Alumna Profi le: Monique Roeder Singer ’95

Monique Roeder Singer ’95

By Interim Director of Advancement Patty Gibbons

AS A MEMBER OF THE FIRST CLASS OF YOUNG WOMEN

to experience the full four years of coeducation at Portsmouth Abbey, Monique Singer was keenly aware of her unique circumstances. With an all-school enrollment of 21 women and 229 men for the 1991-92 academic year, the sea change had just begun, and Monique was ready for the challenge.

“We were all learning from it at the time, including the teachers and monks. It was a fantastic four years! To be able to go to an institution that so many male members of my family attended, and as the fi rst female, that was something really special.”

Once settled at the Abbey, Monique took full advantage of the opportunities laid out before her, participating in Model UN, Debate Club, Field Hockey, Basketball, Sailing and Cross Country. She fondly remembers the camaraderie of being on the road with her teams as well as the trips to Yale University for Model UN and the thrill of competition on Narragansett Bay. “Sailing is still a huge part of my life, even here in England. Some of my most valued friendships that endure today were formed during sailing practice at the Abbey. I still take lessons from cross country, too. I remember running laps around the campus, hearing Mr. McDonough yelling at me to run faster and to persevere to the end – running has remained an integral part of my lifestyle.”

Monique loved Biology class with Mr. Sahms, and she even considered a career in sports therapy because of Mr. Perreira, who was infl uential to her and dedicated to his students. She says she found Mr. Hobbins to be funny, passionate and inspiring, and she credits Mrs. Moff ett, her houseparent, math teacher and fi eld hockey coach for teaching her how to be confi dent enough to speak out in a roomful of boys.

As she reflects on her time at the Abbey, Monique attests to the rewards and dividends of an Abbey education: having an exceptionally strong foundation – academically, morally, and spiritually – and the confidence to venture out into the unknown. “Because of my time there, I developed a strong sense of security in the world and had a sense of self and confidence. I graduated feeling like I could do anything.”

But it was also the day-to-day little things, Monique says, “walking back from the dining hall, watching the sunset on the way back to Manor House, letting loose a little in Tuck Shop, that add up to the overall experience. I was a day student initially and then became a boarding student in my FourthForm year. It was the complete fulfillment of my experience; you lived and breathed the Abbey life full-on. As a boarding student at Portsmouth Abbey, I felt I was never alone. It gave me such a foundation for the future that I was never fearful. This is why I would strongly consider boarding for my own son, Greydon, when the time comes for him.”

Upon graduating from the Abbey, Monique attended the University of Vermont for her undergraduate degree. She then traveled to New Zealand to work in the America’s Cup Yacht Race, before returning to the States for graduate school at New York University. With her Abbey foundation, her strong work ethic and her appreciation for structure in her tool chest, Monique found herself fully equipped to compete in the fast-paced milieu of the New York business world. “You emerge from your time at the Abbey being a confident person. Women were the minority in every class and every coed sport in which I was involved. This served me so well in achieving a level of comfort in New York and working in a male-dominated real estate industry. The Abbey had provided me the continual opportunity to learn how to communicate and defend my views, and I emerged a stronger individual. In my career path, I have stood out as being both young for my professional positions and female, and the Abbey prepared me to navigate that.”

Monique’s path has since taken her around the world, finally settling in London, England. For more than 15 years, she has been an entrepreneurial branding and marketing professional, crafting elevated user experiences and increasing brand equity for clients within the luxury real estate development and hospitality sectors. At the start of her career she lived in New York City while pursuing her master’s degree at New York University. Upon graduation, she worked at a real estate firm in the City developing luxury environmentally conscious buildings. She went on to become a senior director at The Seventh Art Group, a premier branding agency before forming her current Brand Agency, Williams New York, with her business partner.

... it was also the day-to-day little things, walking back from the dining hall, watching the sunset on the way back to Manor House, letting loose a little in Tuck Shop, that add up to the overall experience.

