms
“We are tackling important issues and building toward big goals. I’m not stopping to rest,” Sharon sets forth.
“We are just beginning and the possibilities are endless.”
Grace Farms is a gift to the community. They have carefully rewilded a substantial portion of the 80 acres of the campus, and biodiversity has flourished. Ten years ago there were 40 bird species on site, now there are over 140. Grace Farms is a nexus for culture, physical activity, education, food, and nature.
“It feels as if we are re-opening Grace Farms at this ten year mark. All that is unfolding in our 2025-2026 season, created by Chelsea, is the culmination of a decade of joy, hard work, and our team’s boundless determination and creativity.”
“While we have some pretty lofty goals in terms of solving global problems, Grace Farms’ novel approaches to some of the world’s most pressing challenges are already turning our aspirational vision into a lived and practical reality,” Sharon says.
Grace Farms has an extraordinary 10 year season planned, kicking off on September 13 with the opening of ParaPosition, Grace Farms’ first permanent outdoor sculpture, by Alicja Kwade. Its 10-Year celebration on October 11 includes musical performances, exhibit openings, tea and coffee tastings, and Sharon in conversation with Kazuyo Sejima of SANAA, followed by a performance by Joshua Bell. On January 10, Sharon opens a new kind of lecture series which features worldclass musicians. Followed by a recital by Yo-Yo Ma on January 11!
“Grace Farms is 10 years old! Come visit… and get involved…” Sharon graciously implores.
DRESS: ROKSANDA
ROKSANDA: CHAMPIONS
39 Louises Lane - New Canaan’s Best Buy
$3,995,000
Along one of New Canaan’s highest ridges, 39 Louises Lane is a gated, five-acre estate that embodies timeless elegance and the ease of country living. A specimen tree-lined cobblestone drive sets the tone, leading to a residence that feels as much like a private resort as it does a family home… just one hour from New York City.
Outdoors, the property is designed for indulgence. A cascading waterfall pool glitters like a natural grotto, complemented by a romantic pergola, with outdoor kitchen and dining terrace, a pool house, and tennis court with viewing gazebo. Meandering paths weave through lush gardens and a sculpture-studded rock garden, while a barn and fenced vegetable garden add charm and versatility.
Inside, 10,000 square feet of living space unfolds across three levels, blending grandeur with comfort. Multiple living and dining rooms, a chef’s kitchen with an adjoining breakfast kitchen and seating area, billiards and recreation rooms, and a spa suite with an indoor hot tub create abundant spaces for both entertaining and retreat. The owner’s suite offers its own sanctuary with dual baths, dressing room, fireplace, and sitting room, while additional guest suites, including a private in-law or caretaker’s wing, provide comfort and flexibility.
Five garage bays, a dedicated office suite, and indoor tiled garden room add yet more dimension, making the estate as practical as it is beautiful.
With its rare combination of scale and charm, 39 Louises Lane is a true generational compound. It is at once stately and welcoming, offering the best of New Canaan living in a setting designed for both quiet moments and grand gatherings.
-
Nelson DeMelo, General Manager
JUST ARRIVED...NEW 2025 FORESTER
ANDREW ARMSTRONG
Andrew Armstrong is celebrating the Fi h Anniversary of founding New Canaan Chamber Music.
Andrew is a concert pianist who is devoted to chamber music - which is defined as instrumental music, played by a small ensemble, with one player to a part, and usually in the context of classical music.
He’s the Artistic Director of both the South Carolina Philharmonic’s ‘Andy & Friends’ concert series in Columbia, South Carolina, and the 45-year-old University of South Carolina at Beaufort’s Chamber Music series in Beaufort, South Carolina…and has established New Canaan Chamber Music as a treasured institution.
He brought a trio together to perform ‘A Concert for New Canaan’ in October 2020, and has steadily expanded the offering to now be producing 8 different concerts on 15 dates in the 2025 Season. The concerts are performed at the First Presbyterian Church at 178 Oenoke Ridge in New Canaan and, in addition to playing the piano, Andrew organizes and produces everything from selecting the music and organizing the artists, to the nitty gritty of trying to make the organization’s ends meet.
The last dates of New Canaan Chamber Music’s 2025 Season will be October 28 and 29, 2025, when Andrew and the violinist James Ehnes will perform a program titled Carnegie Hall To New Canaan with selections of Mozart, Ravel, Gershwin, and Amy Beach, and December 11 and 12, 2025, when 8 worldclass string players will perform an EXTRAVAGANZA of Ravel and Mendelssohn.
Andrew grew up in New Canaan. He went to East Elementary, Saxe Middle, and New Canaan High School, and thanks his high school orchestra teacher, Mr. Richard Serbagi, for having given him the push to pursue his passion for the piano.
“It’s a dream-come-true to establish my own chamber music series, and a special treat to be able to do it here in New Canaan,” Andrew remarks. “Although I live in Worcester, Massachusetts now, I’m a native New Canaanite! My roots are here. My parents still live in Connecticut. We went to the Congregational Church on God’s Acre. My bona fides go back to being a caddie at the New Canaan Country Club! ...And, quite frankly, I couldn’t have done it without a roster of local friends.”
After graduating from New Canaan High School - and already playing in important classical music piano competitions all around the world! - Andrew went to Columbia University. “I dropped-out after three years. I just couldn’t complete in-school work once my touring schedule had become a full-time job,” he says.
“I’d been playing in front of audiences in a lot of competitions during college, and I knew I wanted to make piano performance my life,” Andrew recalls. “From the first time I heard Arthur Rubinstein play the piano, and felt the way he could tell the story of the music, I knew I had to make playing with that kind of passion my life’s work, and commit to making others feel the way Rubinstein made me feel, my life’s goal.”
“But, no matter how good you are as a nascent concert performer, it’s quite difficult to forge a career as a classical concert pianist. For fifteen years, I was devoted to getting bookings as a guest soloist with better and better orchestras and playing in some pretty impressive venues. But it was a lonely existence. You get to be best friends with everyone in an orchestra for all of two days, and then you’re alone practicing and looking for the next gig. I thought I’d failed. All my friends were already buying houses and having kids. It wasn’t about not having fame or fortune - I believe fame imprisons people. But I was just miserable.”
“And then, about ten years ago, I was invited to play in a quartet at the Columbia Chamber Music Festival…I enjoyed everything about it…and then they called me and said the Musical Director was retiring and did I want the job,” Andrew recounts. “I fell in love with chamber music. For the first time, performing was about cooperation instead of competition! You get to bond, personally and musically, with a ‘band’ of musicians you choose to work with in various configurations from time to time. And the musical possibilities are endless!”
ANDREW ARMSTRONG
ANDREW WITH HIS WIFE ESTY AND THEIR YOUNGEST CHILD, GABRIEL
PHOTO: ERIC HORAN
NEW
“Chamber music is best when performed in an environment where every spectator can actually see and feel the musical interchange that everyone is hearing.”
Tuesday October 28, 2025 3:00 p.m. &
Wednesday October 29, 2025 at 7:00 p.m.
Two-time Grammy Winner James Ehnes - with his 1715 Stradivarius violin - in recital with Andrew Armstrong on piano
Thursday December 11, 2025 3:00 p.m. &
Friday December 12, 2025 at 7:00 p.m.
