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Board of Trustees

Sara April serves as Vice-Chair. Sara is a partner in Dirks, Van Essen & April, the nation’s leading merger and acquisition firm for the newspaper industry. Sara is a graduate of George Washington University’s School of Media and Public Affairs, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism. Prior to joining DV&A, she worked with HomeWorks Media Group in Boston and The New Republic magazine in Washington, DC. Sara previously served on the board of the Child Development Center at the First Presbyterian Church in Santa Fe, as well as several years on the board of the Carlos Gilbert Elementary Parents, Teachers & Kids association. She and her husband, Dan, have two sons, Adam, Class of 2027, and Nathan, Class of 2029. A Massachusetts native, Sara grew up helping her family run a sheet-fed printing business.

Stephen Badger attended Duke University and Reed College and graduated from Union Institute in Cincinnati, OH, with a BA in Anthropology. Stephen has a deep interest in sustainable organic farming; he served as the President of Santa Fe-based Seeds of Change from 1995-2004 and heavily invested in and initiated its acquisition by Mars, Inc. From 2004-2008, Stephen led Corporate Affairs for Mars, Inc. as the Global Director. In March of 2008, Stephen joined the Mars, Inc. Board and later held the position of Chairman from 2011-2014 and again from 2017-2020. In March 2017, he assumed the Chairman role again. Other Boards that Stephen serves on include The Economics of Mutuality Foundation, The Association for Traditional Arts, and the Muscle Shoals Music Foundation. Stephen also produced “Muscle Shoals,” a documentary film about music studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2013 and sold around the world, including to PBS’ premiere network ITVS in the United States. Stephen has a child in the class of 2021 at Prep.

Elizabeth Bremner is the co-founder and President of WiserGiving®, a free online toolkit designed to “make smart philanthropy simple.” For three decades, Liz has provided leadership for new and emerging philanthropic organizations. She has served as president of The Foundation Incubator in Palo Alto, California, president and CEO of the Santa Fe Community Foundation (1993-2001), and was the founding executive director of the Los Angeles Women’s Foundation. Liz has also served on the boards of directors of numerous nonprofits, including the Ms. Foundation for Women in New York. Currently, she serves on the boards of HelpGuide International, an online guide for mental health and wellness, and Positive Energy Solar, New Mexico’s largest residential solar panel installer.  A native of the Bay Area, Liz earned a bachelor’s degree in English at the University of California, Davis, and a master’s degree in management at the University of Redlands. She returned to Santa Fe with her partner Karen Crow in 2010 to raise their three sons: Miles ’25, Ryan ’27, and Larson ’27. In addition to family activities, Liz enjoys hiking in the mountains with her big dog and tending her vegetable garden.

Randy Dry was born and raised in Santa Fe.  After completing his BBA in finance from the University of New Mexico’s Anderson School of Management, Randy moved back to Santa Fe and started his financial career at Davis Advisors.  In 2001, Randy joined Thornburg Investment Management, where he is the Chief Operating Officer and Managing Director. Randy and his wife Ocean have two children, Quinlan, Class of 2025, and Savannah, Class of 2027. Randy enjoys adventures with his family, traveling and spending time in the mountains, skiing, biking, and hiking.

Edward Gale has been in Santa Fe since 2000 and is married with two teenage children, one attending Prep. He attended Mesa State College in Grand Junction, CO, where he received his BA in Selected Studies, then the University of Northern Colorado for graduate studies in literature, and Southwestern College, where he earned his MA in counseling. Ed spent nearly 20 years in Minnesota, where he lived on and operated a family farm in the city of Minnetrista. While there, Ed served on the planning commission and was elected to two terms as a city councilor and one term as mayor. From 1993 to 1999, he served as Chairman of the Metropolitan Parks and Open Space Commission, which reviewed, developed, and implemented park and trail master plans for the 50,000-acre regional park system in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area. From 2004 to 2012, Ed has been in private practice as a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in Santa Fe. Currently, Mr. Gale serves as President of the Gale Family Foundation, Director of Superior Mineral Resources, LLC, and President of Gale Mineral Resources, LLC.

Dominic Garcia serves as Santa Fe Prep’s Endowment Board Chair. Dominic graduated from the University of New Mexico with a BA in Political Science and Spanish and a Master of Public Policy in Public Finance at the University of Chicago. Dominic has over 18 years of experience in asset and pension management. He is responsible for structuring mission-based investment and funding solutions for pension systems and multi-asset investors. Prior to joining CBRE Investment Management, Dominic was the Chief Investment Officer at New Mexico PERA, where he oversaw an investment portfolio of more than $16bn. While at PERA, Dominic helped usher in pension reform, integrating a cost-sharing mechanism into the benefit structure, modernized investment governance, and the investment process to include a risk-based, separate alpha-beta approach.

