David Donovan, Chair
David Donovan is the Dean of Admissions at Delbarton School in Morristown, New Jersey, where he teaches European history and philosophy, sits on the Administrative, Academic and Judiciary Councils, and serves as a College Guidance Advisor and as a member of the School Security Task Force and the School Accreditation Planning Team. Dr. Donovan holds degrees from Brown University and Columbia University and his M.Phil and Ph.D are from the Caspersen School of Graduate Studies at Drew University in European intellectual history where he held the Callihan, Caspersen and Weaver Fellowships. Dr. Donovan, recognized as an “Outstanding Educator” by both the University of Chicago and the University of California, has been the recipient of both research and study grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Council for Basic Education, and the New Jersey Council for the Humanities. Most recently, Dr. Donovan was honored nationally by the E.E. Ford Foundation and the National Association of Independent Schools as an Emerging School Leader in 2004 and was granted the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association’s “Award of Honor” for his contribution to New Jersey state athletics in 2004. Dr. Donovan is a past member of the Board of Directors for the Roothbert Fund in New York City and is currently a Trustee for the Shepherds of Youth in Florham Park—institutions that support educational outreach and development initiatives. He is a former Adjunct Professor at Kean University, member of the National Association of Scholars, and author of the literary study Spiritual Selfhood and the Modern Idea (Xlibris Press, 2004). David lives in Chester, New Jersey with his wife, Sheila, and five children.
Marylou Arnett, Vice Chair
M’lou is a co-founder of and Chief Operating Officer for Scerene Healthcare Inc., an OTC and personal care products start-up based in Peapack, NJ. Prior to founding Scerene, M’lou led the marketing and advertising efforts at Adams Respiratory Therapeutics, makers of Mucinex and Delsym from 2004 until the company was sold in January 2008. Additionally, M’lou worked in marketing and brand management for Warner Lambert (later Pfizer), as an independent marketing and management consultant and for Chase Manhattan Bank. She graduated from Miss Porter’s School, Yale University and Columbia University Graduate School of Business. M’lou and her husband, Tres, have 4 children, 3 of whom attend Willow.
Jean Scott, Secretary
Jean Scott, a returning trustee, was a Marshall Scholar at Cambridge University in England, where she received a degree in linguistics. She started her career in pediatric nursing, then pursued a degree in law and practiced international litigation in Illinois and Washington, DC. She has also served as professor of law at Washington University. Jean lives in bernardsville with her husband.
Brendan Binder, Treasurer
Brendan Binder was born and raised in Summit, NJ and has resided in the Somerset Hills area for over twenty years. Brendan is President & COO of Binder Machinery Co., a construction machinery distribution business which was founded by his grandfather in 1957 and is headquartered in South Plainfield, NJ. He is also involved in several industry related organizations and sits on the board as a founding member of the Associated General Contractors of New Jersey Scholarship Foundation. Brendan was educated at the Daycroft School in Greenwich, CT and then at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, FL where he majored in creative writing and literature. Brendan and his wife Krissy are also actively involved in organizations such as; Somerset Hills Handicapped Riding Center and the Boy Scouts of America. Krissy and Brendan are devoted Willow parents as two of their three children are currently enrolled.
Jefferey Ammeen
Jeffrey Ammeen is the Executive Vice President of Neema Clothing, a leading menswear manufacturer. In addition to running the day-to-day business, he is the creator of Voodoo Guru, a specialty men’s apparel brand which launched in Fall 2010. Jeffrey also serves as the Creative Director for Haspel, the iconic American menswear brand. He was recently profiled in the fashion section of The Wall Street Journal and the Sunday business section of The Star Ledger. Prior to his tenure with Neema, Jeffrey spent several years working as a professional musician, songwriter and producer. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from Columbia University. Jeffrey has two children attending The Willow School.
Adam Fischer III
Adam is a First Vice President /Financial Advisor for the Wealth Management division of Citi Smith Barney in Bedminster N.J. Prior to joining Smith Barney in 2003, he was employed by Merrill Lynch for 19 years. Adam is a graduate of Rochester Institute of Technology B.S. and attended public school in Basking Ridge , N.J. He and his wife Lesley have three boys. Their youngest son attends The Willow School.
Gretchen Johnson Biedron, Co-Founder
Gretchen has taught at the Pennington School in New Jersey and at the Charles Armstrong School in Belmont, California. She has also worked as a private tutor, specializing in language and learning disabilities. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and American literature from Brown University, and a Master of Science in communication sciences and disorders from the Institute of Health Professions at Massachusetts General Hospital. Prior to enrolling at Brown, she attended Far Hills Country Day School in Far Hills, New Jersey, The Peck School in Morristown, New Jersey, and The Hotchkiss School in Lakeville, Connecticut.
Brad Gano
Brad is a Senior Financial Consultant at Summit Financial Resources. Prior to this, Brad ran Hilltop Capital Management for 8 years, a firm he started in June of 2000. Before starting his own firm, Brad spent 15 years working in the high yield bond business for Credit Lyonnais Securities, Morgan Stanley & Co., Salomon Brothers, Inc. Oppenheimer & Co. and Nomura Securities USA. Brad graduated from The Boys’ Latin School of Maryland in 1974, Yale College in 1978 and the Harvard Business School in 1986. Brad and his wife, Peggy, have three children, two daughters and a son. Brad and Peggy’s second daughter attends The Willow School.
