Leadership
HEAD OF SCHOOL
LISA DARLING
Head of School since 2013
Ms. Darling has over 25 years of educational leadership experience. Formerly the President of the United World College in New Mexico, Darling has brought a unique perspective to the school’s leadership given her commitment to excellence in all aspects of international education and her track record as a collaborative leader.
Prior to United World College, Darling was Head of School at Wilmington Friends School in Delaware for 11 years. Before being appointed Head at Wilmington, she had served in various roles since 1988 including Business Manager, Assistant Head of School for Lower School, and Acting Head of School. Prior to her time at Wilmington, she worked at Friends’ Central School in suburban Philadelphia, where she worked as both Director of Library Services and Business Manager. She also served as the Director of the H.B. DuPont Library at Pomfret School in Connecticut before moving to Philadelphia.
A strong leader who exemplifies Awty’s mission, Ms. Darling has held positions on the International Women’s Forum and the National Association of Independent Schools, and served on the United World College International Board and as the president of the New Mexico Association of Independent Schools.
She holds a bachelor’s degree from George Fox College, a Master of Divinity in Education from Princeton Theological Seminary, and a master’s degree in library science from the State University of New York at Albany.
Proviseur
PIERRE PUGET
Proviseur since 2018
M. Pierre Puget is originally from Corsica, a French island in the Mediterranean.
He comes to Awty as “détaché” from the French Ministry of Education (MEN) through the Mission Laïque Française (MLF), an important partner of Awty.
He started his journey in education as a Mechanical Engineering instructor and appreciated the opportunity to teach college students. He worked for six years at the Naval Training Center of Toulon for the French Navy where he taught at all levels, including the officers' school. He has also been involved in the development of digital teaching tools for military personnel onboard warships.
After a position as Deputy Head of School he held two positions as Head of School in two different French Lycées before realizing his first expatriation. Pierre served for five years as Deputy Head of Lycée La Bourdonnais in Mauritius. From there, the French teaching agency abroad (AEFE) offered him a position as Head of School at Lycée Jean d’Alembert in Valparaiso, Chile.
M. Puget studied in France at Institut Universitaire de Technologie d'Aix-Marseille, and then at Université d'Aix-Marseille, earning a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering. He subsequently completed the concours CAPES certifying him to teach higher level students, and was admitted to the corps des personnels de direction - authorized by the French MEN to serve as a Proviseur.
He has now held a school leadership role for 16 years.
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
OFFICERS
AKBAR MOHAMED
BOARD CHAIR
Ex-officio member of all board committees
President, Prime Communications
Graduate, University of Illinois
Parent of two Awty students
BOB BUNCH
VICE CHAIR AND TREASURER
Board Committees: Risk and Finance & Investment (Chair)
Director, Olin Corporation
Graduate, Rice University and University of Houston's Law Center
Parent of one Awty alumnus
glen gonzalez
SECRETARY
Board Committees: Committee on Trustees and Buildings & Grounds
Founder and President, TJG Capital
Graduate, University of Southern California
Parent of three Awty students
TRUSTEES
Maconda abinader
Board Committees: Building & Grounds and Advancement
Graduate, Rice University
Parent of two Awty students
EIMEAR BONNER
Board Committees: Buildings & Grounds and Finance & Investment
VP-Chief Technology Officer, Chevron
Graduate, Queen's University Belfast and Imperial College, London
Parent of two Awty students
Claudia contreras
Board Committees: Committee on Trustees and Advancement
Community Leader
Grandparent of three Awty students
STEPHANIE COX
Board Committees: Finance & Investment and Committee on Trustees
Graduate, Michigan State University
Parent of one Awty alumna
jOHANNE GATTO
Board Committees: Buildings & Grounds and Advancement
Graduate, The University of Texas at Austin
Parent of two Awty students
jake gopinath
Board Committees: Risk and Advancement (Chair)
Founder and CEO, Quintessa Homes of Texas
President and CEO, Fullerton Holdings Corporation
Graduate, Webber International University
Parent of two Awty students
MARYANN T. MANNEN
Board Committees: Risk and Committee on Trustees (Chair)
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Marathon Petroleum Corporation
Graduate, Rider University
Community Leader
ROB MARK
Board Committees: Advancement and Committee on Trustees
Group Manager for Business Operations and Sourcing, Apple
Graduate, Davidson College and Rice University
Awty alumnus, Class of 2004
LESLIE NELSON
Board Committees: Finance & Investment and Advancement
Chief Financial Officer, Performing Arts Houston
Graduate, University of Texas and University of Houston
Awty alumna
DANIEL OGBONNA
Board Committees: Building & Grounds and Advancement
CEO, Olimax Group Inc.
Graduate, Tennessee State University, University of Michigan, and Harvard Business School
Parent of two Awty students
SONYA REED
Board Committees: Advancement and Finance & Investment
Senior VP, Human Resources and Corporate Communications, Philipps 66
Graduate, Arizona State University, Cambridge University, and the Complutense University of Madrid
Parent of one Awty alum and one current student
GAVIN RENNICK
Board Committees: Buildings & Grounds and Finance & Investment
VP of Human Resources, Schlumberger Limited
Graduate, University of Western Australia
Parent of two Awty students
STEFAAN SERCU
Board Committees: Buildings & Grounds and Finance & Investment
Chief Cities & Communities Officer, ENGIE North America
Graduate, University of Mons Hainaut (Belgium) and KU Leuven (Belgium)
Parent of two Awty students
JAY WATKINS
Board Committees: Buildings & Grounds (Chair) and Risk
Graduate, MIT and Imperial College London
Parent of two Awty students and one Awty alumna
HARRY YAN
Board Committees: Buildings & Grounds and Finance & Investment
Founder and President, HTI Group
Graduate, Oakland University
Parent of three Awty students
lucA zaNotti
Board Committees: Building & Grounds and Finance & Investment
President USA, Tenaris
Graduate, SDA Bocconi and Politecnico di Milano
Parent of one Awty student
EX-OFFICIO MEMBERS
lisa darling
Board Committees: Advancement, Buildings & Grounds, Committee on Trustees, Finance & Advancement, and Risk
Head of School, The Awty International School
Graduate, Princeton Theological Seminary, State University of NY at Albany, and George Fox University
WILL ELDRIDGE
Board Committees: Committee on Trustees and Advancement
President, Awty Alumni Association
Graduate, Rice University
Awty alumnus, Class of 2012
Mark sweigArt
Board Committees: Buildings & Grounds and Advancement
President, Awty Parent and Personnel Association
Senior Consultant, Rimkus Consulting Group
Graduate, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology and Rice University
Parent of two Awty students
SENIOR ADMINISTRATORS
KATE ADAMS
Chief Academic Officer and Acting Head of Early Learning
ERIKA BENAVENTE
Acting Director of Admissions
GWEN CARIO
Director of Communications Operations
DON DAVIS
Director of Facilities and Construction
KAITI KLING
Senior Philanthropic Advisor
LAUREN LINN
Acting Director of Advancement
TIM LONG
Head of Lower School
JAMAL MADDEN
Chief of Staff
JOHN MURPHY
Chief Financial Officer
TOM ODEN
Head of Secondary