EXTRAVAGANZA -- 8 world-class string players, Ravel and Mendelssohn, will blow the roof off the church with a program including Mendelssohn’s legendary Octet, written when the genius was only 16 years old
Thursday February 5, 2026 3:00 p.m. &
Friday February 6, 2026 7:00 p.m.
The most popular chamber piece of all time: Schubert’s Trout Quintet with double-bass
Thursday April 16, 2026 3:00 p.m. & Friday April 17, 2026 7:00 p.m.
International Accordion Phenom, Scotsman Ryan Corbett, plus Yoonah Kim on clarinet and Andrew Armstrong on piano
“The term ‘chamber music’ is derived from the French ‘chambre’, to connote that this was the kind of music performed inside the private rooms, or chambres, of the day’s royalty and elite. So a certain intimacy is inherent in the term and in the form,” Andrew instructs. “Chamber music is best when performed in an environment where every spectator can actually see and feel the musical interchange that everyone is hearing. For me, that means a theater with great acoustics that can accommodate an audience of forty to about four or five hundred max. I find the interaction of the musicians and with the audience to be the most beautiful form of art.”
Carole Clarkson and the Jeniam Foundation. Even though we’re usually sold out, ticket sales account for only about one-quarter of our total budget.”
“At New Canaan Chamber Music we’re committed to modernizing the overall approach to presenting chamber music, and bringing more and more newcomers to discover and fall in love with it. We want to take chamber music off of the pedestal and share it in a warm, relaxed way, between friends, with humor, a bit of background information, and the sense that we are all in it together, sharing the experience. That’s a big contrast to the concerts of the late 20th century where there was no sense of crossing the footlights and no glimpse into the common humanity and humility of the performers. …And we’re seeing a big pay-off in this new approach at New Canaan Chamber Music – with growing audiences, first-timers becoming long-timers, and an ever-increasing sense of ownership amongst the attendees.”
“Ironically, the problem with chamber music - at least from the standpoint of making a production work economically - is that it is practically impossible to pay what it takes to attract world class talentlike James Ehnes, who will be performing - on his 1715 Stradavarius - with me in New Canaan on October 28 and 29 - and then cover the cost with ticket sales to a smallish audience. We only have about 200 seats to sell at the First Presbyterian Church, and don’t want to make ticket prices a barrier to coming to our performances,” Andrew details. “It just doesn’t work without significant donors. …And, thankfully, in New Canaan, people have really stepped-up to support us. And although I can’t begin to name each of the folks who’ve been critical, I’d be remiss not to mention the extremely generous support of Jim and Dede Bartlett, and
“I like to create musical programs that balance traditional and more popular selections within the broader category of classical music,” Andrew explains. “By popular, I mean Rhapsody in Blue, or adding a Scottish Accordianist to an ensemble to show off the breadth of that instrument. It gives me deep pleasure to introduce the audience to different composers. It’s my joy to illustrate Bach’s architecture, Beethoven’s drama, Debussy’s artistry, Schubert’s poetry, and Bernstein’s powerful use of the musical language.”
UPCOMING
CANAAN CHAMBER MUSIC at the First Presbyterian Church of New Canaan
HOMEFRONT
There is something undeniably magical about stepping into your backyard and finding yourself surrounded by flourishing rows of lettuce, heirloom tomatoes ripening on the vine, and flowers spilling over in brilliant color. The scent of basil in the air, bees humming from blossom to blossom, and the simple satisfaction of plucking a sun-warmed strawberry. It’s the stuff of country living dreams. But all too often, that dream can be quickly eclipsed by the reality of endless weeding, the heavy soil turning, watering schedules, and nuanced knowledge that turns seedlings into an abundant harvest.
Homefront Farmers delivers all the poetry of a pastoral garden, without the blisters and backache. They shoulder the mud and muscle so you can revel in the romance of the garden. This remarkable company has redefined what it means to ‘grow your own’ by offering fully designed, installed, and maintained vegetable and flower gardens right at home. Imagine enjoying all the pleasures of farm-fresh produce and fresh-cut bouquets, all grown organically, and knowing that there will be fruits of your labor… not just an untamed mess.
Every Homefront Farmers garden begins with a personalized design. Raised beds are thoughtfully laid out to complement your property, and soil is enriched for optimal growing conditions. Whether you envision baskets of vegetables for family dinners or a cutting garden for arranging, their teamworks with you to create the perfect plan.
Then, the true magic begins... Homefront Farmers’ crew handles the heavy lifting, and plants each seed and seedling with the care of master gardeners, ensuring your garden is primed for success from day one. Many crops are started at Homefront’s own certified organic greenhouse in Connecticut, and transplanted at optimal timing to ensure that the garden maximizes periods of mature plants. Feel the sanctity of knowing where your food comes from... and have the fun of actually watching it grow!
Unlike traditional landscaping services, Homefront Farmers specializes exclusively in building and maintaining edible and ornamental gardens. Their maintenance plans mean that weeds are kept at bay, plants are pruned, pests are managed organically, and harvests are timed just right. Instead of spending weekends with a hoe in hand, you can wander outside with a basket and gather the bounty.
...And the bounty is impressive! Clients often find themselves overwhelmed - in the best possible way - by the abundance of vegetables and flowers. Crisp cucumbers, juicy peppers, earthy carrots, tender greens, and radiant dahlias become everyday luxuries, picked just steps from your kitchen.
Perhaps most surprising is how much you learn along the way. Though Homefront Farmers does the labor, they invite you to be as hands-on - or handsoff - as you like. Want to understand the difference between determinate and indeterminate tomatoes? Curious how to succession-plant lettuce so you have salads all summer? Their team is there to guide, teach, and inspire. For children, the garden becomes an open-air classroom, instilling lessons about food, ecology, and patience that no textbook can rival.
In a world where time is precious and wellness is prized, Homefront Farmers offers something rare: the ability to live closer to the land without sacrificing convenience. Your garden becomes a sanctuary, a source of nourishment, and a place of beauty and connection.
With Homefront Farmers, the garden of your dreams is not only possible... it’s waiting right outside your door.
Loda R.E. Photography
Living Like a Vanderbilt:
A NEWPORT ESCAPE
When The Gilded Age returned to HBO, with its lavish ballroom scenes and sweeping views of magnificent estates, it did more than entertain …it ignited a national interest in the history, families, and estates of the late 1800s. Inspired by the show’s glamour, I planned a weekend escape to experience this history firsthand, in America’s original playground for the real-life Gilded Age elite: Newport, Rhode Island.
NEWPORT is a study in coastal splendor, where the Atlantic unfurls in shades of steel and sapphire, sailboats dot the harbor, and the air is tinged with salt, and majestic mansions preside over manicured lawns. The quick two-and-a-half hour drive makes for the perfect weekend getaway.
The Vanderbilt: A PERFECT BASE
The Vanderbilt was built by Alfred Vanderbilt for his mistress, Agnes O’Brien Ruiz, at the turn of the Century. When she died, Alfred - famous himself for having later died while saving others during the sinking of the Lusitania - donated the house to the city of Newport. …The mansion was recently acquired by Auberge, and converted into a hotel, complete with a total refresh, restoring everything about the place to its former glory. Collections of fabulous art. Sumptuous timeappropriate decor and patterns. Rich hues, decadent fabrics, and opulent original woodwork, all make for the perfect backdrop to enjoy a true weekend of luxury.
