Kathryn Shepherd Leonard ’86
Allison Prouty ’95
Kathryn Shepherd Leonard graduated from Severn in 1986 being well prepared for college and a future she thought would mainly include poetry. Her favorite teachers while at Severn were Mr. Madden, Mr. Bodley, Mr. Woods, and Mr. Sassi. She notes the great sense of community she shared with her peers while at Severn saying that she is still in touch with almost all of her old friends and loves hanging out with them. Kathryn also mentioned how much Severn has changed. She said that when she went back to speak at the School on Career Day a couple of years ago, she had to have a student guide her around because she was not familiar with the new and updated buildings. Her only regret was not having sufficient computer and business management skills that may have helped her later on. After attending Severn, Kathryn went on to receive a B.A. in French and Studio Arts from Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, Virginia, not really thinking she would become an artist until “I started thinking in pictures rather than in words.” She then packed Kathryn Leonard her bags and headand her art ed to France where she was taught by Bernard Phreim, a renowned New York painter at the Lacoste School of Arts in Lacoste, France. She touched on how hard it was getting used to her new surroundings, even though she knew French very well. Kathryn has recently relocated to Key West, Florida ,and mainly paints maritime paintings, and the architectural structures in the streets of Key West. Her work has been displayed at The Stone Soup Gallery, The Kennedy Gallery, and The Fleming Street Gallery. She also illustrated the children’s book Adventures of Bandit & Hanchi, and has started to write a book of her own. If you would like to learn more about Ms. Shepherd or view her work, visit her website at www.kathrynleonard.com. Kathryn Shepherd Leonard has accomplished much in her life and whatever she does next, the Severn community will be watching closely.
Allison Prouty graduated from Severn in 1995 and attended Skidmore College where she double majored in theatre and women’s studies. Allison tells The Bridge, (that while at Severn) ... “I was lucky enough to be a student of Mr. Robert and Mrs. Susan Gray. I thank the Grays for instilling the love of a good story through their passion and dedication to history.” In fact, it was Mrs. Gray that taught Allison her first women’s studies course. Allison now dedicates her life to the theatre as a producer specializing in new play development, festivals and special events. During the past ten years she has been a part of a wide range of different ventures including being the associate producer at Women’s Project from 2007 to 2009, which is the oldest and biggest women’s theater in the nation, being guest director at the 7th Annual Martha’s Vineyard Independent Film Festival, and the executive producer for the play Throat, which premiered in New York City and toured to Washington, D.C., McAllen, Texas and Minneapolis, Minnesota. During the past five years Allison has also been the associate artistic director for the Global Movement to End Violence against Women and Girls called V-Day which was founded by Eve Ensler the writer of The Vagina Monologues. She has produced events that have played in places such as The Apollo, Hammerstein Ballroom, Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center, The Brooklyn Museum and Studio 54. She has worked with many theatre companies including Hangar Theatre, Stillpoint Productions, Hartford Stage Company, Icarus Theater Ensemble, O’Connor Casting in Chicago, Williamstown Theater Festival and Chicago Shakespeare Theater. Allison is also the founder and president of Second Bolt Management and Consulting, a firm dedicated to business development for artists and organizations. Allison obviously loves helping women and girls with her amazing talents in the theatre department. She is a great example of a woman who has a mission in life and is taking remarkable steps to realize that mission.
Allison Prouty
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