STEVEN ADAMOWSKI, PhD
(2022) Dr. Steven Adamowski is a career education leader who has a long record for creating equity, increasing opportunity, and closing achievement gaps for all students at scale. Steven is presently an Adjunct Faculty member of the Executive Leadership Program at The University of Connecticut, Neag School of Education. Over a distinguished career, Steven has served as Superintendent of Schools in both Hartford and Norwalk and he was the State of Connecticut’s Special Master for low performing school districts. He also served as Superintendent of Schools in Cincinnati, Ohio. He is also a Senior Fellow at the American Institutes for Research.
MARK ADAMS (Chairman)
(2018) Mark spent 12 years at Johnson and Johnson in accounting, operations, product management, and then international marketing. In 1993 Mark worked with Warburg Pincus, a venture capital firm, in acquiring a small medical device company as its President and CEO. Mark then worked over the next 20 years with other venture firms such as Bain Capital and First Chicago, successfully managing several of their investments companies as their President/CEO. Between managerial assignments in 2001, he personally acquired the frozen pizza business of Mystic Pizza.
KATHERINE BALLARD
(2019) Katherine is the former Dean of Faculty of the Loomis Chafee School. Throughout her 27-year career at Loomis, she served in capacities including being a master teacher of French, Department Chair, and Associate Dean of Faculty.
CAL BUXTON
(2020) Cal is a Senior Vice President and Financial Advisor for UBS Financial Services in New London, CT. He is a former Senior Portfolio Manager at the Private Bank of Bank of America, and has held senior positions at Fleet Bank, The Washington Trust Company, and Peterborough Savings Bank.
KEVIN COSTELLO (Treasurer)
(2018) Kevin is the Chief Financial Officer for Umoja Supply Chain Solutions and serves as an advisor to other high-growth companies. Kevin previously launched the East Region for Metropolitan Capital and worked in corporate strategy with Avison Young, a private-equity-backed commercial real estate services firm.
BILL FOLLETT
(2014) Bill founded and serves as Chairman of Dotcom Distribution a leading e-commerce fulfillment company. He retired from active office duties and moved to Stonington in 2013. Before Dotcom, Bill had a successful career as a senior executive in the video communications, replication, and distribution industries. From 1999 – 2006 Bill served as Chairman of Lighthouse International in NYC and in 1982 was a founder of Vision Fund of America, a video industry charity supporting people suffering from low vision.
HELEN ANN GARTEN
(2021) Helen spent 30 years as a law professor at Rutgers Law School where she taught Banking Regulation and Securities Law. Helen previously served on the Westport, CT Board of Selectmen and as Chair of the Board of Finance and is a former trustee of Earthplace, a 26-acre wildlife sanctuary and environmental learning center.
BRIAN GINEO
(2021) Brian is the head of Cost Management for CVS Caremark and has previously held multiple finance leadership roles with the company. Before CVS Brian spent 6 years as an Officer in the US Air Force.
CARTER GOWRIE
(2022) Carter is the founding partner of the Gowrie Group, which he started in 1974. He quickly grew GG to become one of the Top 50 insurance agencies and top marine insurance agencies in the nation. Additionally, Carter was the architect of the highly successful “Burgee Program” which is Gowrie’s specialty insurance for yacht clubs and sailing organizations and today they insure more than 1,000 clubs nationally.
ALLEGRA GRIFFITHS
(2013) Allegra spent over a decade in commercial banking, most recently as a Director of Bank of Montreal’s New York-based media and telecommunications group.
STEVE HAZARD (Vice Chairman)
(2009) Steve is a retired tax attorney now living in Stonington, While practicing law, Steve served as general counsel to mid-sized companies, including non-profits. He was the founder and managing partner of the Pepe & Hazard law firm which grew from three to 85 attorneys before merging with a national firm. Steve has always had an interest in K-12 education. He worked with Dean Kamen in the organization of US FIRST, an entity known for its robotics competitions. Steve is a Trustee Emeritus of Kingswood Oxford School in West Hartford.
MICHAEL HENNESSY
(2015) Michael is a Managing Director at Morgan Stanley where he has held a wide variety of roles. He is currently the Head of Operational Risk.
STEPHEN LARCEN, PhD.
(2024) Dr. Larcen has over four decades of leadership in healthcare and behavioral healthcare, serving most recently as President of the Behavioral Health Network for Hartford Healthcare, and previously as President of HHC’s Natchaug Hospital for 25 years. He has also served as President of two general hospitals, a mental health insurance company, and a community mental health center. He is currently the principal of Larcen Consulting, a healthcare management and strategy consulting business. Steve’s love of the water started in Cape May, NJ as a young child when he started boating as a teenager on CT and NJ lakes and bays.
JANE LEIPOLD
(2017) Jane is an accomplished global executive with well over 30 years of business experience in engineering, operations, and human resources. Currently Jane is president of JAL Executive HR Consulting, LLC. Previously she served as Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer for TE Connectivity.
SPIKE LOBDELL (Founder & Chief Executive Officer)
(2004) Spike is the Founder of NESS. He has been President & CEO since 2008 and has been the principal driver of its strategy. Spike was named the Ocean State Chamber of Commerce 2021 Citizen of the Year in recognition of his leadership of NESS. Formerly CEO of XL Capital’s non-insurance operations, Spike worked at JP Morgan for 27 years in various senior management capacities across the firm.
MICHAEL "DUKE" SAVAGE
(2010) Duke is of counsel to the New York law firm of Sichenzia Ross Friedman Ference, LLP, specializing in mergers and acquisitions and tax law.
PETER WILD
(2018) Peter Wild is a retired advertising executive and media startup founder, now engaged in the nonprofit sector. He currently heads the marketing committee at NESS and serves as executive director of a New Jersey-based foundation. A veteran of distance ocean racing and cruising, he resonates deeply with NESS’s strategy of introducing youth to the water as a medium of enjoyment, camaraderie, and learning. Peter and his wife Kay live in Stonington, which for many years served as his cruising base.
NESS offers a unique education model that empowers students with leadership, teamwork, confidence, and problem-solving skills to ensure academic success.
Our STEM-based curriculum includes using marine science, sailing, power boating, and adventure sports as learning platforms, on and off the water, for students from all walks of life.