We visited on an unusually chilly weekend, so we spent some extra time hanging-out in some of The Vanderbilt’s cozy spaces, which are draped in cashmere throws and layered with Persian carpets, and enjoying the crackling fireplaces. We also took advantage of the onsite spa, with amazing services and an indoor swimming pool.
Like the mansion itself, the food at The Vanderbilt is outstanding! …On the first night of our trip we had dinner at The Vanderbilt’s ‘The Dining Room’. Navy blue-cloaked walls and dapper leather club chairs, a roaring fireplace, and a wood-clad bar, make the space feel elevated and exclusive, but cozy and comfortable at the same time. The service is unparalleled. And after a delicious dinner and decadent dessert, the chef sent out a warm plate of assorted cookies as a treat to take back to the room and enjoy with some ice cold milk before bed. …So, during dessert that first night, we cancelled our plans to eat elsewhere on our second night, and made repeat reservations for another fabulous dinner at The Dining Room! …I never do that!
And The Vanderbilt’s rooftop bar is the ideal vantage point for sunset over the harbor, with a cocktail in hand.
The Vanderbilt has the vibe of a fancy private club and staying there feels like being a member. It’s living like a Vanderbilt! Our stay was…Gilded! private club and staying there
Exploring
NEWPORT’S TREASURES
With The Vanderbilt as our home base, exploring Newport was a breeze!
The city once served as America’s summer capital of high society. It was the playground of the country’s wealthiest families. And that historical charm and character has been carefully tended and preserved.
THE MANSIONS
The Preservation Society’s famed mansion tours provide an intimate look at the excesses of the late 19th century most evident in Newport. The Breakers, Marble House, and The Elms, offer glimpses of an impossibly lavish lifestyle, and craftsmanship and artistry of a bygone era.
THE BREAKERS
The Breakers, Cornelius Vanderbilt’s 70-room Renaissancestyle marvel overlooking the Atlantic, is probably the most impressive - though comparing the splendors of one mansion to the next is a slippery slope, as each mansion stands on its own like a piece of fine art.
The Breakers’ opulence and scale feel surreal. Guests marvel at the 60,000 square feet of marble imported from Italy, carved ceilings, carved mantels, frescoes, custom hardware, balconies, and other over-the-top features. The Great Hall is 2,500 square feet on its own and is a breathtaking spectacle. Upstairs in the Master Suite, the master bathtub is crafted from a solid block of marble and outfitted with four distinct taps, allowing for the choice of hot or cold freshwater or seawater.
MARBLE HOUSE
Just down the road from The Breakers, Marble House dazzles with its BeauxArts architecture and a history as dramatic as its interiors. …Its owner, Alva Vanderbilt, famously held suffragette rallies on the front lawn!
The home was constructed in 1892, with about $7 million spent on just marble - adjusted for inflation, that’s something like a quarter-of-a-billion in today’s dollars! And it doesn’t go unnoticed! Over 500,000 cubic feet of imported marble from France and Italy adorn almost every surface of the home. Columns, mantels, a sweeping staircase, marble floors, and large sculptures …each more gorgeous than the last - and likely impossible to recreate today.
THE ELMS
The Elms Mansion was built by coal magnate Edward Julius Berwind, and is a refined Classical Revival that boasts Renaissance ceramics, French and Venetian paintings, and exquisite Oriental jades.
All three mansions were jaw-dropping and absolutely magnificent. They are amongst America’s true architectural treasures and at the top of the list of those that are open to the public.
…And recognizing some of the rooms in the mansions as sets used in The Gilded Age made the visits even more fun!
Beyond the
MANSIONS
The Cliff Walk delivers a scenic interlude, with a winding path that balances architectural splendor with untamed coastal beauty.
Bowen’s Wharf is a fun stop for some shopping and seaside photos.
In town, explore the boutiques and galleries along Thames Street and take a walk down Bellevue Avenue to take in the mansion-lined boulevard.
For lunch, Brick Alley Pub is famous for its lobster rolls and clam chowder.
The White Horse Tavern is the oldest continuously operating restaurant in the United States, dating back to 1673.
The International Tennis Hall of Fame, with its pristine grass tennis courts and a museum on the history of tennis that’s second-to-none, is well worth the visit.
B&NC TALKS
THE COMPANIES WE KEEP
AMERICA RUNS ON COMPANIES...
From the sole proprietorship, to multi-member partnerships and limited liability entities, to the largest public companies like Exxon and Apple, the corporate entity is the fundamental construct and structure that facilitates the vast majority of all American business.
• Companies are the organisms that allow people to work together with a common goal.
• Companies are the legal entities that allow people to interact commercially, and without personal liability. Companies are the vehicles for building enterprise value, raising capital, accounting, and distributing profit. In America, companies operate pursuant to a common set of State and Federal laws and rules, including agreed upon norms for contract and exchange.
• And companies make it so enterprise value, property ownership, and intellectual property rights can be sustained perpetually, and beyond the life span of any individual.
…And, not surprisingly, the business of companies is big business in and of itself!
All companies with two or more people are subject to all the vagaries of human interaction and are inherently enhanced, or limited, by the way the people in a company interact. Each company has a psychology that sets operations and outcomes.
…Pound Ridge local Dr. Karen Bridbord is a corporate psychologist who’s just authored a primer on organizational behavior titled The RelationshipDriven Leader.
Most private companies and all public companies have a Board of Directors - with, in most instances, ultimate responsibility for the company’s governance, operation and performance.
…And when it comes to the business of Boards of Directors and corporate governance, companies come to Bedford local Jonathan Foster, who’s just authored the new bible on Boards called On Board: The Modern Playbook for Corporate Governance.
And all public companies operate pursuant to Federal laws and rules, administered by the Securities and Exchange Commission among other agencies, and are thereby subject to rules of governance, including the ultimate authority of the company’s shareholders to set the policies of the company and elect the Board of Directors. Pursuant to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, companies employ proxy solicitation firms to circulate their required reports and to solicit the shareholders’ votes on the election of directors and important matters of corporate governance, control and policy.
…New Canaan local John Glenn Grau runs InvestorCom, a powerhouse proxy solicitation firm best known as the leading firm for representing insurgents in contests for corporate control or policy.
KAREN BRIDBORD
JONATHAN FOSTER
JOHN GLENN GRAU
DR. KAREN BRIDBO RD
CORPORATE PSYCHOLOGIST
All companies with two or more people are subject to all the vagaries of human interaction and are inherently enhanced, or limited, by the way the people in a company interact. Each company has a psychology that sets operations and outcomes.
…Pound Ridge local Dr. Karen Bridbord is a corporate psychologist who’s just authored a primer on organizational behavior titled The Relationship-Driven Leader.
“Though I have to admit to being flattered when people draw the comparison between me and the character Wendy Rhoades, who is the corporate psychologist at Axe Capital in the hit TV series Billions - and ‘not uncertainly’ pleased by the attention she’s drawn to my profession…I have to make clear that, although I’m a licensed psychologist, what I do is not therapy when I’m working with companies. …And then there are a few other things - professionally and out-of-the-office – that Wendy and I do very differently,” Karen smiles. “Ultimately, I’m an agent of change for people who are willing to take a hard look at themselves, listen to others, and improve the way they build and manage relationships.”
Karen lives in Pound Ridge, with her husband Dr. Jason Vollen, Global Head of Innovation for Surbana Jurong, her 14-year old son, Max, a student at IMG Academy in Florida, and her 13-year old daughter, Ginger Lily, a student at the Pierrepont School, who is the Town of Pound Ridge’s unofficial Poet Laureate.
