PURPOSE
Annual Report 2024-2025
A MESSAGE FROM NICOLE FURLONGE
An Educational Commonwealth
Imagine education as a commonwealth—a living ecosystem where learning, imagination, and care circulate for the shared good.
Rooted in common weal, or shared well-being, a commonwealth is a civic and moral trust oriented toward collective flourishing. An educational commonwealth extends this ideal to schools and learning communities, creating networks of belonging, growth, and relational trust. Echoing Robin Wall Kimmerer’s “cultures of reciprocity,” it frames education as an ecosystem in which each member carries responsibility for the thriving of others. To educate and lead within such a commonwealth is to practice strategic, connective, deeply relational work.
Extending Impact
A For Purpose Center
To view the Klingenstein Center as an educational commonwealth is to see it not only as a collection of programs, but as a living, purpose-driven professional learning network of shared practice and future imagining. Here, educational leadership becomes purposeful influence in service of belonging, flourishing, and the ethical stewardship of schools and communities. Aligned with the mission of Teachers College to “empower committed learners and leaders to build a smarter, healthier, more just and equitable world,” our work is rooted in continual unlearning and learning— reimagining inherited systems, seeking and welcoming innovations, deepening discernment, and cultivating ways of knowing.
A Commitment to Teaching, Learning, & Purposeful Partnerships
In this annual report, you will read about our deep and enduring commitment to teachers and teaching. We share the Klingenstein Center’s distinctive story as a steadfast catalyst for amplifying the science of learning—mind, brain, and education science—in independent and international school education. We celebrate Kevin Mattingly and his
decades of leadership in this work in schools across the globe and at the Center. Across all of our offerings— from the Klingenstein Summer Institute (KSI), to the Heads of Schools Fellowship, to our master’s programs— the science and art of learning is core and vital to excellent teaching and leading in schools.
Our mission-critical work is rooted in:
Reflective Practice
Leadership begins with and thrives through reflection — an inquiry into one’s own values, assumptions, positionality, actions, ethics, and epistemology. Reflection is a catalyst for empathy, growth, belonging, inquiry, discernment, and decision-making.
Learner-Centered Pedagogy
We design learning experiences our alumni describe as transformative. Our rigorously researched curriculum is designed for deep and enduring learning that keeps educator-leaders on their growth edge. Graduates are prepared to design for and lead schools that understand how students learn academically and socially.
The Cohort
A noun and verb, the cohort is where we engage in individual and community capacity building. We practice leadership as relational, positional, and contextual. We understand education as a complex and robust ecosystem. Together, we examine the dynamics of change, privilege, power, spheres of influence, and possible futures within that ecosystem.
KSI continues to convene early-career teachers who care deeply about their craft. This summer’s cohort described their experience in ways that resonate with cohorts over the past four decades: KSI affirms their efficacy, stretches their professional learning, strengthens their identity as intentional designers of learning and belonging, elevates the power of peer collaboration, and rekindles their joy.
This year through FORGE, workshops, and presentations, we worked with schools, teams, and individuals to build thriving ecosystems where leaders create the conditions teachers need to flourish—so that students can flourish, too. We will build upon and elevate this work in our new Ed.D. program, launching in January. Our commitment is to continue designing future-forward professional learning that strengthens teaching, deepens growth, cultivates leadership, and supports teacher retention.
UNESCO and the Teacher Task Force estimate that by 2030 the world will need 44 million additional teachers—an urgent signal of a systemic crisis in how the teaching profession is sustained. Our partnerships with the Center for Reaching & Teaching the Whole Child and with the European University for Well-Being (EUniWell) deepen our investment in professional development rooted in belonging, well-being, and a clear understanding of teaching as complex, expert work. In 2026, we will join Teachers College in convening a United Nations conference dedicated to addressing this global challenge.
Our sustained partnership with the Institute for Global Learning (formerly GEBG) enabled us to offer the third annual Global Climate Summit for educators and school leaders focused on climate education and institutional impact. We are grateful to Appleby College in Ontario, Canada, for generously hosting the 2025 convening. Our on-going collaboration with Montclair Kimberley Academy and the Equal Justice Initiative in Montgomery, Alabama has grown into an annual place-based experience that provides deep learning centered on ethical leadership and systems design meant to protect the basic human rights of the most vulnerable in society.
Future Forward
The Klingenstein Center remains home to purposeful learning, leading, and change. Our long history shows, to borrow Jonathan MacDonald’s words, how deeply powered we are by change. We lean into complexity and understand that change is our certainty. Instead of asking, “How do we stay the same?,” we ask, “How do we meaningfully evolve?” Our purpose is rooted in adaptability and regeneration.
