New Faculty and Staff

New Faculty and Staff: Academic Years 2019-2022

Carole Bernocco

ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE AND BILLING BOOKKEEPER Carole Bernocco joined Walker’s Business Office staff in 2021. She has over 40 years of accounting experience. Born and raised in New York, Carole enjoys walking, movies, and going to the gym.

Kristen Blatt

BARN MANAGER Kristen is a 2011 graduate of Centenary University where she earned a Bachelor of Science in equine studies with a concentration in equine business management. At Centenary, she competed on the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association team which won two national championships. Upon graduating from Centenary, Kristen worked as barn manager at Coole Park Farm in Millbrook, NY, for eight years prior to joining Walker’s equestrian staff.

Kathryn Bratslavsky

ADVANCEMENT ASSOCIATE Kathryn earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Connecticut, where she was a New England scholar, graduating cum laude. She enjoyed studying abroad in London, where she assisted in a primary school classroom as she continued her studies. She returned to UConn to earn a second degree, in psychological science. Following graduation, Kathryn moved to Denver to work at Children International, a nonprofit child sponsorship organization fighting poverty and helping children around the world. She later moved to Moscow to work in the education field — and travel — for two years before returning to the United States. Kathryn has worked in a leadership consultant firm under an I/O psychologist but ultimately returned to her passion: working in a school setting and supporting young women.

Liss Couch-Edwards ’07

GRAPHIC DESIGNER AND MEDIA MANAGER Liss, a 2007 graduate of Walker’s, has come home to join our Communications and Marketing team. She has previously worked at Walker’s as a Photography and Graphic Design teacher before moving on to Hartford Stage as their Graphic Designer and subsequent freelance work. She is back at Walker’s sharing her talent behind the camera again while raising her young family. Liss graduated from Mount Holyoke College with a Bachelor of Arts degree and then went on to get her master’s degree in Fine Arts from the University of Hartford.

Bethany Davis

COLLEGE COUNSELING ASSISTANT Bethany joins Walker’s College Counseling team as an administrative assistant. While earning her Bachelor of Science in Aviation Business Management from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Bethany helped manage top private golf course pro-shops, golf tournaments and women’s leagues and later transitioned back to Embry-Riddle to work in the registrar’s office as an academic evaluator. Upon her return to Connecticut, she joined the College Counseling Office at The Master’s School where she worked as the college counseling assistant/student data coordinator. Bethany’s love for horses began right here at Walker’s at the age of 5 when she attended the Summer Riding Experience, which led to getting her first horse and she has been riding ever since.

Kelly DeVivo

SPECIAL EVENTS MANAGER Kelly, a Connecticut native, started her 25-year event management career in Boston where she executed events for emerging tech companies. From Boston, she moved to Los Angeles as an account director for an event marketing and promotions agency. After enjoying several years in the California sunshine, she and her husband moved back to the East Coast to start a family, and have lived in Simsbury for 18 years. For the past decade, Kelly has worked as

a freelance event planner working with a variety of organizations including The Necker Cup, an annual Pro-Am tennis event hosted by Richard Branson on Necker Island. She is a graduate of Saint Anselm College with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. Kelly enjoys volunteering in her community and has done so for Simsbury Junior Woman’s Club, Gifts of Love, Dog Star Rescue, and for her children’s schools. She has two teenage boys, two dogs, and loves yoga, reading, and travel.

Ned Edwards P’07, ’10

DEAN OF FACULTY, DIRECTOR OF CAPABILITIES APPROACH PROGRAM Ned is the first director of Walker’s Capabilities Approach Program. He has considerable experience in various capacities in secondary independent education at two girls’ schools, including chaplain, teacher, director of social services, dean of faculty, and assistant head for institutional operations and strategic initiatives. His commitment to girls’ schools and girls’ education is seen not only in his career choices but also in his engagement with the National Coalition of Girls’ Schools, for which he has presented at conferences and been both a participant and a facilitator in its Headways programs. Ned is a graduate of the College of Wooster, Yale University Divinity School, and Hartford Seminary. He is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ and has served four parishes. Ned’s wife, Gwen Couch, taught at Walker’s from 1999-2011, and his daughters, Liss ’07 and Mega ’10, attended Walker’s Middle School and Upper School. On weekends, Ned enjoys working in his woodshop, building electric guitars, sailing, playing the ukulele, and being taken for walks by his basset hound, Moxie.

Tavia Lee-Goldstein

DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS AND MARKETING Tavia, a New England native, joined Walker’s in 2022 after serving many years as Director of Communications for an independent middle and high school in Houston, TX. In addition to her time in school communications and marketing, she has taught communications, film, theatre, and business & economics at the high school and college levels. She also spent five years directing an academic summer program for high school students. Tavia has an extensive film portfolio that focuses on short-form documentaries and also includes nationally distributed feature-length documentaries and television commercials. She and her family live on campus. She holds a B.A. from the University of New Hampshire and an M.B.A. from University of New Hampshire Whittemore School of Business and Economics.

Karim Mabrouk

FRENCH FACULTY Karim joined The Ethel Walker School as a part-time French teacher. From Tunisia, Karim is a native speaker of French and Arabic. He earned a dual Bachelor of Arts and a dual Master of Arts in French studies and international studies with a focus on the study of human rights and peace and conflict resolution. Karim served as a teaching assistant in French and Arabic at the University of Connecticut, a teaching fellow and an adjunct at Trinity College, and a summer instructor at Yale University. He is currently team manager and head coach for the Mandell JCC of Greater Hartford swim team. Karim has volunteered and worked alongside several youth-focused organizations and is thrilled to be a part of the Walker’s family.

