Board of Trustees
The Board of Trustees of Prospect Hill Academy is charged with the overall governance of the school, ensuring that (a) the school is faithful to the terms of its charter; (b) the academic program is a success; and (c) the organization is viable. Furthermore, the Board is responsible for establishing broad policy goals that align the operation of the school with its mission, providing fiduciary oversight of the school’s operations, and supporting long-range strategic planning to ensure the school’s future.
Committees of the Board of Trustees currently include Governance, Finance, Academic Affairs, Advancement, and Facilities. In any given year, task forces may be created to address other strategic issues. Officers of the Board are nominated by the Governance Committee and are elected by the full Board each year.
For board-related questions or concerns, please contact [email protected].
Members of the Board of Trustees
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![]() Angela F. Allen
Head of School/CEO, Prospect Hill Academy Member since 2015 Ex-officio member Dr. Allen attended the University of Georgia (BBA) and Emory University (M.ED), and also holds a Doctorate of Philosophy in Curriculum and Instruction from Indiana University.
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![]() Research Analyst at Polen Capital Credit
Member since 2020
Treasurer Kate is an Research Analyst at Polen Capital Credit. The strategy looks to pinpoint divided paying stocks with either a long term competitive advantage or a cost advantage that will in turn help the company increase their dividend over time. She also works on an ESG dividend income strategy that aims to do the same. Kate has also started a Women in Wealth Management Initiative at the firm to help women increase their financial literacy.
Kate earned an M.B.A and M.S.F from Boston College and B.F.A in Dance Performance from Butler University. Prior to Adviser Investments Kate worked at Wells Fargo, and was also a professional ballet dancer before going back to business school.
Kate was introduced to Prospect Hill Academy in 2016 and has volunteered every year since. She is passionate about the great outcomes the school provides for the students and is delighted to serve on the board.
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![]() Real Estate Consultant at Charlesgate
Member since 2025
Steve grew up in Rhode Island, and is a longtime resident of Somerville. He has extensive experience in IT management in banking and financial services. Steve is currently a real estate consultant working in residential and new development with Charlesgate. Former employers include The Putman Funds, State Street Bank and Wells Fargo Bank. Steve has Board of Director experience with Community Cooks in Somerville, and volunteer experience with Somerville Kiwanis, Greater Boston Food Bank, and Literacy Volunteers of America.
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![]() Head of School, Tremont School Member since 2020 Krista has over twenty years of teaching and leadership experience in public, non-profit and independent schools in the Boston area and has worked as a special education teacher, reading and learning specialist, department chair and administrator. Over the span of her career, she has taught students from Pre-Kindergarten through 8th grade and is currently serving in her tenth year as the Middle School Head at Shady Hill School in Cambridge. Krista’s commitment to social justice, equity and educational access began as a high school student in North Carolina and giving back to publicly funded education is a personal mandate.
Krista holds a B.A. in Elementary Education from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill where she was selected as a North Carolina Teaching Fellow. She also holds an M.Ed in Moderate Special Needs from Boston College.
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![]() Director, Lee & Associates Boston Member since 2023 Stephanie Deering is a Director at Lee and Associates commercial real estate with over 13 years of experience working with landlords and tenants to accomplish their real estate goals. Stephanie began her career working with financial institutions in their life insurance and mutual fund departments before making the move to the real estate industry. She began working in the residential mortgage industry working with home buyers to obtain financing before making the change to commercial real estate. She is motived by the pleasure of helping others find what they are looking for and successfully reaching their real estate goals. Her expertise is in working with clients to successfully establish a business plan, being an expert in the greater Boston real estate market trends and successfully negotiating terms on her client’s behalf. In addition to her time spent with her own clients, Stephanie helps mentor and train new agents/employees on their path to becoming successful Commercial Agents.
Prior to joining the PHA Board of Trustees, Stephanie served for three years as the treasurer of the PHA Foundation Board. In addition, she serves on the Executive Board for the Somerville Chamber of Commerce.
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![]() Pam Dickinson
Strategic Consultant Member since 2018 Vice Chair Pam has 25 years of demonstrated leadership in schools, nonprofits and business enterprises. After beginning her career in business and venture capital, she shifted to mission-driven work while raising her four children. Most recently, she was Director of External Relations at Shady Hill with responsibility for the Advancement, Admission, Communications, and Marketing departments. Having recently relocated to Vermont, she continues to consult on strategic matters for multiple schools and nonprofits. She has held numerous leadership positions on school and non-profit boards including Shady Hill, Beacon Academy, Prospect Hill Academy, and The Foundation to Be Named Later. She also continues to invest in early stage companies, particularly those backed by female entrepreneurs. |
![]() Senior Portfolio Director, Harvard Business School Member since 2019 Chair
Jennifer is a lifelong learner with over 20 years of progressive management experience in higher education. She is passionate about transformational education experiences and access to education, at all levels and stages. Her expertise is in the areas of executive education and student programming; research grant administration, strategic relationship management; operations management and financial management; and delivery of high‐profile engagements. She has an aptitude for strategic thinking, prides herself on a global perspective and is most comfortable in a multicultural environment.
As Senior Portfolio Director at Harvard Business School (HBS), she currently oversees the Healthcare and Strategy executive education program portfolios. Prior to joining HBS, Jennifer was the Associate Director for Executive Education and International Programs at the Harvard Graduate School of Design (GSD). Jennifer has also served as the Program Director for the Center for International Development at Harvard, and before that, as Program Director for Executive Education at Harvard Kennedy School.
In addition to her professional work and her PHA Board of Trustees role, Jennifer is the founding treasurer for the Savoyards of Boston, the scholarship chair for the Purdue Alumni Club of Greater Boston, and an ESL tutor with Project Literacy. Jennifer attended Purdue University (BA) and the Harvard Graduate School of Education (M.Ed). She is the recipient of Harvard Kennedy School Dean’s Award for Excellence.