Karen is a brainiac and a PhD psychologist, whose thoughtful pauses can reveal that she’s not only engaging with the conversation at hand, but also exploring its deeper layers and wider implications. She’s certainly serious, a tad formal, extremely polite, and very socially conscious - all in a way that gives her a touch of timeless charm, reminiscent of the grace and warmth from a bygone era. She’d be the kind of guest who feels right-at-home at any erudite affair.
“I’m particularly focused on strengthening interpersonal connections in order to enhance productivity and wellness at work”
She grew up in Great Neck on Long Island and went to Great Neck North High School. Her father was a doctor. Her mother had come to New York from Israel to work for the Israeli government.
“I was imbued with what you might call a ‘bicultural identity,” Karen describes. “Half American kid, half Jewish member of the Hebrew State. I speak Hebrew fluently. My grandmother was the only one of her family who survived the Holocaust, my mother was raised in Israel, we actually lived in Israel for a few years when I was young, and except for one summer at a sleepaway camp called Camp Cejwin in Port Jervis, New York, I spent every summer growing-up in Israel.
…We were all in Israel to celebrate my son’s barmitzvah on October 7 - and the experience changed us in many ways. …I believe we’ve failed to use psychology to reduce the ideological polarization in the world and, like it is in my field of organizational behavior, the first step lies in getting people to listen and understand each other despite their differences.”
Karen went to Tufts, where she did her undergraduate major in Clinical Psychology and took as many classes in International Relations at the Fletcher School as she could. She went on to earn her Masters in Organizational Psychology at Columbia, and then a PhD in Psychology from the University of Buffalo, followed-up with a Clinical Internship at Duke.
Having worked in succession planning at AIG, in management consulting at Towers Perrin, and for more than a decade at JP Morgan Career Services, Karen is now the Chief Talent Officer at a large critical infrastructure company called Alberici Constructors based in St. Louis, Missouri, and Karen travels regularly throughout the country to visit offices and jobsites.
“Executives and teams turn to me to build what I call The Right Kind of Together, the relational infrastructure that prevents system crashes, fuels innovation, and makes performance sustainable. While other consultants focus on fixing strategy, my work strengthens the human system the strategy depends on. Healthy relationships aren’t a perk; they’re the hidden infrastructure of performance.”
“The emphasis is on people dynamics—not just what gets done, but how it gets done. By observing group interactions, identifying patterns, and offering targeted recommendations, I help strengthen collaboration and effectiveness. Competency models, along with assessments of leadership, communication, resiliency, collaboration, and decision-making, provide insight into what’s working and what requires attention. From there, the work spans advising on selection and leadership development, fostering a psychologically safe culture, and shaping company structures that allow teams to flourish. Programs and policies are then designed and implemented with measurable impact on both productivity and well-being.”
“I wrote The Relationship-Driven Leader: Strengthening Connections to Enhance Productivity and Wellness at Work , as a kind of a how-to toolbox on building and improving work relationships,”
Karen says with a proud smile, having just published the guide and now out on a book tour to promote it, “...and to explain to my son - and, at least before Wendy Rhoades came around, the rest of the world - what exactly it is that I do at work!”
“My ultimate goal is to humanize the workplace.”
The Relationship-Driven Leader major parts. Part One, ‘The Mirror’, challenges the reader to profound introspection and promises discovery about the impact of one’s behaviors and decisions on others. Part Two, ‘The Bridge’, teaches that leadership is about building bridges rather than hierarchies, and explores connection, collaboration, support, and appreciation as the four pillars of relationship-driven leadership. Part Three, ‘The Mountain’, refers to the ‘mountain’ of conflict every manager must face, and provides strategies for turning conflict into opportunity.
And Part Four, ‘The Journey’, which preaches that leadership is continuous and provides suggestions for adaptability and growth. As Karen entreats in her forward: “My hope is that these principles I share will evolve into your newfound habits, reshaping how you interact and thrive at work. I firmly believe that building strong relationships at work is a must-have, not just a nice-tohave. The right relationships can greatly improve your efficiency and success. …Building meaningful work relationships takes effort, but with practice, these behaviors will become a natural art of our interactions. Human complexity means there’s always more to learn and new ways to grow in relationships. …My ultimate goal is to humanize the workplace.”
JONATHAN FOSTER
CORPORATE DIRECTOR
Most private companies and all public companies have a Board of Directors - with, in most instances, ultimate responsibility for the company’s governance, operation and performance.
…And when it comes to the business of Boards of Directors and corporate governance, companies come to Bedford local Jonathan Foster, who’s just authored the new bible on Boards called On Board : The Modern Playbook for Corporate Governance.
‘If the United States is to produce a nation of investors - as we must if we are to gain financial world-leadership-it is imperative that boards of directors be so constituted as to adequately represent the interests and inspire the complete confidence of investors of moderate substance.’ …Almost 100 years later, Jonathan Foster is defining what it takes!
Jonathan and his wife Roni have an apartment in Manhattan, but built a country home in Bedford about twenty years ago, in order to enjoy weekends and holidays with their thenyoung two kids, Rebekah and Jack. “We tried out summering up here starting about 25 years ago by renting Glenn Close’s house on Succabone and simply fell in love with the area. It’s still almost hard to believe, but Bedford really is heaven - just 45 minutes from New York City. …I still play some tennis, although we really built our court for Rebekah when she was playing competitively. And I like to ride my bicycle every time I get the chance. I do about 35 or 40 miles with some great loops in Bedford, Pound Ridge, South Salem, North Salem, and Ridgefield. And now we have our Goldendoodle, Winton, to fill the empty nest when the kids aren’t visiting.”
John and Katie
In the 1930s, B.C. Forbes, the founder of the Forbes financial media empire, said:
Jonathan really proved his Bedford bona fides when he showed up for the photo shoot for this B&NC Mag feature in outfits he’d purchased at Rivay, adding that he’d become friends with
who run the Bedfordbased boutique haberdashery.
Jonathan exudes maturity and experience and warrants trust and confidence.
He’s the adult in the room, who’s seen the movie before, and who knows how to steer the ship. He seems to know everyone and have an enormous Rolodex of people to call upon to get any kind of deal done. And he can reel-off facts and figures about transaction specifics, company histories, and business litigation details like a computer.
His childhood in Manchester, New Hampshire, was fit for a Norman Rockwell painting. He walked through his grandparent’s backyard to get to public school, and played Varsity Tennis at Derryfield High School.
He went to Emory, where he majored in Accounting - and met his wife - and then went on to earn a Masters in Accounting and Finance at the London School of Economics.
“When I graduated from LSE,” Jonathan recalls, “I took some time to travel the world, and was even in Moscow when the Iron Curtain came down in ‘84.”
“I got a job at Price Waterhouse, which was one of the most ‘blue chip’ of the ‘Big 8’ accounting firms of the day. As soon as I realized that investment banking was the more proactive, and more lucrative field, I got a job as an investment banker at a firm
called Morgan Grunfeld. Life was pretty good. I bought an apartment on Park Avenue. And then, in the late ‘80s, I got recruited to join what I considered to be the preeminent investment bank, Lazard Freres & Co., where I worked for a decade, made Partner, and had a very successful mergers and acquisitions practice.”
