The outpouring of support and interest from CA stakeholders around the globe in the work of the Safe Return to CA Advisory Committee (SRCA) announced by the Board of Trustees has been inspiring. The familiar CA spirit and drive for progress that we know and love have been on full display. As promised, we have now confirmed the SRCA membership. For your reference, we have included the committee’s charter at the end of this letter (also provided in the August 17 announcement).
We were thrilled to have 29 parents submit statements of interest — and many offered to provide counsel in their specific areas of expertise. We are so fortunate that our parent body includes talented professionals in a range of relevant fields and disciplines. We are also grateful to the 18 faculty and staff members who so helpfully raised their hands offering their service to the SRCA — especially as they prepare for the imminent start to the school year.
We would like to thank the following members of the CA Parents Council for their thorough process and careful selection of four parent representatives: Trelane Clark '92, P'22, Becky Derby ’84, P’18 '22, June Fan P’22 ’23, Shari Marquis P’18 ’21, Andrea Patton P’21, Lee Rosenbaum P’19 ’22, Mariko Sakurai P’21, and Antonia von Gottberg P’21 ’24. Our thanks as well to Adam Bailey (Modern & Classical Languages), Maggy Godfroy (Human Resources), George Larivee (Mathematics), Marie Myers P’19 ’21 ’21 (Admissions), and Kate Peltz (College Counseling) for devoting time and energy to the task of selecting our four faculty and staff representatives.
Following their deliberations and guidance, we have established the membership as follows:
Safe Return to CA Advisory Committee
Co-Chairs Jennifer Pline P’13 ’15 Ly Tran P’22 ’23
Students Zahaan Khalid ’21, Student Head of School Nancy Onyimah ’21, Student Head of Boarders Sofia Silva ’21, Student Head of Day Students
Faculty and Staff Topi Dasgupta P’22, History Faculty Max Hall, Science Faculty Greg Jutkiewicz, Director of Summer Programs Wenjun Kuai, Modern and Classical Languages Faculty
Trustees Harvey Berger, M.D., Trustee Jon DeSimone P’20, Trustee Lori Hick P’19 ’22, Trustee and CA Parents President Karen Liesching P’21, Trustee
Senior Administrators Don Kingman, Director of Campus Planning and Construction Alice Roebuck, Director of Advancement and Engagement Sarah Yeh P’24, Assistant Head and Dean of Faculty
Ex-Officio Rick Hardy, Head of School, Dresden Endowed Chair Fay Shutzer Ph.D. ’65, President, Board of Trustees
This team’s work will begin with an introductory session later this week. Starting the week of September 7, the committee will settle into a weekly cadence of Zoom meetings and sub-committee activity. This timing will allow the faculty, staff, students, and administrators to give their undivided attention to their primary responsibilities during the first week of school. Please continue to send questions to healthyconcord@concordacademy.org. You will receive a prompt response. Meanwhile, you can expect regular updates addressing the SRCA’s progress.
We look forward to taking the next steps together as a community and feeling the welcome “whoosh” (to quote Rick Hardy) that always comes with CA’s opening days. The Safe Return to CA Advisory Committee was born out of the mission that binds us together and the desire to harness the best of CA for our students this year. CA must stay especially focused on that mission and the specific needs of this unusual moment. It gives us energy to think of all of you, wherever you are in the world, getting ready to launch.
With gratitude, Jennifer Pline P’13 ’15 Ly Tran P’22 ’23
Co-Chairs, Safe Return to CA Advisory Committee
Safe Return to CA Advisory Committee Charter:
The "Safe Return to CA" Advisory Committee has been formed in response to the challenges Concord Academy faces in light of a global pandemic, and in the interest of increased transparency and communication in these rapidly-evolving circumstances.
The Advisory Committee will bring together representatives from the broader CA community — faculty, staff, parents, students, and trustees — with the goal of working together in a spirit of common trust to inform and advise school leadership and the Board of Trustees in connection with matters relating to the safe return of students to CA. The Advisory Committee’s recommendations will be advisory in nature, drawing on the expertise and good will of the entire CA community, and will not be binding on school leadership or the Board. The Advisory Committee chair(s) will be appointed by the Board, and will be empowered to form subcommittees and working groups to carry out different aspects of the Advisory Committee's work. The Advisory Committee will provide periodic (at least monthly) reports to school leadership and the Board during the period of the Advisory Committee’s existence.