Regina Martin

SENIOR ACCOUNTANT Regina Martin joined the Business Office staff as a senior accountant in December 2020. She graduated from The University of Connecticut with a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting. Regina has spent the past 30 years in nonprofit accounting, specifically long-term care, healthcare, and child health and wellness in the greater Hartford and Waterbury areas.

Katelyn Martinez

MIDDLE SCHOOL ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT AND ACTIVITIES COORDINATOR Katelyn joins Walker’s from her previous role as an assistant teacher for Horizons at The Ethel Walker School and as the School’s art intern in past summers. She is also Walker’s newest dorm faculty member. Katelyn is a recent graduate from the University of Hartford; she holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts and has an impressive portfolio of original artwork that has been accepted and shown in key exhibits, including ARIE Magazine and the Goldfarb Juried Student Exhibition.

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Beth McWilliams

CFO/COO Beth is the former chief financial officer at Shattuck St. Mary’s Educational Services in Bath, ME, and has previously worked in financial operations at independent schools throughout the Northeast. She holds a Master of Business Administration from Robert Morris University and a Bachelor of Science in accounting from Gannon University. She is a former board member for the Massachusetts Association for Non-Profit Schools and Colleges, a member of the Independent School Association of Northern New England and the National Business Officers Association.

Megan (Danyliw) Mulhern

ENGLISH FACULTY Prior to joining Walker’s, Megan taught several English courses at Westminster School and the YK Pao Secondary School in Shanghai. There, she developed a school-wide reading program. She also taught at Lawrenceville School and Emma Willard School and worked for the Center for Talented Youth at Johns Hopkins University. Megan earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from Brown University and a Master of Arts in literature from Middlebury College.

Courtney O’Connor

ASSISTANT TRAINER Courtney joined Walker’s after completing her graduate degree from the University of Findlay while working with its Hunt Seat Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) team. She has worked in many facets of the equestrian industry and brings this expertise to her position. Along with working with Findlay’s nationally-ranked IHSA team, Courtney has been involved in IEA since high school and has experience at the A and AA levels. At US Animo, for whom she traveled extensively to the biggest show venues in the country, she worked closely with top riders and trainers. Helping young people gain confidence and excel in the sport is a huge motivator for Courtney, and with the value she places on education, she will excel at Walker’s.

Pamela Safford ’81

ASSISTANT HEAD FOR ADMISSION AND ENROLLMENT Pamela holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Anthropology from Carleton College and a master of science degree from the University of Pennsylvania. Previously, she was the Director of Enrollment Management and Financial Aid at The Country School in New Canaan. Pamela has also been employed as Dean of Admission and Financial Aid at Deerfield Academy; Associate Head for Communications, Enrollment, and Planning at Concord Academy; and Director of Admission at Northfield Mount Hermon School. Pamela is a founding trustee and former chair of the board for the Association of Independent School Admission Professionals (AISAP) and she currently serves on the board of the Enrollment Management Association (EMA). Committed to supporting professional development among her peers, Pamela regularly presents at various national conferences including IECA, NAIS, SSATB, and TABS.

Harrison Shure

ASSISTANT HEAD OF SCHOOL AND DEAN OF ACADEMICS Harrison comes to Walker’s from The Loomis Chaffee School where he served as the History, Philosophy, and Religious Studies Department Chair and Associate Director of the Kravis Center for Excellence in Teaching. In addition to these administrative duties, Harrison was a history teacher and the coach of Loomis’ IEA Equestrian Team. As Walker’s Assistant Head of School and Dean of Academics, Harrison will be the academic visionary voice on campus and will lead the continued development of curricula and innovative pedagogies that carry forward our strong academic vision for the School. He will oversee program evaluation and ensure alignment of a curriculum that reflects the School’s commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, justice, and belonging. Harrison will partner with other administrators including Dr. Ned Edwards, Dean of the Faculty, and Isabel Ceballos, Head of the Middle School, on hiring a diverse and dynamic faculty and guiding a teacher performance evaluation system that promotes professional growth. Harrison holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from the University of Virginia and a Master of Arts degree in American History from Pace University.

Tanya Szuluk

ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGER Tanya started at Walker’s in October 2021 as the Administrative Manager in the Barn. She supports riding events, billing, scheduling, and other administrative duties in the department.

Kim Thacker P’24, ’27

ENGLISH FACULTY, SCHOOL ARCHIVIST Kim Harris Thacker teaches 6th and 7th grade English at The Ethel Walker School and is the School’s archivist. She is a wellpublished magazine writer and essayist with a keen interest in history and community, and in connecting the past and the present through the medium of story. Born and raised in Wyoming, Kim has retained a love of the outdoors, which she shares with her husband, Walker’s Upper School English teacher Dr. David Thacker, and their two daughters, Molly ’24 and Liesel ’27.

Leila Wetmore ’82, P’18

DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT AND ANNUAL GIVING Leila was born and raised in New York City and came to Walker’s as a freshwoman in 1978. After graduating with degrees in political science, art history, and French from St. Lawrence University, Leila returned to New York City and began her career in not-for-profit fundraising and management. Leila worked for and provided consulting services to organizations including Planned Parenthood of New York City, Lenox Hill Hospital, The American Field Service, and the National Academy of Design, among others. In 2001, Leila moved with her husband and two young daughters to Darien, CT, and continued her not-for-profit career, most recently as the Executive Director of the Darien Nature Center. Leila’s daughter, Eliza, is a 2018 graduate of Walker’s.