“I left Lazard for the opportunity to run the internet business at Toys R Us - as I just couldn’t resist getting to run something instead of serving as an advisor,” Jonathan continues. “And after that I went into private equity, including at Revolution, the then family office of Steve Case, who founded AOL, and back to banking, including at what is now Wells Fargo.”
“Over the years, I’ve developed into what used to be known - before everyone was an investment banker - as a ‘Merchant Banker’,” Jonathan explains. “And by that I mean that, beyond being an advisor in mergers and acquisitions and raising capital, I also takeon direct active involvement in a company, including investing my personal funds and the capital I’ve raised in various investment vehicles, sitting on Boards of Directors, and even taking over management of a company’s operations when that’s the best or only option.”
“I founded Current Capital LLC in 2008,” Jonathan recounts. “I have two partners and about ten people working for us - who are all family to me.
“I wouldn’t change a thing and I’m certainly not thinking about slowing down anytime soon!”
I’d say I spend about 40% of my time on mergers and acquisitions, restructurings, raising capital, and other advisory business - where we represent all types of businesses from family-owned operations to Fortune 500 companies, and specialize in uncovering acquisition opportunities in the lowermiddle-market industrial services sector. Another 40% sitting on Boards of Directors and doing all the work beyond the meetings that’s required - I presently sit on a half-dozen Boards and have served on about fifty Boards of Directors over time. And the other 20% of my time testifying in litigations as an expert witness - which I really enjoy. I’m having more fun at 64 than I did at 24 - I wouldn’t change a thing and I’m certainly not thinking about slowing down anytime soon!”
“I got the idea to write On Board about four years ago, and really took my time trying to produce a well-researched and serious, but readable book,” Jonathan says. “I interviewed 77 people to get a wide range of perspectives. I wanted to write the treatise on being on a Board and how to be a Director. I explore a lot of critical topics, like the increasing role of institutional investors in corporate governance, the corresponding upturn in shareholder activism, and the balance of shareholder value with other stakeholder interests. But I’ve also covered the laws of corporate governance and the rules and responsibilities of being a Director in a way that should be useful to any executive preparing to serve or already serving on a Board of Directors of a private or public company. We just released the book in July, and I felt validated seeing the pre-orders for a couple of thousand copies from companies, business school libraries, and lots of individuals who realize they will benefit from the read.”
JOHN GLENN GRAU
And all public companies operate pursuant to Federal laws and rules, administered by the Securities and Exchange Commission among other agencies, and are thereby subject to rules of governance, including the ultimate authority of the company’s shareholders to set the policies of the company and elect the Board of Directors. Pursuant to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, companies employ proxy solicitation firms to circulate their required reports and to solicit the shareholders’ votes on the election of directors and important matters of corporate governance, control and policy.
…New Canaan local John Glenn Grau runs InvestorCom, a powerhouse proxy solicitation firm best known as the leading firm for representing insurgents in contests for corporate control or policy.
It is the guiding principle and ideal of American securities laws that corporate governance depends on the ultimate control of the shareholders.
John Glenn Grau was born on December 6, 1962 - and was indeed named in honor of John Glenn and his historic first orbit of the Earth in the MercuryAtlas 6 earlier that year.
John lives in New Canaan with his wife, Brooke - who is currently working as a special education teaching assistant at South School in New Canaan, and as a curriculum writer for the Choose Love Movement, which provides free curriculum and resources for social-emotional learning - and his daughter, Emma - who went through the New Canaan public schools and graduated with a degree in Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences from UConn last spring. “Brooke and I were one of the first couples to meet on Match.com - in May of 1999. I was a Wall Streeter in a fancy suit and Gucci shoes and she was a kind of flower child from near Woodstock, New York, who only ate organic food, and no red meat.
But I knew she was the woman I wanted to marry as soon as I met her and, after I convinced her of it, we were married in 2001,” John says with a smile.
“I grew up poor, so the idea of living in New Canaan was always aspirational for me,” John reveals. “We bought the worst house in town in 2001, as I’d been raised to believe that, with enough hard work, I
could turn chicken poop into chicken salad, and I knew that our mission was to raise Emma in a great town with an exceptional school district. We fixed that house up and lived there until 2021, when Emma went off to college. We then bought our current house on Silvermine, which we hope is our last. We talk about buying a second home in California or Florida to retire to - but I don’t want to retire until I forget my name, or maybe a few years after that. I love what I do!”
“I grew up in Yonkers,” John recalls. “My dad died of lung cancer when I was 12, and my mom raised us. She worked at a call center, at night, to pay for me to go to Mt. Saint Michael’s Academy, an all-boys Catholic school. I got into Fordham University to study Economics, and was working all the time to pay to go to school during the day - but by the end of sophomore year I just couldn’t make the ends meet. My sister worked at Scarsdale National Bank and they needed someone to help with some bookkeeping and accounting work at their parent company, Irving Trust, and I got the job. I worked at Irving Trust during the day, and finished Fordham undergraduate - and then an MBA - going at night. With an MBA from Fordham, I got a job at a municipal bond broker-dealer called JJ Kenny ...but the job was really tedious, and the company laid everyone off after the Crash of ‘87.”
“I’m very proud to say that we are now the #1 activist proxy solicitor in the U.S.”
“A few weeks later I got a job at Carter, a proxy solicitation firm owned and run by a guy named Don Carter, which was best known for representing many of the corporate insurgents - or ‘raiders’ as they were then known - while more white-shoe firms like Georgeson & Co. and D.F. King stayed in league in the defense of their Fortune 500 clients during the junk bond-fueled heyday of contests for corporate control that took place in the ‘80s,” John explains. “In those days the proxy solicitation business had a lot more to do with organizing, counting, and storing proxy cards - the paper ballots used for shareholder votes - than the data driven and media involved business it has become today. …Don Carter revolutionized the industry. He was featured in the luxury lifestyle magazine Manhattan Inc. being chauffeured around town in a stretch limo with the plates ‘PROXY’. His office - in real life - was the massive marble-walled office used by Gordon Gekko in the movie Wall Street!”
“In the office, most people were in awe of Carter, even a bit afraid,” John continues.
“I liked him, and I think he liked me. I got thrown right into the thick of things and learned everything there was to know about proxy contests. Ironically, the first contest I worked on involved Bank of New York taking over my old employer, Irving Trust. For three years I was happy working as one of Don’s
lieutenants, in what had become a 110-person organization. …And then, in March 1990, the FBI raided the office and took Don away in cuffsalso just like in the movie Wall Street - and Don was convicted of grand larceny for stealing money from clients, and sent to prison.”
“I joined with two other guys from Carter and formed Beacon Hill Partners,” John recalls. “When we started we shared one computer! I was still living at my mother’s on Maclean Avenue. I cold-called to get business and bought a new white shirt for work each time I landed a new client - when I got up to five shirts I thought I’d ‘made it’! …Then I started to land some big clients, and developed a particular reputation working on proxy contests and for corporate clients in the biotech industry, and even more particularly located in Southern California. At one point I’d garnered so much of that business that I’d earned the nickname ‘Malibu’ - even though I’m not sure it’s a moniker that really fits me. …And after ten years we’d grown Beacon Hill Partners to be a substantial and respected institution, with thirty-plus employees, but I was bringingin substantially all of the business and that created a tension with my two partners which we couldn’t resolve - so at the end of 2000 we broke up, they went to DF King, I bought the assets of Beacon Hill and assumed all the contracts and employees, and I formed InvestorCom.”