Just two years shy of our 50th year, the Klingenstein Center remains compelled to work with educators, leaders, schools, and organizations to build capacity—not only to meet the challenges of the moment, but also to imagine possible futures. We will continue to explore independent schools as key players in the complex ecosystem of schooling in the United
States and globally. As a university center, we commit to modeling just how inclusive and rigorous inquiry and knowledge production can be. How would an expansion of what we recognize as intellectual knowledge serve the dynamic work we aim to do in independent and international private education? In such a complex world as ours, we cannot afford to shrink our inquiry or ourselves as we commit to delivering on education’s promise.
As an early career teacher, I worked and lived in small boarding communities that referred to themselves as bubbles, sealed in some ways from the world. We worked to identify ways to burst— or not to burst—the bubble. Reflecting now on my endearing experiences in these vibrant communities leads me to these wonderings: What if schools are places where we practice world-making? What if we deepen our commitments
to supporting students, not only in their intellectual development, but also in their ethical and social development? What if, in our schools, we honored students as they discover, name, and embrace what Walt Whitman described as the multitudes they contain? What if school is where we help students develop a moral imagination—the ability to imagine the world, oneself, and others in ways that help us attend beyond what is toward discerning and designing what could be? What if we take seriously the intentionally diverse communities we’ve curated in our schools and the privileges we hold to make meaning and discover emergent purposes? What if schools are not only institutions that help people become, but also institutions where community, nation, and world become, emerging as versions bending closer to our missions, values, and ideals than ever before— and perhaps beyond our wildest imaginations?
In gratitude,
Nicole Brittingham Furlonge, PhD Professor & Executive Director The Klingenstein Center
As a woman serving within girls’ schools, I look to Pearl Rock Kane as a guiding model: her leadership was defined not by position, but by principled action, integrity, emotional intelligence, and a commitment to collaboration and growth.”
Ilyana Contreras Named the 2025-2026 Kane Scholar
We are thrilled to introduce Ilyana Contreras, LA ‘27, as the 2025-2026 Kane Scholar. Ilyana teaches English and American Studies at the Marlborough School (CA) where she also serves as dean of the class of 2027.
“The news of this award was an immense honor,” Ilyana shared. “Receiving the Kane Scholarship has been empowering for me—not just in supporting my work but in affirming the very ideals of leadership I aspire to embody.”
As a leader and educator in girls’ schools, Ilyana draws inspiration from the scholarship’s namesake.
The Pearl Rock Kane Endowed Scholarship honors the first director of the Klingenstein Center, whose vision and scholarship continue to shape independent schools around the world. Established during the Center’s 40th anniversary celebration honoring Pearl, the award recognizes a master’s degree student who demonstrates commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and continuous reflective learning—qualities that Pearl both researched and wove into the Klingenstein programs she created.
Ilyana’s own reflections on the challenges facing educators today activate that same thoughtful leadership:
“As I sat in back-to-school faculty meetings this fall, listening to colleagues express their anxieties about artificial intelligence reshaping our educational landscape, I found myself grappling with a fundamental question: How do we lead in a world where the only constant is unprecedented change?”
Considering the very real fears educators face, Ilyana seeks to listen, understand, and find deeper purpose:
“Beneath these surface fears, I sense something deeper: a need for meaning, community, and human agency in an era of disruption,” Ilyana explains. “As independent school leaders, we have the opportunity to move beyond a reactive stance toward AI and instead embrace this moment as a chance to
prepare students not only for careers that may not yet exist, but also for lives grounded in adaptability, integrity, and purpose.”
Ilyana’s thoughtful, future-focused approach is rooted in a deep belief in the value of human connection.
“As we think about what makes education truly human work, our coaching session last summer with Zakaria Sherbiny highlighted how selfreflection, mentorship, and authentic connection are essential to the health of every school community,” she said. “Student experiences become richer, more genuine, and more fulfilling when grounded in these values.”
As the rapid advances of technology reshape learning, Ilyana holds fast to the human aspects of teaching and learning:
“Empathy, trust, and relational growth make education meaningful and worth preserving,” she reflected. “The Klingenstein experience affirms that mentorship and human connection are not peripheral but central to the work of independent schools, now more than ever.”
Ilyana’s reflective approach to teaching and leading in today’s complexity demonstrates Pearl’s mantra that leadership is more than just a position. Ilyana’s dedication to a caring, connected, human-centered learning experience will resonate in her school and beyond.
