SPS Today: School Welcomes Five New Trustees

Meet the newest members of the SPS Board

The St. Paul’s School Board of Trustees has welcomed five new members to its ranks for the 2019-20 school year. The new trustees join the board’s 22 current members, ensuring that it is composed of individuals who possess the critical skills, experience, and commitment required to meet its strategic and fiduciary responsibilities, while reflecting the broad demographic diversity of the School community.

John D. Avery P’17,’20
M.B.A. Wharton; A.B. Harvard

John graduated from Harvard with an A.B. in 1986 and earned an M.B.A. from Wharton in 1993. He became head of artificial intelligence and advanced data analytics at Fidelity Investments in 2018. A seasoned investment professional, he served as a vice president and portfolio manager of the $5 billion Fidelity Fund from 1995 to 2018. John began his career as an investment banking associate and director of the analyst program at Alex. Brown & Sons, after which he worked as an equity research analyst for Putnam Investments. John is a former trustee and member of the Investment Committee at Shady Hill School. He is the father of Tess ’17 and Larson ’20. He lives with his family in Cambridge, Mass.

Candice N. Bednar P’18,’19,’22
B.S. Cornell

Candice earned her B.S. from Cornell University in 1991. She is an active community volunteer in Greenwich, Conn., currently serving as a trustee and first vice president of the Greenwich Library. She also is a former member of the Executive Committee of the Brunswick School Parents Association. Candice also served in various community roles in Rumson, N.J., where she was a board member of the Women’s Council for the Leon Hess Cancer Center at Monmouth Medical Center, a trustee of the Monmouth Museum, and a trustee and recording secretary of the Monmouth County Historical Association. Candice previously worked at Deloitte Consulting and Morgan Stanley in New York. She is the mother of Carson ’18, Sydney ’19, and Wade ’22. She and her family live in Greenwich, Conn.

Susan M. Fales-Hill P’21
A.B. Harvard

Susan is an alumna of the Lycée Francais de New York and Harvard University, class of 1984. An award-winning television writer/producer, author, and arts advocate, she began her career as a writer’s apprentice and “warm-up person” on The Cosby Show. After two years, she was transferred to its spin-off, A Different World, where she became one of Hollywood’s few female and youngest showrunners. Other television credits include Kirk, Suddenly Susan, and Showtime’s Linc’s, which she co-created. Susan’s memoir, Always Wear Joy, was nominated for an NAACP Image Award. Her articles have appeared in publications ranging from Vogue to the New York times. Susan served on the board of American Ballet Theatre for eight years, four as vice chair, and received the Melville Strauss award, the organization’s highest honor. As Misty Copeland’s first sponsor in 2005, she helped launch and design the ballet company’s diversity effort and now serves as chair of the Trustee Emeriti Council. Susan served as an elected director of the Harvard Alumni Association. She and her family, including husband Aaron C. Hill ASP ’80 and daughter Bristol ’21, live in Manhattan.

James F. “Jimmy” Crumpacker ’98
B.A. Georgetown

Jimmy earned a B.A. from Georgetown University in 2002. He is currently a managing partner at Crumpacker Asset Management. Prior to that, he worked as a managing partner for Aequitas Commodity Fund and as a portfolio manager at First New York Securities. Jimmy serves as board chair of the Oregon Ballet Theatre and is a board member of the Portland Japanese Garden and Meals on Wheels People, for which he drives a weekly route. Jimmy lives in Portland, Ore.

Julia B. Pershan P’20
M.B.A. Wharton; A.B. Yale

Julia earned her undergraduate degree from Yale in 1992, and received an M.B.A. from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania in 2001. She is active in the nonprofit sector. Julia is an officer of the Arete Foundation and a current trustee at the Public Theatre of New York City and at City Squash in the Bronx, N.Y. Julia is also a recent trustee of The Brearley School, Outward Bound Center for Peacebuilding, the Islesboro Islands Trust, and the Children’s Museum of the Arts. Julia has co-founded two nonprofits, including the Tribeca Organization, a 501(c)(3) dedicated to small business and community development in downtown Manhattan after September 11. Julia and her family, including daughter Ella ’20, live in New York City.