“After 25 years in business running InvestorCom, I’m even more excited now than when I got started, and I’m very proud to say that we are now the #1 activist proxy solicitor in the U.S.,” John proclaims. “We started with offices in Manhattan, then moved our offices to New Canaan. We were there for many years before moving to our current space at 19 Old Kings Highway South in Darien.. I’ve kept the group relatively lean, but we handle corporate communications, finance, legal, public relations, and everything else beyond the basic blocking and tackling that’s a part of servicing our clients in today’s market.”
“Over the last 25 years, the growth of the institutional shareholder has served as a catalyst for corporate accountability and better corporate governance. Where entrenched incumbent corporate boards used to have the unwavering support of their banking and trust colleagues and of the brokerage trustees who voted the shares of a majority of all public ‘non-objecting beneficial owner’ shareholders, institutional shareholders today, like Blackstone and Alliance Bernstein, hold sway over corporate boards…and are not hesitant to bring things to a proxy vote if they feel policy or control of any company in which they invest needs to be changed,” John explains. “Where
proxy contests used to be seen as a hostile battle between a profiteering raider and a staid board, proxy initiatives are now viewed as a necessary part of the corporate process and a valid tool for shareholder protest. The activist is now most often seen as the ‘good guy’, bringing about necessary operational change, realigning the board room, protesting the value of a merger, or otherwise enhancing shareholder value.”
“The business of corporate democracy is constantly changing,” John expounds. “Digitization transformed, and social media has revolutionized the proxy industry. AI is the future!”
“Personally, the only real speedbump I’ve really encountered came in December 2020, in the middle of Covid, when I learned from a precautionary echocardiogram that I had an aortic aneurysm that was about to rupture. I’d never had a health problem, I was a health nut, I played tennis…but I needed an emergency open heart aortic replacement, and was lucky enough to have Dr. Leonard Girardi at Weill Cornell New York Presbyterian perform the surgery,” John relays. “The whole thing was very emotional for me. The months of rehab and recovery were tough, and I felt oddly isolated and incomplete. I felt great to be alive…but found myself in my car crying my eyes out - with no particular reason - one morning about six months after the surgery.”
“That’s when I became involved with the American Heart Association, and my work with them has become a passion that has filled whatever void and assuaged whatever ‘heartache’ I was previously feeling,” John says with some emotion. “I joined the Board in 2023, and am a current Board member and incoming Chairman of the Westchester and Fairfield Chapter. …And I have my work cut out for me!… Even though the American Heart Association is one of the most widely known and well-thoughtof charities nationally, there are only about a dozen people - in an area as wealthy as ours - who give us a donation of more than $5,000! I have to get in front of more people to get the message out about the critical role the American Heart Association does in supporting research, educating the public, and making care available.”
John has a kind of quiet and unassuming manner that can belie the fact he’s running the most active firm for proxy activists and thereby qualifies as one of Wall Street’s most influential ‘movers and shakers’.
He’s friendly and warm and an involved conversationalist. He met all three of his closest friends on his first day at college. He’s a Yankee fan, a huge car guy and particularly a Porsche owner and enthusiast, and now plays tennis and pickleball…and he can be found dining-out in New Canaan so frequently he should be given a medal by the Chamber of Commerce.
CHOOSE THE RIGHT CLUB
AMUNDSEN WOMEN’S
HUNTRESS JACKET
@ HICKORY AND TWEED IN ARMONK
$999
This timeless hunting jacket is both utilitarian and stylish, made to help you look your best in the wind and the rain. Shown here in color earth, this jacket is perfect for all of your fall needs, from town to tailgating and everything in between.
Fall for our
BEDFORD CORDUROY WESTERN SHIRT IN RANCH TAN AND THE BEDFORD BOOT IN TOBACCO BY ALDEN X RIVAY COLLAB
@ RIVAY IN BEDFORD
$238 (SHIRT) $748 (BOOTS)
We’re getting all the Yellowstone feels with this western shirt, made from luxurious Italian corduroy and enamel snaps. Style, durability and comfort combine to make these boots your new staple. Consider these the new Bedford classics….
100% cashmere, this classic silhouette is as lush as it is flattering.
VINTAGE TORTOISE MARTINI GLASSES
$25 EACH
GIFT GUIDE
LARGE PITCHER IN DENIM AND LIMITED
EDITION BEDFORD OAK UTENSIL JAR
@ NEW YORK STONEWARE IN BEDFORD
PITCHER $320
JAR $365
BEDFORD BOAT + TOTE AND FALL
MOISMANT SCARF @ LA MAISON FETE
IN BEDFORD
AND BOTTLE-POURER @ THE CLARK IN POUND RIDGE
‘‘Tis the season to entertain, so whether you’re hosting or bringing a hostess gift, these complete any at-home bar! We can’t stop collecting these whimsical bottle-pourers, which come in a variety of animals and metals. They’re the perfect accessory to any bottle and sure to be a conversation starter!
$55 (TOTE) $64 (SCARF)
Meet your go-to fall weekend essentials. We’re eyeing this all-season classic tote with a Bedford twist, paired with a chic autumnal scarf, made from 100% cotton.
BLUEME CANDLE SET
@ DARIEN SPORT SHOP
$65 (CANDLES & DIFFUSERS)
$75 (VOTIVE SET)
SELECTION OF BOOKS
@ BEDFORD BOOKS
$17 $30ea
Aspiring authors and creatives can find words of wisdom in these books, curated to guide and inspire anyone who has dreams of writing their own novel! Looking for more hands-on guidance? Join the publishing workshop on September 29th, hosted by Bedford Books’ own, Fran Hauser.
This large pitcher is handmade in New York and marries art and functionality. Perfect as a water pitcher or a chic vase and guaranteed to take your table setting to the next level. Pictured in denim, the pottery is lead-free and food safe, and available in eight earthy tones!
marries art and functionality. Perfect as a water pitcher or
Getting ready to cozy up this fall? These Blueme candles and diffusers make any room feel extra luxe. Boasting handcrafted ceramics, each piece is distinctly unique, and features scientifically designed scents to promote restoration and tranquility. Blueme fragrances are available in candles, diffusers and mini votive sets!
Out & AboutOut & About
A HIGHLIGHT OF RECENT EVENTS IN OUR COMMUNITY
Harvard Five Movie Premiere
The premiere party for Harvard Five lit up the New Canaan Playhouse in a dazzling celebration of modernism and design. The evening began with cocktails outside The Playhouse. Guests, including design enthusiasts, the film’s director, and local tastemakers, mingled before heading inside for the sold-out screening. A post-film dessert reception kept the buzz alive with a step-and-repeat, DWR pop-up, and lively conversation. It was a stylish, cinematic toast to New Canaan’s architectural legacy... and a night to remember.
3. Craig
4.
5.
HIGHLIGHT OF RECENT EVENTS IN
COMMUNITY
Caramoor’s Season Opener & Summer
Caramoor’s gala kicked off the summer season with their annual celebration of music and the arts. The star-studded evening began with pre-concert cocktails followed by front-row seats to the evening’s performance of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony. Gala-goers enjoyed a three-course dinner after the show.