Previously, Dominic was Senior Funds Alpha Manager at the $144bn State of Wisconsin Investment Board, where he managed and oversaw multi-asset portfolios, including launching risk parity, hedge funds, and portable alpha strategies. Dominic is a recognized industry thought leader and was selected as a Global Power 100 CIO in 2021.

Dominic is currently an Independent Director for the $8bn+ Cliffwater Corporate Lending Fund (CCLF and Cliffwater Enhanced Lending Fund (CELF). Dominic also serves on the research and advisory boards for EDHEC Infrastructure Institute, UNC-Kenan Institute for Private Markets, AIF Global, and the University of Chicago, Center for Municipal Finance. Dominic is also a Trustee for the Santa Fe Community Foundation and United World College-USA.

Estevan Gonzales was born in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and raised near the Rio Grande River in rural San Pedro, a scenic neighborhood in the beautiful Española Valley. He is a Crimson Scholar graduate from New Mexico State University, having earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering with a minor in mathematics. He also received his Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University with a breadth of study in Technology Entrepreneurship. Mr. Gonzales is certified as a Project Management Professional by the Project Management Institute. Recently, Mr. Gonzales was one of five broadcast executives in the country that was awarded a fellowship to the prestigious National Association of Broadcaster’s (NAB) Business Leadership Training Program, an executive MBA-style program focused on the fundamentals of purchasing, owning, and running successful radio and television stations at the highest level. In 2021, Mr. Gonzales was appointed to the NAB’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee by the NAB President and Board Chair.

Jenny Kaufman ’94 is currently serving as the Board Chair. Jenny was born and raised in Santa Fe and is a proud graduate of Santa Fe Prep. Jenny obtained a BA in Spanish and International Relations from Claremont McKenna College and a law degree from New York University. Prior to returning to Santa Fe in 2007, Jenny practiced law in New York City at the law firm Friedman Kaplan Seiler & Adelman LLP. Jenny’s current law practice focuses on estate planning and employment law. Jenny has also served for over a decade on Santa Fe Prep’s Alumni Board. Jenny has two children, Henry and Hannah, who both currently attend Santa Fe Prep.

David Kocon serves as Treasurer. He grew up in Minnesota and earned a double degree in industrial engineering and economics through a joint program with Claremont McKenna College and Northwestern University. After college, David joined a private equity firm in Chicago and was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Romania. After his return from Romania, he earned a Master of International Affairs from Columbia University and then worked as an investment banker at Merrill Lynch, where he specialized in leveraged finance. Since moving to Santa Fe in 2009, he has become an investor and entrepreneur. Amongst his current investments, he owns the dealership for the Twice the Ice brand of ice and water vending machines for the state of New Mexico. He previously served on the Impact Investment Committee of the Santa Fe Community Foundation and was a soccer coach with the Rio Rapids Northern Soccer Club for eight years. David is married to Amanda Kocon and has two children, Prep Class of 2024 and 2027.

Miquela Korte grew up and graduated from Española, NM. Miquela is a Norteña, and her family has been rooted in New Mexico for over 400 years. Her family is rooted in the communities of Nambe, Santa Fe, El Rancho, Las Vegas (the original), and Bernal, NM. After graduation, Miquela and her husband, Kevin, moved to Santa Fe so they could immerse themselves in their community. They both felt it was important to live in the community, which helped build the values they hold dear. Miquela taught in Española and in Santa Fe Public Schools. Miquela currently works part-time at the Spanish Colonial Arts Society (SCAS), where she is the Director of the Statewide Education Programs. The SCAS education programs she has been entrusted with are living art forms that have been traditionally practiced for hundreds of years. Miquela also consults and works with students who have learning differences and is passionate about giving a voice to parents and children who are struggling with the status quo. Miquela and Kevin co-produce Nuestra Musica at the Lensic every spring. They are members of the Coloniales dance troupe. Miquela has two boys: Ezequiel ’24, and Zacarias, Class of ’30. Miquela also has five brothers and a LARGE extended family, which she holds dear.

Christine Lehman was born in the United States, raised in Melbourne, Australia, and returned to the US to attend university. She graduated with an AB from Duke University and a JD from Harvard Law School. Christine practiced corporate and healthcare law in San Francisco prior to moving to Santa Fe with her husband, Jon, a radiologist. Christine and John have three sons: Benton ’18, Oliver ’20, and Andrew ’22. Christine has also served on the CHRISTUS St. Vincent Hospital Foundation boards and the Santa Fe Ski Team.