MehtaCognition Impact Scholarship Launches at the Klingenstein Center
Investing in leaders who lift others
The Klingenstein Center is proud to launch the MehtaCognition Impact Scholars, a new scholarship funded by alumnus Nishant Mehta, PSL ’07, through the MehtaCognition Impact Fund. The award supports Klingenstein master’s students who are improving their practice and their schools—and who use their leadership to expand opportunity for others.
Nishant is the Founder and President of MehtaCognition, a former head of school, and a sought-after advisor on leadership, culture, strategy, and equity. He has served on local, regional, and national boards (including NAIS, NBOA, and Asheville School), advised Sesame Workshop on curriculum initiatives, and mentored new and aspiring heads through programs at
NAIS and The Children’s School. As MehtaCognition’s success grew, he found himself wanting to give back.
For Nishant, the scholarship is an expression of a careerlong belief in paying it forward. He writes, “I wanted to lengthen a table that had once been lengthened for me. That’s why we asked the Klingenstein Center in the Fund’s second year to select the scholars. They know who’s positioned to multiply their learning and leadership.”
The Impact Fund’s mission is clear: create, support, and sustain the leadership pipeline for independent schools, making growth possible for innovators who may lack platform, resources, or opportunity.
We do well by doing good. If we’re succeeding as a firm, we should share that success with the industry that shaped us—no strings attached— to help current and aspiring leaders flourish.”
A partnership grounded in community
At a recent conversation welcoming the inaugural recipients, Klingenstein Center Executive Director Nicole Furlonge captured the spirit of the partnership: “This isn’t only about defraying the cost of graduate study. It’s about putting extraordinary leaders in community with a thought partner who’s doing dynamic, impactful work in education.”
Nishant, whose career in independent school leadership was shaped by his Klingenstein experience, offered simple advice to the new scholars:
“Leadership can feel lonely at the top, but you are not alone. Never worry alone. Build your network, from your Klingenstein cohort to your mentors and sponsors, and lean on it.”
Read Nishant’s reflections on the creation of the Impact Fund
Meet the Inaugural Impact Scholars
These scholars bring unique experiences and a shared dedication to making a difference for students.
The power of access can’t be overstated. I’m here because others helped me. Now I want to leverage my position to widen that access for many more.”
Filipe Camarotti Windsor School (Bahamas)
A math teacher and program builder, Filipe leads Windsor’s advisory program, its New Educators Support Team (NEST), and senior milestone events. He brings a masterybased approach to courses like AP Calculus and AP Statistics. Beyond campus, Filipe supports a free Saturday Math Club that welcomes any local student who wants to learn; several participants have since earned scholarships to attend Windsor.
Klingenstein has deepened my practice of facilitative leadership—creating structures for listening, reflection, and trust—because that’s how real change takes root.”
Erica Washburn
Latin School of Chicago
In her first year as Assistant Director of Academic Affairs (JK–12) at Latin, Erica has taught and led at independent schools across the country from Miss Porter’s (CT) to Punahou (HI). She is passionate about curriculum development and designing transformative learning for students and adults alike.
Topher Nichols The Dalton School (NYC)
As Interim Assistant Head for Communications and Strategy, Topher stewards Dalton’s strategic plan, guides communications with its vast constituent network, and teaches journalism. His career has spanned public schools, youth services, and independent schools.
I think about the public purpose of independent schools and how we can do real good in our communities. Klingenstein reframed me as a learner again and I’m grateful to be part of a cohort of educators who are asking the same questions.”
In a time of rapid technological and cultural change, all three scholars see human connection as the heart of their leadership. “Authentic relationships are essential.” Erica reflected, “Everyone should know they belong and have meaningful impact.” Filipe underscored
Looking to the future
Nicole sees the Impact Scholars Program amplifying Klingenstein’s long-standing commitments: bridging independent and public-sector work; centering equity, learning, and leadership; and cultivating leaders who serve the broader educational ecosystem. “This gift helps us build for the future,” she said.
the same lesson through his math club’s growth: intention and iteration lead to community impact. And Topher highlighted how becoming a student again renewed his curiosity and courage as a leader of learning on his school’s AI task force and beyond.
The MehtaCognition Impact Scholars embody what happens when generosity meets purpose: leaders with the skill, courage, and community to widen access and deepen meaning in our schools. We celebrate Filipe, Erica, and Topher—and the networks and opportunities that will grow from their work.
