Riverdale Welcomes
New Trustee
In June, Charles M. Blow P’12/P’15/P’15 departed Riverdale’s Board of Trustees after four years. This fall, Gwen Adolph P’23 joined the Board. We thank Charles for all of his hard work and dedication, and we look forward to working with Gwen. After receiving her undergraduate degree from Duke University and her J.D. degree from Emory Law School, Gwen Adolph P’23 pursued a career in law and government. She served as Deputy Director of Purchasing for Fulton County in Georgia before moving to Nigeria. While there, she worked with a small London-based trading company overseeing its contracting practices, including ventures in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Gwen also cofounded and managed the Pierce/Blount Agency—a boutique speakers’ bureau representing notable African-Americans—until 2002, when she moved to New York. Today Gwen works as a
New Faces on the Hill Campus
professional writer and devotes much of her time to community service through various national and local organizations. Her focus is education and social justice. She was appointed to the Board of the College of New Rochelle in the spring of 2014, and was elected Chair in December 2015. Gwen lives New Rochelle, NY, with her husband Gerald, a principal with Strategy & (formerly Booz & Co.), the strategy consulting business of PwC, and their son Harris ’23.
Kevin has worked as a science teacher, administrator, coach, and dorm head for 35 years in day and boarding schools. Most recently he was Dean of Faculty and then Director of Teaching, Learning & Educational Partnerships at the Lawrenceville School in New Jersey. Kevin also has a background in experiential education and has led students and faculty on trips around the world. He holds a PhD in zoology and a BA in biological sciences from Indiana University.
Kevin Mattingly has joined Riverdale as Director of Co-Curriculum. In this new position, Kevin’s goals for the coming year are “to learn as much as I can about the rich and varied co-curricular offerings at Riverdale, to understand more about the student learning that goes on in each, and to seek ways to integrate that learning meaningfully with the academic curriculum, when appropriate. In addition, we’ll be looking for ways to continue Riverdale’s history of innovation and providing real-world learning opportunities for our students.” 2 | QUAD WINTER 2015
acting classes for high school students over the past seven years. She also has directed the Middle School plays for the past two years. A 20-year veteran of the New York theater world, Laura has worked closely with faculty in the English department to bring innovative approaches to the classroom, including a Macbeth workshop for Middle School students and the Modern Drama elective for the Upper School that featured advanced level scene study and improvisation exercises. She has a keen vision for the department that includes reaching all students: “I love the idea of a theater department that offers excellent training for students interested in drama in its most traditional sense, but also curriculum that focuses on nurturing creativity, empathy, and critical thinking skills for students who are not interested in being on Broadway, but benefit from the same lessons nonetheless.”
Laura Desmond has been named Chair of the Theater, Film, and Dance (TFD) department. She joined Riverdale in 2008 as the assistant to the Head of School, and in addition to those duties, she has taught several Middle School drama and advanced
Laura holds a BFA in drama from New York University and an MS Ed in education theater from City College.
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