1. Debbie Propst, Rebecca Feinberg, Danielle Verado, Cas Friese
2. Devon Chivvis, Geoffrey Nielsen
Bloom, Ashlea Ebeling, Paul W. & Gwen North Reiss
Westy LeConey, Lauren Gargiulo, Lide Goodwin
Bill & Karen Earls
1. James Anderson, Jim Parsons, Martha Stewart
2. Hillary Clinton, Casey Kaplan
3. Maggie Grise, Adam Silver
4. Julie Stern, Kathryn Dysart, David Menken, Jon & Nancy Bauer, Joanne Naiman, Barry Brodie, Jeffrey Schwartz
annual summer party celebrated the iconic Glass House and the preservation of modern architecture. Bringing together community, art and architecture, the afternoon-long gathering featured perfromances by modern dance company, Pilobolus.
Sports &Entertainment
Equestrian Property Real Estate Broker
As a life-long equestrian with deep connections in that world and over 30 years of working in real estate sales, I can help you nd your perfect horse property in this tight market.
I have already closed on one prestigious farm this year and have another in contract- both o -market properties in North Salem and Bedford. I always have a small inventory of o -market farms and land in Northern Westchester and Fair eld, Connecticut. I can also help refer you to top equestrian property brokers in other areas of the country as well.
#1 Agent in Douglas Elliman in Westchester 2022, 2023 & 2024* Pinnacle Award Top 3% of Agents Company Wide*
Voted Favorite Equestrian Realtor in the East by Equestrian Living 2022, 2023 & 2024 Sally Slater
Lic. Assoc. R.E. Broker Farm & Ranch Division Sports & Entertainment Division O 914.234.4590 | M 914.584.0137 sally.slater@elliman.com
BRLA Tavern On The Trails
The ultimate summer evening included a traveling cocktail party featuring three stops along the Bedford Riding Lanes, bringing together friends, food and festivities!
1. Shaun Roberts, Ben Stolbach, Matthew Gulliford, Monica Stolbach, Lauren Leader, Alexis Gevanter, Travis O’Brien, Kristle O’Brien, Jack Johnson
5. Demi Lee, Emmett Solomon, Lisa Jonas, Sarah Long, David Solomon, Calvin Solomon, Abby Solomon
6. Colin Heilman, Neil Axelrod, James Darch, Ben Morton and Greg Rutherford
Out & About
The Mather Homestead Summer Soirée
It was a magical summer night in the gardens of The Mather Homestead property! Proceeds from the event supported the preservation of the Homestead’s important collection of historic documents, artifacts, antiques and portraits dating back to 1778.
5. Stephanie Tucker, Sophie Williamson, Vanessa Costantini, Kristin Koch Kennedy, Kate Garrison
Structuring Elements
Opening Night at Heather Gaudio Fine Art
Art lovers gathered at Heather Gaudio Fine Art for the opening night of the Structuring Elements exhibition, which featured work by three acclaimed artists.
1. Cori Adams, Jessica Manela, Ella Barnette, Jessica Merrill
Catherine Saunders, Jasmine Hodgson, Laura Nolen
6. Ana Riaño, Patrik Grijalvo, Heather Parks Gaudio, Jeremy Holmes, Rachael Palacios, Christine Romaniello, Greta Hoffmeister
DRAKE BUILDERS LLC
Out & About
A.C.T. of Connecticut’s Season Announcement Gala
A.C.T. of Connecticut revealed their upcoming season’s lineup at their unforgettable gala. Guests enjoyed curated cocktails and food from local restaurants, a live auction, and performances from past and upcoming A.C.T. of CT productions. The main event was the reveal of the new season’s lineup of shows: Almost Famous, Disney’s Frozen, and Dear Evan Hansen!
PHOTOGRAPHY: MICHELE
1.
2. Barbara Manners, Caroline Kellen
3. Michele Isenberg, Natasha Hoffner, Darin Hoffner, Randy Donaldson
She Is Rising
LiveGirl lit up the summer at their fundraiser, She Is Rising. The inspiring evening focused on connection and community, in celebration of a year spent empowering girls and young women through transformative mentorship, leadership development, and confidence-building programs.
PHOTOGRAPHY: HECTOR PACHAS
5.
6.
7 Nicole
Daniel C. Levine, Kristin Beylouni, Rebecca Baglio, R. Erin Craig, Katie Diamond, Bryan Perri.
WILLIAMS
4. Libby O’Hare, Claire O’Hare, Meghan Egan
Meghan Cioffi, Betsy Hellman
Meghan Cioffi Patty Severance, Lauren Corbett
Lindsay, Sheri West, Harlan Stone, Kala Malvaso, Nikia Bowman
2. Mark Stuckey, David Sinishtaj 3. Lee Gentile & Edward Goodwin
4. Amber and Juliette Cottrell
5. Brett and Mavis Horton, Kristen and Jack Capalbo
6. Jim Elmasry, Jennifer Stahlkrantz, Liz Perpek, Andrew Stahlkrantz
Why Ch se Nikki
• Proven Track Record: 19 years
• Personalized Service: Tailored solutions to fit your unique needs.
• Market Expertise: In-depth knowledge of the local real estate landscape.
• Seamless Transactions: Smooth and stress-free buying/selling experience.
• Skilled Negotiator: Dedicated to securing the best possible outcome
• Network: Local & Global network of buyers & agents.
Inside/Outside Opening Reception
It was a lively gathering of friends and family at the Historical Hall in Bedford to celebrate the opening reception of Gerald Fracareta’s Inside/Outside, an exhibition curated by his granddaughter, Emma Levy, and son Dylan Fracareta.
2.
3. Renee Fancher, Clara Berglund, Callie Conway, Emma Burdett, Emma Levy
Cocktails & Comedy:
Summer Social
Darien’s Hayvn hosted an evening filled with good people, good drinks, and good laughs. Featuring stand-up comedian Ashley Austin Morris, the summer social was a hilarious hit!
Surface Opening Reception at Yellow Studio
Just one of the many great events during Upstate Art Weekend was the opening reception of Surface featuring Artist Members of the National Association of Women Artists. The exhibition featured artists working across several mediums, all challenging the concept of “surface”.
6. Judith Montminy, Tina Villaveces, Anne Pollard James, Robin Fruchter
1. Miles Levy, Max Levy, Emma Levy, Dylan Fracareta, Gerald Fracareta, Sam Levy, Nicole Levy, Josh Levy, Pamela Fracareta, Stella Levy
Sam Levy, Nick Chen
PHOTOGRAPHY: PETER MICHAELIS
PHOTOGRAPHY: CHRIS BOJANOVICH
4. Chris Dempster, Brooke Dempster
5. Deborah Majmudar, Laura DeRemer, Cristina Civetta
Out & About
Set at the picturesque The Hickories, this farm-to-table, community oriented dinner, brought together fresh, local food, live music and good summer cheer!
Dinner in the enchanted Darien Community Association Secret Garden was a magical night with new and old friends, including cocktails, passed hors d’oeuvres, and a curated dinner. We’ll toast to that!
Elegant Bedford Estate
The pinnacle of modern Colonial elegance in Pound Ridge: featuring spacious rooms, prestigous amenities, and luxury finishes crafted for contemporary comfort. Set on 3.7 acres, it’s minutes from both Bedford Village and Stamford and only an hour to Manhattan. Sunlight streams through the double.height entry, illuminating marble floors, custom paneling, and striking contemporary chandelier. The formal living room with wood.burning fireplace, exquisite millwork, and French doors to a terrace opens to a sunroom wrapped in windows. A large dining room also offers French doors to the private patio. The chef’s kitchen dazzles with dramatic lighting, custom banquette, and top.tier appliances, which is open to the family room with a beautiful stone fireplace. Upstairs, the luxurious primary suite boasts twin sets of French doors leading to a balcony, two spa.quality baths, and dual custom dressing rooms. Two additional en.suite bedrooms and two other bedrooms that share a bath complete the upper level. The lower level offers everything for full.on recreation: a glass.enclosed gym, cinema room, family room, guest suite, wine cellar, and full bar. Outside is a resort style escape offering spectacular landscaping, inviting pool, charming pool house and bocce court offering relaxation and recreation. This Pound Ridge paradise, with easy access to the Merritt and 684, is a rare fusion of heritage home and private luxury resort.