Our thanks to Nishant Mehta and the MehtaCognition Impact Fund for investing in leaders who lift others.
Honoring Kevin Mattingly
In 1983, a young science teacher named Kevin arrived on the campus of Columbia University as a member of the second cohort of the Klingenstein Summer Institute. Today, Kevin Mattingly’s lifelong dedication to engaging research-informed practices about how people learn has shaped the professional practices of thousands of teachers and leaders around the world.
“[KSI] was a revelatory time for me as a teacher. I was a few years into my first teaching job and considering leaving the profession to work in the burgeoning microcomputer industry,” reflected Kevin. “KSI opened up a world of possibilities I hadn’t known existed. Here I am, 45 years later, still working with schools around the world and benefiting from the seeds—both motivational and as a practitioner—that were planted during that initial KSI experience.”
KSI was indeed just the beginning: “KSI connected me to Pearl Kane, who became an important mentor during her time at the Center. She believed in me as a relatively young teacher, inviting me to serve as a lead teacher in KSI and later as an instructor in the Center’s graduate programs. I am forever grateful for those opportunities. Her mentorship profoundly shaped both my personal and professional life.”
Kevin was — and continues to be — a transformational figure in my professional life.”
– RICH BOERNER
Many educators say the same of his impact on them. Stacey Pierre-Louis, PSL ’20, writes, “I’ve had the distinct honor of learning from Kevin Mattingly at two pivotal moments of my life. First, in high school, I was blessed to have him as my advisor and basketball coach. He taught and inspired me then, but years later, I found myself in disbelief sitting in his graduate class, realizing how lucky I was to experience his teaching again. What struck me most was recognizing that I had already been a living example of the very lessons he was now teaching lessons he had quietly instilled in me years before.
Every day, I strive to embody and share the wisdom he imparted with my students, my colleagues, and anyone who hasn’t had the privilege of learning from him.”
Kelley Nicholson-Flynn, Head of School at Princeton Day School, shares, “I owe my career to Kevin Mattingly. Twenty-eight years ago, he found my resume among many others and gave a newly minted Ph.D. scientist with no real teaching experience a chance. Through patient mentoring and bold questioning, he pushed me to grow in ways I didn’t think possible.”
The KSI ‘83 Cohort on the steps of Teachers College. Spot Kevin on the left end of the 4th row.
Similarly, Caroline Lee, Co-Director of the Center’s FORGE program and Dean of Academics at Princeton Day shared, “I am an educator today because of Kevin Mattingly. I was blessed to meet Kevin early in my career. A true scientist or maybe an alchemist, he sees growth and potential in the world around him. He has helped me find my calling and a love for the craft of teaching and learning. He introduced me to the research around the Science of Learning, which has informed so much of my own practice both as a classroom teacher and as an administrator.”
Kevin served as an instructor at KSI for 17 years and a teacher in the master’s degree programs for 20. Kevin’s classes and workshops are foundational and essential. Students gain understanding of how to authentically assess student knowledge, how to teach in ways that lead to enduring learning, and how to create school cultures that allow students to thrive. These ideas have
shaped them as teachers, school leaders, and as learners themselves. For Nigel Furlonge, Head of School at Montclair Kimberley Academy, learning from Kevin at KSI in 2000 “prompted an early understanding that both adults and students are learners in our schools.” Nigel has worked and collaborated with Kevin throughout his career, embracing all along the way “this key idea as core to how I’ve led in schools throughout my career to design for student learning alongside continuous professional growth.”
“Kevin is the consummate teacher of teachers,” said Liz Duffy, former Head of School at the Lawrenceville School where Kevin served first as science department chair and then as dean of faculty. Liz remembered that Kevin “taught us all the science of learning,” driven by his “deep care for students and educators and his commitment to ensuring that we all develop the skills to become lifelong learners.”
I’m an educator today because of Kevin Mattingly. I know that I am not alone in stating that. I was blessed to meet Kevin early in my career...From working with students of all ages to building schools all around the world, Kevin sources potential and has a genuine belief in the power of education, as well as its ability to transform and uplift human beings.”
