Harris Assumes Leadership of Rivers’ Board of Trustees
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he Rivers community welcomes new Board President Clinton Harris, who became a trustee in 2002 while his son Will ’04 was a student at Rivers. He was elected School Treasurer and chair of the Finance Committee six years ago, and brings a wealth of financial expertise and counsel to the Board. Under his leadership, the Finance Committee is committed to a sound financial model to maximize the school’s resources, improve the student experience, and increase financial aid availability. His wife, Meg Harris, also served on Rivers’ Education Committee for seven years. Harris is the founder and a managing partner of Grove Street Advisors, LLC in Wellesley, a private equity investment firm. Earlier in his career, Clint was a co-founder and managing director of Advent International, one of the world’s largest international private equity firms. Prior to Advent, Clint was a partner with Bain & Company. He also served for five years in the Navy as an officer on nuclear submarines. He holds bachelor of arts and engineering degrees from Dartmouth College and an MBA from Harvard University.
The Harrises are longtime supporters of The Rivers School, including the MacDowell Athletic Center where they were instrumental in naming the balcony in Benson Gymnasium in memory of Will’s classmate, Ian Greenblatt. The family more recently honored Meg’s father by naming the Gere Math Center in the new Campus Center in his memory. Brewster Gere was chairman of the Mathematics Department at Hamilton College from 1950 to1969. “I’m very pleased that Clint Harris is taking over the Board,” commented retired Board President Roy MacDowell in a recent interview. “He is going to have a fantastic Board; a diversity of life’s experiences and qualifications is very important on a good Board.”
Rivers Welcomes New Trustees
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en Fischman is the founder and chief executive officer of Rue La La, a leader in the digital private-sale space. Previously he was the CEO of off-price e-commerce marketplace SmartBargains.com. In 2009, he led both companies to acquisition by commerce and interactive marketing services provider GSI Commerce which was acquired by eBay in 2011. Rue La La was then spun off into a privately held company and Fischman continues to serve as CEO. Fischman was the first entrepreneur in residence at General Catalyst Partners, a venturecapital and private-equity firm. He is also the founder of LIDS Corporation, which he established in 1993 while a junior at Boston University where he earned a bachelor of arts and communications degree. Ben and his wife Wendy have four children; sons Jake and Thomas are both Class of 2018. Stephen M. Jennings is the managing partner and a member of the board of directors of the Monitor Group, a global consulting firm. As managing partner, Jennings is responsible for the firm’s consulting business globally and has managed domestic and international projects and relationships in a wide variety of industries. In addition, Jennings is Chairman of the Board of Aspen Technology Inc., a member of the board of directors of LTX Corporation, and member of the board of directors of the nonprofit, New Profit Inc. He holds a bachelor of arts degree in economics from Dartmouth College and a MA Oxon degree from Oxford University where he studied philosophy, politics, and economics as a Marshall Scholar. Steve and his wife Monica O’Neil live in Belmont with their three children, James ’15, Anne ’16, and Marie ’19.
4 • Riparian • Fall 2012