Head of School Search

Wendy Fischman ’89

Trustee; Parent ’25

Wendy joined the Harvard Graduate School of Education in 1995. Since then, she has directed various research initiatives focused on the meaning of work in the lives of young children, adolescents, and novice professionals. In 2012, she launched a large-scale national study of higher education, involving 2000 interviews across 10 campuses. Wendy writes about education and human development in scholarly and popular publications for audiences in both the K-12 and higher education sectors. Two publications of note are Making Good: How Young People Cope with Moral Dilemmas at Work (2004) and The Real World of College: What Higher Education Is and What It Can Be (2022), both of which are co-authored with Howard Gardner.

Shamikhah Baker

Director of Enrollment Management; P’24, ’29

With more than two decades of experience in education and enrollment, Shamikhah Baker has served as the Director of Enrollment Management at Beaver Country Day School since 2008. In her role, she has led strategic enrollment initiatives and partnered closely with families to help students find the right educational fit and thrive within the school community.

Prior to joining Beaver, Shamikhah worked in both college admission and college counseling, bringing a broad perspective on the independent school and higher education landscape. Her work is grounded in building authentic relationships, supporting students and families through important transitions, and fostering inclusive and welcoming school communities.

Shamikhah is the proud mother of three sons, including one who graduated Beaver in the Class of 2024 and another who is a member of the Class of 2029.

Heather Coughlin

Trustee; P’22, ’26

An experienced growth, product & change leader, Heather began her career at Goldman Sachs in the equities business, where she helped launch a corporate FinTech venture portfolio. Heather subsequently led entrepreneurial and corporate ventures spanning both digital wealth & health solutions, including CEO of a national health education & retail concept. As a Partner at Mercer, she led national Financial Wellness solutions and most recently led the product function of their US Benefits Administration solution through a successful divestment to a private equity sponsor. Heather currently serves as a start-up advisor, change consultant, and corporate poet. Her inaugural poetry collection, “Out of Office”, is published by her newest venture, workLIT.

Perry Eaton

English Department Head; Upper School Faculty

Perry has been a part of the Beaver community since 2016, teaching in both the English and Global History and Social Sciences Departments, serving as a former Dean of the 9th and 10th grade, and advising the Alex Cohn Grant for special student projects. He is currently the English Department Chair and advises and teaches classes in the Upper School. Prior to joining Beaver, Perry worked full-time as a journalist at the Boston Globe and uses these experiences and his passion for writing and research to fuel his work in the classroom.

Kathleen Kosberg

Middle School Faculty; P’27, ’29

Kathleen has been part of the Beaver community for many years, teaching English in the Middle School, and after more than three decades as an educator, she still believes the best learning happens when people are genuinely wondering together. Words and language fascinate her. She loves to read, write, and talk—though she tries to keep a reasonable balance between talking and listening. Interacting with storytelling is how she makes sense of the world, considering others’ perspectives and reflecting on her own experiences and feelings through literature, film, and song. Humor and connection energize and inspire her. Kathleen finds that laughter reduces stress, lifts moods, and opens doors, and that middle schoolers, when they trust you, are beautifully hopeful, complex, curious, and honest. Outside of school, when she’s not watching her two sons grow up too fast, Kathleen enjoys running and yoga, chocolate, and sunshine.

Peter Saperstone

Former Trustee; P’18, ’21

Peter joined Greycroft in 2022 and is based in Boston. He focuses on late stage and public investments.

Prior to Greycroft, Peter spent 26 years at Fidelity Investments, most recently as the Managing Director in their late-stage private equity group leading investments in the consumer, media, and internet sectors. His late-stage private investments at Fidelity included Roku, Peloton, Lyft, Endeavor, Stepstone, ACV Auctions, ON Running, Sweetgreen, Fanatics, GoPuff, and EPIC Games. Prior to this role, Peter was the lead portfolio manager for the Fidelity Advisor Mid Cap Fund, Fidelity Fifty Fund, and VIP Contra Consumer Fund.

Peter holds a BS from Union College and an MBA from Columbia Business School.

Eric Svenson

Trustee; P’27

Eric is co-founder and Managing Partner of Broder, a Boston-based real estate firm with diverse investments across the commercial, life sciences, residential, and hospitality sectors. Prior to founding Broder, Eric was a Principal at The Abbey Group, and held roles at Accenture Consulting and Suffolk Construction. Beyond the realm of real estate, Broder is an investor in the Boston Celtics (NBA) and the Boston Unity (NWSL) and proudly supports numerous education focused organizations alongside his wife Sarah. Eric has served in trustee roles on several education and youth-focused organizations, including The Boys and Girls Club of Boston, The KIPP School of Massachusetts, and The Hawk Foundation.

Joanna Travis

Trustee; P’23

Prior to starting her family, Joanna was a trial attorney serving as a prosecutor, city attorney, and also in private practice with a focus on commercial, municipal, and family law litigation in both Michigan and Texas. She is deeply passionate about non-profits and has served in many leadership roles. Most recently, she served as Chair of the Greater Boston Food Bank Board of Directors and currently serves on that board, as well as serving on the Charles River School Board of Trustees where she chairs the Committee on Trustees (Governance) and serves on the Executive and Community Equity & Belonging Committees. Joanna is also a member of the Summer Search Board of Overseers.

Jodi Walker

Trustee; P’22, ’24

Jodi Walker practiced as a District Attorney in Middlesex County for over 12 years, prosecuting a variety of crimes in the district and superior courts, advocating for victims, and working with schools and police on preventive justice. Since leaving that role, Jodi has been able to share her expertise with BVR students as a regular guest lecturer about criminal justice in two of Beaver’s US courses: Theories of Justice and Theories of Punishment. She is also a Trustee at Dana-Farber Cancer Center and a member of the Development Committee at New Roads Catholic Community. Jodi has been riding the Pan-Mass Challenge since 2012, and she is the founder and captain of the PMC team Walker’s Wings.

Julie Marcus

Board President; P’22, ’25, ’28

Specializing in strategic communications, Julie has more than 20 years of experience in the non-profit sector. She worked at City Year, a national youth service organization, for nearly a decade overseeing major events and serving as Director of Communications. In 2003, still with City Year, Julie also served as Director of the Save AmeriCorps initiative that resulted in the creation of the advocacy organization Voices for National Service. Since leaving City Year to raise her three children, Julie has served her community in leadership roles as President of the Brookline Community Foundation (BCF) and Co-Chair of Beaver’s Parent Association.