– CAROLINE LEE
In 2016, Kevin and Pearl collaborated to create The Science of Learning: What Every Teacher Should Know, a massive open online course (MOOC) on the EdX platform. In three years, the course reached more than 53,000 people in 183 countries. Over the past few years, Kevin’s international reach has grown more personal as he’s assisted with large scale professional learning and founding of schools in China, Vietnam, Tanzania, Brazil, and India. A connection with Rich Boerner, then Head of Graded – The American School of São Paulo, at Heads’ 19, sparked a transformation, individually and institutionally. “Just when I began to think I ‘knew’ education, I learned how much I didn’t. When I met Kevin
in 2019, my world flipped. For the first time, I began to truly make sense of learning — at a depth of comprehension that had long eluded me,” Rich wrote. “It was a deeply personal moment, sitting in his class during the Klingenstein Heads program. Through his subtle, factual, and profoundly connecting way of teaching, Kevin brought clarity to the complexity of learning. In the years that followed, he generously offered his time, talent, and presence to Graded. His influence ignited the spark behind the school’s learning transformation — one that continues today, as students reap the benefits of the science of learning made tangible in their hands.”
Kevin, 1989.
“Like so many,” reflects Nicole Furlonge, “I am fortunate to have had career-long opportunities to learn from and collaborate with Kevin in schools, on projects like the MOOC before I arrived at the Center, and at the Center where he has amplified his work for so long. Learning is vital to change and is the ultimate change in schools. Kevin made tangible that message through his work with the educators and leaders who have come to learn here. His work is proof that intentional, research-informed education for educators can deeply impact student learning and even shape an industry. His many decades’ work provides us with the tools needed to help us bring to life in our classrooms and schools the ultimate evidencebased understanding from the science
of learning: that cultivating belonging is core to deep and enduring learning.”
Phil Peck, former lead teacher at KSI and head emeritus of Holderness School, and Kevin are an example of the kind of lifelong connections Klingenstein forges. “When we were KSI lead teachers, Kevin and I stayed up late at night talking about teaching and learning. Kevin always asked hard questions that made me apply theory to practice. I became a much better teacher thanks to Kevin’s probing questions and modeling.” Phil continues, “Later, on the Holderness Board of Trustees, he asked questions that helped our community value teaching and learning. Agendas are led with statements, visions are led with probing questions, and Kevin did that
Kevin and Pearl discuss the Science of Learning MOOC with PSL ‘17
for me and my community as he did for countless educators and schools. I loved how Kevin was always a teacher first and foremost, even when he was an administrator. Kevin was constantly being sought after to be a head of school, which he resisted in order to focus his work directly on improving the culture of teaching and learning in the classroom. He will always be my ‘lead teacher.’”
When asked what advice he would give based on his wide experience and expertise, Kevin was characteristically humble. “I’m hesitant to offer advice to the next generation as their experience will be vastly different from the one that I’ve had over the past 50+ years.”
But he shared perspective on our uncertain future: “We must become as expert as possible in using generative AI as a teaching tool—for both ourselves and our students. Equally important is helping students understand that intellectual struggle is fundamental to deep, enduring learning and teaching them to recognize when not to use AI. Future innovation will emerge from encouraging and supporting students through their own AI-free intellectual challenges.”
And, always focused on the humans at the heart of education, Kevin writes: “Over the last 15 years, learning research has increasingly emphasized socialemotional dimensions. Factors such as belonging, agency, identity, self-efficacy, productive struggle, and growth mindset profoundly influence how students learn. At the end of the day, teaching and learning are relational. Most important is the support, encouragement, and feedback—both critical and affirming—we provide our students, building the sense of trust, connectedness, and mutuality throughout their learning journeys.”
We’re grateful for Kevin’s purposeful dedication to creating classrooms and schools where all students learn and thrive.
Agendas are led with statements, visions are led with probing questions, and Kevin did that for me and my community as he did for countless educators and schools...Independent schools across America are better places to teach and learn thanks to Kevin.”
Help us recognize Kevin’s impact across the Klingenstein network and beyond! Make a gift in Kevin’s honor and/or send a reflection via email or on the enclosed card.
– PHIL PECK
Upcoming Events & Progams
Teaching Futures: A Klingenstein Center Leadership Summit
Friday, January 23rd | 9:30am -4:30pm
Smith Learning Theater at Teachers College
At a moment when schools across the nation are navigating profound challenges in recruiting, preparing, and sustaining great teachers, the Klingenstein Center convenes Teaching Futures. Teaching Futures brings together visionary practitioners, policy thinkers, and school and national leaders across independent, international, and United States public education to reimagine the next era of teaching. Alongside guest teachers, our thought-partners will include: Shital Shah (Education Law Center Trustee), Jessica Cardichon (Learning Policy Institute), Dr. Cassandra Herring (Branch Alliance for Educator Diversity), and Vincent Maringa (Breakthrough Collaborative), and others. This gathering invites participants to imagine—and begin constructing—futures of teaching that generate teacher and student flourishing by design. Details at klingensteincenter.org/events/leadership-summit-2026.