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![]() Susie Istock Hanlon
Senior Communications Strategist, Voya Financial Member since 2010 Susie works in the Retirement Services business of Voya Financial partnering with large corporate customers to drive improved retirement outcomes. She is a Communications Strategist that reviews benefit plan structures, participant behaviors, product adoption, demographic drivers, media influence and more, to develop and measure communication and education programs. Susie has worked in the financial services industry for over twenty years at State Street Corporation, ING U.S. and most recently, Voya. Susie has been affiliated with PHA for more than a decade working to provide students a wide array of out-of-school time opportunities to help prepare them for college and beyond. She participates on the Development Committee and Foundation. Susie holds a B.A. from Purdue University and a M.A. from Boston University. She resides in Ashmont (Dorchester) and is involved with other local non-profit organizations. |
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![]() M. Musa Imtiaz
Vice President at State Street Investment Management Member since 2025 M. Musa Imtiaz is a Vice President leading product partnerships globally for State Street Investment Management. He brings deep expertise in strategy, operations, client service, and relationship management, with a strong focus on delivering innovative investment solutions.
Musa holds a Bachelor of Science in Finance from Bentley University and brings a global perspective to his work, having completed his early education in Lahore, Pakistan. |
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![]() Attorney at Schwartz Hannum PC Member since 2025 Cara is an education and employment law attorney at Schwartz Hannum PC. She advises clients on compliance with a broad range of federal and state laws affecting the workplace and educational environments. Cara assists clients with maintaining legally sound and inclusive policies and practices across their organizations by providing strategic advice on preventing and responding to various claims. |
![]() Assistant Principal at Kennedy-Longfellow School Member since 2023 Rolanda was born in Cabo Verde and immigrated to the United States at the age of five. She was raised in Roxbury, where her family continues to reside. Rolanda earned her Bachelor's Degree in Social Work from the University of New Hampshire, and Masters of Social Work from Simmons College. In 2022, Rolanda earned her CAGS in Educational Leadership from Salem State University. Rolanda has had over 20 years of experience as a clinical social worker in various settings including in-home, hospital, child welfare, and public schools for the last 17 years.
She currently works as an Assistant Principal at an elementary school in Cambridge. Rolanda is passionate about creating equitable spaces for learners, and is excited to continue this work with the board.
Rolanda has three children who currently attend PHA. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, traveling with her family, cooking, and cheering on her kids from the sidelines of their sporting events. |
Ginessa Rodríguez-Reyes
![]() Quality Manager, PPG Aerospace Member since 2021 Ginessa was born and raised in Puerto Rico. After graduating high school she moved to Indiana to pursue a degree in Engineering.
She has over 20 years of experience in the Quality field across multiple industries; automotive, medical device, defense, industrial NDT (non-destructive test instruments) & aerospace. She has worked in quality through all stages of the product development process as well as after sales service where she was responsible for auditing global repair and calibration laboratories. Ginessa has been involved both in maintaining international certifications as well as attaining international accreditation for multiple calibration and repair laboratories in the US and Canada.
Ginessa attended Purdue University (BS MET), is a member of the American Society for Quality (ASQ), as well as a member of the Purdue Alumni Club of Greater Boston and the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE). She also acts as a Condo Association Trustee.
On her spare time she likes to connect with family and friends, loves music, books, travel and is an amateur photographer. |
Telma Salvador
![]() Vice President, Private Banking Relationship Manager at Cambridge Trust, a division of Eastern Bank Member since 2025 Telma Salvador is a seasoned financial professional with nearly two decades of experience in private banking and client relationship management. She currently serves as Vice President, Private Banking Relationship Manager at Cambridge Trust, a division of Eastern Bank, where she works closely with individuals and businesses to help them build and manage wealth with care, insight, and a strong emphasis on long-term relationships. Prior to joining Cambridge Trust in 2016, she spent nine years at Citibank in progressively senior roles.
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![]() Chief Growth Officer, bswift Member since 2023 Sue Thomson is the Chief Growth Officer of bswift, a leading benefits administration provider. Sue has 30 years of experience in the human resources, benefits and health care space where she led the sales and marketing functions for several organizations. Sue is passionate about mentoring others, building relationships with clients and helping them solve their HR and benefits problems. Sue also sits on the Board of 2-4-1 Cares, an organization dedicated to sports sampling and social emotional learning. Sue earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Bucknell University and has three grown children. |
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![]() Principal and Partner at DiMella Shaffer Member since 2025 Frank is a Principal and Partner at DiMella Shaffer, where he leads the firm’s Multifamily Housing Sector strategy and plays a central role in marketing strategy and business development. With a deep understanding of the evolving demands of private development, Frank focuses on aligning market needs with innovative, community-centered solutions that drive successful, sustainable projects.
His leadership is rooted in decades of experience delivering a diverse range of housing typologies—including market-rate, affordable, senior housing, and student residences—across the New England region. Frank is known for his ability to foster lasting relationships with developers and community stakeholders alike, cultivating opportunities in multifamily, retail/commercial, hospitality, and historic adaptive reuse sectors.
By championing a collaborative, market-responsive approach, Frank ensures that every project strikes a thoughtful balance between architectural design and financial feasibility, resulting in developments that serve both community goals and investor expectations.
Frank holds a Bachelor of Architecture (B Arch) from Cornell University. |
Honorary Trustees
Salim Kabawat
Mary Nice-Hodorawis
Parviz Parvizi
Events
Board Documents
2024-25 Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes
2023-24 Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes
2022-23 Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes
2021-2022 Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes
2020-2021 Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes
2019-2020 Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes