Welcome New Lawrence Academy Trustees!

Chris Davey P’10, ’16 returns to Lawrence Academy’s board as a committed and long-term supporter of the school. The successful businessman and his wife, Kirsta, both held leadership roles in the parent giving program, and their family ties to the school remain strong. One daughter, Sara Davey Gillis ’10, works in the admissions office. She and her spouse, Logan Gillis ’09, live on campus with their two children, Boden and Emmy.

Chris’ work for LA continued after Sara and her sister, Margaret ’16, graduated. After serving on the Board of Trustees from 2014 to 2019, he established the role of assistant head of institutional strategy and advancement, where he oversaw admissions and enrollment, communications, and development and spearheaded a transformational giving program, all while leading a student advisory group. Chris supports the greater community by giving his time generously serving on local sports and cultural boards in the Groton area.

A 1983 graduate of Deerfield Academy, Chris earned a B.A in political science from Amherst College, where he played varsity hockey. A founding member of Sapient Corporation, Chris has held senior positions in the organization. Most recently, he served as a board member or in an advisory capacity for technical and financial companies and government organizations.

Jessica Knapp ’99 decided to attend Lawrence Academy mostly for hockey, but she found so much more on campus. She credits the school with preparing her academically for college and beyond and says her time as a boarding student at Lawrence taught her how to learn.

Jessica is now a co-managing principal of Perkins Eastman-Boston, supervising staff and directing marketing and business development. The firm provides architecture, interior design, planning, and strategic consulting services. Having worked for more than 20 years in the architecture industry, she has held various positions and focused on many practice areas, from academics to housing. She is keenly interested in the intersection of sustainability and operational costs and is part of the Futures Council for the international enterprise.

After graduating from LA, Jessica played Division I hockey at St. Lawrence University, where she earned a B.A in English writing with minors in education and economics. She then received an MBA from Boston University. Jessica now lives in Massachusetts and continues to support Lawrence Academy. Hockey and education remain essential parts of her life: She was a volunteer girls’ hockey coach at Wellesley High School and for the Boch Blazers, Boston’s premier girls’ youth hockey development program. She also volunteers for YouthBuild, Heading Home, and Horizons for Homeless Children.

Since graduation, Chuck O’Boyle ’82 has remained involved with Lawrence Academy and has become professionally active in education. A consistent donor, he was a class agent and is a regular visitor at reunions and leadership donor events. From 2008 to 2010, Chuck was a member of the LA Board of Visitors. He is a trustee of the Chi Psi Educational Trust.

Chuck understands how schools operate and function at the highest level and has a network and access to talent that will benefit Lawrence during future searches for administrators. How LA is evolving its curriculum and preparing its students for college and beyond is one of his major interests.

Chuck’s professional experience in education recruitment will also benefit the school’s growth. He is the founder, owner, and managing partner of an executive search firm focused on the independent high school, college, and university market. He has also been associated with the American Council on Education’s Executive Search Roundtable since 2001. A cum laude graduate of Amherst College with a B.A. in history, Chuck earned his J.D. at the University of Michigan Law School. His husband, Richard Rambuss, is the chair of the English department at Brown University.

With a goal of honoring the philanthropic legacy of his wife, Dara Frigoletto ’83, after her death in 2023, Peter DeFeo is determined to become a “robust funder with involvement” at Lawrence Academy, the school that meant so much to Dara and her family. The Frigoletto family supports LA through funding for the Alba Frigoletto Memorial Scholarship Fund, the Frigoletto Family Health Center, and the Community Commons project.

In addition to assisting Dara’s alma mater, Peter has made furthering medical research and care a priority. His initial gift established the Dara Frigoletto Ovarian Cancer Research Fund at Boston’s Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Another fund, the Dara Frigoletto Post-Graduate Education Nursing Scholarship Fund at Brigham & Women’s Hospital, has been endowed and will award five annual scholarships to BWH nurses seeking post-graduate studies in master’s and doctorate nursing programs.

Peter has deep knowledge of and extensive professional experience in legal, healthcare, and financial matters. The Harvard Law School graduate is the co-founder and former chief development officer and chief legal officer of VetCor, one of the preeminent veterinary practice acquisition and operating companies in North America, where he now advises the current CEO, CLO, and senior management team. He also worked as in-house counsel for several companies in the energy and environmental fields, and began his career as a mergers and acquisitions lawyer at several Boston law firms, including Goodwin Procter.