KATHERINE BIDDLE
Associate Real Estate Broker
M 914.497.7521
kbiddle@houlihanlawrence.com
katherinebiddle.houlihanlawrence.com
Out & About
Ridge’s Fourth of July Fireworks Celebration
gathered for an eveniing of fun, including food trucks and live music. The annual fireworks display
Canaan’s Fourth of July Fireworks Celebration New Canaanites settled into Waveny Park for an afternoon of family-friendly festivities before the main event!
Laurie and Taylor Thackeray
Jessica Reitman, Max Edelman, Sean Reitman, Virgina Edelman
Sara, Matt, Eliza and William McElroy
Isabelle, Charlotte, Jack, Emilia Holterhaus
Samantha & Aaron Brown, Tara & Robbie Len
Re Jin Lee, Jenn Streicher
A sampling of what can be found online at: www.BedfordNewCanaanMag.com
... the largest amalgamated calendar in the region - and your free resource for all things local! Be sure to subscribe for free to our emails as well to receive regular highlights in your inbox on what’s happening in the community that you don’t want to miss!
SEPTEMBER
Sept 3 & 4 @ 3-5:30pm DARIEN DEPOT’S BACK TO SCHOOL ICE CREAM PARTIES
The Depot, Darien
Sept 3 @ 7:30pm WAVENY CONCERT SERIES: THE SHORT BUS BAND- 70’S SONGS TO TODAY’S HITS
Waveny Park, New Canaan
Sept 5 @ 7pm and 9:30pm WHITNEY CUMMINGS
Ridgefield Playhouse
Sept 5 @ 6:30-8:30pm FIRST FRIDAYS: REESE FULMER Bedford Playhouse
Sept 6 @ 8am K5K KATONAH ROAD RACE
The Village Green, Katonah
Sept 7 @ 4-7pm ENDEAVOR FAMILY BBQ
Endeavor Farm, Mt. Kisco
Sept 7 @ 3-5pm ANNUAL MEMBERS SHOW OPENING RECEPTION
Carriage Barn Arts Center, New Canaan
Sept 7 @ 4pm (kids)
Sept 10 @ 7pm (adults) COMMUNITY BOOK READ CELEBRATING AMERICA 250
The Mather Homestead, Darien
Sept 7 @ 8:30am BRLA FALL HUNTER PACE
Coker Farm, Bedford
Sept 8 @ 6:30-8pm
AUTHOR TALK:
KATE MASON Bedford Books
Sept 12 6-10pm
Sept 13 & 14 10am-3pm
50TH CELEBRATION GALA & CELEBRATION WEEKEND
Muscoot Farm, Katonah
Sept 12 @ 5:30-7:30pm ARTISTS RECEPTION ECHOES AND ITERATIONS
Sept 18 @ 5:30-8:30pm WESTCHESTER LAND TRUST’S REGGAE IN THE BARN
Maple Grove Farm, Bedford
Sept 18 @ 10pm FALL HARVEST DINNER FUNDRAISER
Hilltop Hanover Farm
Sept 18 @ 7-9pm
GLASS CEILING BREAKERS FILM FESTIVAL: BEST OF THE FEST
Bedford Playhouse
Sept 20 @ 2-5pm BATTLEFIELD ARCHAEOLOGY DAY
The Scott House, Ridgefield
Sept 20 @ 10am-4pm THE HERB FAIR AND MARKET
Caramoor, Katonah
Sept 20 @ 5.30pm FEED ME FRESH: AN EDIBLE EVENING
Ivanna Farms, Mt. Kisco
Sept 20 @ 6pm BOOTS BBQ & THE BRLA
Private Residence, Katonah
Sept 20 @ 6-9pm RIDGEBURY FARM FÉTE
Ridgebury Farm, Ridgefield
Sept 20 @ 10am-4pm LEWISBORO LIBRARY FAIR Onatru Farm Park, South Salem
Sept 20 @ 3:30-8pm BEDFORD TRI-FESTA
Bedford Hills Memorial Park
Sept 20 @ 3-7pm KATONAH ART WALK
Downtown Katonah
Sept 20 @ 5:30-7pm ARTISTS IN
CONVERSATION
Katonah Museum of Art
Sept 21 @ 12-3pm & 4-7pm
3RD ANNUAL NOD HILL OYSTER FESTIVAL
Nod Hill Brewery, Ridgefield CT
Sept 23 @ 5pm
FOOD, COMMUNITY & ACTION’S BEDFORD CLIMATE WEEK LAUNCH PARTY & PANEL
DISCUSSION
Private Residence, Bedford
Sept 25 & 26 @ 4-8pm
NEW CANAAN LOBSTERFEST
Waveny Park, New Canaan
Sept 26 @ 6:30-10pm RAVESTOCK FAIRFIELD
The Warehouse @ Fairfield Theatre Company
Sept 26 @ 7-9pm PLANET NEW CANAAN’S GREEN GALA
Carraige Barn, Waveny Park
Sept 27 & 28 @ 10am-5pm
ARMONK OUTDOOR ART SHOW
Armonk Business Park
Sept 28 @ 10am-3pm
ANNUAL GIANT PUMPKIN
WEIGH OFF FESTIVAL
Ballard Park, Ridgefield
OCTOBER
Oct 2 @ 6.30pm
SHOP THE RUNWAY!
A SUSTAINABLE FASHION SHOW
DCA, Darien
Oct 3 @ 8pm THE SECOND CITY Ridgefield Playhouse
Oct 3 @ 6:30-9:30pm COMMUNITY CENTER OF NORTHERN WESTCHESTER’S AN EVENING OF HOPE:
UPLIFTING ALL!
St. Matthews Church, Bedford
Oct 4 @ 9am-3pm ENDEAVOR PARTICIPANT
HORSE SHOW
Endeavor Farm
A sampling of what can be found online at: www.BedfordNewCanaanMag.com
... the largest amalgamated calendar in the region - and your free resource for all things local! Be sure to subscribe for free to our emails as well to receive regular highlights in your inbox on what’s happening in the community that you don’t want to miss!
Oct 4 @ 7-9pm
ALDRICH UNDERCOVER
The Aldrich
Oct 4 @ 6-10pm OKTOBERFEST
The Gardener’s Center, Darien
Oct 4 @ 8am 12TH ANNUAL STAYIN’ ALIVE 5K FUN RUN
The Windmill Club, Armonk
Oct 5 @11am (Pride Day) & 5pm (Memorial) OCTOBER 7TH MEMORIAL & ISRAEL PRIDE DAY
Chabad of Bedford
Oct 5 @ 3pm ABEL SELAOCOE, CELLO Caramoor, Katonah
Oct 4, 11 & 18 @ 10am-5pm BEDFORD ART CRAWL Bedford Village, Bedford Hills, Katonah
