Board of Trustees

Maureen Brennan

Maureen Brennan has worked as an Educational and Clinical Placement Consultant since 2003. She works closely with families, students and schools, as well as clinical and educational professionals, to help find the most appropriate school or program for her clients. She believes that with the right tools, support and encouragement her clients will be able to create a healthy, successful and fulfilling life for themselves academically and otherwise. Receiving her M.A. at NYU in Experiential Therapy as well as struggling in school herself as a non traditional learner, Maureen is able to bring first-hand knowledge to the school placement experience when working with families. She believes the right academic environment builds on the strengths of the student as well as support the deficits while also developing the resiliency to persevere when things become a challenge. She is an athlete and believes it is paramount to stay active, pursue passions and develop interests outside of the classroom. Together with schools, programs and families she tries to think outside the box to meet the needs of each individual student.

Amanda Clayman

Amanda Clayman is a partner with the law firm of Katz & Stefani, LLC, where she practices exclusively in the area of family law. She graduated from Middlebury College in 1993 with a B.A. in International Studies and she received her J.D. from Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law in 1996. Amanda serves on the Board of Directors of Combined Jewish Philanthropies (CJP), one of New England’s largest non-profit organizations. Amanda also serves as the co-chair of her synagogue’s inclusion committee and recently co-chaired CJP’s Annual Pomegranate Society & Friends Event. Amanda’s son currently attends Middlebridge School.

Gary Esposito

Gary Esposito graduated from Northeastern University with a Masters in Public Administration. In 1986 Gary accepted the position of Business Manager at the Wheeler School, a Nursery to 12th grade co-ed day school in Providence, RI. Gary and his wife of 47 years, Rosanne have two children, Michael and Megan, and three grandchildren. Gary and Rosanne both worked in the Boston area before they moved to Newport, RI in 1977 to work for the City of Newport. Their kids Michael and Megan both attended Wheeler and graduated in 1997, and 2000 respectively

Adam Geiger

Adam Geiger holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the State University of New York at Albany. He is a CFA charterholder and a member of the Chartered Financial Analysts Institute. He is President and Chief Investment Officer of New Legacy Capital, an alternative investment firm he co-founded in 2007. Mr. Geiger has been involved in several non-profit endeavors, having participated in fundraising for several private schools and major philanthropic organizations, including Project Sunshine and the United Way. His daughter was a Middlebridge postgraduate in 2009.

Cecilia Hynes Griffin

Cecilia Hynes Griffin (“Leah”) is a founding principal of Griffin McCarthy & Rice LLP, a Chicagoland boutique law firm practicing exclusively in the area of family law. With over 23 years of experience in family law, Leah has handled numerous complex family law matters, including multifaceted business valuations, income determination issues, dissipation claims, tracing of marital and non-marital assets, as well as custody, visitation and removal disputes. Leah is trained in mediation and collaborative law and is a seasoned litigator when necessary. Leah is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame and Loyola University of Chicago School of Law. Her daughter graduated from Middlebridge in June 2019.

Brian Graff

Brian Graff received a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the State University of New York at Binghamton and a Master of Business Administration from New York University. Mr. Graff has over 25 years of private equity experience and was President of Private Finance and Chairman of the Investment Committee at American Capital, LTD where he sat on over a dozen corporate boards. Mr. Graff currently sits on several non-profit boards. His son graduated from Middlebridge in June 2019.

Paul Herman

Paul Herman is a full-time parent, community volunteer, and an aspiring writer. He earned a PhD in American history from Stanford University, a MA in religious studies from the Pacific School of Religion, and a BA from Grinnell College. Before his academic career, Paul worked primarily in San Francisco and California politics, focusing on AIDS-related policy and HIV prevention. In 1992, he helped found the AIDS Consortium of South Africa, a national coalition of AIDS-related organizations. Paul has served on boards for Legal Services for Children, Marin Country Day School, and the David Ladley Swanson Foundation. His daughter graduated from Middlebridge in June 2021.

John J. Kaufman

John Kaufman is the founding Head of School of Middlebridge School. John graduated from Michigan State with a BS in Psychology, and continued his education at Saint Michael's College, where he earned his MA in Clinical Psychology. After more than a dozen years working with youth and in education, John jumped at the opportunity to create a unique and much-needed program in southern Rhode Island. He moved to Rhode Island with a small group of committed educators in 2008 to start Middlebridge School. Now in its fifteenth year, Middlebridge School serves 74 students ages 13-19 from all over the country. John has devoted himself wholeheartedly to creating and strengthening Middlebridge School and, because of his passion and commitment, the school has quickly developed a national reputation for excellence. An ex-officio member of Middlebridge School’s Board of Trustees, John oversees Admissions and Development for the school. He travels the country to meet with families and educational consultants and attend conferences. John is an active member of the Narragansett community and previously served as Vice Chair of the Narragansett Conservation Commission and Tree Board.

Matt Lowery

Dr. Matthew Lowery earned a B.A. from Bucknell University and an M.D. from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School. Matt is a partner with Radiology and Imaging Consultants (RIC) in Colorado Springs, CO where he specializes in musculoskeletal imaging. Matt has served in various leadership capacities with RIC and recently served on the medical executive committee for the University of Colorado Memorial Hospital. His son graduated from Middlebridge School in 2023 and the Middlebridge School postgraduate program the following year.

Kris Miller

Kris received a Bachelor of Science from Carnegie-Mellon University and a Master of Business Administration from Stanford Graduate School of Business. Kris is a global strategy and transformation leader with extensive experience across ecommerce (eBay Inc.), management consulting (Bain & Company) and consumer products (Procter & Gamble). She has worked across the consumer landscape, both digital and physical, and is passionate about using consumer insights and enabling technology to deliver superior customer experience and shareholder value. Kris currently serves on multiple boards from publicly traded companies to late-stage private to start-ups. Kris is considered an expert on the future of commerce and AI’s impact on ecommerce, as well as digital strategy and transformation. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and two children. In addition to spending time with her family, she enjoys golf, contemporary art, and theater. Her son graduated from Middlebridge in June 2021.

Mark Pelson

Mark Pelson received a Juris Doctorate from Boston University and a Bachelor of Arts from Cornell University. He is a former and Founding Chair of Middlebridge School. He is the General Partner of PCI, LLC an investment company. He formerly was a Managing Director and Partner at Providence Equity Partners where he served on numerous private and public boards. Mr. Pelson has served on several non-profit boards including the Board of Overseers of Children’s Hospital Boston, the board of The Wheeler School and Chaired the board of the Wolf School in East Providence, Rhode Island. His daughter, Sarah, attended Middlebridge School.

Trey Snider

Trey Snider received a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from the University of Texas at Austin. In 1991, he co-founded O’Donnell/Snider Construction, a commercial general contracting firm in Houston, Texas, where he currently serves as Co-President and CEO. Trey has served on numerous boards of directors for nonprofit and charitable institutions, including as a member of the Board of Trustees at Episcopal High School-Houston. His son graduated from Middlebridge School in 2017, from the postgraduate Bridge program in 2018, and Magna Cum Laude from Lynn University.