Klingenstein at NAIS Thrive in Seattle
February 25-27 | Seattle Convention Center, Summit Building
Visit us in the non-profit area of the expo on Thursday and Friday. Save the date for our annual alumni reception: Thursday, February 26, 6:30-8:30pm
Join us for the Klingenstein Seminar - Unearthing Untold Histories: A Research Toolkit for Schools, Wednesday, February 25, 1:00-4:00pm PT, featuring Dr. Emily Bailin Wells, Post-doctoral Fellow at the Klingenstein Center, and Dr. Michelle Purdy, Associate Professor of Education at Washington University and author of Transforming the Elite: Black Students and the Desegregation of Private Schools. Register via the NAIS conference registration page: nais.org/thrive
Online Gatherings
We have an exciting slate of Klingchats this year! Our Gather ‘Round A Text Series, hosted by Eder J. Williams McKnight, returns on 1st Mondays. Current school heads are invited to our monthly Head of School Salon KlingChats. We’re pleased to offer our Leadership Insights KlingChat Series. Inspired by the questions and wonderings of our current graduate students, these sessions connect alumni leaders with current graduate students and emerging leaders in the Klingenstein network. Learn about all upcoming events at klingensteincenter.org/events
Fellowship Programs
Summer Institute for Early-Career Teachers (KSI)
For teachers with 1-5 years of experience who strive to lead nurturing classrooms where all children experience meaningful, enduring, joyful learning.
Heads of Schools Fellowship
For sitting heads who seek inspiration, to renew their vision, creatively recharge their leadership, and build a professional network for sustained learning and support.
Degree Programs
Ed.D. in Executive Leadership
For seasoned leaders (10+ years of experience) seeking to earn a Doctor of Education degree in a low-residency program that honors and leverages their current experience while building capacity for deeper, more positively impactful leadership.
Two-Summers Master’s Degree
For current and emerging leaders who seek to leverage and build upon their current independent school role while they cultivate skills, knowledge, and practices that are foundational to successful leadership in a variety of roles.
MA/MBA Dual Degree
For master’s program students interested in learning and applying principles of business, finance, and entrepreneurship to school leadership.
Professional Learning
FORGE
For anyone who craves the time, tools, and thought-partnerships to build their capacity as an agent of sustained, meaningful change in their schools.
Klingbrief
For busy, lifelong learners wondering what to read, Klingbrief is a curated monthly list of books, podcasts, articles, and resources recommended by fellow educators.
KlingChats
For everyone! From our Gather ‘Round a Text Series to Leadership Insights where each session centers on timely questions, KlingChats provide community connection and learning.
Honoring a Decade of Service: Carolyn Chandler
For more than a decade, Carolyn has brought wisdom, humor, and heart to the Klingenstein Center Advisory Board.
An alumna of the Heads of School Fellowship and Head Emerita of Metairie Park Country Day School, Carolyn joined the Advisory Board in 2014 and has since been a vital thought partner and steadfast advocate for ethical, compassionate leadership in education.
When asked how her volunteer service began, Carolyn recalls, “In 2014, Pearl Kane began our phone call with ‘Will you…’ and before she could finish the question, I said, ‘Yes.’ My rich experience as a member of the 2010 Klingenstein Heads of Schools Program and my time serving as a Klingenstein Field Instructor had been so rewarding, I knew I would do anything the Center asked of me. Anything.”
That “yes” began ten years of meaningful collaboration—years marked by lively discussions, shared insights, and deep connections. “One year we might be sitting at computers experiencing the Center’s MOOC for ourselves; the next we might be deep in a generative conversation about equitable access to leadership development,” she reflected. “But each year, we enjoyed small group lunches with that year’s master’s students—a beautiful way to meet the future.”
Those lunch meetings launched lasting relationships. Hannah Rosen, PSL ’25, shared how Carolyn’s mentorship has shaped her, “Carolyn has guided me with the kind of wisdom that comes
Carolyn models a leadership that amplifies a caring, generous mentorship.”
– NICOLE FURLONGE
from a life rooted in grace, courage, and presence. Through phone calls, letters, and long conversations, she has shared her laughter and insight. She reminds me that the best decisions are never made from fear and that joy belongs even at the center of hardship. True leadership, she shows, is an act of love.”