Williams New York creates value around the world in the real estate, retail and hospitality sectors through holistically communicated photography, film, art exhibitions, 3D rendering visualizations, print, websites and sales galleries. Monique also serves as executive vice president at BrandMark Collective, a brand licensing company based in Europe.

For Monique the role of Director in the early days initially held a few surprises, suddenly finding herself on the other side of the ask when it came to company employees and decision making. “As the person in charge, and when you are at the top of your game, you are working harder,” she says. “You have greater responsibility and are taking on more and more. It also took me some time to learn how to delegate. I discovered I am a control freak and had a hard time relinquishing control – allowing the person to do his or her job without my constant input. All my employees tend to be quite young and from varied fields – architects, graphic designers, creative content developers. I found my experience allowed me to figure out how to manage this varied group much faster. Their ways of thinking are different from my own, but I have so much respect for their experiences. That said, if things don’t work out, my clients will not be coming to them about their dissatisfaction, but to me. It is a delicate balance, but I love that aspect of the work.”

As a managing director in New York City, the job was 24/7 full on. In a typical day, Monique would arrive at the office before everyone else in the company, catch up on work, and then once the doors opened, she would handle both the client and operations sides of the business. “I would go to the gym during lunch to reset and mentally prepare for the second half of the day, which would wrap up around 10 pm and then I would often go out socially for the night until all hours, as everyone does who lives in New York.”

Monique found when she and her husband, Roland, moved to London in 2017, and had their son, Greydon, later that year, the business and her routine had to adapt. “I would travel around the world doing projects for the company – Europe, the Middle East and Asia. This was a great precursor to COVID-19 because of all the time zone differences and working with teams globally. I was able to project-manage my life in basic buckets of time: Start the day working UAE hours, shift to European hours, then break and manage home life and bed time with my son, finally ending the day working New York hours. My personal pride comes from getting things done in my day. Being efficient feels like success to me, and I love being challenged all the time thankfully, so the move to London suited me.”

Monique (back row, fifth from left) and the Sixth-Form girls of St. Mary’s House in 1995

When faced with difficult circumstances, Monique reflects on how she finds inner peace and fulfillment. “I do carry a sense of faith, a sense of comfort, a sense of home. In every major city I have lived in, I have lived across the street from a church. If I find I am in a place of needing comfort, I find myself in a church. There is something about that that makes me feel safe and at home. The subtle nurturing of the Abbey, the sense of community, the intellectual curiosity and the sense of hospitality that is a part of the Benedictine tradition has stayed with me throughout my life. Additionally, volunteerism and the sense of ‘helping out’ is so second nature at the Abbey, and it has remained with me to this day. Wherever we have lived, my family and I have sought to find a charity or nonprofit where we can be helpful. We have always asked, ‘What can we do? And can we do more?’ That question is a call to action for me, and it is a remnant of my time at the Abbey.”

In addition to her career in international marketing, Monique sits on the board of directors at Hudson River Community Sailing and has served as a Young Patron at the Wildlife Conservation Society. In London, she is involved with the Two Chicks Empowerment Fund which helps young women achieve their potential through empowerment. Monique sees herself in five years still learning, enjoying new adventures, raising her family, and having a good work-life balance. “Since COVID-19 struck,” she explains, “there has been so much self-reflection that I appreciate more and more the ability to be flexible. Happiness to me now is being in the moment and being present. I have had to learn to relinquish a little and figure out how to live in the dayto-day more.” As an ex-pat, other adjustments have had to be made as well: “In New York City you never made a reservation in advance,” she says wistfully. “Here you have to do everything in advance, and it is always booked out. I miss brunch and a great Bloody Mary and good ranch dressing!”

The subtle nurturing of the Abbey, the sense of community, the intellectual curiosity and the sense of hospitality that is a part of the Benedictine tradition has stayed with me throughout my life.

ALUMNA PROFILE

Monique stays in contact with her fellow Abbey alumni through the events the Abbey hosts on the road. “I am able to stay connected and even meet new Ravens in my new hometown. We found each other in New York right after college and have stayed connected through our many travels and moves. Even if time and distance has put you out of touch, the Abbey brings us back together.”