Dr. Thao Marquez is a colorectal surgeon with Presbyterian Medical Group. She earned her medical degree at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, where she also completed an internship and a residency in general surgery. Dr. Marquez completed a master’s degree in clinical research from the University of Minnesota School of Public Health and went on to complete a fellowship in colorectal surgery at Washington University in St. Louis, MO. She is board-certified in both general surgery and colorectal surgery. Dr. Marquez moved to Santa Fe in 2018 with her husband, Sam, and two daughters, Zoe ’25 and Isa ’28. She enjoys traveling, golfing, and playing tennis with her family.

Suzanne Moss is Prep’s first Trustee Emerita. She served on Prep’s Board of Trustees from 1997-2003 and was Board Chair from 2000-2003. Suzanne is a graduate of Pennsylvania State University, where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, and a graduate of the Northwestern University School of Law. Suzanne practiced international corporate law for several years and was a member of the Minnesota State Legal Ethics Committee. She has served on the Rio Grande School Board, the Board of United World College, and the Board of Youth Shelters and Family Services. She and her husband, Philip, have a son, Michael, who graduated from Prep in 2002.

Fred Nathan and his wife, Arlyn, have three children, all of whom attended Santa Fe Prep. A former trustee for seven years, Fred rejoins the board in the 2023-2024 school year. Fred is the Executive Director of Think New Mexico, an independent, results-oriented, statewide public policy think tank, which he founded in 1999. Prior to that, Fred, a recovering attorney, served as Special Counsel to then-Attorney General Tom Udall for eight years. Fred is a former trustee of Williams College, his alma mater.

Claire Pfister is an LCSW social worker specializing in Milan systemic family therapy. She has worked in the clinical field for over thirty years both in Australia and the USA. She has worked in various settings, from nonprofit to government organizations. She is currently a clinical supervisor at The Sky Center, which specializes in suicide prevention through a host of programs from peer school mentorship groups, clinical counseling, and specialized supervision of master’s students. She also provides clinical supervision to social workers who are working to obtain their licensure. Claire served on the school board of her two eldest children in Australia for numerous years. She also was elected and served on the local Australian government council. She and her family continue to run a large rural beef cattle operation in Australia. Claire has three children; two are in their twenties, and the third will be a Prep graduate in 2027.

Joohee Rand is an Associate Partner at Tideline, a national specialist consulting firm for the impact investing industry advising institutional clients.  Prior to joining Tideline in 2022, Joohee spent over twelve years working in the New Mexico philanthropy sector.  Joohee served as the Vice President for Philanthropy and Impact Investing at Anchorum St. Vincent, responsible for developing and executing the foundation’s strategies for grants, impact investing, and community leadership initiatives to improve community health outcomes. Joohee was also the Vice President for Community Investment and Strategy at the Santa Fe Community Foundation, where she developed and led the Foundation’s impact investing program and strategic initiatives and oversaw the Foundation’s education and economic opportunities areas of impact. Prior to her philanthropic and impact investing career, Joohee was a management consultant at McKinsey & Company based in San Francisco and Seoul Offices, advising cross-sector clients ranging from global high-tech and financial corporations to foundations and international organizations.  Joohee has served on several national and regional nonprofit boards and advisory committees, including the Mission Investors Exchange, Groundworks New Mexico, the New Mexico Impact Investing Collaborative, and the Santa Fe Children’s Museum.  Joohee holds an MBA from the Harvard Business School, an MPP in International Economic Policy from the KDI School of Public Policy and Management in Korea, and a BA in General Management from the Assumption University in Thailand. Joohee and her husband, Lee Rand, moved to Santa Fe from San Francisco in 2009 and have two boys – Luke, Class of 2026 at Prep, and Jaden at Rio Grande School.

Carol Romero-Wirth is a Trustee Emerita after serving nine years on the Board of Trustees, finishing as Board Chair from 2010 to 2012. She chaired Prep’s 50th Anniversary Capital Campaign. She holds degrees from Colorado College, the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas in Austin, and the University of New Mexico School of Law. As a lawyer with a master’s degree in public policy, Carol has worked over the last thirty years in public policy, politics, government, and philanthropy. She has served on many Santa Fe nonprofit boards, including the Santa Fe Community Foundation, Literacy Volunteers of Santa Fe, the New Mexico Environmental Law Center, Wood Gormley Elementary School PTC, Breakthrough Santa Fe, Communities in Schools, the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, and the Atalaya Institute. She and her husband, Peter, have two children. Alex, Santa Fe Prep Class of ’11 and Harvard Class of ’15. Elena, Santa Fe Prep Class of ’15 and George Washington University Class of ’19.