Carolyn’s colleagues describe her influence with admiration and affection. “Carolyn Chandler is a leader of unwavering integrity and courage who truly embodies the Klingenstein Center’s mission of ‘building capacity,’” said fellow Advisory Board member and Heads 2010 classmate Ole Jorgenson. “She has a devoted fan club across the Klingenstein network, and those of us who have served beside her feel profoundly fortunate.”
Executive Director Nicole Furlonge echoed that sentiment: “I am grateful for Carolyn’s service to the Center
and her never-ending willingness to bring her curiosity, wisdom, and encouragement to the table. But, what I appreciate most about Carolyn is her willingness to make time for the next generation of educational leaders. Carolyn models a leadership that amplifies caring, generous mentorship.”
We thank Carolyn for her unwavering support for the Center through her gifts of time and wisdom, scholarship fund support, and enthusiastic advocacy. While she may be stepping down from the Advisory Board, her impact in the Klingenstein Community and beyond will continue.
Reflecting on her decade of service, Carolyn summed it up simply: “The Klingenstein legacy is strong; the Center’s work is now more important than ever.”
Carolyn has guided me with the kind of wisdom that comes from a life rooted in grace, courage, and presence.”
– HANNAH ROSEN
Volunteers (Sept. 1, 2024-Aug. 30, 2025)
Dania Abu-Shaheen
Erik Anderson
Jim Best
Callie Bond, KSI ‘23, PSL ‘25
Casper Caldarola
Steve Chan
Carolyn Chandler, Heads ‘10
Long Dang, Heads ‘25
Mariano De Virgiliis, PSL ‘23
Christopher Dennis
Liz Duffy, Heads ‘11
Matt Edmonds, KSI ‘13
Donors
Anonymous*
Peter Abuisi, Heads ‘99*
Yutopia Essex, LA ‘25
Megan Farrell, PSL ‘23
Jessica Flaxman, LA ‘15
Dave Flocco, PSL ‘98
Nigel Furlonge, KSI ‘00, JKF ‘06
Cynthia (Sol) Garcia
Jonathan Gold, KSI ‘08, LA ‘13
Tracey Goodson Barrett, LA ‘23
Christina Hale-Elliott
Marshall Hatcher, LA ‘25
Nasreen Ikram Hussain, PSL ‘20
Charlotte Jacobs
(Sept. 1, 2024-Aug. 30, 2025)
Terry Eagle, JKF ‘85, and Sally Eagle*
Liz Fernández, PSL ‘14*
Varghese Alexander, KSI ‘06, LA ‘13
and Erin Connors, KSI ‘06*
Jon Alschuler, LA ‘15*
Barbara Beachley, PSL ‘11*
Chris Beeson, KSI ‘19
Andrew Bishop, KSI ‘09, PSL ‘11
Frances Blackman*
Sue Bosland, PSL ‘00, Heads ‘09
Lindsay Bowman, LA ‘21
John Bracker, KSI ‘88
Angela Brandon, LA ‘11
Kerry Brennan, JKF ‘83*
Jeff Burroughs, Heads ‘25*
Ben Cady, PSL ‘13
Rassy Carlson, LA ‘23
Michael Chapman, KSI ‘14, LA ‘19
Jenny Clark Rao, PSL ‘05
Josh Cobb, LA ‘13
Arnie Cohen, Heads ‘06
Bre Conley, PSL ‘23*
Jason Couch, PSL ‘08*
Elie Déu, Heads ‘19
Lisa Darling, Heads ‘00*
Phil Deely, JKF ‘80, and Hilary Deely*
Tom Doar, PSL ‘96*
Vinny Dotoli, PSL ‘02
Dan Doughty, LA ‘25
Liz Duffy, Heads ‘11, and John Gutman
Kathleen Fernald, JKF ‘86
Doug Fishman, PSL ‘06
Jessica Flaxman, LA ‘15*
Jason Ford, LA ‘13*
Nicole and Nigel Furlonge, KSI ‘00, JKF ‘06
in Honor of Varghese Alexander
Scott Gaynor, PSL ‘99
John Gulla, Heads ‘10*
