New Faces 8 Martha Limbocker Marti Limbocker joins the Berwick Academy community as the educational support services coordinator for Kindergarten through Grade 5 from Heritage Hall School in Oklahoma City, OK. Marti earned her B.A. in public administration from Miami University and her master’s in education from Salem State College. Marti’s background also includes many years as a special education teacher in a wide spectrum of academic environments.
9 Meghan O’Leary Meghan is excited to be joining the Lower School as the Pre-K teacher. Before coming to Berwick, Meghan worked as teacher’s assistant in the Pre-K and second-grade classrooms at Shore Country Day School in Beverly, MA. She has also worked as a PreKindergarten teacher at a nature preschool program called Eyes of the World Discovery Center in Kittery, ME. She holds a B.A. in English literature and a master’s in education from the University of New Hampshire.
10 Jason Singleton Jason joins the Berwick community as the new Middle School director. He holds a B.S. in natural science and chemistry from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and an M.B.A. from Averett University. He previously worked at the Fessenden School in West Newton, MA, where he served as the Upper School dean of students, Science Department chair, and director of CAB Academy, a public-private summer partnership.
11 Julia Givens Julia will join the Upper School faculty as AP psychology and Spanish teacher. She holds a B.A. in psychology with a minor in Spanish from the University of Vermont. Upon graduation from college, she moved to Madrid, Spain, where she immersed herself in the Spanish language and culture. Upon return to the U.S., Julie earned a master’s in business administration and a master’s in social work from Boston College. Julie has worked in a variety of child welfare and educational settings, including as the director of a residential school for adolescent girls, as the director of a large, inner city YWCA child care center, and as the director of an after-school educational support program for elementary aged children.
12 Chris Ryan Along with his part-time Theater Tech. role at Berwick Academy, Chris has also served as the Director of Youth Theater in Sanford, ME where he worked with children ages 8-18, exposing them to all aspects of theater and arts. This year, he will be devoting all of his professional time and expertise to Berwick Academy’s Visual and Performing Arts Program as the theater arts & audio-visual support manager
2016 - 2017
NEW TRUSTEE MEMBERS Mary Dempsey serves on the Berwick Parent Community Board as the president and volunteers for the Berwick Annual Fund. She has served as treasurer of the board at the Deerfield Cooperative Preschool and has been actively involved in fundraising for a variety of schools. Mary currently works in finance and business development for Oxland Builders in Stratham, NH, and is a founding board member of Catamount Womenaid, a community-based organization dedicated to providing short-term grant funding for families in need. Prior to moving to New Hampshire, Mary worked in municipal finance for Lamont Financial Services, a New Jersey-based firm that provides financial advice and data analysis for state agencies issuing bonds for infrastructure projects. Mary has also spent more than 10 years working in various facets of human services, including advocating for children in the foster care and adoption system in New York City; running a community residence for adults with mental health and addiction issues; and co-directing an employment project for adults with developmental disabilities. Mary graduated magna cum laude from Hamilton College, where she majored in French, and holds an M.B.A. from the University at Albany. She and her husband, Tim, live in Stratham with their two sons, Jack ’23 and Liam ’24.
Clare O’Brien is an attorney at Shearman & Sterling. She regularly advises major U.S. and international clients on public and private mergers and acquisition transactions, including public company restructurings, joint ventures, and large public transactions. She also provides counsel on corporate law questions, including corporate governance matters. Clare has been consistently acknowledged as a leading mergers and acquisitions lawyer and is the recipient of a “Dealmaker of the Year” award from The American Lawyer. Prior to joining Shearman & Sterling, Clare worked with the law firm of Brady & Tarpey, P.C., where her practice included cross-border corporate transactions, litigation, and domestic relations. She began her legal career at the Irish law firm of Eugene F. Collins & Son. She is the mother of Una O’Brien-Taubman ’17. . TODAY
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