Dennis Romero is an attorney engaged in the general practice of law in Santa Fe and Taos. He is a graduate of Stanford University, with a degree in American Studies, and Stanford University Law School. He currently serves as vice-chairman of the board of the Santa Fe Conservation Trust and also serves on the advisory board of Breakthrough Santa Fe. Formerly, Romero served as a director of Centinel Bank of Taos, a family financial institution founded by his father. Romero also served as president of the Institute for Spanish Arts / Maria Benitez Teatro Flamenco and sat on the board of Commonweal Communities, an environmentally responsible real estate development entity. He coached youth soccer with AYSO and Northern Soccer Club, and he served on the AYSO board as well. Romero is a native of Taos. He is the father of Gabriela Romero, Prep class of 2015.

Leslie Anne Ross, Psy.D. oversaw programs in research, evaluation, training, and implementation of evidence-based practices and trauma-informed care for children and families at Children’s Institute, Inc. for over fifteen years. (CII) in Los Angeles, CA. She was formerly the Vice President of the Child Trauma Center at CII and the PI for CII’s National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) Leadership Center Program. During this time, Dr. Ross directed CII’s Domestic Violence Treatment Program and co-authored the implementation manual, Responding to Domestic Violence: The Whole Person Approach, a 20-week group treatment model for adult victims of DV and their children. In addition, she oversaw CII’s APA Psychology and USC MSW Internship programs, where she facilitated the NCTSN Core Curriculum on Childhood Trauma as part of the faculty for intern training.

Dr. Ross is currently the Director of Core Curriculum on Childhood Trauma (CCCT) implementation and training at the UCLA-DUKE University National Center for Child Traumatic Stress (NCCTS). In this role, she is part of the CCCT faculty, providing training, developing new CCCT materials, and participating in research in evidence-based trauma-focused education. She is also part of the NCCTS Terrorism and Disaster Team as a Provider Wellness Specialist.

Dr. Ross was the co-founder of the NCTSN Secondary Traumatic Stress (STS) Collaborative Group (2009), which continues to focus on the prevention and intervention of STS associated with providers who work with children and families exposed to trauma. She co-authored The Secondary Traumatic Stress Inventory (STSI-OA) and STS Organizational Change Framework Model. She is on the Advisory Board for The Center for Trauma and Children at University of Kentucky well@work program and works nationally as an independent consultant, speaker, and trainer on Trauma-Informed Care, including reducing the risk of STS and building a resilient workforce.

Jenna Skinner Scanlan believes in the transformative power of education. An active community member, Jenna currently serves as Board Chair of the Ms. Foundation for Women; a member of the Advisory Board of Breakthrough Santa Fe; a member and past Chair of Hestia Santa Fe; and a Trustee of the Steele Family Foundation. Jenna and her husband, Wilson, are ridiculously proud of their three children, two of whom are students at Santa Fe Prep. Jenna grew up in Louisville, Kentucky, and moved to New Mexico to teach in the bilingual program of the Santa Fe Public Schools in 2000. A licensed educator, Jenna holds Bachelor’s degrees in American Studies and Women’s Studies/Gender Studies from Occidental College, along with a Master’s degree in Education from the College of Santa Fe. In addition to education, Jenna’s passions include spending time with her family, enjoying the beautiful New Mexico terrain, and getting lost in a really good book.

Leah Swanson is currently serving as Board Secretary. She is originally from Old Saybrook, Connecticut, and moved to Santa Fe in 1997.  Leah graduated with a BA in Psychology from Cornell University. She has 26 years of experience in sales, marketing, and operations within the financial services sector. Leah is currently Co-Head of Sales and Marketing Enablement and Managing Director at Thornburg Investment Management. Previous roles included Director of Strategic Relationships at Thornburg Investment Management, Director of Operations at Palace Capital Management, and Vice President and Director of Marketing at Thornburg Mortgage. Leah served on the board of the New Mexico Suicide Intervention Project (SKY Center) from 2015-2023 and is a former Board Chair and Trustee of Rio Grande School. She also serves on the Breakthrough Santa Fe Advisory Board. Leah and her husband, Sloan, have two daughters, Anna, Class of ’21, and Greta, Class of ’24.

Warren Thompson is our second Trustee Emeritus and is a member of Prep’s class of ’72. He originally served on the Board of Trustees from 1997 through 2005, finishing as Board chair. Warren graduated from Fort Lewis College and the Anderson School of Business at the University of New Mexico, where he earned an MBA in finance.  Currently, he is president of Los Atrevidos, Inc. His father, Leland Thompson, was a founder of the School. Warren and his wife, Mickey, have two sons, both graduates of Prep. Leland graduated with the class of ‘07, and Cass graduated with the class of ’08.