Tamara Elliott Rogers AA ’70 will become the newest charter member of the Board of Trustees. “It is a privilege to be able to serve the Academy. Abbot was extremely important to me and Andover became so after the schools merged. And it is an irresistible opportunity to work with John Palfrey, whom I admire enormously,” said Rogers. As the new Charter Trustee, Rogers hopes to “contribute the professional experience [she has] had in education working at the university level and also [her] passion for education in general and Andover in particular.” There are 17 Charter Trustees and six Alumni Trustees on the Phillips Academy board. Rogers will fill the seat which became vacant upon the retirement of Mollie Lasater AA ’56. According to Nancy Jeton, Special Assistant to the Head of School, one of the responsibilities of the Charter Trustees is to select members of the Board. Charter Trustees are typically the chairs of various committees within the Board of Trustees because they usually remain with the Board the longest, according to a previous article from The Phillipian. Charter Trustees have terms of six years, though it is common for Charter Trustees to be re-elected and serve a total of 12 years, according to a previous article from The Phillipian. Rogers was a two-year day student at Abbot Academy, where she appreciated the rigorous educational system of the institution and the many opportunities that it provided her. “I loved Abbot. My earlier school experience was in the public school system of Lowell, [Mass.], where I had some wonderfully dedicated teachers. But Abbot had small classes and a lot of personal attention,” said Rogers. “I was encouraged at Abbot to aim high in applying to college, which meant a lot as my parents had not gone to college. I have the best parents in the world, but they couldn’t really advise on how to think about college,” continued Rogers. “And of course, Abbot broadened my horizons as I met girls from many regions and backgrounds.” “I love education. I was in Harvard Admissions for many years, and I am particularly excited about working [for] an extraordinary educational institution at the secondary level. It is intellectually fascinating and emotionally gratifying,” she continued. Since graduating from Abbot Academy in 1970, Rogers’s dedication to both Abbot and Andover has only grown over the years. The merger of Abbot and Phillips in 1973 has strengthened her enthusiasm for her high school alma mater. She became a volunteer after the merger, when Andover reached out to her. “As a volunteer, I worked closely with Barbara Chase, the wonderful previous Head of School, and also with faculty leadership around the Abbot Academy Association and the [Institute for Recruitment of Teachers]. It was a great experience,” said Rogers. Rogers served as a board member and the President of the Abbot Academy Association and also as President of the Alumni Council, at which she also served as an alumni trustee. Rogers began her career in admissions at Harvard College, serving as Director for International Admissions. She is now the Vice President for Alumni Affairs and Development at Harvard University, as well as being on the Board of the Harvard Club of New York as a volunteer.