Daniel McCarthy
Daniel McCarthy joined Healthfirst in April 2008 as the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. In this role, he is responsible for Sales, Network Management, Claims and Enrollment Operations, Member Services, Network Management, Administration, as well as Strategy Development and Implementation. Prior to joining Healthfirst, Dan served as the President of Metcare Health Plans, Inc., a Medicare Advantage plan in Florida. For the thirteen years prior to joining Metcare, Dan was an executive with WellChoice, Inc. (the parent company of Empire BlueCross and BlueShield). In addition to being part of the Executive Leadership Team, he was responsible for Network Contracting and Management, Senior Market Products, Individual Products, the New Jersey market, Medical Economics, Group Underwriting, as well as other areas of responsibility. Dan holds dual Bachelor degrees from Fordham University in History and Political Science. His graduate studies were completed at the NYU Leonard N. Stern School of Business where he earned an MBA in Finance and Management. Dan and his wife Noelle have two children attending The Willow School.
Andrew Rubenstein
Andrew is a graduate of Madison High School, attended Roger Williams College and graduated with a BS degree in Construction Management and a minor in Business from University of West Florida. Andrew worked summers throughout college in his family business, Rubenstein Properties. Since 1992 until present Andrew is involved in Construction Management, Leasing and Purchasing and Sales of Properties for Rubenstein Properties. Andrew resides in Boonton Township.
Anthony Sblendorio
Anthony Sblendorio, one of the pioneers of sustainable and regenerative design in New Jersey, is one of the original founders of Ecological LLC. In 2008, Mr. Sblendorio partnered with Joe Grano, the former Chairman & CEO of UBS PaineWebber, and George E. Pataki, the former Governor of New York, to form Ecological LLC. The company began as an outgrowth of Mr. Sblendorio’s company Back to Nature, focusing on horizontal development and master planning with regenerative design. Ecological has since evolved to include both a regenerative land development division and the division of Comprehensive Sustainability Services™ for existing real estate, primarily commercial buildings. Ecological LLC has a strategic partnership with Cushman & Wakefield (C&W), the largest property operator in the world, as a preferred vendor to provide sustainability and energy efficiency services to C&W clients. Mr. Sblendorio brings to Ecological more than eighteen years of experience in the creation of exquisite landscapes that integrate inspired site design with the values of regenerative landscapes. He founded Back to Nature in 1994 with the goal of designing and building ecologically and economically sustainable projects that regenerate natural resources. The company has received some of the highest awards for their projects. Anthony and Back to Nature were also the lead master planners for the Willow School in Gladstone, NJ. The Willow School was the first LEED-rated independent school in the country, which included the first LEED Gold certified building in the northeast and eventually one of the first LEED Platinum buildings in the country. Mr. Sblendorio taught the first ever Regenerative Planning Studio at New Jersey’s Science and Technology University (NJIT), as well as at Rutgers’ Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy. He has been featured in the New York Times; CNN Headline News; Wall Street Journal; Star Ledger; NJ & Company; Colonial Homes; and NJ Monthly for his award winning designs. He has been an invited speaker at the Annual Congress of the Association of New Jersey Environmental Commissions, the US Green Building Council National Conference, and the Meadowlands Commission first Green Summit, among many others. Most recently he gave a training seminar on regenerative design to the entire staff of the NJ Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) by invitation of the commissioner. Mr. Sblendorio is also a member of the American Society of Landscape Architects, is a certified landscape architect, and also a LEED Accredited Professional.
R. Scott Thompson
Scott is employed as an attorney with the firm of Lowenstein Sandler in Roseland, New Jersey. Scott is a graduate of Princeton University and Rutgers University School of Law. He and his wife, Anne, have two children both of whom attend The Willow School.
Kelly Traudt
Kelly is Senior Technical Recruiter for an international consulting firm. She primarily recruits technology talent within the financial sector as well as offering creative hiring solutions within the Brazilian market. She has also worked in Executive Search for a London based firm within the New Media and Technology industry, managed a multi-million dollar out-sourcing contract with Perot Systems and ran consulting services for JP Morgan. Prior to her experience in recruitment, Kelly worked for NBC News on the Weekend Today Show and for ABC News in New York, Washington, DC and London. She has two daughters at Willow in sixth and eighth grade. Kelly has a BA in Communications from Marist College and studied Communication and Cultural Studies at Leeds Trinity University College in England.
Susan Vella
Susan is currently a Senior Vice President with Chubb & Son, Inc in Whitehouse Station, NJ where she runs their Personal Insurance Operations and Customer Service functions. Leading innovative teams, driving change and high energy are all hallmarks of her career. She has a proven ability to articulate a strategic vision and lead teams to achieve it. With over 25 years of global p&c insurance experience, specializing in high end personal insurance, Susan has built and managed operations in the US and Canada, developed policy issuance systems, centralized operations and delivered significant profit and growth for her organizations. Her specialties include: market strategy, system development, expense management, people development, communications and customer service. She has most recently served on the Development Committee of the Willow School and is a past board member of the DAREArts Foundation and of the Women in Insurance Cancer Crusade (WICC), both in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. More recently she completed a term as a Board Member of Chubb’s Women’s Development Council where she served as the Mentor Program Chair. She and her husband Frank relocated to New Jersey from Toronto, Canada in 2005 with their 3 children and currently live in Bridgewater, NJ. They have two girls in the Willow School, Emily, grade 4 and Katie, grade 7 and a son, Avery, who is a freshman at the Pingry School. She graduated Cum Laude from Yale College of Yale University with a Bachelor of Arts and has completed an International Strategic Studies program at the London School of Economics and has attended executive education programs at McGill University and Smith College. She holds both U.S. and Canadian citizenship.
