Andover welcomed four alumni as new members of the Board of Trustees on July 1.
Tristin Batchelder Mannion ’82 was selected as a Charter Trustee, Rejji Hayes ’93 and Mari Wellin King ’75 were elected as Alumni Trustees, and Tom Beaton ’73 was elected both Alumni Council President and Alumni Trustee.
Head of School John Palfrey also joins the 22 trustees in governing Andover.
The Committee of Trustees selected the Charter Trustees, while the Alumni council elected the Alumni Trustees and President. In the selection process, the committees consider the candidates’ backgrounds, professional experience and history at Andover.
Mannion currently serves on the Gift Planning Advising Committee, the Financial Aid Task Force and the Campaign Steering Committee. In her six-year term, she wants to “immerse herself in supporting the well being of the entire school, it’s facilities, faculty, staff and student body.” she said. “Such support will require counsel on and enhancement of school finances, policies and governance.”
“This is an especially exciting moment for Andover with the transition of leadership in the Head of School as well as the Board of Trustees; I am privileged and honored to be able to play a role in guiding the changes and sculpting the future of the Academy. I am deeply committed to Andover’s established level of excellence in academics, athletics and non-sibi principles,” Mannion added in an e-mail to The Phillipian.
Hayes, who is currently the Head Class Agent for the Class of ’93 and a member of the Annual Giving Board, Academy Initiatives Committee, Greater Chicago Regional Leadership Team and the Planning Committee for the Todd A. Isaac Scholarship Fund, said that he will apply his previous experiences in his four-year term as an Alumni Trustee.
“[As a student,] I truly enjoyed every minute on that campus–the students, faculty, administrators, coaches, staff, et cetera. It’s an incredibly rich learning environment which broadens one’s perspective and comfort zone both inside and outside of the classroom,” Hayes wrote in an e-mail to The Phillipian.
Prior to her role as Alumni Trustee, King has served as a Secretary for the Class of ’75, an Alumni Admissions Representative and a member of the Alumni Council. She has also helped organize fundraising at reunions.
“As a Trustee, I will be one of the school’s many stewards with a long-term perspective to help Andover fulfill its mission of educational excellence. The board has a variety of committees and I will be an enthusiastic member of several of those,” King wrote in an e-mail to The Phillipian.
“Each Trustee offers his or her own different perspective. I believe I have an understanding of the culture on campus past and present as an alum, volunteer and parent,” she continued.
Before beginning his three-year term as President of Alumni Council, Beaton worked in many alumni events: Andover and the Military, Mentoring Young Alumni and Non Sibi Day.
Beaton said, “There is so much that is great about Andover—starting with the best students and faculty in the world. I plan to start by listening a lot to all members of community: students, faculty, staff, alumni and parents. Inevitably, with a new Head of School, there are bound to be some exciting developments. I hope to bring the alumni and campus communities together more to advance significant learning and Non Sibi service objectives.”