Jim Handrich, JKF ‘95*
Richard Hardej, JKF ‘85*
David Harman, Heads ‘11 and Kristin Harman, PSL ‘10
Dana Harrison, JKF ‘99*
Sarah Heard, JKF ‘07
Richard Heflich*
Peter Herzberg, JKF ‘89
Mike Hirschfeld, Heads ‘17
Davidson Hobson, LA ‘23
Will Holmes, PSL ‘01, and Lisa Holmes, KSI ‘94, PSL ‘01
William Jablon, Heads ‘00
Jim Justice, LA ‘07
Philip Kassen, PSL ‘98*
Brian Kennerly, PSL ‘92
Edward Kim, JKF ‘94
Jen Kitner, KSI ‘04, PSL ‘06
Joel Konzen, Heads ‘06*
Peter Kraft, KSI ‘96, JKF ‘01
Sally James, Heads ‘24
Ole Jorgenson, Heads ‘10
Nikki Karram
Chris Lauricella, PSL ‘00
Liz Lee, KSI ‘22, LA ‘25
John Lewis IV, PSL, ‘03, Heads ‘22
Stacia McFadden, LA ‘21
Paris McLean, LA ‘15
Elizabeth Morley, Heads ‘07
Kelley Nicholson-Flynn
Pamela Nye
Rachel Petrocelli
Emily Pressman, KSI ‘04
Josh Pretzer, KSI ‘04, PSL ‘06
Mark Reed, PSL ‘04
Steven Kramer, JKF ‘95
Jay & Jo Ann Kranis* in Honor of Richard C. Kane
Jeremy LaCasse, KSI ‘98, PSL ‘01
Liz Lee, KSI ‘22, LA ‘25
Judd Levingston, KSI ‘87*
John Lewis IV, PSL ‘03, Heads ‘22
Jeffrey Lippman, LA ‘09*
Claire Logsdon, PSL ‘13
Ashley Marshall, PSL ‘14
Kevin Mattingly, KSI ‘83*
Jessica May, PSL ‘13*
Ronni McCaffrey, JKF ‘90*
Nishant Mehta, PSL ‘07
Sally Mixsell, JKF ‘01, and Henry Mixsell
Lebogang Montjane
Donald Morrison, KSI ‘96, JKF ‘01
Lester and Dinny Morse
Will Nisbet, KSI ‘12
Steve Noga, KSI ‘06, LA ‘13*
Jen Ogilby, PSL ‘05*
Karen O’Neill, LA ‘15
Tom Owen, PSL ‘19
David Padilla, LA ‘13*
Danielle Passno, PSL ‘08
Sarah Peeden, KSI ‘14, LA ‘19*
Marisha Plotnik, JKF ‘09
Laura Reardon, LA ‘23
Mark Reed, PSL ‘04*
Madeline Richards, PSL ‘16*
Mike Reynolds
Jim Scott, Heads ‘06
Deepjyot Sidhu, PSL ‘19
Nancy Simpkins
Gracie Smith, LA ‘25
Bee Stribling, PSL ‘19
Meghan Tally, KSI ‘08, LA ‘15
Danica Tisdale Fisher
Curtis Turner, KSI ‘94, Heads ‘22
Stephen Valentine, KSI ‘02
Chance Van Sciver
Julie Vega, KSI ‘24
Jonathan Williams, LA’ 23
Emmett Zackheim, LA ‘25
Radhika Zahedi, Heads ‘24
Jon Rosenshine, PSL ‘03
Jeremy Sandler, PSL ‘18
Jim Scott, Heads ‘06*
Patricia Shaurette* in Honor of Alex Shaurette, PSL ‘09
Deepjyot Sidhu, PSL ‘19
Jalene Spain Thomas, KSI ‘03, LA ‘11* in Honor of Lovis Thompson Thomas
Nancy Spencer, KSI ‘89
Bee Stribling, PSL ‘19* in Honor of PSL 2019
Jay Stroud, JKF ‘82*
David Suter, PSL ‘02
Matt Suzuki, JKF ‘99*
Tom Taylor, LA ‘13 in Honor of Nicole Furlonge
Noni Thomas López, JKF ‘06
Stephen Valentine, KSI ‘02
Gareth Vaughan, LA ‘07*
Geoff Wagg, Heads ‘16, and Alice Wagg, KSI ‘93
Maureen Walsh Heffernan, JKF ‘94, Heads ‘11*
Russell Werkman, LA ‘09*
Timothy Weymouth, PSL ‘06
Adam Wilson, Heads ‘25
Larry Woodbridge, JKF ‘86*
Jeff Wyshner, KSI ‘95, PSL ‘96
Brian Yager, KSI ‘95*
Radhika Zahedi, Heads ‘24
*Indicates gifts to the Pearl Rock Kane Scholarship and/or given in honor of Pearl Rock Kane
Supporting the Center
How to Give
Donate online: klingensteincenter.org/give
Donate via check: make payable to “Klingenstein Center, Teachers College” and mail with enclosed card to:
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